BurmaNet News: January 7, 2004

[editor at burmanet.org]

January 7, 2004, Issue #2400

INSIDE BURMA
Xinhua: Myanmar to introduce e-government services in capital

ON THE BORDER
BBC: Rebels 'fight off Burmese attack'
AP: Guerrilla bases in Myanmar intact, claims Naga rebel leader

MONEY
Bernama: New APA Chief Aims To Rope In Laos And Myanmar As Members

REGIONAL
Irrawaddy: Activists Stop Hunger Strike
Irrawaddy: Workers’ Advocates In Hiding

INTERNATIONAL
AFX: ASEAN must reinvent itself, loosen non-interference policy – diplomat


INSIDE BURMA
___________________________________

Xinhua, January 7, 2004
Myanmar to introduce e-government services in capital

The Yangon municipal authorities of Myanmar is planning to introduce a
range of e(electronic)-government services in the capital as part of the
implementation of the e-government agreement reached at the ASEAN Summit
in Singapore in October 2000, the local Myanmar Times reported in its
latest issue.

The planned launching of the services is aimed at narrowing the
information technology gap among member countries of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The e-government project at the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC)
represents one of the five projects that Myanmar decided to implement
under the agreement, the YCDC was quoted as saying.

A master plan is being developed which covers the computerization of a
range of municipal activities including land management, market management
and banking system, it said.

The project also includes setting up of database related to land,
buildings, roads, markets, water supply, drainage and parks and gardens,
it added.

Myanmar attaches importance to developing human resources to computerize
government activities. Besides having some trained IT experts to work in
e-government projects, the country is also receiving assistance under
e-ASEAN programs.

Being one of the signatories to the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement initiated
at the regional summit in Singapore in 2000, Myanmar has formed the
e-National Task Force to support the IT development, working toward
establishing links with other member nations by this year.

With the aim of boosting the country's software industry, the first ever
Myanmar Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Park in Yangon was
established in January 2002, followed by the setting up of the second one
in the second largest city of Mandalay in August in 2003.

Meanwhile, Myanmar signed a series of memorandums of   understanding last
year with companies from Malaysia and Thailand and an ASEAN organization
on ICT development.

Myanmar started introducing e-education data broadcasting system in
January 2001. The country has been awarded for ICT development in 2003 by
the Asian Oceanian Computing Industry Organization.

ON THE BORDER
___________________________________

BBC, January 7, 2004
Rebels 'fight off Burmese attack'
By Subir Bhaumik

Separatist rebels fighting for an independent homeland in Nagaland on the
India-Burma border say they have beaten back a Burmese military assault.

A faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland said at least 15
Burmese soldiers and three rebels had lost their lives.

The Khaplang faction said its rebels had encircled Burmese assault troops
early on Wednesday.

The Burmese army has refused to comment on the incident.

The self-appointed home minister of the Khaplang faction, Khunje Ngaimong,
told the BBC of the incident over a satellite telephone.

He said the Burmese troops had approached the group's central headquarters
in the Tenu Tekhap Joku valley in India's western Sagaing division.

Mr Ngaimong said the Burmese would find it difficult to break through the
group's defences as the rebels were in the jungles attacking smaller
assault groups, particularly those bringing supplies.

"This will not be as easy as Bhutan. We have tough fighters who can
survive in jungles for months and they will keep harassing the Burmese
troops and make their supply lines untenable," he said.

'Positive signal'

Bhutan's army launched an offensive against Indian rebels in its territory
last month, saying it had destroyed 30 camps.

The Burmese army remained tight-lipped on the latest incident but a
spokesman told the BBC the government was against what he described as
"breeding elements" that were dangerous to the security of neighbours.

The Indian army said it had little knowledge of the Burmese operation but
a senior military intelligence official said additional Indian forces had
been deployed on the border to prevent rebels crossing.

"The Burmese are sending out a positive signal," the official said, "that
they will not tolerate rebels troubling India.

"Though tackling the rebels will not be as easy as in Bhutan, we can make
life difficult for them if the two armies throw a proper encirclement and
deny them supplies."

Indian officials suspect the Naga rebels may have been joined by those
from the United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) - the group targeted in
Bhutan.

Last week India said it might launch joint military operations with Burma,
also known as Myanmar, against rebels based there.

Analysts say the Burmese army may not be able to overrun and hold the Naga
rebel bases because of the difficult terrain and the extended supply lines
which the Naga guerrillas can ambush at will.

But they can cut off rebel supplies and ensure no food or other items
reach them from village markets.
___________________________________

Associated Press, January 7, 2004
Guerrilla bases in Myanmar intact, claims Naga rebel leader
By Wasbir Hussain

Foreign guerrilla camps operating in Myanmar are intact and ready to repel
attacks by the ruling junta's military or Indian forces, a leader from a
rebel group said on Wednesday.
The National Socialist Council of Nagaland has been fighting for an
independent homeland for Naga tribespeople in the remote northeast since
the early 1980s. Some of the rebels claim to have set up camps in
neighbouring Myanmar.
"We have enough strength and capacity to survive in Myanmar," Kughalu
Mulatonu, a top leader of the NSCN, told The Associated Press by telephone
from an undisclosed location along the India-Myanmar border. "We are
prepared to face anything and everything to hold on," he added.
Myanmar's Army attacked rebel camps last week, Calcutta-based The
Telegraph newspaper earlier quoted another NSCN leader as saying. But
Mulatonu refused to say whether Myanmar's forces had launched an offensive
against rebel bases there.
During a visit to Assam last week, Army Chief General NC Vij said a joint
Indo-Myanmar military assault on the insurgents inside Myanmar was a
possibility. Last month, Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Win Aung visited New
Delhi and said his country would not allow anti-India rebels to operate
from the territory.
"If New Delhi is to collaborate with the Burmese junta for a crackdown
against us, it could jeopardize the truce between us and the Indian
government," Mulatonu said. Myanmar is also known as Burma.
Brigadier Sheonan Singh, an Army officer, said soldiers routinely guarded
the frontier with Myanmar, but hadn't instigated operations against the
Naga rebels.
India shares a 1,640-kilometre (1,200-miles) porous border with
Myanmar.Foreign guerrilla camps operating in Myanmar are intact and ready
to repel attacks by the ruling junta's military or Indian forces, a leader
from a rebel group said on Wednesday.
The National Socialist Council of Nagaland has been fighting for an
independent homeland for Naga tribespeople in the remote northeast since
the early 1980s. Some of the rebels claim to have set up camps in
neighbouring Myanmar.

MONEY
___________________________________

Bernama, January 7, 2004
New APA Chief Aims To Rope In Laos And Myanmar As Members
By Leslean Arshad

PORT KLANG, Jan 7 -- Newly-appointed Asean Ports Association (APA)
chairman Datin Paduka O.C. Phang is set on making Laos and Myanmar as
members of the association.

She said plans were underway to send a formal invitation to Laos and
Myanmar to join APA.

Being Asean member countries, she said, Laos and Myanmar should not be
left out in the association's port and harbour co-operations and
initiatives, which would greatly benefit both countries if they are
members.

"We are inviting the two (countries) to come and join us," she told
Bernama, here Wednesday.

The regional grouping of APA currently comprises members from Singapore,
Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia.

Formed in 1974, the group's members consist of port authorities and
terminal operators from these countries.

It provides members with a vehicle for regional cooperation in port and
habour developments, operations and management as well as in the
protection and promotion of members' interest.

As non-members, representatives from Laos and Myanmar currently attend APA
meetings on an invitation basis.

Phang, who is also the general manager of Port Klang Authority (PKA), said
Laos and Myanmar were actually keen on joining the association but could
not do so for now due to some constraints faced by them.

"When more countries come in, we can expect more co-coperation among us
and we can learn more from each other too," she said.

Phang said Asean nations should work together for the benefit of the ports
within the region.

She said discussion on getting Laos and Myanmar into the APA stable would
be raised from time-to-time whenever the board has its meetings.

Phang, who assumed the chairmanship post last December for a two-year
term, believed that she could play a major role to convince Laos and
Myanmar to join the association.

She added that she would be in constant touch with the authorities in Laos
and Myanmar to facilitate efforts to bring the two into the APA fold.

 REGIONAL
___________________________________

Irrawaddy, January 7, 2004
Activists Stop Hunger Strike
By Naw Seng

Burmese activists who were staging a hunger strike in the Special
Detention Center in Bangkok stopped their action yesterday, after reaching
a deal with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said a UN
officer. Twenty-three people had been refusing food since Sunday, Burma’s
Independence Day.

The strikers reached an agreement with the UNHCR that their applications
for resettlement in a third country will be accepted. Until they are
granted resettlement, the strikers will remain at the Special Detention
Center.

"They only want to know their future," said a UNHCR officer.

Some of the activists were arrested last June after Burmese authorities
tipped off Thai police that Burmese dissidents were planning to kidnap its
ambassador in Bangkok. Others were arrested in front of the Burmese
embassy in Bangkok during a demonstration on Sept 18 last year, which
marked the 15th anniversary of 1988 pro-democracy uprising. Most of them
are recognized as Persons of Concern by the UNHCR and some have
outstanding applications for such status.

According to a witness who visited the detention center on Monday, the
hunger strikers were ordered to be sent to the Tham Hin refugee camp in
Ratchaburi province. The camp is home to about 8,000 refugees, 90 percent
of whom have been registered for resettlement in a third country.

However, the strikers demanded that they be resettled in a third country
without first going to the camp. Previously, they also demanded the
release of Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and all political
prisoners in Burma.

Human rights groups allege that in past instances Burmese dissidents have
been held at the Special Detention Center, located at the Bang Khen Police
Academy in northern Bangkok, after completing their term of detention.
___________________________________

Irrawaddy, January 7, 2004
Workers’ Advocates In Hiding
By Kyaw Zwa Moe

Two members of a Burmese workers’ association have gone into hiding to
avoid possible arrest, after Thai factory owners in Mae Sot, Thailand
pushed local authorities to investigate the pair for their support of
striking Burmese migrant workers.

Moe Swe said he and his colleague, Ko Phyo, went into hiding in late
December after they received information from Burmese migrants working in
Mae Sot factories that Thai factories owners are looking for them.

Both the men are from the Yaung Chi Oo Burmese Workers’ Association, which
advocates for Burmese migrants working along the Thai border opposite the
Burmese border town of Myawaddy. There are over 80,000 Burmese migrants
working in garment factories, agriculture fields, construction sites and
private homes around Mae Sot in Tak Province.

Moe Swe said he and Ko Phyo got the information about their possible
arrest after they helped 260 Burmese workers who staged a strike against
the Nasawat Apparel garment factory in mid-December. Moe Swe and his
colleagues advised the workers how to sue for failure to pay sufficient
wages. Nasawat workers were paid half the minimum wage of 133 baht (US
$3.20) a day. All the strikers were arrested and later deported to Burma.

Some Thai factory owners gave his and Ko Phyo’s picture to other local
business owners, and labeled the pair as troublemakers, Moe Swe said. He
added that friends of Thai factory owners asked Burmese workers to inform
their bosses if they see the men in the photographs.

Moe Swe alleges that the Tak Province branch of the Federation of Thai
Industry sent a letter to provincial authorities complaining that the
factories lost more than 3 million baht (US $75,000) after Moe Swe and his
colleagues provoked workers to walk out. Officials from the Tak Province
branch of the Federation of Thai Industry could not be reached for comment
on the allegation.

Moe Swe countered the accusation by saying he and Ko Phyo are human rights
defenders who work for Burmese migrants in accordance with Thai law.


INTERNATIONAL
___________________________________

AFX, January 7, 2004
ASEAN must reinvent itself, loosen non-interference policy – diplomat
By Martin Abbugao

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must reinvent itself
and be more flexible in dealing with member nations' internal problems if
it is to remain relevant, a top regional diplomat said here today.

Former Indonesian foreign minister Ali Alatas said discussions within
ASEAN about Myanmar's military junta showed the group is relaxing its
widely-criticised policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of
members.

But Alatas, who is also Indonesian President Megawait Sukarnoputri's envoy
to Myanmar tasked with trying to resolve the quaqmire of democracy leader
Aung San Suu Kyi's fate, called for more to be action to be taken.

"Respect for sovereignty will remain a basic principle for ASEAN, but
increasingly we realize that we have to be flexible, that we have to be
non-doctrinaire in some of these things," Alatas told a regional forum
here.

"We realize that we have to reinvent ourselves in order to remain
relevant, in order to remain effective."

Alatas, speaking at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies outlook
forum, said ASEAN has been portrayed in the media as rigid on its policy
of non-interference.

"But we have shown that we are flexible and there is a need for further
flexibility as we continue to grow," he said.

Alatas cited the informal adoption by ASEAN in 1998 of the principle of
"enhanced interaction", which calls for the group to comment on domestic
issues that portray all member nations in a negative light.

"The 'enhanced interaction' approach ... should continue to be honored and
further refined," he said.

"ASEAN should be able to develop an agreed mechanism through which member
states could work together to help a member country in addressing internal
problems with clear external implications."

He said one result of the principle is Myanmar's willingness to discuss
its internal problems within ASEAN and the larger ASEAN Regional Forum, a
security grouping that includes the United States, Russia, China and other
powers.

As Megawati's special envoy, Alatas met with Myanmar's leader Senior
General Than Shwe in September to negotiate the release of Aung San Suu
Kyi, who has been under house arrest for 10 months.

Although he did not secure Aung San Suu Kyi's release, Alatas said there
were positive changes in the attitude of Myanmar's military rulers, whose
alleged repression of civil and political rights has isolated the country
and strained ASEAN's relations with the West.

"As you can see now, Myanmar has agreed to have a meeting in Thailand for
example," he said, referring to a landmark 12-nation meeting last month.

"So even Myanmar sees that it cannot say, 'no this is an internal problem,
I refuse to talk about my internal problem.'

But asked if the policy will result in Aung San Suu Kyi's release, Alatas
said "we are still trying to get a solution".

"Whether we are successful immediately or whether it will take time that's
the question," said Alatas, who served as Indonesian foreign minister from
1988 to 1999.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.