BurmaNet News, September 15, 2005

[Editor]

September 15, 2005 Issue # 2803


INSIDE BURMA
Xinhua: Myanmar stresses importance of mass media in national construction
DVB: Health conditions of two Mon prisoners in Rangoon

DRUGS
Irrawaddy: Fake drugs are found in Burma

BUSINESS / MONEY
AFP: ASEAN becomes China's fourth largest trade partner: official

REGIONAL
Irrawaddy: Malaysia donates US $1 million to WFP

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: Annan singles out Burma
DVB: NCGUB Sein Win meets Norwegian Deputy-FM

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: The Generals have no fear of a toothless UN

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

September 15, Xinhua General News Service
Myanmar stresses importance of mass media in national construction

Yangon: A high-ranking Myanmar information official has stressed the
importance of mass media in national construction, calling for
reinforcement of the column to serve the national interest.

Meeting with government journalist trainees on Wednesday, Information
Minister Brigadier-General Kyaw Hsan warned that the column "will lose its
aims and will harm the national interest if it exercises excessive
freedom," official newspaper the New Light of Myanmar reported Thursday.

The column is to help control and steer three other columns -- the
legislator sector, the judicial sector and the executive sector, he said.

Noting that "saboteurs from inside and outside the nation are trying to
destroy the national developments in all sectors," he urged dailies to
stand out as the media to help national development drive and ward off
destructive acts.

He also warned that in this age, those countries with strong media arms
are trying to bully and dominate small nations through the practice of
neo-colonialism, introducing their lifestyles and culture to the small
nations by force.

Kyaw Hsan charged that they are not only using their strength and power to
make the small nations do what they want to and forcibly introducing their
political concepts, social systems and cultural traits, but also
destroying political, economic, administrative, social and cultural value
and spirit with the misuse of media.

He urged building of strong patriotism and union spirit to guard against
such dangers.

He said at a time when some big nations are using the media as offensive
weapons, he would like to emphasized the need for small nations to use the
same media as counter-offensive weapon.

____________________________________

September 14, Democratic Voice of Burma
Health conditions of two Mon prisoners in Rangoon

The health conditions of Aung Loon and Nai Yekkha, who have been serving
life sentences at Rangoon Insein Jail, are said to be deteriorating.

According to sources close to the prison, Aung Loon is being treated at
the prison clinic in emergency because he was diagnosed with HIV and
Yekkha has been suffering from a severe bout of stomach ache.

Both of them are members of New Mon State Party (NMSP) which signed
ceasefire agreements with Burma military junta, State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC) and they have been detained since 2003.

They were arrested with five other people including lawyer Aye Myint and
sports journal First Eleven editor Zaw Thet Htway and they were all given
death sentence. All other people were released a couple of months ago. But
Aye Myint was rearrested a couple of weeks ago in Pegu Division for
helping framers retain their paddy fields confiscated by the local
authorities.

NMSP chairman wrote a letter to SPDC chairman Gen Than Shwe urging him to
either release the two or reduce their sentences to appropriate terms, but
there has been not response from the latter.

____________________________________
DRUGS

September 15, Irrawaddy
Fake drugs are found in Burma

Burma’s Ministry of Health has announced that five fake drugs have been
discovered and has warned people not to take or administer them.

The Ministry’s website identifies the drugs as: Bisuvon 8mg Tablet
(Hydrochloride I.P 8mg), Bisolvin Tablet (Bromhexine Hydrochloride I.P
8mg), Diphenhydramine Capsules I.P (diphenhydramine Hydrochloride I.P
25mg), Periactin Tablet (Cyproheptadine HCI 4mg) and Ventolin (Salbutamol)
Inhaler (100mcg Slabutamol BP per actuation).

Stephan Jooris, of Medicins Sans Frontieres, said some of the preparations
claimed to treat malaria but were ineffective.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / MONEY

September 15, Agence France Presse
ASEAN becomes China's fourth largest trade partner: official

Beijing: Trade between China and the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) grew 25 percent in the first half of this year, making it
China's fourth largest trade partner, an official said Thursday.

Trade volume between the two sides reached 59.76 billion dollars in the
first six months, the Xinhua news agency quoted Fu Ziying, assistant to
the Minister of Commerce, as saying.

Fu made the remarks at a press conference on preparations for the second
China-ASEAN Expo to be held from October 19-22 in Nanning, capital of
south China's Guangxi region.

China-ASEAN trade has increased by 50 billion dollars since the two sides
initiated steps towards a free trade zone in 2002, making ASEAN the fifth
largest export market for China and the fourth largest source for imports,
Fu said.

Bilateral trade registered an annual growth of 38.9 percent in the
2002-2004 period, reaching 105.9 billion dollars in 2004, Fu said.

President Hu Jintao set the goal for China-ASEAN trade to reach 200
billion dollars by 2010 when he visited ASEAN countries in April.

Due to deepening economic and trade cooperation between the two sides, Fu
said, the pace of building the China-ASEAN free trade zone has been
accelerated.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in August that China
and ASEAN were on track to signing the free trade agreement by 2013. He
said the initial common tariff reduction would be finished by 2006.

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

____________________________________
REGIONAL

September 15, Irrawaddy
Malaysia donates US $1 million to WFP

The Malaysian government made a US $1 million donation to the UN World
Food Programme at the 60th session of the UN General Assembly in New York
on Wednesday. “This donation is historic not only because it marks a new
level of support from Malaysia, but also because it represents a growing
commitment by emerging donors in Asia to helping people need in Africa,”
said WFP Executive Director James Morris.

WFP says that the money will be spent for four Asian and African
countries, which were affected by tsunami—Burma, Kenya, Somalia and Sri
Lanka. The agency said in a statement that the donation is the largest
ever from Malaysia, which has been a donor to WFP for six years. Earlier
this week, a report by the Thai Foreign Ministry and UN country team in
Thailand said Thailand emerged as a major donor to impoverished neighbors.

_____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

September 15, Irrawaddy
Annan singles out Burma - Clive Parker

The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan used his opening speech at the
Asean-UN Summit in New York on Tuesday to draw attention to Burma’s
political situation and poor human rights record.

In a speech otherwise littered with praise for the region, Annan told the
junta’s Foreign Minister Nyan Win and the assembled Asean representatives
that Burma is a country where “political freedoms continue to be
unacceptably restricted.”

“The United Nations believes that the path to a better future for the
people of Myanmar [Burma], and, indeed, for the citizens of all countries
in the region, lies in respecting the principles of democracy, promoting
the rule of law, and protecting human rights.”

This is not the first time the Burmese government has been singled out for
criticism by a high-level dignitary in New York this week. The comments
from Annan follow those made by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in
a meeting with Nyan Win and other Asean foreign ministers on Monday in
which she said “Burma must undertake political and human rights reform.”

In his address to the gathered Asean ministers, Annan was otherwise
complimentary, particularly on the region’s handling of last year’s
tsunami, economic growth and the Philippine’s efforts for peace in its
restive southern region of Mindanao.

The secretary general did, however, express concern over Southeast Asia’s
high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and continued outbreaks of bird flu. Annan
also encouraged the region to work harder to reach targets set in the
Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday—the first day of the UN Summit—there was
disappointment for human rights campaigners as the Security Council failed
to address Burma.

Groups in Southeast Asia had been pushing the Philippines—the president of
the council until the end of the year—to raise the issue of Burma’s
instability and lack of respect for human rights before the council.
However, talks instead focused on international security and terrorism
prevention.

_____________________________________

Sep 14, Democratic Voice of Burma
NCGUB Sein Win meets Norwegian Deputy-FM

The Prime Minister of exiled National Coalition Government of the Union of
Burma (NCGUB) Dr. Sein Win who was on a short visit to Norway, on 13
September, met with the country’s deputy Foreign Minister to discuss the
current situation and the future of Burma.

Sein Win’s visit coincides with the election of a new government and when
asked if there could be a change of policy on Norway’s support for Burma’s
pro-democracy cause, he insisted there is no particular change.

“That minister said that his country is not like Burma. He told me that he
will respect the result of the election and told me that Norway’s attitude
on Burma will not change. Only the government changes. They will continue
to support pro-democracy movement and try to find a solution in Burma, he
told me thus.”

Sein Win discussed the current situation of Burma with Norwegian deputy
Foreign Minister Vildar Helgese and they agreed that there is an urgent
need for humanitarian help and political reforms in Burma.

On the 13 September, the ruling government of Kjell Magne Bondevik
government lost the election to the Labour Party led by Jens Stoltenberg
and the new government is expected to take power in mid October.

Meanwhile, the exiled Burmese elected representatives (MPs) Dr. Myint Cho
and Teddy Buri and Australian MPs met at Canberra to discuss the
Australian government’s policies on Burma.

_____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

September 15, The Irrawaddy
The Generals have no fear of a toothless UN

The Burmese people have always looked to the UN in the hope that the world
body would one day act to end their sufferings under the repressive
military regime in Rangoon.

This week, they found some encouragement when, as world leaders gathered
at a UN summit in New York, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan did not forget
the issue of Burma. Annan said: “The United Nations believes that the path
to a better future for the people of Myanmar (Burma), and, indeed, for the
citizens of all countries, lies in respecting the principles of democracy,
promoting the rule of law, and protecting human rights.”

The Burmese people and democracy activists were no doubt pleased to hear
these words. But they also want to see the words matched by real action
from the UN organization.

After the military took power in 1988, the UN dispatched special envoys,
including human rights commissioners, to visit Burma and help solve the
country’s political problems.

The envoys included Sadako Ogata, former head of UNHCR, Yozo Yokota,
Alvaro De Soto, Razali Ismail, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro and Ali Alatas, all
of whom traveled to Rangoon to meet ruling generals and urge the need for
political reform. But so far, sadly, their appeals have fallen on deaf
ears. Disturbingly, two special envoys—Paulo Sergio Pinheiro and Razali
Ismail—are barred from entering the country. The UN is powerless.

Ali Alatas, former Indonesian foreign minister, was recently in Rangoon,
sent there by Kofi Annan in what was seen by some observers as a precursor
of a visit by the secretary general himself. Alatas met the top brass and
discussed the UN reform plans. News reports say that the top UN man is
contemplating a visit to Burma, but he should think twice about it. He
could return to New York empty handed, leaving behind a junta eager to
make political capital out of such a visit by declaring: “The UN is siding
with us.”

It is a risky business. The UN is dealing with manipulative and stubborn
generals in Rangoon.

But not only Burma is on Kofi Annan’s mind at the moment. He and the UN
itself are faced with several burning issues that have to be tackled and,
if possible, solved. The world body is plagued by credibility problems,
red tape, corruption and scandals.

The chief of these, the oil-for-food scandal, was a devastating blow for
the UN and Kofi Annan himself. Though the secretary general was cleared of
any personal wrongdoing, the findings of an investigating commission
highlighted a grim picture of bribes and kickbacks at the UN.  The UN is
without doubt in serious trouble, and millions of people around the world
have lost faith in the 60-year-old organization. Among them are Burmese
people living within Burma, who recently expressed skepticism towards the
UN, with one veteran journalist calling the organization a toothless,
aging tiger.

Ironically, the UN has set itself “millennium development goals” to free
humanity from poverty. Cynicism greets the disclosure, however, that
highly paid UN officers and staff are flying in business or first class
and staying in five-star hotels on missions to save the world from
poverty. Burma hasn’t escaped the mantle of hypocrisy, either. The
Malaysian diplomat Razali Ismail, who liked to mingle with the generals,
had a business deal going with the Rangoon junta while he was serving as
UN envoy. The Malaysia-based company Iris Corporation, which is partly
owned by Razali Ismail, had installed an “e-passport” system in
impoverished Burma. The UN defended its envoy, declaring no conflict of
interest was involved—just one example of how the UN is compromising its
principles and ethics in Burma.

It’s really time for the UN to put its house in order and stand by its
mandate to support people in need—the millions facing starvation, those
dying from AIDS and other diseases, the countless victims of natural and
man-made disasters. Assurances at gala dinners in New York that the UN
cares carry little hope and even less conviction.

The UN should be given more executive power to launch humanitarian
missions or direct intervention in countries facing political and social
crises. The UN has so far failed in Burma. The generals may have listened
attentively to Kofi Annan’s recent speech on Burma, but they know full
well that it carries little weight—they know, too, that the UN is just a
paper tiger.