Daily News- February 14- 2002- Thursday

  • Ethnic Leaders frustrate with slow pace of talk in Burma
  • Myanmar regime frees jailed opposition journalist
  • UN to Work Towards Release of Burmese Political Prisoners
  • Thai troops told to hold off on retaliating
  • High-ranking Indonesian military delegation in Yangon
  • Burma tries to bring down "skyrocketing" property prices in Rangoon
  • Trade barriers in the region should be removed, said Burmese director general

    • Ethnic Leaders frustrate with slow pace of talk in Burma

    Text of report by Democratic Voice of Burma on 13 February

    Three main ethnic opposition parties’ leaders told DVB today that they are frustrated with slow pace of talk between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and military regime.

    Khun Htoo Oo, leader of the Shan National League for Democracy party said: “some people don’t even believe in the talk anymore because it is going too slow."

    He also rejected the military regime claimed on 13th Feb 2002 that the dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is progressing steadily and success is "imminent". "We don’t know whether it will success or not, but current situation is very depressing," Khun Htoo Oo said.

    Mon and Zomi ethnic leaders also expressed their disappointment with current situation. "We were not even allowed to celebrate Union Day anniversary and that is our situation we face today," said chairman of the Zomi National Congress, Fu Cin Shing Thang. "It is very confusing and depressing."

    The three ethnic leaders celebrated the Union Day anniversary at a private house in suborn Rangoon on 12th Feb 2002. DVB talked to all of them over the phone. They refused to disclose their whereabouts as they are fear of reprisal from the military.

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    Myanmar regime frees jailed opposition journalist

    YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ Myanmar's military authorities on Wednesday freed a magazine editor serving a 14-year jail term and four other opposition activists from prisons across the country, a government statement said.

    The prisoners, all male, were in good health and back together with their families, the statement said, without giving further details. Four of them were members of the main opposition National League for Democracy.

    They include Myo Myint Nyein, former editor of "Pay-hpu-Hlwa" magazine, who had been jailed since 1990. The others, named as Hla Tun Aung, Kan Sein and Htein Lin, had been imprisoned since mid-1996, NLD sources said. Myo Myint Nyein was serving two concurrent seven-year jail terms, the first for publishing and distributing a satirical poem which was deemed to be anti-government propaganda.

    He received the second sentence in 1995 for helping to draft a protest letter to the United Nations about prison conditions and for circulating an underground magazine among prisoners. Last year he was honored with a press freedom award by the Toronto-based group Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. All media in Myanmar, also known as Burma, are either run by the military government or subject to strict censorship.

    The fifth prisoner freed Wednesday was Kyi Pe Kyaw, also known as Kyaw Gyi. He was a member of the Democratic Party for New Society, which was founded by pro-democracy students during anti-government protests in 1988. The party was declared illegal in 1991.

    The military regime has freed 217 political prisoners since it began reconciliation talks with NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi in October 2000. The latest releases coincide with a visit to Myanmar by U.N. human rights investigator Paulo Sergio Pinheiro. There has been little other substantive outcome from the closed-door talks. The NLD swept general elections in 1990 but was not allowed to take power by the military. Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since September 2000 after she defied a government travel ban.

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    UN to Work Towards Release of Burmese Political Prisoners

    VOA News Ron Corben

    U.N. human rights investigator Paulo Sergio Pinheiro has promised leaders of Burma's ethnic communities he will work for the release of political prisoners held by the military government. Representatives from Burma's ethnic communities fear being excluded from national reconciliation efforts.

    Mr. Pinheiro, who is currently on a 10-day visit to Burma, made the pledge in talks with leaders of Burma's Shan, Chin, Mon, Rakhine and Karen ethnic leaders in Rangoon late Tuesday.

    Dr. Naing Aung, coordinator for Burma's National Reconciliation Program, wants ethnic minorities to have a role in shaping the country's government. "They would really like to take part in the constitution-making process, to make a negotiated settlement for the future shape of the settlement of Burma," Dr. Naing Aung said.

    International human rights groups say there are around 1,500 political prisoners in Burma. Mr. Pinheiro last year reported that 200 prisoners from the main opposition National League for Democracy party, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, had been released. The military government said Wednesday it had released five more political prisoners, including four NLD members. The prisoners' release comes against a backdrop of secret reconciliation talks between Aung San Suu Kyi and the military government. Progress has been slow, raising fears among observers the government is merely stalling to avoid change. The military government has blocked the NLD, the landslide winner of the 1990 national elections, from taking office. Aung San Suu Kyi has been kept under house arrest for most of the past decade.

    Dr. Naing says Burma's ethnic communities fear they are being excluded from talks. He says that, in the past, minority groups have been neglected. "They don't want to be excluded because of their being minority, or ethnic, because they are the historical stake holders. And they should be part of the dialogue process, in order to discuss the future union of Burma and the rights of the ethnic people, which basically the constitutional issue," Dr. Naing said.

    Mr. Pinheiro's trip includes meetings with leaders of the military government, as well as a visit to an area largely populated by minority groups.

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    Thai troops told to hold off on retaliating

    Subin Khuenkaew
    The Bangkokpost

    Thai troops have been told to think twice before responding to stray cross-border shelling in the Burmese army offensive against ethnic rebel bases.Third Army chief Lt-Gen Udomchai Ongkhasing visited the disputed Doi Lang area in Mae Ai district yesterday.Troops are on high alert, but he told them to think twice before taking military action.

    Formal protests would be lodged if stray shells landed on the Thai side of the border. Troops should return fire only if it was clear that cross-border shelling was meant to cause serious damage, he said.Burmese people fleeing from fighting would be given temporary refuge, and sent back when things returned to normal, Lt-Gen Udomchai said.

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    High-ranking Indonesian military delegation in Yangon

    BANGKOK, Feb 13 (AFP) - The Indonesian defence ministry's Lieutenant General Johny Lumintang held talks in Yangon on Wednesday with senior officials of Myanmar's ruling military regime, state-run media reported.

    The defence ministry's secretary general, who headed a group of high-ranking Indonesian military officials, called on the junta's influential number-three Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt and Foreign Minister Win Aung, TV Myanmar said in a broadcast monitored here.Khin Nyunt is also head of the country's powerful military intelligence unit.

    The talks were held at Yangon's defence ministry and were also attended by senior Indonesian diplomats to Myanmar, the report said.It gave no details of the discussions, saying only that the talks had been "friendly and amicable."

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    Burma tries to bring down "skyrocketing" property prices in Rangoon

    BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 13, 2002
    Source: The New Light of Myanmar web site, Rangoon, in English 13 Feb 02

    Yangon [Rangoon], 12 February: City Housing Project Supervisory Committee held its meeting No 3/2002 at Department of Human Settlement and Housing Development this morning with an address by chairman of the committee Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt.

    Secretary-1 Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt said the aim of forming the City Housing Project Supervisory Committee is to stabilize and bring down the skyrocketing property prices and to make houses available at fair prices for those who are really in need. Thus arrangements should be made to reduce the government's involvement in the joint-venture projects, to ensure fair amount of profits for the contractors and to enable people to own houses at reasonable prices. The master plan to develop Yangon in accord with the characteristics of a modern city are under way at present. Thus, the housing projects should be laid down and implemented in accord with the master plan.Arrangements should be made to give equal opportunity to all contractors to take part in the city housing projects...

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    Trade barriers in the region should be removed, said Burmese director general

    Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)

    Guwahati, Feb. 13: The South East Asian Trade Conference which concluded in Dhaka of Bangladesh recently laid stress on opening of more trade routes in the region to boost economic activities. The participants of the conference also favored initiating steps for reopening the famous StillWell Road to accelerate the business activities in South East Asia.

    The conference which was attended by representatives from India, China, Burma and Bangladesh observed that once the StillWell Road is opened, then entire South East Asian region would turn into a business hub and it will benefits the people to a large extent. The 1725-km StillWell Road, which was built during the Second World War, played a significant role in trade. But the Indian portion of the road is now in a dilapidated state due to apathy of the authorities concerned. Of the 1725 kilometers, 61 km falls in India while China and Burma share 977 km and 688 km respectively.

    The Burmese delegation led by Colonel Nay Winn during his presentation advocated for opening of more trade routes in the region with an eye to garner more revenue. Colonel Winn who is also the Director General of Border Trade and Commerce of Burma said that the trade barriers of the South East Asian region should be removed immediately to give a boost to the border trade. "Inspite of problem, the border trade between India and Burma has been gaining momentum. But it can be increased more by removing the barriers", the Burmese Director General said.

    The Chinese delegation led by the Governor of the Yunan Province Sau Chi unequivocally suggested that reopening of the StillWell Road would help the South East Asian region for increasing trade. He also appealed to the respective Governments to open more air links in the region so that young entrepreneurs can take advantage of it.

    Assam (one of North Eastern States of India) Industry Minister Mr. Pradyut Bordoloiwho was one of the members of the Indian delegation appealed to the participants to take a concerted effort for reopening of the StillWell Road.

    "Moreh-Tamu-Kalmeyo road has already been upgraded and the authorities should accord top priority to develop the still Road", he said during his presentation in the conference. In this context, he said that Chinese portion of the StillWell Road had been developed with the help of Asian Development Bank (ADB) funds.

    Saying Indo-Burma border a major ground for trade, the Minister revealed that during the last couple years the volume of trade has been increasing to a large extent. "According to reports in 2000, the trade between India and Burma across Moreh (Manipur of North East India) and Tamu (Burma) was found to be Rs 80 crore", he added.

    Mr. Bordoloiwho also pointed out that an oil pipeline from Digboi in Assam to Burma was in operation during the Second World War and the process can be started again. The conference ended with a positive note and the members decided to organize the next sitting in Burma next year. The conference, a follow up of "Kunming Initiative, which took place in 1999 at Kunming in China, was held from February 4 to 8.

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