Daily News-July 13 - 2001- Friday

  • Migration body says to provide health aid in Burma
  • 300,000 Children Worldwide Used in Armed Conflicts
  • Myanmar Leader Urges Developed Countries to Assist Developing Countries
  • Radical Student Group Releases Statement
  • Burma says Suu Kyi may snub major ceremony
  • Burma Frees 7 Political Prisoners; Includes 3 NLD Reps
  • Australians Conduct Human Rights Workshops In Burma
  • Looser sanctions in return for freedoms would be the reward, EU says

    • Migration body says to provide health aid in Burma

    BANGKOK(Reuters), July 12 — An international resettlement agency said on Thursday it would provide health programmes for migrants in Myanmar.

    Brunson McKinley, director-general of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), told reporters his first two-day official trip to military-ruled Myanmar this week had been ''good and productive'' and he was ready to provide help to Yangon. ''They are happy to see the IOM. They are glad to work with international organisations,'' McKinley told a news conference after he had briefed foreign diplomats in Bangkok about his trip.

    ''They are reaching out for contacts because they are trying to come out of the period of isolation.'' McKinley did not say how many migrants the IOM expected to help in Myanmar.

    But there are almost one million illegal immigrant workers in neighbouring Thailand, most of them from Myanmar. Thai authorities have said they aim to drive these migrants out of the country by 2005.

    McKinley said health was the ''single most important'' issue discussed with the Myanmar authorities, which are worried about the spread of HIV/AIDS from the migrants to their families. ''They have devoted considerable resources to a national plan for the prevention of AIDS... and they hope we will be able to help them,'' he said.

    The IOM, with 76 member states and 46 observer states, has been involved in various immigration projects all over the world. McKinley said the IOM does not try to apply political conditions in exchange for its assistance.

    Much of the international community is pressing the military junta to expedite the progress of talks with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. ''There are many institutions stronger than the IOM that are bringing pressure on them,'' McKinley said. ''We want to resolve specific practical problems with specific practical solutions and it is necessary to engage all sides, including the government.''
    300,000 Children Worldwide Used in Armed Conflicts

    UNITED NATIONS (AP)--Cheap, light weapons are helping turn children into the most vicious of warriors in many countries, researchers said in a report released Wednesday at the U.N. More than 300,000 youths under 18 are fighting as soldiers in 34 conflicts, many of them wielding automatic weapons, according to the study commissioned by the Canadian government.

    And as weapons become easier to use, forces have become more inclined to put children on the front lines, experts said. "Children kill because they have the instruments to kill," said retired Lt. Gen. Romeo Dallaire, a Canadian who commanded U.N. forces during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. "They either kill under duress because they are afraid of others who will kill them, or they have developed a desire to retain the power of the small arms and the weapons they have."

    In the hands of frightened youngsters who are sometimes sent into battle drunk or drugged, automatic weapons are used "beyond any semblance of discipline, any semblance of logic, any semblance of humanness," he said. Africa's wars involve more than 120,000 children, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers said in a separate study last month.

    Myanmar, also known as Burma, has the world's highest number of child soldiers - 50,000. In Mozambique, children made up 23% of the ruling FRELIMO party's forces and 18% to 40% of the opposition RENAMO forces during the 16-year civil war that ended in 1992, researchers said.

    In Angola, the use of child soldiers has kept millions of youngsters out of school and illiterate. Sometimes, the weapons given to children don't even contain ammunition. But they give youth the power to rob and intimidate their elders - causing deep psychological damage. In Rwanda, Dallaire said, "The mere presence of a weapon, even a rusty one, created havoc in the villages where they were deployed." And not all armed children are in war zones, researchers noted. In Colombia, which accounts for some 58% of the world's firearm killings, armed youth have carried out assassinations, the report said. In other countries, including the U.S., light weapons are used to arm young drug dealers.

    "Some neighborhoods in the United States are just as much war zones," said Rachel Stohl, a senior analyst at the Washington-based Center for Defense Information who wrote the report. The report urged countries to create an international system for marking and tracking guns - somthing being discussed by negotiators at the U.N. small arms conference. It also called for a crackdown on the sale of guns to regions in conflict. U.N. peacekeepers should also offer child fighters psychological counseling and programs to teach them how to relate to other children, the report said. Stohl said that former child soldiers are often treated as common refugees despite lagging behind their peers in education and social development.
    Myanmar Leader Urges Developed Countries to Assist Developing Countries

    YANGON, July 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Myanmar leader Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt has called on developed countries to assist in the development process of developing countries. khin Nyunt, first secretary of the Myanmar State Peace and Development Council, made the call at a ceremony here on Wednesday marking the 2001 World Population Day, official newspaper The New Light of Myanmar reported Thursday.

    He warned that should developed nations act in their own interests only, the gap between the rich and the poor will widen and undesirable socio-economic problems will emerge. He said that in some cases, rich developed countries impose " meaningless" sanctions on developing countries, thus marring potential investments and obstructing developments.

    He said that Myanmar is determined to continue to play an active role in population-related programs, while strengthening its collaboration and cooperation with all nations in the world and U.N. agencies as well as local and international non- governmental organizations.

    According to official estimation, Myanmar's population has reached 52 million with a population growth at 2.2 percent annually. Its population density is 76 inhabitants per square- kilometer. Another statistics also show that out of 18.225 million hectares of cultivable land in Myanmar, 9.315 million hectares have been utilized with 8.91 million hectares remaining to be reclaimed.
    Radical Student Group Releases Statement

    source : the Irrawaddy News Magazine

    July 12, 2001-- A radical Burmese student group released a statement today warning that the Burmese government could be plotting to assassinate democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on July 19th, the day her father was killed by a political rival more than half a century ago.

    The Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors (VBSW), a radical group that seized control of the Burmese embassy in Bangkok in 1999, also rejected claims that peace talks currently taking place in Rangoon had yielded positive results for the democracy movement in Burma.

    Behind-the-scenes negotiations between the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) and the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) have been underway since last October. "We do not believe in the goodwill and sincerity of the SPDC, which has prioritized their self interest and perpetuation of their power," the group said in its statement.

    The VBSW also said they believed the SPDC was conspiring to assassinate NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on July 19th, when she is expected to be released for the day from house arrest to attend the annual Martyrs' Day ceremony at the Martyrs' Mausoleum near Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon. Martyrs' Day commemorates the assassination of Suu Kyi's father, Gen Aung San, and other independence leaders in 1947.

    The VBSW statement warned the junta that an attempt on Suu Kyi's life could result in "massive bloodshed" in Burma. It was unclear where the group received its information about the purported assassination plot. The group is calling for internal peace, the release of NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest and the release of all remaining political prisoners, as well as the formation of a new democratic government that includes leaders from all ethnic groups in Burma.

    The Burmese government recently released a handful of the country's 2,000-plus political prisoners and allowed some NLD offices to reopen, resulting in rumors that a major breakthrough could be imminent.

    Recently, Thai Defense Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who is known to be close to Burma's ruling generals, claimed that the regime and the opposition are moving towards the formation of a national coalition government.

    On Oct 1 1999, five members of the VBSW, armed with guns and grenades, stormed the Burmese embassy in Bangkok and seized thirty-eight hostages and demanded the immediate return of democracy to Burma. The brief siege ended when the Thai government negotiated a deal that allowed the embassy raiders to return to the jungle on the Thai-Burma border.
    Burma says Suu Kyi may snub major ceremony

    YANGON, July 13- Government officials said on Friday Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will snub a major national ceremony next week, a gesture which will dampen speculation she may soon be released from de facto house arrest.

    Diplomats said that if Suu Kyi failed to attend the Martyrs' Day ceremony on July 19, it could be a sign her peace talks with the military government have run into fresh problems. Despite her rift with the ruling generals, in recent years Suu Kyi has always attended the ceremony, which commemorates the 1947 assassination of her father, independence hero General Aung San, and eight senior officials.But officials say Suu Kyi will not attend this year.

    A diplomatic source told Reuters Suu Kyi had refused to take part in the ceremony, taking the military by surprise. Suu Kyi has been kept confined to her house since September, with diplomatic access to her strictly controlled and her telephone line cut.

    But there have been some signs of a thaw in the confrontation between the military and Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) since October, when she began confidential talks with the government.

    Since then the government has released scores of opposition politicians from detention, and allowed the NLD to re-open some of its branch offices. The NLD won Myanmar's last general election in 1990 by a landslide, but was never allowed to govern. Many of the NLD politicians elected in 1990 were subsequently detained, but the government has begun freeing them since the talks began.

    A government spokesman said three NLD politicians elected in 1990 had been released from detention early on Friday, so that all elected NLD politicans have now been released. Four more NLD members serving prison sentences were released on Friday, taking to 140 the number of NLD members released since talks began in October.

    Opposition groups say thousands of political prisoners remain in jail in Myanmar. Officials have said the moves were a gesture of goodwill to bolster the talks process.

    There had been speculation the restrictions on Suu Kyi might be lifted ahead of the Martyrs' Day ceremony. Earlier this year, diplomatic sources said the talks appeared to have stalled, but subsequent prisoner releases and a visit by United Nations special envoy Razali Ismail, who helped broker the talks, stirred hopes the negotiations were still on track. The NLD and the government have agreed to stop open criticism of each other during the talks.
    Burma Frees 7 Political Prisoners; Includes 3 NLD Reps

    YANGON (AP)--Myanmar released seven political detainees Friday, including the final three elected representatives of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy held in state guest houses.

    "At 1:00 p.m. (0630 GMT) today, the last remaining 3 MPs left in the respective guest houses are now back together with their families," said a government statement.

    The government said it has released 140 people since January, since starting secret talks late last year with Suu Kyi, the most substantial dialogue between the two sides in a decade.

    The statement named the three NLD representatives as Tin Htut Oo, Dr. Aung Moe Nyo and Saw Hlaing.

    "State guest house" is a euphemism for detention centers that are mostly located in military camps. The NLD said the three representatives had been held in Mandalay, Magwe and Sagaing divisions in central Myanmar.

    They were the last of about 203 elected NLD representatives detained three years ago when the party tried to convene a parliament, in accordance with the NLD's 1990 election victory that was not honored by the military.

    The government also said it released four members of a comedy and dance troupe jailed five years ago after making satirical comments about the regime in a performance at Suu Kyi's house in Yangon. All were arrested under the Emergency Provision Act of 1950.

    An NLD member, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Pa Pa Lay, also known as Tun Pe, and three fellow performers were released from Myitkyina prison, in Kachin State, northern Myanmar.

    The statement named the other three freed prisoners as Aung Soe, Maung Htwe and Lu Zaw, also known as Po Aye. They were to return to their homes in Mandalay on Saturday, the NLD member said.

    Despite the recent string of releases marking an easing of restrictions on the NLD, the status of the talks between Suu Kyi and the government remain a mystery nine months after they began. Suu Kyi and her top two aides, party president Aung Shwe and vice chairman Tin Oo, remain under house detention, enforced since Sept. 22.

    According to a U.S. State Department report issued in February, Myanmar has at least 1,800 political prisoners.

    The NLD says there are still 37 of its elected representatives in jail.
    Australians Conduct Human Rights Workshops In Burma

    YANGON, Myanmar (AP)--Australia hopes that the serious human rights violations being committed in Myanmar can be lessened through its workshop for government officials, the country's ambassador said Friday.

    Ambassador Trevor Wilson said Australian experts concluded a four-day human rights seminar in Yangon Thursday and would begin a similar one in the country's second largest city, Mandalay, next week.

    "There are serious human rights violations in Myanmar," he told reporters. "It may take a long time for big improvements in the human rights situation but we hope that the participants will learn things they can implement in their work and in their human rights practices."

    The Yangon workshop was attended by 25 officials from several ministries, the Attorney General's Office and the Supreme Court as well as representatives of non-government organizations.

    The military-run regime in Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been widely criticized for imprisonment of political prisoners, torture and other human rights violations. It denies these charges.

    The workshops are being led by Chris Sidoti, a human rights official and lecturer at Monash University. He visited Myanmar in 1999 to discuss the establishment of an independent human rights commission in the country. Participants at the seminars are taught international human rights law as well as the charter and conventions of the U.N.

    This is the third time Australia has conducted such sessions. Another will be held in September. They're part of Australia's assistance package which also includes community health projects and resettlement of refugees.
    Looser sanctions in return for freedoms would be the reward, EU says

    Source : Bangkok Post

    The European Union wants more political prisoners released and freedom of movement for the opposition before lifting sanctions against Burma.

    Speaking for the EU presidency, Belgian ambassador Pierre Vaesen said the findings of an International Labour Organisation mission to Burma in September would also be important to the decision.

    The EU council in April resolved to keep in place its position on Burma for another six months.

    The position, which was adopted under the Swedish presidency, includes a ban on the export to Burma of equipment that might be used for internal repression or terrorism, a ban on visas for members and supporters of the military regime and a freeze on their assets. The next review is set for Oct 28.

    Mr Vaesen said positive signs had emerged since the EU troika went to Burma at the end of January, including a visit by the special rapporteur for human rights Paulo Pinheiro, and release of 136 political prisoners, including 36 opposition MPs.

    But another 42 MPs of the National League for Democracy were still in detention, with the number of political prisoners nationwide put at 1,600-1,700, he said.

    "We want more significant releases of people," he said, pointing to elderly and sick people, as well as MPs.

    "There should also be real freedom of movement for political leaders, and freedom of action for parties." The ILO mission, expected to take three weeks, was important to the human rights issue, he said.

    But the political impasse in Burma required a dialogue, and that meant the junta's release of politicians.

    "Dialogue for us is essential. If we want some progress, you really need a political dialogue," he said.

    At the same time, the EU wanted to address the plight of Burmese people, he said, citing a mission that went to Burma last month to look at aid.

    Klauspeter Schmallenbach, head of the European Commission delegation in Bangkok, said some action on the humanitarian side was already under way through the efforts of NGOs. Mr Vaesen expected the EU to have enough information to review sanctions by the end of September, following the ILO mission, as well as follow-up trips by Razali Ismail, the United Nations special envoy, and Mr Pinheiro. "We want to be flexible. We want to give positive signals to the authorities of Burma but on the other hand we want to be very cautious. "Once you have changed the system, waived some measures, it would be rather difficult to re-establish them," he said.

    A second EU troika mission to Burma, he said, could take place in late October or November, to assess any future change to sanctions. Belgium's six-month EU presidency ends on Dec 31.