Daily News- October 11- 2002- Friday

  • Myanmar frees prisoners before U.N. envoy's visit
  • Reporters Without Borders calls on Myanmar to release prisoners
  • Burma `must combat drugs'
  • Junta agrees to return suspects
  • Ivanhoe sets target for Monywa expansion
  • Long-necks risk losing rubber-necks' cash

    • Myanmar frees prisoners before U.N. envoy's visit

    YANGON, (Reuters) Oct. 10 — Military-ruled Myanmar has freed 31 political prisoners, including seven members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), a week before a visit by a United Nations human rights envoy, the NLD said on Thursday.

    The opposition party said most of the freed prisoners were former students arrested more than six years ago, while the seven NLD members were elderly senior officials. All were released on October 9.

    ''All seven NLD members are around 60 years of age and they are senior officials from some township NLD offices in Yangon Division,'' party spokesman U Lwin told Reuters. He said about 180 NLD members were still in prison. Human rights group Amnesty International say more than 1,000 political prisoners languish in Myanmar's jails.

    The U.N. human rights envoy to Myanmar, Brazilian academic Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, is due in the country for a 10-day visit to assess the rights situation on October 17, having postponed his visit by four days.

    ''He said that he had to postpone his visit because of some pending matters he had to deal with in Brazil and we agreed to it,'' a Myanmar government official told Reuters.

    Pinheiro's has visited Myanmar three times, but this will be his first since the government freed Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace prize, from 19- months of house arrest in May. Diplomats say pressure from the international community, including economic sanctions imposed by the United States and European countries, persuaded the ruling generals to free Suu Kyi.

    But many analysts say the generals, desperate for investment to pull the country out of a deepening economic crisis, are trying to clean up the country's image but have no real intention of releasing their grip on power.

    The Myanmar government said last month it had invited Pinheiro to visit in a bid to dispel allegations its troops used rape as a weapon of war against ethnic minority girls and women.The invitation followed criticism by Washington and a report from two minority rights groups saying Myanmar troops had raped at least 625 girls and women between 1996 and 2001 in Shan state in the east of the country. Pinheiro submitted a report to the United Nations in April, saying the conditions for political prisoners in Myanmar's jails had improved since they were allowed visits from the Red Cross two years ago. He called for the immediate release of all political prisoners, most of whom were detained after the military refused to recognise victory by the NLD in 1990 elections. The military has ruled Myanmar since 1962. (With additional reporting by Dominic Whiting in Bangkok)

    To The Top

    Reporters Without Borders calls on Myanmar to release prisoners

    BANGKOK, Oct 10 (AFP) - Press rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association (BMA) Thursday called on Myanmar's junta to release dozens of dissidents imprisoned recently for possessing banned newspapers.

    "This new crackdown is evidence of the military regimes hostility towards the pluralism of information," said Robert Menard, secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres - RSF).

    "It is intolerable that dozens of Burmese people should be imprisoned simply for having read or distributed a newspaper," he wrote in a letter to Myanmar's Home Minister Colonel Tin Hlaing signed jointly by BMA president U Thaung.

    RSF said some 30 activists, mostly former political prisoners, were arrested and interrogated by intelligence services last month for possessing opposition publications including a Thai-based newspaper Khit Pyaing.More than a dozen people are still being held in undisclosed locations, it added.

    The two groups also asked Tin Hlaing to persuade the junta to allow the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) to launch a newspaper.NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi reportedly requested a licence to publish a newspaper after her release in May from 19 months under house arrest.

    The US State Department earlier this month sharply criticised the arrests of the 30 opposition activists, describing them as a "significant step backwards" for hopes that the junta is easing its iron grip on political activity.

    "We continue to urge the regime to release all those detained for the peaceful expression of their political views," an official said.

    Exiled opposition groups have claimed the arrests expose the junta's pledge to permit people to freely indulge in political activities as a sham.

    Aung San Suu Kyi has said her party's top priority is to secure the release of all the political prisoners in the country's jails.The Nobel peace laureate suggested in August that a mass release would be a precondition to her beginning a fully fledged political dialogue with the Yangon junta.The two sides have been engaged in a dialogue aimed at national reconciliation since October 2000.Hundreds of political prisoners have been freed since the dialogue began, but between 1,300 and 1,500 are believed to be still incarcerated.

    According to RSF and the BMA, almost 40 people have been arrested over the last two years for having distributed or read an opposition newspaper printed in Thailand.

    To The Top

    Burma `must combat drugs'

    Yuwadee Tunyasiri
    The Bangkokpost

    Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said yesterday he had made it clear to Burma that its relations with Thailand depended on Rangoon's sincere cooperation in suppression of illicit drugs.His remark followed news reports that Burmese authorities had seized five million methamphetamine pills and more than 30kg of heroin on Wednesday.The news was confirmed by Thai intelligence reports, Mr Thaksin said.

    He had earlier told Rangoon it must help in the fight against drugs if it wished to maintain good relations with Bangkok and Thai support for Burma's national development.Rangoon had sent officials to confirm its policy against drugs and its urgent plans to promote cultivation of substitute crops for opium poppies in Burma.

    Mr Thaksin said Rangoon had also warned drug producers and traffickers to end their operations or face tough action.Thailand could in turn show sincerity by declaring a clear policy not to support Burma's minority rebels, he said.

    ``Now, all our policies are clear. We will cooperate in suppressing drugs and this will help alleviate the drug problem.``Thailand will give economic assistance to create jobs there, so we won't have to shoulder the burden of illegal migrant workers from Burma like we are doing now,'' he said.

    To The Top

    Junta agrees to return suspects

    Wassana Nanuam
    The Bangkokpost

    Burma has agreed to the extradition of four Karen arrested in connection with a deadly ambush on a school bus in Ratchaburi's Ban Kha sub-district.The suspected gunmen fled across the Burmese border after the June 4 attack, which left three children dead, a military source said.They were subsequently arrested in the Burmese town of Mergui.

    Two of the suspects were identified as Bo Kroh and Ja-U, who had reportedly confessed to opening fire on the bus.

    After being contacted by Burmese authorities, army advisor Gen Vichit Yathip flew to Rangoon, where the suspects were being detained.The Burmese authorities agreed to extradite the four through their point of entry into Ratchaburi, the source said.The exact timing of their return was not disclosed.A 36-year-old Karen named Jobi, arrested on Thai soil in July, was also believed to be involved in the shooting.

    Defence Minister Thammarak Isarangkura na Ayudhaya called a Burmese military leader yesterday morning to ensure co-operation in the extradition of the suspects. Gen Thammarak refused to confirm the ethnicity of the suspects, or how many there were.

    The Foreign Ministry would work out the details of the extradition, he said, declining to reveal the identity of his contact in Burma.Gen Thammarak also said he planned to accompany the newly appointed armed-forces chiefs on a visit to Burma at the request of Rangoon.

    Gen Thammarak said he would not support ethnic groups, including the Shan State Army, make attackas on troops loyal to Rangoon.Nor would he order the arrests of members of ethnic groups on behalf of Rangoon. ``This does not mean we will become an enemy of ethnic groups when relations with Burma improve,'' he said. ``We do not want that.''

    To The Top

    Ivanhoe sets target for Monywa expansion

    Globe Technology

    Vancouver's Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. aims to begin a $390-million(U.S.) expansion plan for its joint venture Monywa Copper operations in central Myanmar in late 2004 or early 2005, company president Daniel Kunz said.

    The company has discussed the project with "a number of Asia-based banks" and Asian companies, including Japan's Marubeni Corp., in preparations for the financing and marketing of the project, he told OsterDowJones late Tuesday.

    To The Top

    Long-necks risk losing rubber-necks' cash

    Cheewin Sattha
    The Bangkokpost

    A change in the way of life of long-neck Karen refugees is causing a big headache for provincial authorities who fear for their tourism revenue.Mae Hong Son governor Supoj Laowansiri said many Karen nowadays dressed like town people and listened to pop music.

    Many tourists visit the province annually to view the unusually long necks of tribespeople and their way of life.But the change in lifestyle would stop tourists from visiting, he said. He would call a meeting with the local tourism association to discuss the matter.

    The long-neck people are migrants from Burma living in three refugee camps at Ban Nam Phiangdin, Ban Huay Seuthao and Ban Nai Soy.According to tradition, 10-year-old girls put one or two brass rings around their necks, arms and below the knees. More rings are added each year until there are 20-25. Tourists pay 250-350 baht each to view the long-neck Karen.

    Somta, 35, a Karen leader taking care of long-neck tribespeople in refugee camps, said many tribespeople's way of life had changed. Many young Karen bought motorcycles and wore beautiful clothes like town people.He said most families received money from tourists for being looked at or having photos taken with them. They also earned money from selling souvenirs. Many Karen used the money to buy motorcycles, television sets and radios.

    He agreed with the provincial authorities' plan to conserve the traditional way of life of Karen.Poonsak Sunthornpanitkit, Chamber of Commerce chairman in Zone 9, said he supported the plan to bring back the old lifestyle to Karen communities.

    To The Top