BurmaNet News: November 13, 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

November 13, 2003 Issue #2368

INSIDE BURMA
Radio Australia: Burma 'still committed' to democracy

MONEY
New Light of Myanmar:  Press statement on Burma economic cooperation summit
Mizzima: Burmese In-Gyin Fossils Fast Disappearing to China

GUNS
Irrawaddy: North Korea Sells Missiles to Burma

REGIONAL
PTI: India watching China actions in Myanmar, say officials
Japan Times: Refugee status denial puts family in limbo
Irrawaddy: Indian Police Crush Burmese Demonstration

INTERNATIONAL
VOA: UN Envoy Criticizes Burmese Junta on Plans for Democracy
IPS: Lonely Planet Tops "Dirty" List

OTHER
United Nations: Myanmar's human rights situation has regressed


----INSIDE BURMA----
Radio Australia, November 13, 2003
Burma 'still committed' to democracy

Burma says it remains committed to democracy and national reconciliation,
but has warned the international community against trying to push it
around.

Burma's ambassador to London, Kyaw Win, has told a United Nations
committee it is Rangoon's wish to continue the political transition, with
the involvement of all strata of society within the union.

A recent report by the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, criticised
Burma's military rulers over their roadmap to democracy, which he said did
not provide a timeline or include consultations with any opposition
figures - including the pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

Kyaw Win says the steps taken so far have been done because the government
believes they are right for its citizens and not due to pressure from any
quarter.

He says any attempt to compromise Burma's national interests and
sovereignty will be totally rejected.

----MONEY----
New Light of Myanmar, November 13, 2003
Press statement on Burma economic cooperation summit

Economic cooperation will be enhanced by creating peaceful and stable
border zones, a four-country summit held in Burma has said. The
declaration issued at the end of a meeting of Cambodian, Lao, Burmese and
Thai prime ministers highlighted the intention to facilitate trade and
investment, agricultural and industrial cooperation, transport, tourism
cooperation and human resources development to boost regional development
and address national and regional interests through shared prosperity. The
summit press statement also noted energy cooperation agreements between
Burma and Thailand and Laos and Thailand, and Burma, Cambodia and
Thailand's intention to look at feasilibilty studies for industrial parks
in the two former countries. Following is the text of Myanmar News Agency
report entitled: "Four countries envision transforming border areas into
zones of durable peace, stability and economic growth; summit issues press
statement"; published in English by Burmese newspaper The New Light of
Myanmar on 13 November

Yangon Rangoon , 12 November: The following is the text of the press
statement issued by the chairman of the Summit Meeting on Economic
Cooperation Strategy between Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar Burma and Thailand in
Bagan Pagan Archaeological Zone in Mandalay Division, Myanmar, on 12
November 2003.

PRESS STATEMENT

1. The Heads of Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Lao People's
Democratic Republic, the Union of Myanmar and the Kingdom of Thailand held
a very productive and constructive meeting this morning. The discussions
were cordial and fruitful.

2. We exchanged views on the Plan of Action for Economic Cooperation
Strategy (ECS) which will contribute in promoting regional cooperation,
especially in the context of the emerging ASEAN Association of Southeast
Asian Nations Economic Cooperation Community and to complement the ongoing
bilateral frameworks.

3. At the Summit Meeting, we adopted and signed the Pagan Declaration in
which we reaffirmed our commitment to accelerate economic growth, social
programmes and cultural development in the region through joint endeavours
in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the
foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of nations.

4. We expressed our desire to achieve prosperity in the region, through
enhanced solidarity, mutual respect, close friendship, good
neighbourliness and active cooperation among the four nations, to fully
harness our enormous economic potential to promote sustainable economic
development, and to uplift the welfare and quality of life of our
citizens.

5. We envisioned transforming the border areas of our four countries into
zones of durable peace, stability and economic growth, to promote social
progress and prosperity of our peoples and to blend national and regional
interests for common benefit and shared prosperity.

6. The main objectives of the ECS are:

- To increase competitiveness and generate greater growth along the borders;

- To facilitate relocation of agricultural and manufacturing industries to
areas with comparative advantage;

- To create employment opportunities and reduce income disparity among the
four countries; and

- To enhance peace, stability and shared prosperity for all in a
sustainable manner.

7. The ECS activities shall be:

- Complementary to and enhance the existing bilateral and regional
economic cooperation;

- Deliverable with tangible results, utilizing comparative advantage of
each country:

- Feasible and be acceptable to the countries concerned;

- Undertaken on the basis of voluntary and equitable sharing of benefits; and

- Undertaken on the basis of consensus between the partners concerned.

8. We decided that the areas of cooperation of the ECS would include trade
and investment facilitation, agricultural and industrial cooperation,
transport linkages, tourism cooperation and human resources development.

9. We agreed to task the Ministers to implement the Plan of Action and the
common and bilateral projects, in an efficient and expeditious manner and
at the same time, encourage the private sector to fully participate in the
implementation process in order to ensure the success of the ECS
objectives. We also agreed to welcome external participation in
implementing these joint projects.

10. We also agreed to convene Summit Meeting of the Heads of Government
biennially and for the Ministers and the senior officials to meet
annually, to expedite the implementation of the ECS. Myanmar will host the
next ECS SOM and Foreign Ministers' Meeting in 2004 and a working group
will be set up to consider a comprehensive biennial work programme.

11. We agreed to call the agreement "Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic
Cooperation Strategy" or ACMECS.

12. After the Summit Meeting, two energy related contracts between Myanmar
and Thailand were endorsed in Pagan on 12 November 2003. On the same
occasion, two energy related joint statements, one between Cambodia and
Thailand and the other between Laos and Thailand, were signed. The
occasion took place in the presence of the four Prime Ministers.

13. A discussion among Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand to conduct a
feasibility study on setting up of industrial estate zones in Myanmar and
Cambodia was held in Yangon on 10 November 2003 and two Agreed Minutes one
between Cambodia and Thailand and the other between Myanmar and Thailand
were signed.

14. In conjunction with the Summit, Business Forum of the four countries
was also held in Yangon on 9 November 2003.


Mizzima, November 13, 2003
Burmese In-Gyin Fossils Fast Disappearing to China

In-Gyin fossils, which are mainly found in Myin Kyan and Nathogyi in
central Burma, are being illegally traded at a brisk rate in the Chinese
border towns of Kyegauk and Ruili (Shwelee). In-Gyins are fossils produced
by ancient trees that have been buried under the ground for many years and
are now found in the form of fossilized stone. The In-Gyin fossils are
bought by Chinese traders from the local people for a cheap price and are
transported by trucks to the northern border. Throughout the journey the
traders bribe authorities to let them pass. The greatest amount of money
that the traders have to spend during the entire process is for the
bribing of these authorities, with the highest rates going to the border
trade department, police and intelligence officers. In spite of the costs
involved, the traders are reported to be making high profits from this
smuggling of fossils.

According to a Burmese trader, a ton of poor quality In-Gyin fossils can
be bought for between 10000 Kyats to 20000 Kyats inside Burma and is later
sold for between 150000 Kyats to 200000 Kyats in China.

There are two types of In-Gyin fossils. 'Dry' In-Gyin fossils that were
formed from vegetation that grew on land and 'wet' In-Gyin fossils, which
have been created by plants that grew in water. The 'dry' In-Gyin fossils
are in higher demand and fetch a higher price than the 'wet' ones. The
fossils also differ in sizes and exhibit a range of colours such as
yellow, white, red, black and green.

According to a trader, the retail price of the fossils in the border towns
is usually between 10 Yuans to 100 Yuans a kilogram although it can reach
as high as 200 Yuans per kilo. The fossils are then transported to
Shanghai, Beijing and other large cities in China. Many of the fossils are
then turned into statues and sold for high prices.


----GUNS----
Irrawaddy, November 13, 2003
North Korea Sells Missiles to Burma


 Evidence of a growing military trade between North Korea and Burma,
including the selling of missiles and aid for a nuclear reactor, have
raised concern among Western and regional security officials, according
to an article in the Far Eastern Economic Review this week.
"Burma has begun negotiating the purchase of a number of
surface-to-surface missiles from North Korea," reads the article,
"Dangerous Bedfellows" in the Hong Kong-based weekly. The article was
written by Shawn W Crispin and Bertil Lintner, a well-known Burma expert.
About 20 North Korea technicians are working at the Monkey Point naval
base near Rangoon, possibly to install missiles on Burmese warships, the
article says, quoting diplomats in Rangoon. The diplomats said the
technicians from Pyongyang are staying at a Defence Ministry guest house
in Rangoon.

North Korea has a fairly limited market of terrorist groups and rogue
states to ship weapons of mass destruction and gain hard currency, a
senior US government official was quoted saying. Pyongyang is under
pressure from the US to halt its dangerous nuclear program.
Diplomats and security analysts are said to be more worried that North
Korea is helping to construct a nuclear reactor at Myothit, near Natmauk
in Upper Burma, the Review reports. The magazine quotes a Bangkok-based
Western diplomat who said: "We are watching the situation at Natmauk very,
very closely."
North Korean technicians have been seen unloading large crates and heavy
construction equipment from trains at Myothit, diplomats said. The report
said that diplomats also spotted aircraft from North Korea’s national
airline, Air Koryo, landing at military airfields in central Burma. But
the article failed to give an approximate date for when the planes were
sighted.
In 2002, Russia agreed to sell Burma a nuclear reactor for medical
research. Moscow was to provide assistance for its construction and
operation but the project was cut when the junta could no longer afford
it, the Review reports. Burma’s military government recruited hundreds of
students to study nuclear engineering and science in Russia.
The article said Rangoon is constructing a massive bunker in Taungdwingyi
near Natmauk to cover MiG-29s fighter jets—which were bought from Russia
in 2002—in the event of a US attack. Diplomatic sources believe the
junta’s military deals with North Korea have been signed amid concern that
Burma may be next in America’s sights after the US-led invasion of Iraq.
The article also quoted Col Hla Min, a junta spokesperson, refuting the
allegations about a nuclear reactor.
"Why would [Burma] want to develop weapons of mass destruction, when the
country needs all her strength and resources [to pursue a] transition to
multi-party democracy and an open market economy?" Col Hla Min said,
replying to the Review by fax. But the Rangoon spokesman did not mention
the purchase of nuclear missiles from Pyongyang.
According to the Review, the diplomats suspect the junta is trading drugs
for weapons from North Korea. A senior US official says Burma recently
agreed to supply high-grade heroin to North Korea in exchange for missiles
and nuclear know-how. Burma is Southeast Asia’s biggest drug producer.
Burma and Korea have had no formal diplomatic ties since an incident in
1983. North Korea tried to assassinate South Korean President Chun Doo
Hwan while he was in Rangoon. The North Korean bomb exploded prematurely
and while the president was unharmed, eighteen South Korean officials were
killed. Rangoon cut ties with Rangoon soon after.

----REGIONAL----
PTI, November 13, 2003
India watching China actions in Myanmar, say officials
By Anil K. Joseph

While seeking friendly ties with China, India is keeping a close watch on
enhanced Chinese naval activities in Myanmar, senior Indian navy officials
said here today.

‘‘As far as Coco Island and Myanmar is concerned, we are vigilant and
watching the developments going on there,’’ the flag officer commanding
the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy, Vice Admiral O.P. Bansal
said on board INS Ranjit, a guided missile destroyer, now docked in
Shanghai.

Sources say increased Chinese activities around Myanmar are a cause of
concern to India, since naval facilities on Great Coco Island, the site of
a major signals intelligence facility, are situated near Andaman and
Nicobar Islands. Asked whether the issue came up during his interactions
with the Chinese Navy, Bansal said: ‘‘No. Not this issue because that is
at a much higher level. Our immediate aim is to have Navy-to-Navy contact
and strengthening our relationship (with China),’’ he said.


Japan Times, November 13, 2003
Refugee status denial puts family in limbo
By Hiroshi Matsubara

Khin Maung Latt of Myanmar, his Filipino wife, Maria Hope Jamili, and
their two daughters have no place to call home but Japan, and they are on
shaky ground.

The couple met and married in Tokyo, speak to each other in Japanese,
until recently had a steady income and witnessed the birth of their two
girls here -- kids who speak only Japanese -- but like their parents are
not legal residents.

Their decade together has been accompanied by the fear of sudden
deportation, a fear that came true on Oct. 31 when the Tokyo Immigration
Bureau took the 46-year-old Khin Maung Latt into custody after the Tokyo
High Court turned down his request for refugee status two days earlier.

If Khin Maung Latt, who has been an activist supporting the democracy
movement in Myanmar, is sent home, the chances are his wife and daughters,
who hold Philippine citizenship, would never be able to see him again.

He immediately appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, so he will not
be deported anytime soon. But the rest of the family, currently living in
Ota Ward, Tokyo, will have to endure his absence and the prospect of
permanent separation.

"No one can tell what would happen to my husband if he is sent back to
Myanmar (because of his political activities), so I want to ask the
immigration bureau not to endanger his life," Maria, 36, said in a recent
interview with The Japan Times.

"Considering the political situation in his country and our daughters'
education, Japan is the only place in the world where my family can lead a
normal life."

Maria, whose two sisters are married to Japanese and legally reside in
Japan, also worries that she and her daughters could be deported to the
Philippines, where, she said, they would face huge financial and
educational problems.

Khin Maung Latt arrived in Japan in 1988 to escape persecution by the
military junta in Myanmar, according to the People's Forum on Burma, a
Tokyo-based citizens' group supporting Myanmar's democracy movement and
people seeking asylum in Japan.

He met Maria, who had entered Japan on a forged passport, in 1991. He
began working at a newspaper delivery company in 1993. Their daughter,
Demi, was born in 1994 and the couple submitted notification of their
marriage to the Shinagawa Ward Office in Tokyo the following year.
Michelle was born in 1997.

Because the Myanmar regime restricts marriages between its citizens and
foreigners, the daughters, now age 9 and 6, were forced to hold Philippine
citizenship, like their mother.

Khin Maung Latt and other Myanmarese in Japan have been engaged in
political activities in support of the democracy movement led by Aung San
Suu Kyi. Apparently concluding things in his country were not going to
improve anytime soon, he applied for refugee status in 1994, and met
denial four years later.

Since his arrival, Khin Maung Latt has never paid the controversial
monthly 10,000 yen obligatory levy to the Myanmar Embassy, and if he is
sent home he would have a huge bill to pay, Maria said.

In August 1998, then Justice Minister Shozaburo Nakamura rejected Khin
Maung Latt's application, and he was taken into custody for three months.
The family has been free on parole status and waging legal battles to
either obtain refugee status for him or special resident status.

"I hope my dad can return by my mother's birthday (on Nov. 15). Having my
dad home for the day will be much better than any birthday party," said
daughter Demi, who attends an elementary school.

"Since the day he left, my daughters have not been able to sleep without
holding my husband's pillow, which still carries his scent, though it is
fading," Maria said.

As evidence that the family has become part of the local community, their
neighbors, the president of the firm where Khin Maung Latt worked and his
colleagues, and the daughters' teachers have signed a petition to Justice
Minister Daizo Nozawa demanding his immediate release.

As of Monday, 20,480 people had signed the petition and many are also
calling for Nozawa to reconsider his predecessor's decision to reject Khin
Maung Latt's refugee application.

The petition urges the government not to take any action that could break
up the family, and emphasizes that the children have a right to live with
their parents.

The 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Japan
ratified in 1994, requires member states to ensure children are not
separated from parents against their will, unless such a separation serves
the best interests of the child.

The government has apparently started to consider the rights of foreign
children in formulating immigration policy.

In the past four years, at least 10 visaless families with school-age
children were granted special permission by the justice minister to stay,
according to the Tokyo-based citizens' group Asian People's Friendship
Society.

Prior to these cases, special permission was never granted to any family
that did not have Japanese relatives, unless there were mitigating
circumstances such as the threat of persecution back home, and thus
amnesty was rarely an option for visa violators.

The courts have also apparently started to show more leniency.
In September, the Tokyo District Court, in a landmark decision, suspended
the deportation procedures for a visaless Iranian family, saying
deportation could impose "unimaginable" burdens on the couple's
15-year-old daughter.

People's Forum on Burma officials say it is the first time a court has
suspended the deportation of a visaless family citing the rights of the
child.

In October, the same court suspended the deportation of a visaless South
Korean family, ruling that remaining in Japan would serve the best
interests of the child.

Lawyer Shogo Watanabe, director of People's Forum on Burma and Khin Maung
Latt's counsel, said the Tokyo High Court's decision to reject his
family's residency application and his detention represent a "backlash to
these trends."

The Tokyo Immigration Bureau has declined comment on the case, except to
say it has to protect the privacy of detained foreigners.

Experts say the attitude of immigration authorities toward Khin Maung
Latt's family appears out of step with the government's relatively lenient
refugee policy for Myanmarese democracy activists.

According to People's Forum on Burma, at least 51 such activists have been
granted refugee status -- a relatively high number from a single country.
In addition, 81 Myanmarese activists and 10 of their family members have
been granted special residency permission by the justice minister,
officials of the group said.

Lawyer Watanabe said the group has not confirmed a single case in which a
Myanmarese activist was deported home by Japan.

"From every perspective, Khin Maung Latt's family should be granted
residency," Watanabe said. "The case seems to signal a shift by
immigration authorities back to the dark ages."


Irrawaddy, November 13, 2003
Indian Police Crush Burmese Demonstration
By Naw Seng

Over 70 people were hospitalized yesterday after Indian police crushed a
demonstration by Burmese asylum seekers at the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) office in New Delhi, according to an eyewitness.

Z De La, a member of the New Dehli-based All Burma Refugee Committee who
witnessed the incident, said the scene looked "like a killing field."

Many of the injured suffered from broken hands and head wounds after being
beaten police or sprayed from water cannons, said Z De La. Five people
fell unconscious from electrocution which resulted from being hit with
water while standing near power lines, he added.

Indian daily newspapers reported today that 22 Burmese and 12 police were
injured during the crackdown. The reports quote police as saying that some
demonstrators turned violent and tried to enter the compound where the
UNHCR office is located.

Indian police arrested over 400 Burmese yesterday. All but 24, who were
seriously injured, were released last night. The remaining 24 face charges
stemming from their role in the incident

"It is unjust that the police are charging the victims," said Z De La.
Demonstrators returned to the UNHCR office today and 222 more were
arrested. They began a hunger strike at the police station in New Delhi
where they are being held, said Z De La.

Since Oct 20, several hundred Burmese have held a continuous demonstration
in front of the UN office, demanding that all Burmese in New Delhi be
recognized as refugees and resettled in a third country.

The New Delhi UNHCR office has refused to accept their demands and
yesterday urged the police to take action to clear the demonstration.

Nearly 900 Burmese have been granted refugee status by the New Dehli UNHCR
office since 1988. The monthly allowance provided to them was cut by 60
percent this year.


----INTERNATIONAL----
Voice of America, November 13, 2003
UN Envoy Criticizes Burmese Junta on Plans for Democracy
By Kerry Sheridan

The U.N.'s human rights envoy to Burma says the country's proposed road
map to democracy can't move forward because the government has no plans to
release political prisoners or lift restrictions on freedom of expression.

Brazilian ambassador Paulo Sergio Pinheiro says he is skeptical of Burma's
prospects for democratization because the military government won't set a
timeframe for establishing a new constitution that allows input from all
parties, including the opposition NLD, the National League for Democracy.

"I cannot certify the plan from my perceptive that keeps 1,300 prisoners,
that detains the central committee of the NLD and the general secretary of
the NLD, doesn't for the time being now, doesn't allow the other parties
to operate. I want to know when, when this will happen.

Mr. Pinheiro, who recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Burma,
also known as Myanmar, said the prisoners are not being abused, but
expressed frustration that his efforts have not succeeded in persuading
Rangoon to release them. He encouraged the international community and
neighboring Asian countries to intervene.

The envoy met with political prisoners during the five-day trip to
investigate allegations of human rights abuses, including the detention of
NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The government has released her from house
arrest but the Nobel-Peace Prize laureate has refused freedom for herself
until the remaining 100 or so members of her party, who have been detained
since May 30, are released.

Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced Wednesday that
an international forum to discuss Burma's road map to national
reconciliation should be held soon, to attempt to resolve the political
deadlock in Burma.


Inter Press Service, November 13, 2003
Lonely Planet Tops "Dirty" List
By Bob Burton/Canberra

The world’s largest publisher of travel guides, the Melbourne-based Lonely
Planet Publications, has now replaced British American Tobacco (BAT) at
the top of Burma activists’ "dirty" list of companies supporting or doing
business in Burma.

Last week, BAT bowed to public pressure and announced it was selling its
Rothmans of Pall Mall Myanmar subsidiary—which is in a joint venture to
manufacture cigarettes with the Burmese military regime—to a
Singapore-based investment company, Distinction Investment Holdings (DIH).

The London-based Burma Campaign UK, which spearheaded the year-long
campaign to persuade BAT to withdraw from Burma and developed the "dirty"
list, will now concentrate its attention on Lonely Planet.

Burma Campaign director John Jackson believes that Lonely Planet looks set
to repeat to mistakes of BAT’s failed strategy.

"Lonely Planet has chosen the same strategy as BAT: try and stand firm,
wait for the damage to really take its toll and then do a U-turn if
necessary," he said.. "In that sense both companies are surprisingly
similar."

Lonely Planet, which publishes 650 guidebooks around the world and is
reported to turn over approximately US $40 million has ignored calls from
pro-democracy activists to withdraw from selling a travel guide for Burma.
The secretary of the Human Rights Department of the Federation of Trade
Unions of Burma, Saw Min Lwin, who is currently in Australia, backs a
boycott on tourism.

"I know that the country is beautiful and the people are so good but I
would like to say, ‘Please wait for a while and stay away while there is
no democracy in Burma,’" he said.

"We propose a boycott of Lonely Planet because even though they give
opinions from our side and the other side (in their guide), in visiting
Burma tourists have to give money to the generals pocket," said Saw Min
Lwin. "Every tourist has to give US $200 and most of the accommodation,
restaurants and even things like road transportation for the tourists are
operated by the drug dealers and military."

The Australian union movement’s overseas aid organization—Union Aid
Abroad/Apheda—has Lonely Planet as the prime focus of its campaign.
"The production of a Lonely Planet guide to Burma is entirely
inappropriate at this time," Apheda argues on its website. "The guide also
neglects to mention or plays down the severity of the pervasive human
rights abuses in the country."

Official government statistics indicate approximately 160,000 tourists
traveled to Burma in 2001-02 with 60 percent coming from the Asian region
and almost a third from Western Europe.

In its 30-year history, Lonely Planet has grown from a home-based business
run by the company’s owners and founders, Maureen and Tony Wheeler, to a
company with offices in Australia, Britain, France and the United States.

While Lonely Plant prides itself on promoting "responsible" travel, its
refusal to withdraw its Burma guide—with only a few thousand copies sold
each year—has dented its standing. A year ago, the largest European online
travel agent, ebookers.com, withdrew its use of Lonely Planet’s guide to
Burma.

On July 2 this year, British Foreign Office Minister Mike O’Brien
announced that he would be writing to all companies in Britain with an
involvement in tourism in Burma to "ask them not to allow, encourage or
participate in tourism in Burma." It is a position shared by the European
Union.

Lonely Planet is also increasingly isolated within the Australian travel
industry. In March this year, another Melbourne-based company, Intrepid
Travel, announced that it is reversing its earlier support for a tourism
boycott and was recommencing tours to Burma.

However, in the aftermath of the May 30 attack on the convoy of Aung San
Suu Kyi by pro-government militias—in which up to 100 people were believed
to be killed—Intrepid once more changed it mind and announced it would
stay out of the country.

Since BAT announced its withdrawal, Lonely Planet has remained quiet and
did not respond to requests for an interview on its inclusion on the
"dirty" list of the Burma Campaign.

However, in mid-October, company spokeswoman Anna Bolger told The
Australian newspaper: "We leave it up to the traveler to make an informed
decision whether to go. There is a question of whether an informed tourist
helps or hinders moves toward democracy."

It is an argument that Jackson does not buy.

"If Lonely Planet produces a guide to Burma facilitating travel in that
country, and its founders
continue to argue that tourism to Burma is a good thing, then they play
into the regime’s hands," he said. "[Our boycott call] is about consumer
choice working against totalitarianism, not promoting it," he said.

The campaign urging travelers not to buy Lonely Planet guides comes at a
time that the company is feeling vulnerable.

Sales of travel guides to Asia slumped in the wake of the SARS outbreak
earlier this year, while the Sept 11, 2001 attacks in the United States
and the Iraq war has seen demand for titles to North America and the
Middle East slide.

Jackson has a warning for BAT’s purchaser, DIH, too.

"Sooner or later they will have their fingers burned in the same way that
previous investors have," he said. "Businesses have been flooding out of
Burma, and only those who take no time to analyze the risks of working in
Burma make the mistake of going in."


----OTHER----
United Nations, November 13, 2003
Myanmar's human rights situation has regressed

Myanmar's human rights situation has regressed - UN expert
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar said
today that when he compared the observations he made in March with those
he noted in November, he saw "significant setbacks" in the country's human
rights situation.

Presenting his report to the UN General Assembly's Social, Humanitarian
and Cultural Committee, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro said he had gathered prima
facie evidence that a violent incident at Depayin in May that led to many
arrests could not have happened without the connivance of state agents.
Accounts given by the Government and the opposition National League for
Democracy (NLD) have been contradictory.

NLD witnesses have called the 30 May violence a government ambush. A
Myanmar representative told the Committee today that the incident had
taken the government completely by surprise and that if the NLD had
travelled under proper security arrangements, the incident would not have
taken place.

Mr. Pinheiro said he had conducted interviews with victims and witnesses,
including the NLD leader, Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and
with the authorities.

"What happened at Depayin has deep political implications and constitutes
a regression in the area of human rights," he said.

Mr. Pinheiro called for the unconditional release of all who had been
detained or put under house arrest, a thorough and transparent
investigation into the incident and compensation to those who were injured
and to the families of those who were killed.

He said he received reports that 109 of the 153 people arrested in
connection with Depayin had been released, but then he was told that
another 250 people had been arrested since.

The authorities at all levels agreed with his proposals for incorporating
human rights and freedoms from the early stages of the transition from a
military government to a civilian one, but none of the recommendations had
been implemented yet.

He later told a press briefing that he wanted to emphasize the word "yet."
While Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was no longer being detained under "security
legislation," her telephone was still cut off and the same security
arrangements as before remained in place, Mr. Pinheiro said.

He told journalists that one of the arguments he made to the authorities
for getting telephone service for the detainees restored was that they
were elderly and should be able to call for help in health emergencies. No
service had been restored yet, he added.