Daily News- January 19 - 2002- Saturday

  • Junta official sees bright future
  • Mekong study gets backing
  • Disputed island in Moi River to be used on the basis of mutual profit
  • Myanmar makes it a double at Accenture Championship

    • Junta official sees bright future

    The Bangkokpost
    Wassana Nanuam Cheewin Sattha

    A top Rangoon leader expressed hope Burma and Thailand could turn their common border into a frontier of friendship, harmony and prosperity.

    Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, the first secretary of Burma's State Peace and Development Council, said he hoped the neighbours could maintain their good relationship and bring about peace along their shared 2,000-km border.The Burmese leader was speaking at the opening of a Thai-Burmese trade fair in Tachilek town, opposite Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district.

    Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt and Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh yesterday co-chaired the ceremony, which attracted about 5,000 people from both countries. The event will continue until Jan 27.

    Gen Sanan Khachornklam, secretary to the defence minister, said Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt also called on Gen Chavalit to help push for the construction of a second bridge between Mae Sai and Tachilek, which Thailand would finance.He felt the Thai-Burmese Cultural and Economic Association would be a good channel for the two countries to boost investment and bilateral relations.

    During the ceremony, Gen Chavalit presented the Burmese association with 620,000 baht donated by Thai businessmen.Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt gave 37 million kyats (2.4 million baht) to the Thai association.

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    Mekong study gets backing

    The Bangkokpost
    Anucha Charoenpo

    Burma and Laos are optimistic about plans by Thailand and China to study the geography of the Mekong river since the waterway has become a popular drug trafficking route.

    Anti-drugs chiefs in both countries said drug trafficking along the Mekong is ``a new emerging trend in this region''.Pol Col Hkam Aung, of the Burmese Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control, said he was aware of the trend and would come up with an action plan and an appropriate approach to deal with the problem.

    Linthong Phetsavan, from the Lao National Commission for Drug Control and Supervision, said the Mekong could become an even more popular trafficking route among traffickers.

    Pol Col Hkam Aung said 60% of drug traffickers were using the route from Burma via Yunnan province through Guangxi and Guangzhou in China to the world market. He said the rest were using the route from Burma through the northern Thailand.Burma was also facing the problem of precursor smuggling from neighbouring countries. Drug traffickers were using the Mekong to smuggle many kinds of drug-making chemicals.

    ``The precursor smuggling is a big problem for Burma despite the fact that the country has never produced them,'' he said.Pol Col Kham Aung said he was satisfied with the Thai-Chinese initiative and hoped it would combat all drug problems in the region.

    Mr Linthong said he believed the Thai-Chinese study would benefit attempts to combat drug trafficking along the river.The study was principally agreed at the first Thai-Chinese meeting on drugs co-operation, which closed on Wednesday in Chiang Mai.Information would be sought on unregistered piers and areas along the river in both countries used by drug traffickers.

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    Disputed island in Moi River to be used on the basis of mutual profit

    Network Media Group

    Mae Sod, January 17, 2002-A district level border meeting between Thailand and Burma was held yesterday at Myawaddy on the Burma side, and an agreement was reached to use the disputed island, in the Moi River, on the basis of mutual profit, a source in Mae Sod reported.

    In the meeting, six issues were discussed; two proposals from Burma weresubmitted and four agreements were reached. In the agreements, the years long dispute on the ownership of the island between Mae Sod and Myawaddy in Moi River was discussed, and both parties agreed to use the island on the basis of mutual profit, although the details of how to use the island for mutual profit are yet unclear.

    Among the disputes between Thailand and Burma include border demarcation, which has been disputed in some border areas.Apart from the issue on the disputed island, other agreements were reached. The meeting resulted in the plan to hold cultural festivals, to create friendship sport matches and to plant cultural flags on both sides of the border, according to the information from Mae Sod.

    In the meeting the Burmese proposed two issues; one was to create a tourism base in Myawaddy, and the other was to assist any Burmese who would like to return to Burma on their own consent.

    The Burmese delegation to the meeting was led by the Chairman of Myawaddy District Peace and Development Council Lt. Col. Tin Aye, and the Thai delegation was led by Lt. Col. Seng Sum, commander of Special Regiment Number 13.

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    Myanmar makes it a double at Accenture Championship

    (Channel NewsAsia)

    Myanmar made it a double at this year's Accenture Golf Championship on Friday, as Zaw Moe and Kyi La Han took the top 2 spots in the 3 day event.Zaw led the way with 213 as Singapore's Lam Chih Bing had to settle for third spot three shots behind at the Laguna Golf and Country Club.

    Zaw Moe, 34, has been based in Singapore for the past 7 years. He won the event in 1999 and 2000, but had to sit out last year due to injury. The cool and collected golfer used his experience to great advantage.

    A resident pro at Laguna, Zaw Moe carded a 69 in the final day after hitting 77 and 67 in the earlier rounds. "Front nine start playing good and then back nine I play really good just hitting a few very close par 3 to 6 feet a lot, 5 birdie in the back 9," he said.

    In second spot, two strokes behind was veteran Kyi La Han, the overnight leader. The 40-year-old is also getting ready for the upcoming Caltex Singapore Masters to be played at the same venue.

    Singaporean Lam Chih Bing had to be content with 3rd spot after being joint leader with Kyi, after 36 holes. Starting the day with a three stroke lead, Chih Bing faltered at the 13th and 14th to finish with a 4 over.

    "I guess I really did not know what happen out there its like my mind just went blank over a lot of putts and its never happened to me but I guess its a good learning experience," Lam said. Singapore's other top pro, Mardan Mamat, scored a 3 day total of 218, giving him joint fifth with two other players.

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