The BurmaNet News: July 5, 1999

[strider@xxxxxxxxxxx]

------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
 "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------

The BurmaNet News: July 5, 1999
Issue #1307

HEADLINES:
==========
XINHUA: MYANMAR TO BUILD YANGON INTO MODERN CITY 
REUTERS: MYANMAR RAISES ALARM ON AIDS
REUTERS: EIGHT FEARED DEAD IN MYANMAR CRASH 
NLOM: APPT OF INDONESIAN AMBASSADOR AGREED 
NATION: EU, BURMA WORKING TO OPEN NEGOTIATION 
NATION: THAILAND MAY ACCEDE TO UN REFUGEE CHARTER 
NATION: INFORMATION SOUGHT FROM BURMA 
****************************************************************

XINHUA: MYANMAR TO BUILD YANGON INTO MODERN CITY 
1 July, 1999 

YANGON (July 1) XINHUA - Myanmar leader Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt
Wednesday called for efforts to build Yangon, the capital city, into a
modern city of international standard and improve the living standard,
welfare and socioeconomic life of the city's residents. 

Meeting with officials of the Yangon City Development Committee here
Wednesday, Khin Nyunt, first secretary of the Myanmar State Peace and
Development Council, recalled that Yangon city was full of wards, squatter
quarters and slums when the government took power in 1988, saying Yangon
was neither beautiful nor hygienic and the living standard was also very low. 

He pointed out that the city has developed due to the establishment of new
towns, the hut-to-apartment scheme and the improvement of the standard of
living, construction of modern housing projects and low-cost ones for
low-income people. 

He disclosed that the city's tax revenue increased from 1.343 billion kyats
(4.47 million U.S. dollars) in 1991-92 to 8.379 billion kyats (27.9 million
dollars) in 1998-99 and is to further rise to 9 billion kyats (30 million
dollars) for the current fiscal year. 

He urged officials to boost revenues while ensuring that tax collection
would not pose a burden to the public.  

****************************************************************

REUTERS: MYANMAR RAISES ALARM ON AIDS, SAYS DISEASE RAMPANT
2 July, 1999 

YANGON, July 2 (Reuters) - Myanmar has called for urgent efforts to fight
the spread of AIDS, which it said was rampant throughout the country.

``Official statistics show AIDS has now spread to all states and divisions.
Therefore, it is required to step up the momentum in carrying out
preventive and control measures,'' Health Minister Major General Ket Sein
was quoted as saying on Thursday by the official Myanma News Agency.

He said blood testing during September 1998 indicated that 0.7 percent of
blood donors in Yangon and 0.97 percent in the city of Mandalay were found
to be HIV positive.

Official statistics released in 1997 show over 10,000 HIV-infected people
and about 2,000 AIDS patients in Myanmar.

World Health Organisation experts estimate that the actual number of the
Human Immunodeficiency Virus carriers and Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome patients is much higher.

The minister stressed the need to systematically organise HIV-free
blood-donation campaigns and carry out more education campaigns.


In the past, Myanmar has rarely disclosed details of the number of AIDS
patients in its population. 

****************************************************************

REUTERS: EIGHT FEARED DEAD IN MYANMAR AIRWAYS CRASH 
2 July, 1999 

YANGON, July 2 (Reuters) - A Myanmar Airways turboprop on a domestic
chartered cargo flight crashed a few minutes before landing in western
Myanmar on Friday and all eight people aboard were feared dead, industry
sources said.

The sources, who work in the air cargo industry and did not want to be
identified, said the Fokker aircraft crashed about five minutes before it
was due to land at the coastal town of Sittwe, about 560 km (350 miles)
northwest of Yangon.

Airline and government officials declined to comment on what was the third
fatal crash of a state-owned Myanmar Airways Fokker in 18 months.

The sources quoted witnesses as saying the aircraft crashed on an island
near Sittwe airstrip and its wreckage was spread over a forested area.

They said eight people were aboard, including crew and some low-ranking
government officials. They said the aircraft had been carrying construction
materials for a bridge.

Last August, a Fokker F-27 belonging to the airline crashed in bad weather
near the northeastern town of Tachilek, killing all 36 people aboard.

In January 1998, 14 people, including three foreigners, were killed when
another F-27 crashed near the town of Thandwe about 320 klm (200 miles)
northwest of Yangon.

The Dutch manufacturer of the aircraft went bankrupt in 1996.

News of the latest crash came just after a Transport Ministry official said
that state-owned Myanmar Airways International would resume a twice-weekly
flight to Kuala Lumpur on July 15.

He said flights on certain international routes, including Kuala Lumpur,
were suspended late last year after the airline's foreign partner withdrew
the business.

Myanmar Airways International currently flies to Bangkok, Hong Kong and
Singapore using jet aircraft. 

****************************************************************

NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: APPOINTMENT OF INDONESIAN AMBASSADOR AGREED 
1 July, 1999 

YANGON, 1 July-The Government of the Union of Myanmar has agreed to the
appointment of Mr Nasaruddin Mochtar Koro as Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of Indonesia to the Union of Myanmar.

Mr Nasaruddin Mochtar Koro was born in 1940. He obtained Economic degree
from the University of Indonesia and MA degree from the University of
Westminster. He Joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1969 and served
in various capacities at the Indonesian Embassies and consulates in
Singapore, Praha, Houston, Hamburg and London. He was Deputy Chief of
Mission at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur from 1995 to 1998.

****************************************************************

THE NATION: EU, BURMA WORKING TO OPEN NEGOTIATING 
3 July, 1999 

MANILA -  The European Union and Burma are working to open a dialogue which
could also help revitalise strained ties between the EU and the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), EU ambassadors said here yesterday.


"We are seeking new ways to approach the Myanmar [Burmese] government, and
we hope a dialogue on the political situation" can be started, said Finnish
ambassador Pertti Majanen, whose government has assumed the EU presidency.

"The situation looks like we can open some dialogue," he said, although he
admitted certain "concerns", such as the human-rights situation there,
would first have to be addressed.

German ambassador Wolfgang Gottelmann admitted the moves had begun when his
country held the EU presidency earlier this year.

"We know they were wishing to discuss internal, political and human rights
issues with us," Gottelmann said.

However, Majanen said "there must be some development" before channels can
be opened, adding this "depends on the Myamnar government".

The EU has imposed numerous restrictions on Burma in punishment for the
government's human-rights abuses.

Burma's joining Asean in 1997 soured relations between the two groups,
leading to the cancellation of two planned joint meetings and a foreign
ministers' meeting earlier this year in Berlin.

"It is unfortunate that the Myanmar issue has really disturbed the
relationship," Majanen said, adding the EU was eager "to find a settlement".

EU representative Yves Gazzo said that despite the disagreements, "on a
technical level contact was maintained" with Burma.

[ ... ]

****************************************************************

THE NATION: THAILAND MAY ACCEDE TO UN REFUGEE CHARTER 
2 July, 1999 by Yindee Lertcharoenchok 

THE Foreign Ministry is studying the possibility of Thailand acceding to
the 1951 United Nations refugee convention which it has persistently
refused to recognise for the past three decades.

Senior ministry officials yesterday said although the signing itself might
not take place in the near future, at least it is "a good first step" that
a review of the Thai stance has taken place.

One official said the ministry has also urged other government agencies
which are involved with Thai refugee policy such as the Interior Ministry
and the National Security Council, to carry out similar studies.

As of May last year, a total of 132 countries were a party to the UN
Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and 128 of those signatories
have also recognised the subsequent 1967 Protocol.

Despite international pressure, Thailand, which has played host to hundreds
of thousands of Indochinese refugees since the mid-1970s, has refused to
subscribe to the UN document. The country has been primarily concerned that
its accession to the convention could result in it being the permanent home
to fugitives and their Thailand-born offspring.

The officials, who asked not to be named, said the Foreign Ministry is
studying legal aspects and binding effects of a party state to the UN
convention.

They admitted that despite the resettlement and repatriation of nearly all
the refugees from Cambodia and Laos, political and security agencies are
still very concerned about the issues of "state" and "status" of refugees
under the UN convention.

They said Thai authorities are currently very worried about the presence of
an estimated one million immigrants from Burma -- multi-ethnic refugees,
economic migrants, and political asylum seekers -- on Thai soil.


Burma's refusal to officially welcome them back unless their Burmese
nationality is proven has often resulted in Thai authorities arbitrarily
pushing illegal Burmese immigrants across the border. The Thai measure has
been futile as most of the forced returnees immediately find their way back
to Thailand because of serious political and human rights repression back
home.

The officials warned that although the refugees under the UN convention
enjoy legal status, security protection, and work and welfare guarantee,
they should bear in mind that they are required to be exempt from any
political activities against their home governments.

"Although many exiled Burmese here want to be recognised as refugees [by
the Thai government], there are many whom I talked to who want to continue
their anti-government activities," said one official.

He said the Foreign Ministry is considering the accession to the refugee
convention because it believes that as the country has enjoyed an improved
civil and human rights standard, it should as well recognise various
international UN conventions.

Although the Foreign Ministry's move has surprised Thai Burma campaign
groups and foreign relief organisations, they believe it is a good start
that the country is seriously considering subscribing to the convention.

Somsri Herver of Amnesty International said yesterday the Burmese refugee
situation has in the past few years gravely deteriorated to the point of
what many relief workers call "a human crisis".

She said successive Thai governments have been questioned by members of the
global community of the Thai policy towards Burma and Burmese refugees and
now it was time for the administration to think of international
recognition and long-term interests.

The refugee problem is an international issue but the Thai policy has only
inspired "hatred" among the Thai people towards refugees from neighbouring
states, she added.

Meanwhile, Thai and foreign non-governmental organisations on Burma have
agreed in principle to form a coalition that will play "a pro-active role"
to lobby the Thai government towards Burmese refugee issues.

The agreement followed two rounds of close-door discussions -- first in
February and second early this week -- of representatives of various groups.

They agreed that as a coalition they are in a stronger position to push the
Thai government here and through the international community to provide not
only security and protection but also guarantee against forced repatriation
of Burmese refugees.

****************************************************************