BurmaNet News: October 15, 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

October 15, 2003 Issue # 2447

ON THE BORDER
Nation: 4 Burmese soldiers killed in battle

DRUGS
Xinhua : Myanmar Calls For Int'l Aid In Combating Drugs
Thai Press Reports: Myanmar's National Reconciliation To Help Curb Drug
Trafficking Across Thai Border

GUNS
SHAN: Karen rebels release battle news

REGIONAL
Nation: Officials 'US CAMPAIGN FOR BURMA': Crackdown slammed
Japan Economic Newswire: APEC leaders may discuss Myanmar situation:
Surakiart

INTERNATIONAL
IPS: Tensions Remain over Burma
AFP: Bush to raise fate of Aung San Suu Kyi on Asia trip

OPINION
Irrawaddy: Dispelling the Colonial Myth



------ON THE BORDER-------

Nation   October 15, 2003
4 Burmese soldiers killed in battle

Fierce fighting broke out on Tuesday morning between Burmese soldiers and
ethnic Karen rebels just across the border from Tak's Mae Ramat district,
leaving four Burmese soldiers dead, according to the Karen National
Liberation Army (KNLA).

Some 400 Burmese government soldiers attacked about 80 Karen rebels near
the HQ of the KNLA's 7th brigade at Kaw Bee Tah Ta, rebels said.

The Burmese attacked on two fronts, firing artillery, rocket-propelled
grenades, machine guns and assault rifles.

Radio transmissions intercepted by the rebels said that four Burmese
soldiers were killed, said KNLA Colonel Saw Ner Dah Mya. There were no
Karen casualties.

"Their objective is to capture our 7th brigade headquarters. Our objective
is to hurt them as much as possible," he said.

He said the attack was part of a larger operation launched by the junta on
August 5 in the area controlled by the 7th brigade.

On Sunday, 11 Burmese army porters reached KNLA lines after escaping from
their captors and walking through the jungle for four days.

Escapee Zaw Win said he had been forced to carry 2,000 rounds of
ammunition weighing about 25 kilograms for more than month. He was taken
from a Burmese prison in Thayawadi township. About 1,000 porters, mainly
prisoners, are being used in this offensive, he said. Ner Dah said he
expected the fighting to continue. KNLA reinforcements are on the way, he
added.


------ DRUGS ------

Xinhua   October 15, 2003
Myanmar calls for int'l aid in combating drugs

YANGON, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) --Myanmar's anti-drug authorities have called on
the international community to assist the country's combat against drugs,
The New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported Wednesday .

Colonel Tin Hlaing, chairman of Myanmar's Central Committee for Drug Abuse
Control (CCDAC) and home minister, made the appeal here on Tuesday at the
24th Meeting of the Senior Officials of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) on Drug Matters.

Myanmar launched a total drug eradication program in 1999 under which
three phases of actions, each lasting five years, would be conducted as
part of the Drug Free ASEAN 2015 campaign.

Noting that Myanmar's main drug problem is the illicit cultivation of
poppy, the minister said to solve the problem, Myanmar has introduced crop
substitution and integrated regional development schemes in the border
areas under the country's 15-year total drug eradication program.

To speed up the implementation of the plan, Myanmar introduced a
pioneering destiny project in April 2002, under which poppy growers have
been turning in their poppy seeds voluntarily. As a result, more than 167
tons of poppy seeds have been burnt and destroyed. The program has
prevented poppy cultivation of more than 40,500 hectares or a production
of 45 tons of heroin, said the official.

Under a joint pilot survey by the CCDAC and the UN Office of Drug and
Crime in 2001,  the cultivated area of poppy in Myanmar was estimated at
105,000 hectares with an opium production of 1, 097 tons in the year.

It is estimated that Myanmar holds 62,200 hectares of the cultivated areas
with a potential production of 810 tons of opium, indicating a 41 percent
reduction in cultivation and a 26 percent reduction in opium production in
three years, he added.

However, the production and trafficking of stimulant tablets were found to
be on the rise in 1996-2001, he added.


Thai Press Reports   October 15, 2003
Myanmar's National Reconciliation To Help Curb Drug Trafficking Across
Thai Border

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said after the report of drug seizures
in the North that the war on drugs would not be successful without
national reconciliation within Myanmar.

The Prime Minister made the comment after hearing an official report that
almost nine million methamphetamine pills were found on an island in the
Mae Ping River in Tak province on October 10. The police believed that the
pills belonged to Wa, an ethnic minority group in Myanmar, but no suspects
were arrested.

Prime Minister Thaksin commented that a new WA ethnic minority might have
been using members of various warring factions along the Thai-Myanmar
border in drug trafficking.

He added that as long as there were still armed factions and ethnic
minorities in Myanmar, cross-border drugs trafficking will never be
stopped despite the cooperation from the Myanmar Government.

Interior Minister Wan Muhammad Noor Matha said that Myanmar had confirmed
its full cooperation with Thailand in drug suppression, and would open the
township of Yawn to Thai authorities to make sure that illicit drug
factories were not there. Myanmar, however, admitted that it was not in
full control of all the border areas, mostly under minority groups.


------REGIONAL------

Nation   October 15, 2003
Officials 'US CAMPAIGN FOR BURMA': Crackdown slammed

A leading US activist group yesterday called for a halt to the massive
crackdown on Thailand-based supporters of Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi
and the movement for human rights and democracy in Burma.

The appeal from the US Campaign for Burma comes just days after 35 United
States senators, including powerful Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, signed
a letter to US President George W Bush criticising Thailand's support of
Burma's military regime.

The group noted that the government was actually working against the
country's own interest.

'The organisations targeted by the Thai authorities have been promoting
peaceful means to achieve a political solution to Burma's problems -
serious problems that have spilled over into Thailand and the rest of the
region.

'They are working for a solution that will also bring immense benefits to
Thailand. They should be supported, not suppressed,' said Jeremy Woodrum,
campaign director for the US Campaign for Burma.

Thai press reports and firsthand interviews over the past year have
indicated a disturbing trend towards zero tolerance of Burmese and Thai
groups agitating for democratic reform in Burma. The persecution appears
to have been stepped up in the wake of the regime's brutal assault on Suu
Kyi's motorcade on May 30, which led to her detention and prompted the US
and European Union to impose a raft of sanctions against the Rangoon
regime.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra called for Suu Kyi's release while he
was on a visit to Washington after May 30, yet he subsequently ordered a
serious offensive on her supporters in Thailand. This includes the
reported blacklisting of 500 people who will be barred from entering
Thailand, including supporters of Burma's democracy movement.</P>The
letter from the 35 US senators bluntly stated that 'Burma is becoming a
serious threat to regional security'. The senators urged President Bush to
speak forcefully on the Burma issue during his official visit to Bangkok
for the Apec leaders' summit next week.


Japan Economic Newswire   October 15, 2003
APEC leaders may discuss Myanmar situation: Surakiart

Leaders from 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum
could discuss the political situation in Myanmar next week as part of the
agenda on security issues affecting regional economic cooperation, Thai
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathiathai said Wednesday.

APEC leaders -- including U.S. President George W. Bush, Chinese President
Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi -- are scheduled
to attend the annual talks Monday and Tuesday in Bangkok.
'I think the issue of Myanmar is the issue that leaders can discuss. I
don't see any problem with that at all,' Surakiart told reporters.

'It is common to discuss and exchange views on issues of common concern to
the international community. As we know, Myanmar and the situation on the
Korean Peninsula are among those,' he added.

But Surakiart said he does not anticipate hot debate on the issue, saying
seven leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) who are also APEC members would merely share their views on the
situation in the military-ruled nation.
'If the issue is raised, the seven ASEAN leaders would be able to respond
and tell President Bush the results of the ASEAN summit meeting because
they discussed this issue in Bali,' he said in response to a reporter's
suggestion that the U.S. leader might criticize the Myanmar junta for its
detention of National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

ASEAN leaders discussed the internal situation in Myanmar at the summit
last week on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. They expressed support
for the junta's pledge to move forward with a road map for restoring
democracy.

Except Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, the other seven ASEAN members are also
APEC members. They are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
APEC, set up in 1989, groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong
Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua
New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand,
the United States and Vietnam.


-----INTERNATIONAL-----

Inter Press Service   October 15, 2003
Tensions Remain over Burma
By Larry Jagan

Burma will remain a major issue of contention between the US and Asian
leaders in the coming weeks, after Southeast Asian governments indicated
willingness to give Rangoon some room to prove that its road map is indeed
in the offing.

US President George W Bush will raise the issue of Burma’s political
deadlock with his host, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, during
both the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit here this month
and his official one-day state visit, White House aides have said.

Southeast Asia’s approach to Burma differs from that of the US and Europe.
The two big Western powers believe that only international pressure and
tough sanctions will bring Burma’s generals into line. The US and Europe
will maintain pressure on Burma’s neighbors to convince the generals in
Rangoon to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and restart the
dialogue process.

Western governments seem to fear that the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (Asean), of which Burma is a member, let Rangoon off the hook by
not using last week’s Asean summit in Bali to press for immediate
political change in Burma.

"It’s been a very successful meeting," Burmese Prime Minister Gen Khin
Nyunt told reporters in Bali during his bilateral sessions with leaders at
the summit. In Bali, Khin Nyunt was busy explaining his road map to
democracy.

"We have no intention of delaying things," Burmese Foreign Minister Win
Aung said of the government’s seven-step plan. "The process will move
forward in an appropriate time; it does not mean seven steps, seven
years."

In the opening address, summit host and Indonesian President Megawati
Sukarnoputri praised recent "political developments" in Rangoon. But Marty
Natalegawa, an Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman, was at pains to
dismiss that the statement on behalf of Asean leaders was soft on Burma.

"It is not an endorsement of the Myanmar [Burma] road map to democracy,"
he said. "But it is a recognition of the progress that has been made in
the country since the Asean foreign ministers’ summit in Phnom Penh four
months ago," he added.

Asean’s position remains that Suu Kyi should be released immediately and
the national reconciliation process resumed. "The statement should be seen
as an addition to that and not a reversal of the previous position," said
a senior Indonesian diplomat involved in the drafting of the press
statement. "It recognizes the fact that Gen Khin Nyunt has only recently
become prime minister and needs time to be able to implement his newly
announced plans to introduce democracy."

What is even more important, Southeast Asian diplomats say, is that Burma
has promised to introduce real political and economic change.

Regional leaders appear willing to give Khin Nyunt time, believing that
Burma’s military rulers have to be encouraged and persuaded to reform
rather than pressured and coerced.

"We have to wrench every concession from the regime, and then lock them
into it," said a senior Southeast Asian diplomat on condition of
anonymity.

Behind closed doors, there was still some tension among Asean members.
"The resolution was not strong enough," said Philippine Foreign Minister
Blas Ople. "They should have acknowledged the problem in the formal
statement, but they did not." But no one pressed for a stronger
resolution, according to one of the participants.

Thailand strongly supported Burma’s prime minister during all the formal
discussions. In their bilateral meeting, Khin Nyunt thanked Thaksin for
his support, according to a Thai government spokesman, Sihasak
Phuangketkeow.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo told Filipino journalists at
the end of the Asean summit that Thaksin protected Burma throughout the
summit. This, she said, swayed the other Asean leaders because of their
recognition that Thailand—as a neighbor—was more intimately aware of the
circumstances in Burma and therefore his opinion was highly respected.

In the Asean way, however, leaders found their own way of expressing their
concern about the situation in Burma. During his meeting with Gen Khin
Nyunt, Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong stressed the need for
Rangoon to announce a proper timeframe for its road map.

Malaysia’s outgoing leader, Mahathir Mohamad, used his meeting with Khin
Nyunt as an opportunity to remind the regime that Asean expects Burma to
release Suu Kyi and resume the national reconciliation process as soon as
possible.

However, the main concern of most Asian leaders at the summit was to
strengthen Khin Nyunt’s position in bringing about change, if slowly.
Diplomats from Southeast Asian countries all seem to hold the same view
that there is no point in beating the generals over the head at the
moment. "He [Khin Nyunt] knows what we think; change is essential and Aung
San Suu Kyi and the NLD [National League for Democracy] must be part of
the process," said a senior Thai diplomat.

Many in the region are convinced that the Burmese military are still split
over how to deal with the pro-democracy leader and that there are some
hardliners who do not agree with Khin Nyunt’s apparent conciliatory
approach.

They hope that by supporting Khin Nyunt and welcoming his road map, the
general’s position with the country’s top leader, Gen Than Shwe, would be
strengthened as well.

The ball is now firmly in Burma’s court. "With Prime Minister Khin Nyunt
announcing publicly his clear seven-stage plan, we are now on a very firm
track to achieving the aspirations of the Burmese people: a modern,
prosperous and democratic country," Win Aung said.

"Prime Minister Khin Nyunt is a very simple and honest man who is looking
forward to turning his country into a real democratic one," he added.


Agence France-Presse   October 15, 2003
Bush to raise fate of Aung San Suu Kyi on Asia trip

US President George W. Bush will make his concern for the welfare of
detained Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi clear during his
upcoming trip to Asia, his national security adviser said Tuesday.

Asked whether Bush would use his whirlwind six-nation trip to talk about
promoting democracy in Myanmar, Condoleezza Rice replied: "Absolutely."

"And also about the fate of Aung San Suu Kyi, because we have been in
constant contact with the UN representative about this and asking that she
be visited and that we know her state," she added.

"You can believe the president will talk quite a lot about the need for
freedom in Burma," in talks with, among other, Thai leaders, said Rice.

The United States and some other nations tightened sanctions on Myanmar
after Aung San Suu Kyi was detained at an undisclosed location following a
bloody clash between her supporters and pro-junta demonstrators on May 30.


-----OPINION / OTHER-----

Irrawaddy   October 14, 2003
Dispelling the Colonial Myth
By Dr. U Myint

In any assessment of Burma’s colonial legacy, most observers raise the
same familiar arguments. For example, most point out that the education
system under the British catered mainly to the commercial and
administrative needs of the colonial power. Observers note the trade
surplus that colonial rulers sustained through the period, or say that
laissez-faire policies led to land alienation and a transfer of the
country’s wealth to foreigners.

Another argument is that the divide and rule approach to ruling Burma
sowed distrust, tension, disunity and discord among the country’s ethnic
groups. Another complaint is that the "scorched earth" tactics of the
withdrawing imperial forces, followed later by carpet bombing by allied
forces, destroyed much of the Burma’s physical infrastructure.

Those arguments against colonialism have been at times overdrawn. For a
more objective assessment of the colonial legacy in Burma, it may be
worthwhile to mention that the British also introduced and established
Burma’s legal, administrative and economic systems. And the British also
brought the English language to the country.

Even if there is agreement that these measures were made largely to serve
the interests of the empire, it should also be acknowledged that the
people of Burma stood to gain, too.

For example, conservation measures adopted by the British are said to be
among the best in the world. If properly nurtured, retained and
implemented, the lessons the British taught would have contributed to the
conservation of Burma’s precious forests, which are now fast disappearing.

If English language teaching had not been discouraged during the period of
the Burma Socialist Program Party, generations of young Burmese would have
a competitive advantage in the global job market. India’s large population
with a working knowledge of English— a legacy of its colonial past—has
given that country a decided edge over countries such as China and Japan
in the recruitment race for new IT industries.

Furthermore, it may be useful to keep in mind that at the time of Burma’s
independence, many would have tipped that Burma had the best chance among
others in the region of industrializing successfully. Back then,
Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea were, more or less, seen as
basket cases.

Most observers were of the view that Burma’s colonial legacy had not
placed the country at a disadvantage in terms of economic development,
especially when compared to other nations in Asia. But after 50 years,
Burma has failed to live up to those expectations. However, the fact that
Burma has fallen far behind its neighbors cannot be directly attributed to
the legacy of British rulers.

Burma is not the only country in Asia to have been colonized by the
British. India, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong were all subjected to
British rule, but have proved that a colonial past is no constraint in
economic development.

To the best of our knowledge, ethnic groups in this country were in
conflict for centuries before the British arrived. The Burmese have a
saying: "If you come across an Arakan and a snake, kill the Arakan first"
which predates the colonial period. Surely, the Arakan have a similar
saying for the Burmese.

Racial and ethnic rivalries in Burma have historic, social, economic,
political and cultural roots that go deeper than colonialism. We should
not be distracted by the colonial legacy argument in devising fair
solutions to the problems of ethnic minorities in Burma.

Burmese leaders often take a "holier than thou" attitude when they lecture
the country’s population on the evils of colonialism and the damage it has
done. It would, therefore, be interesting to speculate what might have
happened if the shoe was on the other foot.

Suppose it was not Britain but Burma where the first ever industrial
revolution in the world took place from 1760 to 1830. Suppose Burma was
the greatest commercial, military and naval power in the world. Would the
Burmese leaders have been less exploitative, greedy, oppressive and
arrogant in ruling over the British? Would they have been anymore
enlightened? Even to contemplate this raises unsettling thoughts. The
Thais, in particular, would be frightened out of their wits.

Finally, as the Burmese leaders continue to be preoccupied with the harm
done by colonial rulers, and continue to blame colonialists for Burma’s
ongoing economic and social ills, some questions should be raised. Would
Burma have fared better if it, like Thailand, hadn’t been colonized at
all? Would Burma have achieved growth comparable to, or better than
Thailand, if the country had continued under the stewardship of King
Thibaw and his descendants? Perhaps only the historians can tell us.

Dr U Myint received a PhD in economics from the University of California,
Berkeley and has held the posts of Lecturer at the Institute of Economics,
Chief of the Economic Division at the Foreign Ministry and senior
Economist at the UN. He is now retired and lives in Rangoon. He
contributed this article to The Irrawaddy. The opinions expressed herein
are the author’s own.