BurmaNet News, March 3, 2005

[Editor]

March 3, 2005 Issue # 2667

INSIDE BURMA
SHAN: Shan party warns supporters against prejudice
Irrawaddy: Legal experts denied access to accused Shan leaders
AP: Atlanta pastor killed while helping North Korean defectors
Xinhua: Most foreign customers prefer Myanmar food

GUNS
Narinjara: Chittagong arms cache shipped from Hong Kong via Singapore

BUSINESS / MONEY
Xinhua: Private sector in Myanmar helps gov't grow teak
AFX: Unocal's assets would be a boon to ChevronTexaco

REGIONAL
Irrawaddy: Legislators to press Asean for Burma’s reform

OPINION / OTHER
Nation: Surakiart’s bid for UN job untenable

PRESS RELEASE
Shwe Gas Movement: Regional activists demand referendum on Burmese gas
sales to India

______________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

March 3, Shan Herald Agency for News
Shan party warns supporters against prejudice - Hawkeye

Burma's second largest winning party whose top leaders had been put behind
bars last month has cautioned some of its adherents against undue
partisanship, according to sources on the border:

Some long-standing stalwarts of the Shan Nationalities League for
Democracy had lodged complaints with the party following reports that
family members of its detained leaders, Hkun Htun Oo, Sai Nood a.k.a Sai
Nyunt Lwin and others had approached professionals from the National
League for Democracy for legal aid, said sources. "Why should we seek help
from them (the NLD) when there are other parties who have no less
practised legal authorities?", they were quoted as saying.

To which an unidentified Executive Committee member explains: "It is not
because they are NLD members that their help was sought. On the contrary,
it is their legal experiences as well as expertise in dealing with similar
situations that had prompted us to do so, although SNLD being allied to
the NLD did help."

U Aung Thein and U Nyan Win, who have their law office at 146, 40th Street
(Tel: 951-240 626), however, were turned back at the entrance of Insein
prison on 1 March, the day they were reported to go to court.

There was no court hearings yesterday as, 2 March, the anniversary of the
1962 military coup that overthrew the elected government of Burma, is
marked as a national holiday.

Hkun Htun Oo has been charged with treason, defamation of the state and
association with illegal organizations, they said.

The SNLD had already been accused by some of its followers for "playing
second fiddle" to the national icon Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD. One instance
of this was when the party had put off its announcement of the decision to
boycott last year's session of the National Convention until the NLD had
announced a corresponding decision.

______________________________________

March 2, Irrawaddy
Legal experts denied access to accused Shan leaders - Nandar Chann

Legal experts who tried on Tuesday to visit detained ethnic Shan
politicians before their trial were refused access to the special court in
Insein prison, one of them complained.

The trial reportedly began on Tuesday of several ethnic Shan leaders who
were arrested before the resumption of the National Convention on February
17.

They include 82 year-old politician Shwe Ohn, Maj-Gen Sao Hso Ten,
president of the Shan State Peace Council, or SSPC, Hkun Htun Oo, chairman
of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, or SNLD, and SNLD
general-secretary Sai Nyunt Lwin.

When legal experts Aung Thein and Nyan Win, from the opposition National
League for Democracy, or NLD, tried on Tuesday to gain entry to the
special court in Insein Prison and to meet the accused they were barred,
Aung Thein reported.

“It is a sign that the authorities did not allow them (the accused) to
hire defense lawyers,” Aung Thein told The Irrawaddy by telephone from
Rangoon on Wednesday. “They are (also) not allowed to meet with their
families.”

The families of Hkun Htun Oo and Sai Nyunt Lwin had asked the NLD legal
team to provide assistance, Aung Thein said.

The accused Shan leaders are expected to face charges of treason, which
carries a maximum life sentence, and defamation of the state, according to
Fu Cin Sian Thang, chairman of the Zomi National Congress and a member of
the Committee Representing the People’s Parliament, or CRPP.

When the Shan leaders were arrested in February, Thu Wai, chairman of the
Democracy Party, or DP, the female politician Cho Cho Kyaw Nyein and her
daughter were apprehended at the same time, but they are evidently not yet
on trial.

Opposition politician Amyotheryei Win Naing told The Irrawaddy that Thu
Wai and Cho Cho Kyaw Nyein are now in Insein Prison and not allowed visits
by their families. Win Naing said they could be charged under Article 5
(j) of the 1950 Emergency Provision Act, which carries a maximum seven
year sentence.

______________________________________

March 3, Associated Press
Atlanta pastor killed while helping North Korean defectors

Seoul: A Korean-American pastor from Atlanta drowned in a river while
trying to help a group of North Koreans defect to the South, a civic group
claimed Thursday.

A swift current swept away 62-year-old Jeffrey Bahk, also known as
Joon-jae, as he tried to swim across the Mekong River from Myanmar to Laos
with six North Korean defectors on Jan. 2, said Chun Ki-won, director
Durihana Mission, a Seoul-based missionary group that helps Northern
defectors.

The six defectors were passing through China, Laos and Myanmar on their
way to South Korea, where they wanted to seek asylum, Chun said.

He said they had been detained in Myanmar for illegal entry, and had sent
him letters reporting that they saw Bahk drown in the river.

The six are now in Seoul, Chun said. The Foreign Ministry denied to
confirm they had entered South Korea.

Bahk had been working with Durihana Mission and had accompanied the six
defectors from Yanji in China's Jilin province after they fled their home
country in November, Chun said.

In recent years, North Korean defectors have traveled through China to
countries such as Myanmar and Laos - then to Thailand or other countries
they hope will sympathize with their plight - before arriving in South
Korea.

Those caught by Chinese authorities are often sent home, where they can
expect harsh punishment.

Last month, a Seoul-based civic group alleged North Korea had executed 70
defectors, who had been captured in China, to discourage others from
fleeing the communist country.

Nearly 1,900 North Koreans defected to the South last year - an increase
of nearly 50 percent from the year before - to escape hunger and political
repression in their homeland.

The inter-Korean border remains sealed and heavily guarded after the
1950-53 Korean War.

______________________________________

March 3, Xinhua General News Service
Most foreign customers prefer Myanmar food

Yangon: Foreign customers taking Myanmar traditional food registered the
majority, accounting for 65 percent of the total visiting the country,
restaurant businessmen here said on Thursday.

Foreign customers prefer Myanmar traditional cuisine as it is less
expensive than Chinese and European food, a restaurant operator noted.

Many businessmen have focused on Myanmar food, setting log-term plans to
run such business especially when the number of foreign tourists is
increasing which the businessmen target.

Meanwhile, the Myanmar authorities is also encouraging foreign
entrepreneurs to make full investment in restaurant business to help
promote its hotels and tourism industry when there are few
foreign-invested restaurants in the country. There have been plenty of
local restaurants with the availability of foreign food emerging since
1996, the Visit Myanmar Year first introduced.

According to hotels and tourism statistics, there are restaurants in
Myanmar offering, in addition to Myanmar traditional food, a variety of
cuisine such as Chinese, Thai, European, French, Italian, Indian, Korean,
Japanese and Singaporean.

Other figures show that contracted foreign investment in the sector of
hotels and tourism has so far amounted to 1.06 billion US dollars since
Myanmar began to open to such investment in late 1988. Of the investment,
that in hotel projects amounted to over 580 million dollars.

The Central Statistical Organization's figures show that tourist arrivals
in Myanmar stood 269,205 in 2003-04. The figures rose over 20 percent to
315,823 in the first half (April-September) of the present fiscal year
2004-05 compared with the same period of the previous year.

_____________________________________
BUSINESS / MONEY

March 3, Xinhua General News Service
Private sector in Myanmar helps gov't grow teak

Yangon: Eighteen private timber companies in Myanmar will fund the
government's teak cultivation project this year as a follow-up of last
year's, a local press reported Thursday.

With the companies' fund, a total of over 3,600 hectares of teak will be
grown in four divisions and states of Bago, Magway, Sagaing and Shan, the
7-Day News quoted the Ministry of Forestry as saying, adding that the
plantation will start in June, the beginning of the rainy season, and
complete by 2006.

The government's timber cultivation project with the private sector's fund
started last year and over 1,200 hectares have been put under teak
plantations, the sources said.

Myanmar has been replanting forests at over 30,000 hectares a year to
ensure adequate supply of timber in the country, while banning logging in
the reforested areas until 2020.

The five-year reforestation project, being implemented in a range of
mountains in central Bago Yoma, started early 2004 and involved the
planting of 76,950 hectares of economic and valuable trees such as teak
and hardwood.

Having replanted about 769,500 hectares of forests between 1992 and 2003,
Myanmar targets to grow 324,000 hectares of teak under the program during
the next 40 years.

According to official figures, Myanmar's annual production of teak and
hardwood is about 190,000 cubic-tons and 1.1 million cubic-tons
respectively.

Meanwhile, the country has been establishing wood-based industry, giving
priority to manufacturing value-added finished wood products for export. A
number of wood-related industrial zones in the country have also been set
up to boost the production of such products since export of wood log is
being restricted and export of teak log by the private sector has been
banned since 1992 when the government enacted the Forest Law.

Official figures show that the country earned 376.67 million US dollars
through the timber export in 2003-04 ended in March, accounting for 15
percent of the total export value.

Timber stands as the country's third largest export goods after mineral
and agricultural products.

Myanmar is rich in forest resources with forests covering about 50 percent
of its total land area.

_____________________________________

March 3, AFX
Unocal's assets would be a boon to ChevronTexaco

A report in the Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified sources familiar
with the matter, said that San Ramon, Calif.-based ChevronTexaco   was
eyeing the smaller, fellow California oil company   for its 1.75 billion
oil-equivalent barrels of reserves.

The merger could yield cost savings of as much as $1.5 billion a year,
said Fadel Gheit, an oil and gas analyst at Oppenheimer & Co.

"This is an excellent fit," he said. "The only thing I caution people is
when I came to this business 18 years ago from Mobil Oil, I was told by
veterans then that Unocal was a potential takeover target."

ChevronTexaco would pick up assets in the Gulf of Mexico, Thailand and
Indonesia and about 420,000 barrels per day of oil-equivalent production.

"Unocal is top quality in Asia, particularly Thailand, less well regarded
in the U.S. both in terms of assets and stock rating," said Deutsche Bank
analyst Paul Sankey in a note to clients.
Unocal's assets would enhance the major positions ChevronTexaco already
has in those areas, he said.

"Equally, Unocal has near-term growth that CVX lacks," Sankey said.

Though Unocal's production fell 8 percent in 2004 amid asset sales in the
lower 48 states, the company now expects 4 percent 2005 growth from Asian
gas, West Seno, and Thai oil.

Additionally, Unocal has positions in Azerbaijan and Canada that would fit
with ChevronTexaco's portfolio, Sankey said.

"Strategically, the fit is good," he said. "In terms of M&A strategy, the
move looks weak, given that Unocal has been seen as a takeout candidate
for arguably five years, and ChevronTexaco has had the financial firepower
for the move for at least six months."

One potential problem with the deal is Unocal's position in Myanmar,
Sankey said. In December, the company reached an agreement to settle with
parties to human-rights lawsuits, which alleged that the oil and gas
producer ignored the use of slave labor to build a natural-gas pipeline in
Myanmar in the 1990s. .

"The move may also serve to remind the market of CVX's growth issues," he
said.
With a market cap of about $15.7 billion, Unocal is the nation's
ninth-largest oil and gas producer. ChevronTexaco trails only Exxon Mobil
Corp.

_____________________________________
GUNS

March 3, Narinjara News
Chittagong arms cache shipped from Hong Kong via Singapore

Dhaka:  According to a recent report of Jane's Intelligence Review (JIR),
a leading world magazine, an arms cache seized last year in Chittagong
seaport was shipped from Hong Kong, where more weapons were added to the
collection , then shipped on to Singapore before being brought to
Bangladesh.

The JIR report said the shipment involved two key insurgent groups from
northeast India; the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) the
Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM), the Isak Muivah
Faction.

The Bangladesh police first believed that the consignment was moved
overland from Southwestern China to the port of Akyab, also known as
Sittwe, the capital of Arakan state, on Burma's Arakan coast on the Bay of
Bengal.

The police assumed that the arms and ammunitions were carried by two
fishing boats from the Akyab jetty to Bangladeshi water, where the arms
were unloaded to another two Bangladeshi fishing boats.

However, according to JIR sources, the original idea was to transport the
arms and ammunitions to Northeastern India via a route across northern
Burma's Kachin state. That idea was eventually shelved owing to security
concerns over moving such a large shipment across territory where local
Kachins are seen as pro-India.

It was discovered that the consignment originated from the port of Hong
Kong, and at that point only involved new Chinese weaponry. From Hong
Kong, the main consignment was shipped to Singapore where more
none-Chinese weapons were added and the shipment was then moved to the
Chittagong seaport, said JIR’s report.

According to Bangladeshi press, the shipment included both Israeli and US
manufactured weapons but it remains unclear whether additional ammunitions
were also added to the shipment in Singapore.

The shipment was then transported north through the Strait of Malacca to
be transferred in the Bay of Bengal to two trawlers, the Kazaddan and
Amanat, that then ferried the weapons to a jetty of the Chittagong port.

According to sources, the seizure of ammunitions by the Bangladeshi
authority are worth an estimated US $4.5 million to $7 million, and is
known to have included around 20,000 automatic and semi automatic rifles;
among them 1290 type 56-1 and type 56-2 Kalashnikov assault rifles; 150
T-69 rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launchers; quantities of 40mm RPG
ammunitions, 25,00 hand grenades and 1.8 million other small arms and
ammunitions.

The weapons were seized in 9 truckloads, by Bangladeshi police, in a port
of Chittagong in the early hours of 2 April last year. The cache was one
of South Asia's largest ever seizures of illicit weaponry.

(Note: some facts in this story were asserted from Weapons loaded at HK, a
longer report of Daily star on 28 Feb.)

_____________________________________
REGIONAL

March 3, Irrawaddy
Legislators to press Asean for Burma’s reform - Aung Lwin Oo

Bangkok: Neighborly pressure is tightening to withhold the chairmanship of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Asean, from Burma in 2006. A
group of legislators from the regional grouping said Wednesday it would
press its governments to tell Rangoon to release opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi from detention and move toward democracy if it was to be
handed the rotating chairmanship.

The Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar [Burma] Caucus, or AIPMC, which
comprises representatives from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand,
the Philippines and Cambodia, urged their governments to take the
situation in Burma seriously. Asean could otherwise lose credibility. At
the moment the grouping is bound by its “constructive engagement” policy
towards Burma’s military regime.

“We all have influence, if [government leaders] want,” AIPMC chairman Zaid
Ibrahim told The Irrawaddy before a panel discussion on Burma at the
Foreign Correspondent Club of Thailand, in Bangkok. “The question is
whether they want.”  Zaid added that Asean’s non-interference policy had
so far failed to move the ruling generals.

Lim Kit Siang, Malaysian opposition leader and caucus member, also said it
was important that regional leaders tackle Burma’s problems before it
takes over the Asean chairmanship. He even urged them to expel Burma from
the grouping unless there was political progress there. About 140 Asean
parliamentarians have already signed a petition calling on regional
leaders to kick out Burma.

The legislators also said they viewed the ongoing National Convention,
supposed to draw up a new constitution, as a sham. “You cannot have a
convention where you exclude the majority party and put their leaders in
jail,” said Zaid, referring to Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy.

The group was due to discuss its proposals on Burma further with Thai
Foreign Minister Surakiat  Sathirathai today. Senator Kraisak Choonhavan,
head of the Thai caucus group, urged his government to express genuine
political will in its attempts to settle the Burmese problem.

In early February, the caucus discussed sending a mission to Rangoon to
evaluate the country’s situation by talking to the generals and Suu Kyi.
But the Burmese authorities turned down the idea, saying such a visit was
inappropriate while the National Convention was meeting, according to
Zaid.

The AIPMC was originally formed by Malaysian legislators in May 2004. It
was subsequently joined by other legislators—both ruling party and
opposition— from the other five Asean countries, to give the caucus a
total membership of about 400. The group in Bangkok had previously been in
Malaysia and Indonesia to push its Burma proposals, and will now go to the
Philippines.

_____________________________________

March 3, Agence France Presse
Indonesia to host ASEAN-EU ministerial meeting, terrorism talks on agenda

Jakarta: Indonesia will host the 15th ASEAN-EU ministerial meeting on
March 10 which will include talks on fighting terrorism and trans-national
crimes, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

Senior officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
and the European Union (EU) will hold talks the day before, a press
release of the foreign ministry said.

Discussions between the two regional bodies are expected to produce a
Joint Co-Chairmen's statement, and will also follow up on a January ASEAN
tsunami summit.

Indonesia is acting as the country coordinator of the ASEAN-EU dialogue
until June 2006.

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

The EU groups Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

_____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

March 3, Nation
Surakiart’s bid for UN job untenable

Supachai’s appointment means the govt will have to reassess its costly
campaign

Thanks to his various high-profile and highly professional efforts in a
number of key positions, Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi has become a rare symbol
of Thailand’s integrity and respectability in the eyes of the
international community. In the latest nod to his obvious talents, the
outgoing chief of the World Trade Organisation has been nominated as the
new director-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development by no less than UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. What is
perhaps most remarkable about this turn of events is that at no time did
Supachai have to lobby for his new position – it was offered to him purely
in recognition of his abilities.

Annan has made the right choice.

However, while Supachai’s nomination is surely an honour, some people will
see a downside: The decision to hand this high office over to Supachai
will have a huge negative impact on Foreign Minister Surakiart
Sathirathai’s bid to succeed Annan as secretary general.

Still, Thailand already has ample reason to be proud. It has produced many
competent international statesmen who have proved themselves capable of
making useful contributions to the United Nations at the highest level.
Former prime minister Anand Panyarachun, presiding over a panel of the
world’s top-flight resource people, did an exemplary job in preparing a
report on UN reform.

The recommendations made by his panel are now being considered by UN
member countries. It is no small feat for Thailand to have two of its
citizens holding top positions in which they can work in the interests of
the international community at the same time.

And this is precisely why Surakiart’s bid now faces unforeseen
complications. The Thai government, which has acted as the key official
backer of Surakiart, must now reassess its ongoing campaign to put him in
the top UN job.

Other than the unlikely prospect that the international community would
allow Thai nationals to be over-represented at the UN, Surakiart has
another big problem on his hands: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who
has been sponsoring Surakiart with taxpayers’ money, has never exhibited
any respect for the world body.

Thaksin has been quoted in the international press deriding the UN and its
senior officials, including those in charge of monitoring human rights.

Surakiart now finds himself in limbo. In the wake of Supachai’s
nomination, not even the endorsement granted to the foreign minister by
the members of Asean will make much difference in improving his chances of
success.

Ever since his campaign for the top UN post was officially launched,
Surakiart has gone out of his way to raise his international profile. He
has made numerous speeches, addressing a wide range of international
issues, including topics relevant to Africa and the Third World in
general. Yet, despite all of his best efforts, he has failed to make any
real waves in the international community.

To boost his campaign, a 33-member work group was set up to devise a
comprehensive strategy that would help him secure the top UN post. The
group consisted of academics, leading business people and high-ranking
Foreign Ministry officials.

The ministry has also allocated tens of millions of baht to cover the
costs of lobbying for Surakiart over the next two years.

This all raises an important question that concerns all taxpayers: whether
it is worthwhile to pursue what has become a costly campaign. It is
estimated that it would cost around Bt100 million for the overall lobbying
effort.

It is an open secret that when a leader of a country occupies one of the
top UN positions, it is virtually impossible that a second person of the
same nationality – or even from the same region – would be allowed to take
another high office at the world body.

It should be clear that this is not an issue of patriotism, but one of
merit. When the Thai government lobbied for Supachai in the past, it did
not require all that much money. Supachai’s world-class calibre and his
impressive track record spoke for themselves. The same cannot be said of
Surakiart.

Now Thaksin has a decision to make because it was the prime minister’s
idea in the first place to field a Thai candidate for the top UN job.

Though it may be hard for some to accept, it is more or less certain that
it would not be prudent to spend any more of the taxpayers’ money on
Surakiart’s campaign.

_____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

March 3, Shwe Gas Movement
Regional activists demand referendum on Burmese gas sales to India

Activists from Burma, Bangladesh and India are launching a campaign to
oppose current plans to sell natural gas from Western Burma to India as it
will earn billions of dollars for the Burmese junta and further entrench
military rule.

The Shwe gas reserves off the coast of Burma's Arakan State are estimated
at 4-6 trillion cubic feet, currently worth between 19-26 billion dollars
and projected to triple in value as new wells are drilled. An
Indian-Korean consortium led by Daewoo plans to export the gas to India
via pipeline through Bangladesh, and a draft MOU on the sale was drawn up
at a tri-nation meeting last month. The consortium aims to have the MOU
signed by the end of March.

Activists of the Shwe Gas Movement are demanding that the gas extraction
be postponed until a referendum is held among affected peoples.

"We people of Bangladesh have the right to speak up and debate about our
natural resources. So too should the people of Burma," said Kamrul Alam
Sabuj, coordinator of the Bangladeshi network, Students and Youth Movement
Against the Plundering of Oil and Gas, which opposes the Shwe project.

"We are not against India buying gas from Burma, but request that the
project is postponed until the people of Burma are free to participate in
the decision to sell their resources to other countries. For India to buy
gas now is to give direct support to the brutal military regime in Burma,"
said Kim, a Shwe campaign spokesperson from Burma based in India.

The revenue from the Shwe fields is slated to become the military regime's
largest source of foreign currency. The regime currently spends over 40%
of its budget on defence. Experience from the infamous Yadana gas pipeline
in Eastern Burma provides evidence that the Shwe project will lead to
increased Burmese military presence in the area, forced relocation of
villagers, land confiscation and slave labour.

The Arakan and Chin States of Burma, through which the gas pipeline will
likely be built, are not connected to Burma's electricity or gas grids.
Even the state capitals only receive three hours of electricity per day
and most people must use firewood or charcoal for cooking.

"Before exporting gas, we must analyze and vote on options that would
benefit the people," said Zaw Zaw an Arakanese spokesperson based in
Thailand. "For example, households in all towns of western Burma should
have direct access to gas for cooking and a minimum of 12 hours of
electricity; and no revenue from gas be used for arms purchases."

The Shwe Gas Movement is launching its campaign with a website
(www.shwe.org) and signature petition to the international community.

For further information, see web site www.shwe.org, contact the Shwe Gas
Movement at info at shwe.org or call:

Kyaw Han, Bangladesh. Phone +880-18944 7051
Kim, India. Phone +91-98183 59344
Zaw Zaw, Thailand. Phone +66-6-6590153