BurmaNet News, February 18, 2005

[Editor]

February 18, 2005 Issue # 2659


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: NLD expels 18 members
Mizzima News: 30 Dissidents have been arrested within 60 days
SHAN: Law still free, alive and kicking
Narinjara: Army official arrested for human trafficking in Arakan

BUSINESS / MONEY
Reuters: Myanmar's gas riches entice Asian investors

REGIONAL
AFP: Myanmar PM Soe Win to visit Philippines next week
New Straits Times (Malaysia): 600,000 officers to go after illegals

STATEMENTS
European Union: CFSP Statement: Declaration of the Presidency on behalf of
the European Union at the reconvening of the national convention in
Burma/Myanmar
US Rep. Christopher H. Smith: Democracy in Burma

______________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

February 18, Irrawaddy
NLD expels 18 members - Shah Paung

The National League for Democracy, or NLD, Burma’s main opposition party,
has expelled 18 members, accusing them of disservice to the party policy
and position.

Maung Aye, one of those removed from the NLD, said Friday he has yet to
hear an explanation for the action taken against him. According to him,
neither he nor the others removed have received an official letter from
the NLD.

Maung Aye reported that four of the expelled NLD members are delegates
elected in the 1990 parliamentary elections. The others include nine youth
members.

According to a Radio Free Asia broadcast Friday, NLD spokesman U Lwin said
the organization issued a statement on February 16 suspending the members
from their duties and removing them from the party. All can appeal when
the next nationwide NLD assembly is held, U Lwin said.

U Lwin also said detained NLD leaders Aung San Suu Kyi and vice chairman
Tin Oo did not know about the expulsions.

Maung Aye, from Thayawaddy Township, Pegu Division, condemned the expulsions.

“We do not even know what we did of disservice to the party policy and
position. It’s only that they (the NLD) do not need us,” he said.

In September 2004, the party expelled three members and suspended 27 for
marching to the Rangoon office of the United Nations Development Program
without the NLD’s permission.

______________________________________

February 17, Mizzima News
30 Dissidents have been arrested within 60 days - Mungpi

In a renewed strength to suppress the oppositions the Burmese Military
Junta since December had arrested at least 30 oppositions, according to
the Thai-Burma border-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners
(Burma).

Some were arrested while trying to celebrate national Union day and some
were arrested in Sagaing division for distributing AIDS awareness
pamphlets. And some were arrested for allegedly distributing statements,
Thet Naing, the spokesman of AAPP said.

While most of the arrested are of members of the National League for
Democracy, they also include six from Shan ethnic groups.

Thet Naing said that the military keeps a close watch over the oppositions
and a few; particularly members of the NLD and Students have gone hiding
due to fear of arrest.

Apart from the recent arrest, the junta extended the prison term of two
political prisoners, who had completed their terms to (1) more year. The
junta also extended the house arrest terms of NLD vice-chairman U tin Oo
and General Secretary Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to one more year.

______________________________________

February 18, Shan Herald Agency for News
Law still free, alive and kicking - Chai Sayam

Former druglord Law Hsinghan and son, contrary to stories they have been
detained, not only remain unfettered but are expanding their business,
according to sources:

The fact is being substantiated by The Voice weekly, 14 February issue,
that has reported that his Asia World Port Management Co.Ltd is embarking
on the 4th phase of extension at Rangoon's twin city Syriam (Thanlyin)
within the year, quoting Daw Kyi Kyi Han, Asia World Port Terminal's woman
executive director.

The extension at Syriam's Thilawa port will cover 14 acres (56,700 square
meters) of land. This is in addition to the first port he built at
Rangoon's Ahlone township at the mouth of the Hlaing River in April 1996.

"The port located at Ahlone township is Burmese citizen owned and the
first port constructed by a private firm," boasts the article.

As for Law's erstwhile rival and now friend Khun Sa, he is still living at
Ye Kyi Aing, the former Military Intelligence bastion north of Rangoon,
according to one of his cousins on the border. A Rangoon resident concurs.
"We sometimes see him coming downtown to have hamburger," he says.

Law Hsinghan, a native of Kokang, became known as "King of Opium" in the
early 70's until he was jailed for "rebellion against the state" by
Rangoon. The putative title has since been handed down in succession to
Khun Sa, Lin Mingxian and now Wei Hsuehkang.

______________________________________

February 18, Narinjara News
Army official arrested for human trafficking in Arakan

Akyab: An Army official was arrested with another local accused human
trafficker in Akyab for their involvement in a trafficking case to
Malaysia, according to an official report.

The authorities arrested Sergeant Thein Theik, who is the leader of Nazi
Para, a Muslim village outpost in the Akyab Township, on 2 Feb along with
his colleague, known human trafficker Mr Bodu Shouku.

According to local sources, human trafficking has become a lucrative
business in Arakan State since the military government banned the travel
of Muslims in Arakan. Muslims in Arakan State are not permitted to travel
freely in Burma without the authority's permission.

Since increased restrictions were imposed, human trafficking practices
have increased in Arakan State and it is thought that many officials are
involved in the business.

"Since the authorities restricted their travel, many Muslims have been
using an illegal route whenever they want to go Malaysia or Burma proper,"
said an anonymous Muslim.

According to a businessman from Akyab at least 50,000 to 100,000 Burmese
Kyat per person is needed to travel to Malaysia. Of that money, the human
traffickers give at least 20% to a local officer.

He added that the high price is because the traffickers using boats often
have to sink it in Malaysian waters after destroying it for fear of
discovery of the clues by authorities.

It is thought that the human traffickers are earning a lot of money from
the business and that many involved are getting rich in Akyab by sending
people to Malaysia.

Sergeant Thein Theik's recent accumulation of wealth is thought to have
come from regularly receiving bribes from traffickers, a luxury that will
surely cease as he is now faced with charges for his involvement in human
trafficking.

Many Muslims have recently used this method of travel to Malaysia and now
there are about 10,000 Arakanese Muslims in Malaysia.

The accused sergeant and his trafficker counterpart were sent to the Akyab
jail and will face a lawsuit by authorities under the trafficking laws of
Burma, said a police official.

______________________________________
BUSINESS

February 16, Reuters
Myanmar's gas riches entice Asian investors - Chen Aizhu

SINGAPORE, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Politically and economically isolated for
more than a decade, Myanmar is being thrown a lifeline by its Asian
neighbours, which are jostling to spend billions of dollars to tap the
country's energy resources.

Slightly smaller then the U.S. oil state Texas and bordering the Andaman
Sea and the Bay of Bengal, little explored Myanmar is estimated to hold
13-15 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas, 7 percent of total proven
reserves in Southeast Asia.

Aggressive state companies from China, India, Thailand, Malaysia and South
Korea, undaunted by U.S. and European sanctions, are looking to invest
their big cash piles to develop Myanmar's gas fields and build pipelines
and hydropower dams.

"Non-western majors are now able to take significant positions than they
might have a decade or more ago as they become more professional and have
more financial muscle," said Andrew Symmons, research fellow at the
Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.

The influx of Asian players picked up steam in 2004 and threatens to
eclipse long-standing investments by a handful of Western companies,
predominantly France's Total SA (TOTF.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) and
U.S. independent Unocal Corp (UCL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) .

Few Western firms have the stomach to invest in the country formerly known
as Burma, worried by government and shareholder pressure to steer clear of
the military-ruled nation shunned for its human rights record and
suppression of political opponents.

Asian firms have no such qualms.

"Myanmar is cocooned by the support of regional powers that actually
protect it from the sanctions the U.S. wants to apply," Derek Tonkin,
former British ambassador to Thailand, Laos and Vietnam told Reuters.

Oil and gas is a key source of revenue and one of the few growth areas for
Myanmar's economy. Decades of poor policies and more recently Western
sanctions have left the once wealthy former British colony far behind
prospering neighbours such as Thailand.

Myanmar supplies a quarter of Thailand's gas consumption with exports
worth roughly $1 billion, or about 12 percent of gross domestic product.

"Growth is likely to come from the oil and gas sector as the global demand
for energy increases. Additional gas reserves were found early in the year
(2004), raising prospects for exports and increased foreign direct
investment," the Asian Development Bank said in its 2004 Asia Economic
Monitor.

FUNDING NO PROBLEM

Official data from Yangon shows that Myanmar pumped 349.8 billion cubic
feet of gas and 20,000 barrels per day of oil and condensate in the April
2003-March 2004 fiscal year.

Last year, Myanmar awarded six licenses to Chinese and Thai firms to
explore for oil and gas, the highest number of awards since 1997. It also
agreed with Bangkok to study a $15 billion hydropower project on the
Salween River to supply Thailand.

"If the hydro project is feasible, funding is not a problem. We want to
develop it as fast as we can," said Songpope Polachan, director of
strategy and policy coordination at the Thai Energy Ministry.

China's No.2 state oil giant, Sinopec Group, and offshore specialist CNOOC
Ltd. (0883.HK: Quote, Profile, Research) (CEO.N: Quote, Profile, Research)
were awarded four exploration blocks in 2004, tracking the footsteps of
China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), which entered Myanmar a decade ago
to help improve recovery rates at ageing oilfields.

India's ONGC Videsh Ltd. (ONGC.BO: Quote, Profile, Research) has teamed up
with South Korea's Daewoo International (047050.KS: Quote, Profile,
Research) to jointly explore for hydrocarbons. Both countries are heavily
reliant on imported oil and gas to feed their economies.

ONGC Videsh and Daewoo International are also partners with Indian gas
transport company, GAIL Ltd. (GAIL.BO: Quote, Profile, Research) , and
Korea Gas Corp. (036460.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) , in Block A-1, one
of Myanmar's biggest gas finds holding up to 6 tcf.

"We find Myanmar very exciting. We will bid for more blocks if we find
them attractive," said R.S. Butola, ONGC Videsh managing director.

Yangon is hoping to build a $3 billion LNG export terminal by 2007, and
last month, oil ministers from New Delhi, Yangon and Dhaka agreed to build
a $1 billion gas line running from Myanmar to India via Bangladesh.

If the project goes ahead, it would be the first international pipeline
for India, which imports 70 percent of its crude oil needs and has started
taking delivery of liquefied natural gas. (Additional reporting by Park
Sung-woo in Seoul and Himangshu Watts in Dehli).

______________________________________
REGIONAL

February 18, Agence France Presse
Myanmar PM Soe Win to visit Philippines next week

Manila: Myanmar's Prime Minister Lieutenant General Soe Win will make an
official visit to the Philippines next week, the presidential palace said
Friday.

Soe Win will arrive at an air force base in Manila late Sunday and will
meet President Gloria Arroyo the following day, a palace statement said.

The leaders are expected to discuss ways of boosting bilateral relations,
but it was not clear whether imprisoned Myanmar opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi would be a topic in the talks.

In an annual summit of Southeast Asian leaders in November last year,
Arroyo urged Soe Win to allow Aung San Suu Kyi greater representation in
the government. She however stopped short of calling for her release.

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won elections in
1990, but the ruling military junta has refused to honor the victory. She
remains under house arrest in the Myanmar capital Yangon.

Myanmar and the Philippines are both members of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Myanmar's continued detention of Aung
San Suu Kyi has been an embarrassment for the grouping.

ASEAN however believes in "constructive engagement" in dealing with
Myanmar despite international condemnation.

_____________________________________

February 18, New Straits Times (Malaysia)
600,000 officers to go after illegals

Putrajaya: The Immigration Department will go after an estimated 100,000
"hardcore" illegal immigrants, mainly Indonesians, when Ops Nasihat ends
on Feb 28.

The operations will focus on farms in Cameron Highlands and night markets,
where most of these illegals are employed.

More than 600,000 enforcement officers from various agencies and
departments will be deployed in the operations to be held simultaneously
nationwide.

Immigration Department enforcement chief Datuk Ishak Mohamed said the
department had given the illegals enough time to leave the country and
would come down hard on those still here on March 1.

"We have given them enough time and warnings but these hardcore people
still refuse to return. They will be our main target," he said here today.

There are an estimated 400,000 Indonesian illegal immigrants in Malaysia.

"Once Ops Nasihat is over, we will go after them. There will be no more
persuasion or advice. Once rounded up, they will have to face the music."

To ensure smooth operations, Ishak said senior officers leading the
operations would meet in Kuantan on Tuesday to finalise strategies and
actions.

The meeting, which will also see the presence of all State Immigration
directors and Rela, will be chaired by Home Affairs Ministry secretary-
general Datuk Seri Aseh Che Mat.

On Monday, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi revealed that a full-scale
operation would be mounted against illegals after Feb 28.

The operations were supposed to be effective on Nov 15 last year when the
amnesty period for illegals expired, but the Government decided to extend
the deadline until Jan 1.

It was again extended to Jan 31 in view of the tsunami disaster.

Ops Nasihat, which began on Feb 1, gives illegals the opportunity to
return home without legal action being taken against them.

Ishak said department records showed that only 4,363 illegals had returned
in the last 16 days.

"We know their hideouts. Although it is difficult for us to zoom in on the
hideouts, we will still go after them.

"They refused to return because they know they can have a good life here,
not in their country of origin."

Ishak added that enforcement officers would not listen to appeals from
illegals arrested during the operation.

He said from Oct 29 last year until Jan 31, 382,082 illegals had returned
home.

Indonesians made up the largest number (334,792), followed by Indian
nationals (17,465), Bangladeshis (7,890), Nepalese (3,114), Myanmars
(1,917) and a few others.

Some 106,470 illegals who took up the offer to return during the amnesty
period worked at construction sites, 94,635 worked in plantations and
39,398 as domestic maids.

The rest worked at factories and other places.

Ishak said 112,697 illegals who returned home under the programme had
stayed for more than two years.

_____________________________________
STATEMENTS

February 15, European Union: CFSP Statement
Declaration of the Presidency on behalf of the European Union at the
reconvening of the national convention in Burma/Myanmar

The Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2005

The EU notes that the National Convention will reconvene on 17 February
2005, and strongly hopes to see concrete results. In this context the EU
calls on the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to put aside past
hostilities and enter into a constructive dialogue with the National
League for Democracy (NLD), other legitimate representative bodies and the
ethnic groups. Only such a dialogue can lead to the drawing up of a
constitution that can win the genuine support of the people and bring
peace and development to the country. Only by adopting such an approach
will the Government be able to achieve real and lasting national
reconciliation and live up to the commitments they have already made to
the international community under their proclaimed Roadmap "to build a
modern, prosperous, democratic nation."

The EU regrets that the SPDC has so far failed to create the conditions
for the NLD and other legitimate representative bodies to participate in
the National Convention which reconvenes on the 17 February, and which
could provide the opportunity for genuine transparent dialogue. These
conditions include the release of Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, the
reopening of all NLD Party offices as well as the release of all political
prisoners including elected officials from opposition parties.

In this regard the EU is very concerned by the arrest on 9 February of
Khun Htun Oo, leader of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy,
together with other Shan community leaders, as well as the increased
harassment of leaders from other ethnic nationalities. The EU calls for
all restrictions on them to be immediately removed.

The EU appeals to the Burmese authorities to establish a permanent and
sincere cooperation with the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the
UN and with all relevant UN agencies

The EU takes this opportunity to underline that it might, according to the
Council Common position 2004/730/CFSP of 25 October 2004, respond
positively to tangible signs of progress, and that it is already committed
in favour of poverty alleviation and of the promotion of democratisation
in Burma/Myanmar.

The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries
Turkey and Croatia*, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, and Serbia and Montenegro, Countries of the Stabilisation and
Association Process and potential candidates, and the EFTA countries
Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area,
align themselves with this declaration.

* Croatia continues to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process

_____________________________________

February 17, Rep. Christopher H. Smith of New Jersey
Democracy in Burma

Mr. Smith of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the suffering
of the people of Burma. They continue their valiant struggle for human
rights and democracy despite brutal human rights violations committed by
the illegal ruling military regime.

In a few days, Burma's military regime will reconvene a sham ``National
Convention'' under the guise of facilitating a transition to democracy in
the country. In reality, the Convention is filled with handpicked
delegates of the ruling regime. It is simply an attempt to legalize the
regime's grip on power and guarantee the military's permanent role in the
future of the country.

Why do I call the Convention a sham? Because the country's democracy
movement, led by the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient
Aung San Suu Kyi, is not invited. Her political party, the National League
for Democracy, is similar to the African National Congress in South Africa
under apartheid rule in the 1980s and enjoys universal support from the
people of Burma. In Burma's last election, the NLD won 82 percent of the
seats in parliament, only to have the results annulled by the regime. They
are completely excluded from the Convention.

As if that's not bad enough, the Convention is being held at a military
camp which is surrounded by several military battalions. Among the
regime's hand-picked participants are members of the United Wa State Army,
whose leaders were indicted in absentia by a U.S. Federal Court in New
York on January 24, 2004. The Department of Justice rightfully stated that
the UWSA is one of the largest heroin producing and trafficking
organizations in the world and is responsible for the production of more
than 180 tons of opium in 2004. It is estimated that the UWSA has exported
more than $1 billion worth of heroin to the United States alone since
1985, as well as vast amounts throughout the world.

The proceeds from this drug money have kept Burma's military regime in
power. Burma's regime is a narco-dictatorship, addicted to the proceeds of
the international drug trade. The UWSA and the regime have worked together
to launder billions of dollars in drug profits into the Burmese economy.

We should not tolerate this orchestrated play by members of the military
junta and drug traffickers, at the cost of thousands of lives of Burmese
non-violence activists. As a Member of Congress who has been engaged on
human rights and promoting democracy for 25 years, I am proud that our
country has taken a firm stance against thugs who now control Burma. This
pressure has been from both Republican and Democrats in Congress and the
last two administrations. We should publicly denounce this sham convention
and the drug traffickers that plan to attend.

In late 2004 Congress unanimously passed a resolution calling for the U.N.
Security Council to address the Burmese military regime's threat to
regional peace and security. I am also encouraged by Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice's labeling of Burma as an ``outpost of tyranny'' and I
fully support her assessment. Now, I respectfully encourage President Bush
and Secretary Rice to follow-up on our resolutions and take the issue to
the U.N. Security council, where it belongs.