BurmaNet News: September 13-15, 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

September 13-15, 2003 Issue #2326

INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Military Planning Mass Rallies to Gain Support for “Road Map”
AP: New deputy ministers appointed as part of major reshuffle
DVB: Bikers' protests against police in Magwe
VOA: Analysts: Upcoming Summit Meetings Motivating Moves by Burmese Junta
Irrawaddy: Political Hip Hop Released

ON THE BORDER
NMG: Foreign labors to be replaced by Thai workers

DRUGS
SHAN: Thailand to re-order ethnic Chinese village

MONEY
Xinhua: FAO, Myanmar sign agreement on edible oil
Xinhua: Myanmar to benefit from ASEAN-India economic ties: official
China Daily: Chinese delegations to discuss agriculture, fisheries, biotech
Lloyd’s List: Independence day for Premier Oil

GUNS
AP: Chinese troops on Burma’s border explained

REGIONAL
NDTV: Suu Kyi languishes, India looks away
ADB: Mekong Countries to Take Major Step in Further Opening Up Borders

INTERNATIONAL
UN Wire: Myanmar Attack Threatens Reconciliation, Rights Expert Says

EDITORIALS
NYT/IHT: No progress on Burmese democracy
WP: Where Is She?
BP: Clarification of Thai policy on Burma: MFA Information director


----INSIDE BURMA----

Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese   September 13, 2003
Military Planning Mass Rallies to Gain Support for “Road Map”

Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) has learned that some members of the
National Unity Party (former ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party) have
started organizing the people in Mandalay Division's Patheingyi Township
to give support to the seven-point road map of Gen Khin Nyunt. (Passage
omitted)

Villagers in Kyar-ni Kan village in Patheingyi Township are being lobbied
to vote for the National Unity Party when new elections are held. A member
of the National League for Democracy (NLD) from Mandalay said this to DVB.

(NLD member) We heard that the organizing committee of the National Unity
Party is lobbying for votes in Patheingyi Township of Mandalay Division.
At the Kyar-ni Kan village in Patheingyi Township, the organizers have
asked villagers to vote for the National Unity Party in the next
elections, promising to fulfil the needs of the village. The organizers
promised to appeal to the authorities to give back the farm land
confiscated and converted into poultry farms and fish breeding ponds under
the Cooperatives Minister U Than Aung. The villagers did not seem to show
much interest and were indifferent. (End of recording)

That was a comment by a member of the Mandalay Division National League
for Democracy.

Similarly, a Pa-an resident said mass rallies to support the SPDC's (State
Peace and Development Council's) seven-point roadmap are being planned to
be held in Pa-an township on 23 September.

(Unidentified male from Pa-an) I heard they are making plans to hold a
mass rally on 23 September as if to show that the people are in support of
their roadmap. The thing is, this kind of rally can only be organized by
the authorities, no others can. Of course, the USDA (Union Solidarity and
Development Association) can be the leading organizer. When they held
rallies to oppose the NLD, it was also the USDA which organized the
events. They can summon the number of people each ward must send to the
rally. (End of recording)

That was a report by a Pa-an resident who said mass rallies are soon to be
held in Karen State's Pa-an Township in support of the SPDC's roadmap.

Similar rallies are being planned in Rangoon Division on 20 September.

While rallies are being planned in support of its roadmap, SPDC is
arresting, coercing, harassing, and forcing NLD members to resign in
Tenasserim and Magwe Divisions.

On 28 August, U Tin Maung Naing, NLD Vice-Chairman of Taungdwingyi
Township, and NLD member U Aung Ko were summoned by the ward chairman and
told to submit their biographies.


Associated Press Worldstream   September 14, 2003
New deputy ministers appointed as part of major reshuffle

Myanmar's ruling military appointed two new deputy ministers as part of a
major cabinet reshuffle which saw the naming of the country's intelligence
chief Gen. Khin Nyunt as prime minister, a government newspaper said
Sunday.

Brig. Tin Naing Thein was appointed deputy forest minister while Brig.
Gen. Aung Tun was named as the new deputy minister of commerce, the New
Light of Myanmar said. The appointments were effective Saturday.

The cabinet reshuffle began Aug. 25 with the removal of five ministers and
seven deputy ministers and the appointment of Khin Nyunt, regarded as a
pragmatist and moderate among the country's hardline rulers. But analysts
are still unclear about what this means for Myanmar's political future.

Despite strong international pressure, including severe economic sanctions
imposed by the United States, the junta continues to suppress the
pro-democracy movement and has held its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in
detention for more than three months.

The newspaper said Tin Naing Thein replaced Thaik Tun, who was dismissed
in July, in the forestry ministry while Aung Tun took over the post at the
commerce ministry from Brig. Gen. Kyaw Hsan who became information
minister in an earlier reshuffle.


Democratic Voice of Burma   September 12, 2003
Bikers' protests against police in Magwe
(translated by BBC World Monitoring Service)

Students from Magwe Medical Institute staged demonstrations on 11
September to protest against the authorities' arresting people riding
unregistered motorcycles.
The incident started at around 1900 [local time] on Wednesday 10
September, when police stopped three medical students on a motorcycle for
violating traffic rules. The motorcycle was confiscated and the students
were punched and beaten.

The students were disgruntled about the incident.

Eye witnesses said that the following morning, on 11 September, medical
students rode around the town on about 70 motorcycles making a noise and
causing a commotion. They stopped at the Traffic Police Station at the
centre of Magwe and demanded the return of the motorcycle confiscated the
previous day.

A Magwe resident said the students also rode their cycles around the
roundabout near the Magwe bridge, protesting and shouting, "Traffic police
behave like thieves, robbers, and homosexuals."

Dr Than Myint, dean of the Magwe Medical Institute, personally came to
intervene.

Since 11 September, security has been tightened around the Magwe Traffic
Police Station.

We contacted a resident of Magwe who lives near the Traffic Police Station
to enquire about the details regarding yesterday's events and to describe
what was happening there today.

Unidentified female resident : They had their headlights on and were
continually honking their horns and driving around. They also shouted,
cursed, and used abusive language, and the people around clapped their
hands and encouraged the students. What I heard was that the students were
planning another round of protests tonight and that they were gathering
people. They said they would do it again as they did yesterday.

That was a resident of Magwe who was an eye witness to what happened and
what is continuing to happen there.

Magwe residents said the problem started from the authorities trying to
raise 8m kyats to stage a song, dance, and music contest. To attain that
goal, fines were being imposed on people without safety helmets and with
unregistered motorcycles.

A resident of Monywa in Sagaing Division told DVB that similar action was
being taken in Monywa by the authorities.

Unidentified Monywa resident : Motorcycle riders are being arrested. The
arrests which started yesterday have continued for two days including
today. But I am not sure about the reason why they are raising funds. They
have been demanding 3,000 kyats for each motorcycle even if no offence was
committed. I saw many motorcycles being impounded. The city hall is
already full of them. Fines were being imposed to raise funds but I don't
know what the funds are for. What I heard was that they need to raise 5m
kyats. They arrested everybody today, including high school students. The
only riders they let go are people from the army, police, and riders
carrying monks as passengers. Other than that, no-one is spared.

That was a Monywa resident.

This year has seen frequent problems between the students and the
soldiers, security personnel, and traffic police. Only last Monday, there
was a problem between traffic police and students in Kachin State's
Myitkyina. DVB has learned that similar clashes also took place in Akyab
and Moulmein in the middle of this year.


VOA News   September 11, 2003
Analysts: Upcoming Summit Meetings Motivating Moves by Burmese Junta
By Gary Thomas

Burma's military government recently announced changes in the personnel
lineup that put the country's intelligence chief in the post of prime
minister. The government also announced it would implement a so-called
"road map" to democratization and elections, but released no details or
timetable. Analysts say the timing of these moves is significant.

They say the appointment of Khin Nyunt is a bid to present a new face of
Burma ahead of crucial international gatherings at which Burma's treatment
of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to be a key topic.
Aung San Suu Kyi was detained after an attack on her and her followers by
a government-backed mob on May 30 in northern Burma. The United States
responded with new economic sanctions on Burma. The Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, normally reticent about criticizing a
fellow member state, openly called for Aung San Suu Kyi's release.

Josef Silverstein, professor emeritus of international relations at
Rutgers University, says the changes indicate that economic pressure from
the West over Aung San Suu Kyi's detention is already taking a toll.
Burma, he says, is being deprived of much-needed hard currency.

"The United States law that we just passed is taking effect," he said. "It
had begun to take effect even before its date of August 28, when banks
refused to honor letters of credit issued in dollars. I think this is the
real trigger of a lot of action because suddenly the Burmese do not have
access to very many dollars."

With a regional leaders' meeting looming in early October with a larger
world leaders' summit shortly afterward, ASEAN member states have also
been ratcheting up the pressure in calling for Aung San Suu Kyi's release.
Mr. Silverstein says Burma needed an influential figure who is also a
fluent English speaker to be the face of the Burmese government on the
international stage, and, perhaps, to negotiate some kind of face-saving
deal at home for Aung San Suu Kyi's release.

"This is a crucial meeting. The ASEAN, particularly Indonesia, has been
talking about the Aung San Suu Kyi issue must be clarified, must be
satisfied, before that meeting," he said. "Otherwise, ASEAN is going to be
terribly embarrassed in front of the world as world leaders come there and
directly confront them as well as Burma about her status. So, I think that
we have in my estimation a two-week window here in which to negotiate her
out of prison. And the change in administration was, I think, their first
step."

David Steinberg, a Burma expert at Georgetown University, says any release
of Aung San Suu Kyi puts the Burmese military government in a dilemma.

"If she goes out right now, the first thing she must say for her own
political and moral position is, I want justice for those people who were
killed on May 30," he said. "If the government doesn't do that, there's a
real problem. On the other hand, keeping her incarcerated means that there
is danger from the international community, who will complain about that.
So they're caught in a very difficult position."

The ASEAN summit is scheduled to begin October 7 on the Indonesian resort
island of Bali. The APEC summit will open October 20 in Bangkok.


The Irrawaddy   September 15, 2003
Political Hip Hop Released
By Naw Seng

A new rap song about the decline of Burmese society and the need for
democracy was released online by a Burmese group last week.

The seven-minute "Lu Nge Anthem 2003," ("Youth Anthem 2003") by Myanmar
Future Generations features samples of the Burmese national anthem and the
voice of opposition Aung San Suu Kyi, plus a rap by the band members.

"We created this song on behalf of Burmese youth who are willing to serve
their country as they can," said a unnamed band member in an interview
with Burma Today News, an online newsgroup covering Burma.

The song calls on Burmese to resist passivity and become engaged in work
for the good of the country. One chorus includes the lyrics: "Where is the
independence? Generations have been damaged." And: "The new generation
won’t stop. We are alert for tomorrow. We are working hard."

The style is similar to the rap performed by groups in Burma, leading some
to believe the group could be comprised of Burmese residents.

The group will launch a new song called AhNarGat ThaMine, ("The Legend of
the Future") on September 19. The fifteenth anniversary of the military
coup which resulted in the current junta gaining power is September 18.

Rap and Hip-Hop music has boomed in Burma since 2000, with bands such as
Acid and Theory among the most popular.


----ON THE BORDER----

Network Media Group   September 13, 2003
Foreign labors to be replaced by Thai workers

According to a letter from job recruiting department of Mae Hong Song
district to the employers, foreign labors in Thailand particularly
Burmese, Laotian and Cambodians are to be replaced by Thai workers.

The holders in several work places of the work-permit ID cards that will
be expired on September 25 will not be able to extend and Thai nationals
will be recruited and replaced in these places, the letter signed by an
official from job replacement department said earlier this month.

The employers were instructed to send foreign workers who were in the list
to the nearest police stations or check-points in the respective
townships.

The job list of foreign workers that will replaced by Thai workforces are
laundry, beauty parlor, hotel, restaurant, groceries, car servicing,
consumer goods factory, pet shop, computer accessories, offices of trade
and investment, shoe factory, soap factory, toothpaste factory, gems
renovation factories, electrical accessories, sports industries and
knitting factories.

Recently Thailand introduced job recruiting department in several
townships and urge its jobless citizens to register in these offices.

According to Thai’s Labor Ministry, foreign workers would be allowed only
in agricultural sectors, fisheries, rice mill, minerals explorations and
household jobs and their work permit will be extended only for next one
year.

The non-governmental organizations and respective departments estimated
that there are over one million migrant workers in Thailand and over 80
per cent of these are Burmese.

Officer of district job recruitment department, Phisit Ninthoungkham
signed the warning letters to foreign workers in Mae Hong Son district.

The employers would be faced punishment according to the immigrant workers
act (1978) if foreign workers were still in working at their jobs after
September 25, mentioned in the letter.


----DRUGS----

Shan Herald Agency for News   September 13, 2003
Thailand to re-order ethnic Chinese village

Ethnic Chinese villages along Thailand's northern borders are due to
return to the Royal Thai Army's guardianship 4-years after they were
placed under the civil administration's direct charge, following a series
of meetings that concluded the Chinese communities engendered as links
between Burma's drug producers and Thailand's 3 million plus drug users,
according to both army and civil sources.

"It would not only cover the original 13-villages under the Third Army's
supervision but also other adjoining villages where ethnic Chinese are
predominant," disclosed a military security officer.

Beginning 1968, ethnic Chinese communities, most of whom were families and
followers of the defeated Kuomintang that fled from mainland China, were
placed under the charge of the Armed Forces Supreme Command's Command
Post-04. They were later transferred to the Third Army in 1984, when Task
Force 327 was formed to undertake the assignment until the Interior
Ministry finally took over.

The 13 villages communities under the trusteeship of the Army before they
were handed over to the civil administration were Thung Yekhao in
Maehongson Province; Piangluang, Kaenoi, Muangna, Nawng-Ook (Arunothai),
Tham-ngop, San Makokwan, Banluang and Hua Muang-ngarm in Chiangmai; and
Mae Abb, Phatang, Huaymu and Mae Salong in Chiangrai.

"The main reason is drugs," said an Army source. "Nowadays when we think
of drugs, we always tend to associate them with Wa. But Wa are nothing
without the ethnic Chinese who have business connections worldwide. The
glaring example is Wei Hsuehkang, the UWSA commander, who is actually an
ethnic Chinese from the ex-Kuomintang communities in Thailand.".
A civil administrator from a border district, however, told S.H.A.N.
details had yet to be worked out how best to handle the ethnic Chinese
(Jeen Haw in Thai) despite the conclusion reached recently.

Ethnic Chinese and their descendents, especially those from the
ex-Kuomintang's 93rd Division, had been granted Thai citizenship after
their distinguished participation against armed Thai communists in the
Phatang campaign (1968) and Khao Khaw campaign (1981).


----MONEY----

Xinhua General News Service   September 13, 2003
FAO, Myanmar sign agreement on edible oil

YANGON, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- The UN Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) and the Myanmar Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Friday
reached here an agreement on technical cooperation for sufficiency of
edible oil in Myanmar, official newspaper The New Light of Myanmar
reportedly Saturday.

Resident Representative of the FAO Tang Zhengping and Director- General of
the Agriculture Planning Department U Tin Htut Oo signed the contract.

Myanmar reduced the import of edible oil in 2002 when the cultivation of
oil crops of groundnut, sesame and sunflower in three arid divisions of
Mandalay, Sagaing and Magway in central Myanmar was expanded during the
year. They had a total cultivated area reaching 2.6 million hectares, of
which 1.4 million were covered by sesame. The country also increased the
cultivated area of oil palm to 43,301.8 hectares in southern Tanintharyi
division during the year.

According to the latest figures of the Central Statistical Organization,
the import value of edible oil during 2002 amounted to 60 million US
dollars. However, the figures did not disclose the actual output of the
oil during the year, which was set at over 400,000 tons.

Myanmar produced over 380,000 tons of edible oil annually in recent years,
accounting for 76 percent of the country's total demand of about 500,000
tons.


Xinhua   September 15, 2003
Myanmar to benefit from ASEAN-India economic ties: official

YANGON, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar will benefit from closer ASEAN-India
economic ties out of its geographic position linking the two sides, an
official of the Myanmar Ministry of Commerce was quoted by Monday's
Myanmar Times as commenting.

U Tint Thwin, director of the International Trade and Promotion Department
of the ministry, made the remarks ahead of the expected signing of a Free
Trade Agreement (FTA) between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) and India at a two-day regional summit scheduled in Bali,
Indonesia on Oct. 7 and 8. The draft on the FTA between ASEAN and India
had been approved by ASEAN economic ministers when they met in Phnom Penh,
Cambodia on Sept. 2.

The official, after attending the Second ASEAN-India Business Summit held
in New Delhi and Mumbai, India on Sept. 4 to 6, disclosed that the summit
had agreed to triple the ASEAN-India trade value to 30 billion US dollars
annually by 2007.

U Tint Thwin also foresaw closer cooperation between ASEAN and BIMST-EC
resulting from the FTA. The BIMST-EC is another regional economic grouping
made up of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

He disclosed that expansion in economic ties between Myanmar and India was
encouraging. Meanwhile, India said it expects to increase the value of
bilateral trade to one billion dollars a year.

According to Myanmar official figures, Myanmar-India bilateral trade
amounted to 440.13 million dollars in 2002 with India standing as
Myanmar's fourth largest trading partner after Thailand, China and
Singapore.

Meanwhile, besides investing in the oil and gas sector in Myanmar, India
wants to increase its investment in the country's rapidly expanding
information and communication technology sector.

Moreover, India is scheduled to hold an industrial exhibition in Yangon in
February 2004, which is another sign of its closer economic relationship
with Myanmar.


China Daily   September 15, 2003
Prospects Rosy for Agriculture

The agricultural work being carried out under the umbrella of GMS
co-operation has proven to be effective and has enormous potential,
according to the Ministry of Finance.

Also, China's co-operation with other GMS countries in the agricultural
field has great prospects.

So far, China has been active in participating in agricultural technology
exchanges and agricultural trade promotions under the GMS framework.

The agricultural arm of GMS co-operation was officially launched in January.

China has helped train agricultural technicians from the five other GMS
member countries. The training covered a wide range of areas such as
aquaculture, animal husbandry, cross-border animal disease control and
prevention and land use.

GMS technicians have also participated in the training sessions and
seminars China held for Association of Southeast Asia Nations members. The
sessions were on hybrid rice, agricultural machinery, potato production,
fertilizer and agricultural policies.

Trainees in the programmes learned practical techniques. The training also
helped build personal contacts and laid the foundation for further
co-operation.

China has also sent delegations to Myanmar for in-depth discussions on
co-operation in agriculture, fisheries and biotechnology.

China and Viet Nam co-organized the First Southeast Asia Agricultural
Exhibition, which was staged in China's Nanning in November last year. It
showcased the agricultural products and agricultural machinery of the
participating countries.

China will continue to provide practical training for other GMS members.
Techniques that can be introduced to other GMS countries include those for
rice and soybean cultivation, fresh water fishing, animal husbandry, and
methane generation and utilization.


Lloyd's List   September 15, 2003
Independence day for Premier Oil after main shareholders give up their stakes

PREMIER Oil has become an independent exploration and field development
company after eight years of partial ownership by Petronas and Amerada
Hess, writes Martyn Wingrove.

The London-listed company, with interests in the North Sea, West Africa
and the Far East, will be able to chase more upstream deals and drill more
exploration wells.

Malaysian state oil company Petronas has swapped its 25% stake in Premier
in return for the company's 11% production interests in the Yetagun gas
project off Myanmar and 15% in the West Natuna gas field.

US oil company Amerada Hess also sold its 25% stake in Premier in exchange
for interests in Far East offshore acreage.

"We will be fully independent for the first time in eight years, free to
pursue our strategy of adding value in core areas in West Africa, south
and southeast Asia and the United Kingdom," said Premier's chief executive
Charles Jamieson.

Premier is involved in drilling two to three deepwater exploration wells
off Mauritania this year after buying an interest in the Chinguetti
project from Australian oil junior Fusion Oil & Gas.

It will also drill two wells off Guinea Bissau starting early next year.

Fusion's shares soared 23% on Friday to 38p after receiving takeover bid
approaches from London-listed Sterling Energy. It also reported its first
full year profits.

"West Africa is a placewhere the world's oil industry wants to play the
game" said Fusion's managing director, Alan Stein.

"With a portfolio like ours we get approaches all the time, but it is not
the right day or the right price.

"We are delighted with our maiden profits. For three years, we have built
up a cracking portfolio of assets.

"We will drill six to 15 wells over the next two years and can be regarded
as company makers. The fun is about to start."


----GUNS----

Associated Press Online   September 15, 2003
China Assigns Army to Guard Korean Border (excerpt)
By: CHRISTOPHER BODEEN

China's military has taken over border patrol duties along the frontier
with North Korea in a routine administrative change, the Foreign Ministry
said Monday. It gave no indication that the move was linked to North
Korea's nuclear program or possible tensions over cross-border crime.

The announcement in a brief statement faxed to reporters follows Hong Kong
news reports that 150,000 People's Liberation Army troops have been sent
to the border since mid-August to stem crime by North Korean soldiers.

The ministry said the change was meant to streamline administration of the
border.

"It is a normal adjustment carried out after many years of preparation by
the relevant parties," the statement said.

The statement said the PLA was also taking over border-guard duties from
police along the frontier between Myanmar and southwestern China's Yunnan
province.

The border, even longer than that between China and North Korea, is a key
route for heroin smuggled from Myanmar for sale in China or export to
other markets.

Military analysts had been puzzled by unusual Chinese troop movements
along the Myanmar border. But they concluded they were unrelated to events
in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.



----REGIONAL----

NDTV (India)   September 14, 2003
Suu Kyi languishes, India looks away

Rangoon: Some call it the politics of realism, but by actively supporting
the military junta in Myanmar, earlier known as Burma, India seems to have
forgotten the pro-democracy leader and Nobel prize winner Aung San Suu
Kyi.

Earlier this year, the Defence Ministry confirmed to NDTV that India is
selling weaponry to Myanmar's generals.

In the last month, three top Indian political leaders have visited Rangoon
but none met Aung San Suu Kyi. They didn’t even express the desire to meet
her.

Repressive policies

Her father, General Aung San, known as Burma's Mahatma Gandhi, was
assassinated when Suu Kyi was only three years old.

Like her father, she is committed to Gandhian non-violence. She won a
landslide victory in the country's first ever elections and was set to
become Burma's first democratically elected Prime Minister.

But the army generals refused to recognise the elections and cracked down
hard. Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested and has been under confinement ever
since, almost 14 years now. She was not allowed to travel to Norway to
accept the Nobel peace prize and stopped from travelling to see her
husband who was dying of cancer.

Political compulsions

India says that it has to maintain good relations with Aung San’s
oppressors, the Burmese Generals. It argues that it needs a friendly
neighbour to make sure terrorists don’t have a shelter across the North
East border near Manipur. India also says it needs to counter China, which
it feels is propping up the military dictatorship in Burma.

But for someone locked in jail for almost one and a half decades fighting
for democracy, the reasons must sound hollow.

Recently, Aung San Suu Kyi was allowed some local travel under severe
restrictions, but it didn't last long. The army attacked her convoy and
they were reports that she was injured along with some of her supporters.

But now she is back under house arrest and has been there now for a 100
days. Her supporters in Burma say Aung San Suu Kyi still has the strength
to fight on, despite the worldwide apathy.


Asian Development Bank   September 15, 2003
Mekong Countries to Take Major Step in Further Opening Up Borders

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Ministers from the six countries sharing the Mekong
River will discuss concrete ways to create a better-integrated, more
prosperous, and equitable region at a conference that opens Wednesday in
Dali, Yunnan Province, the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Topping the agenda of the 12th Ministerial Meeting of the Greater Mekong
Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation Program will be the further opening
up of borders, speeding up of priority projects, and dialogue with
development partners.

Ministers of the six countries - Cambodia, PRC (Yunnan Province), Lao
People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam - are
expected to take a major step forward in further opening up their borders,
to complement ongoing transborder road projects - an important component
of the GMS program.

The Ministerial Conference, being held 17-19 September, will discuss ways
to carry forward the proposals made by the GMS Leaders at their first
Summit held last November in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The ministers will also review the progress made on, and discuss future
directions and implementation of the 11 flagship initiatives.

The flagship initiatives will bring greater connectivity and
competitiveness to the GMS through:

•	Transformation of key transport corridors to economic corridors
•	Facilitation of cross-border trade and investment
•	Telecommunications links
•	Promotion of power interconnection and trading arrangements
•	Implementation of a strategic environmental framework
•	Development of human resources and skills competencies
•	Flood control and water resource management
•	Promotion of the region as a single tourist destination
•	Enhanced private sector participation

Since the inception of the GMS program in 1992, the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) has been a major partner. The Governments of the region together
with the support of ADB and other development partners have financed 15
major infrastructure projects, representing investments totaling over US$2
billion.

Helping to strengthen the trust and confidence among countries, the GMS
program has achieved numerous tangible results in such key areas as road
transport, energy, environment and human resources development.

In a major effort to mobilize support from development partners for the
flagship initiatives, GMS officials will meet representatives from other
bilateral and multilateral donor institutions as well as international and
regional organizations, and the private sector.

Principal participants at the meeting will include Cham Prasidh, Minister
of Commerce, Cambodia; Renqing Jin, Minister of Finance, PRC; Somphong
Mongkhonvilay, Minister to the Prime Minister's Office, Lao PDR; U Khin
Maung Win, Deputy Foreign Minister, Myanmar; Korn Dabbaransi, Deputy Prime
Minister, Thailand; Tran Dinh Khien, Vice Minister of Planning and
Investment, Viet Nam; and ADB Vice President Liqun Jin.


----INTERNATIONAL----

UN Wire   September 12, 2003
Myanmar Attack Threatens Reconciliation, Rights Expert Says

The attack in May by pro-government protesters on Myanmar's opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her followers could destroy any chance of a
political reconciliation in the country, the U.N. human rights expert on
Myanmar said in a report to the U.N. General Assembly circulated
yesterday.

Paul Sergio Pinheiro said that more than 100 Suu Kyi supporters are
reportedly missing or detained after they were attacked May 30 with clubs
and iron bars by people believed to be members of the pro-government Union
Solidarity and Development Association.

"Unofficial reports suggest that at least eight persons are believed to be
dead," Pinheiro said.

The attack has "constituted a potentially terminal setback on the
political front and, for that matter, for the human rights situation in
the country" and has, arguably "undone, in one stroke, all progress that
had been achieved since the process of dialogue began in 2000," Pinheiro
said (Edith Lederer, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Sept. 12).

If Myanmar wishes to salvage the peace process, the U.N. envoy said, the
first step is to immediately and unconditionally release Suu Kyi and other
political prisoners (U.N. release, Sept. 11).


----EDITORIALS----

New York Times/International Herald Tribune   September 14, 2003
No progress on Burmese democracy
Raymond Bonner NYT

BANGKOK It has been almost four months since the leading Burmese
pro-democracy activist, Aung San Suu Kyi, was detained by Myanmar's
military dictatorship, and diplomats who follow developments in the
country from here say it appears unlikely that she will be given her
freedom anytime soon.

Aung San Suu Kyi does not appear to be on a hunger strike, as American
officials had said this month, but her condition is still in question,
diplomats said.

No outsider except a representative of the International Red Cross has
seen her in more than three months.

The most optimistic view of the situation, a Western ambassador said, is
that in response to the international pressure, the government would
release Aung San Suu Kyi to house arrest. That could happen within the
next couple of weeks, but even if that were to occur, he said, she would
not be allowed to engage in political activity.

In interviews last week, diplomats from several countries also dismissed
the military government's announcement two weeks ago of a so-called road
map to democracy for Myanmar, formerly Burma. A diplomat noted that it was
basically a rehash of previous promises by the government, which seized
power after brutally crushing a popular peace movement in 1988.

The United States has taken the lead in demanding that the military
government release Aung San Suu Kyi, with public statements and economic
sanctions. The lack of any concrete results reveals the limits of U.S.
influence there, American officials acknowledge.

China is the key to Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom, diplomats from several
countries said, but it has shown no inclination to put pressure on the
military government, a reliable ally.

Chinese officials have said that Aung San Suu Kyi's detention is a
domestic matter for the Burmese to sort out. Last month, China made a $200
million loan to Myanmar's military government to buy Chinese goods,
including military equipment.


Washington Post   September 14, 2003
Where Is She?

SCARCELY A POLITICIAN or business executive in the world doesn't relish
the chance to appear in public with the great Nelson Mandela. But during
Mr. Mandela's long years in a South African prison, he had many fewer
friends among the world's powerful. This comes to mind because another
national leader of comparable fortitude and magnanimity has been captive
since May 30, and you would be hard-pressed to find much evidence that her
many supposed friends around the world are doing everything possible to
win her release. If Aung San Suu Kyi one day is freed to lead her country,
Burma, to democracy, there will be no shortage of people seeking to recall
how they were on her side all along. But the moment to step forward is
now.

Her odious captors of course are primarily responsible. The corrupt
military generals who rule Burma have loathed Aung San Suu Kyi for a long
time, certainly since her National League for Democracy won four-fifths of
parliamentary seats in a 1990 election. The junta, shocked at this
reflection of its own unpopularity, nullified the election. It has kept
Burma's 50 million people locked in a stultifying dictatorship ever since.
Last May the regime sent a band of vigilantes to attack Aung San Suu Kyi
and her supporters as they traveled on a provincial road, killing and
injuring scores. The NLD leader has been confined ever since, allowed one
visit with a United Nations representative and two with the International
Red Cross. When the U.S. State Department said it believed she has stopped
eating in protest, one of the junta's diplomats, ambassador to Britain
Kyaw Win, responded with typical finesse and sensitivity: "How could
anybody know that she's on hunger strike when you don't even know where
she is?"

The Bush administration has expressed concern and called for her release.
But that's not enough. On July 28 Mr. Bush signed into law a ban on
imports from Burma that Congress, led by Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell
and Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, had approved by overwhelming
margins. He should use that congressional mandate to push other nations to
act. Where are Aung San Suu Kyi's fellow Nobel peace laureate Kofi Annan
and the U.N. Security Council? What action will the European Union take?
And will Burma's neighbors and fellow members of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations allow their own reputations to be sullied by this
criminal regime? The ruling generals ought to know that if anything
happens to Aung San Suu Kyi, they will be pariahs throughout the world for
as long as they live.

Mr. Bush is confronted with many complex foreign policy challenges:
countries where the line between good guys and bad guys is fuzzy, failed
states with no one qualified to lead, dictatorships without civil
institutions ready to step into the breach. Burma is a challenge too, but
there's nothing complex about the choices: It is a resource-rich nation
with a democratic party and a leader already anointed by a vast majority
of the people. She must be released, and allowed to take the position to
which she was elected.


Bangkok Post   September 13, 2003
Wanting Burma to do the right thing

I wish to assure you that we at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs very much
value the views and opinions of the press on foreign policy issues. But
the editorial On the wrong side of the Burma issue'' (Bangkok Post, Sept
9), is clearly a misrepresentation of the facts concerning the Thai
Government's policy on the situation in Myanmar.

I simply would like to state the facts as follows:

1. Thailand's stand is clear in that we want to see the attainment of
national reconciliation and democratisation in Myanmar.

2. Thailand, along with other Asean member countries, wish to see the
lifting of restrictions on Mrs Aung San Suu Kyi in order that the process
of national reconciliation in Myanmar can move forward. We have never
backtracked'' from this position as claimed in the editorial.

3. From the very beginning, when we proposed the concept of the road map
towards national reconciliation in Myanmar, we recognised that, in the
final analysis, the road map would not be achievable without the efforts
of the Myanmar parties themselves. Hence, we have welcomed the so-called
road map towards democracy as announced by the Myanmar Government as a
starting point towards the process of national reconciliation in Myanmar.
The Thai Government wishes to see the effective implementation of the
various steps outlined in the announcement as soon as possible. To this
end, we shall be engaged in, and supportive of, the efforts of the Myanmar
parties in working towards the early implementation of the announced road
map.

4. Our policy on Myanmar is guided by the realities within Myanmar and the
fact that Myanmar is our next door neighbour. Thailand's interests and
that of the Thai people are best served by encouraging and supporting
positive developments in Myanmar in a way that strengthens the fabric of
peace, stability and prosperity of Myanmar.

To say that Thailand is on the wrong side'' simply ignores the fact of
where Thailand stands as regards the situation in Myanmar as stated above.

Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Director-general
Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs