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KHIN NYUNT AND INCONSISTENT CLAIMS



13-Mar-2000

[In open societies (democracies), the public frequently accused their
political leaders for breaking promises and of lying: that is nothing
new. Take a note, however, of the two different statement of KHIN NYUNT
in following news items. On 2nd March, he found  "noticeable achivement
have not beem made" in Burmese economy. On 9th March, the economy is
"moving with greater momentum". Certainly, anyone would  be bemused by
these statements.

Of course, whatever statement SPDC/SLORC and NLM has made, we -- the
opposition groups -- have our own assessment/evaluation on these
matters. Nevertheless, the OSS and its boss, KHIN NYUNT, should have
take a little more care in putting out their political statements.
Otherwise, general public will ignore, if not already, all the
statements made by SPDC/SLORC. -- U Ne Oo.]

Subject:        AFP : 10 years of sanctions but no change
   Date:        Thu, 09 Mar 2000 23:56:13 +0100

 10 years of sanctions but no change : Myanmar
   
   YANGON, March 7 (AFP) - Myanmar on Tuesday spat vitriol at countries
which took part on a meeting on its bitter political deadlock, painting
the talks as a plot to pile more pressure on its military rulers.
   As the attack was launched, details also emerged of a major policy
speech in which military intelligence chief Lieutenant General Khin
Nyunt lauded the junta's decade-long fight against foreign sanctions.
   The talks on Myanmar, held in South Korea, ended Monday shrouded in
secrecy. They involved representatives from Canada, Australia, Japan,
Britain, France and the United Nations.
   Also there, to Myanmar's fury, were fellow Association of Southeast
Asian Nations members Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.
   "The Myanmar government is unhappy and unappreciative of the holding
of the meeting," said a foreign ministry statement.
   "The Seoul meeting is nothing more than a scheme hatched by western
countries to give pressure on Myanmar," the statement said, adding it
"would surely not bring about positive results."
   Sources and reports have indicated the talks were aimed at
kickstarting a long-frozen dialogue between Yangon's miltary rulers and
the democratic opposition of Nobel peace laurate Aung San Suu Kyi.

   But Khin Nyunt made clear in a speech delivered to an audience of
Myanmar diplomats that foreign critics had shown their ignorance of the
country by imposing sanctions.
   "They have done so in the belief that this will result in the
collapse of the economy and that Myanmar will be forced to follow their
lead," he said.
   In fact, sanctions had the opposite affect, he said, claiming the
economy was moving with "greater momentum," profiting from the people's
determination to resist "unwarranted intrusion into our own affairs."
   Myanmar's junta has resisted all attempts to force it to hand power
to the National League for Democracy (NLD) of Aung San Suu Kyi which won
an huge election victory in 1990.
   It is accused of a catalogue of human rights abuses and of carrying
out a campaign of intimidation and detentions against the opposition.
   Claims that the economy is forging ahead are viewed with scepticism
abroad.

   According to extracts of a World Bank report leaked to the press last
year, the economy is on the verge of collapse, beset by high inflation
and an almost worthless currency, the kyat.
   Khin Nyunt, the First Secretary of the State Peace and Development
Council, as the junta calls itself said he was committing Myanmar to a
new, more purposeful international role.
   Without giving details of the new foreign policy he said : Myanmar is
determined to play a more meaningful role in the world."
   In a move which ended decades of political isolation, Myanmar joined
ASEAN in 1997 despite stiff opposition from Western countries. The issue
of Myanmar has poisoned relations between the grouping and the European
Union ever since.
   The United States, Europe and other nations maintain tight
restrictions on investment and trade with Myanmar.
   The outcome of the two-day meeting in Seoul was unknown with
officials involved remaining tight-lipped even about the purpose of the
session.
   A South Korean official speaking on condition of anonymity said the
forum was "partly aimed at improving the human rights situation there
and of course is related to Aung San Suu Kyi."
   Another official said the low-profile meeting would produce no formal
or written results, and he refused to elaborate on the politically
sensitive forum.
   The Seoul meeting was on the lines of a retreat in Chilston, England
in 1998 which reportedly came up with a "carrot and stick" formula for
diplomacy designed to nudge the junta into making concessions.
   Soon after the talks, Western states working in conjunction with the
World Bank reportedly offered Yangon a one billion dollar package of aid
in return for reforms. The approach was later rejected by the ruling
generals.
   Diplomats in Yangon have denied any specific figure was discussed at
Chilston.

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

Subject:  scmp, Military leader in rare admission on state of foreign
trade, investment
   Date:         Fri, 3 Mar 2000 03:39:01 +0900


South China Morning Post, 2 March 2000
Military leader in rare admission on state of foreign trade, investment
ASSOCIATED PRESS in Rangoon

A top general has admitted the country has found it hard to promote
international trade and attract foreign investment during the past
decade, according to a state-run newspaper.

Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt, first secretary of the ruling military
council, told a Commerce Ministry co-ordination meeting on Tuesday that
the country had been hit by the 1997 Asian financial crisis and by
economic sanctions imposed by western nations, the Mirror newspaper
reported.

The military imposed a command economy on the country when it seized
power in 1962, but soon after the current regime took control in 1988,
it introduced some free market reforms.

After a minor boom in the early and mid-1990s, the economy has
languished.

According to a World Bank study late last year, foreign investment
approvals slumped 95 per cent during the past fiscal year.

In a rare admission about the problems facing the stricken economy, Mr
Khin Nyunt said despite government efforts to encourage foreign
investment and trade since the free market system was adopted,
"noticeable achievements have not been made".

He added that the economy was now recovering and that gross domestic
product grew by 4.6 per cent last year.

The World Bank study concluded that the regime's policies rather than
the regional economic malaise were to blame for economic stagnation.

It urged the military to undertake major political and economic reforms.

The regime has refused to hand over power to the party of pro-democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi whose party had a sweeping win in the 1990
general elections, but was blocked by the military from taking power.

In a thinly veiled reference to Aung San Suu Kyi, Khin Nyunt warned
officials to beware of "internal destructive elements," he said were
trying to hamper economic development and cause hardship to destablise
the country.

Aung San Suu Kyi has urged Western nations not to invest in Burma,
saying it benefits only the ruling military and its associates, and not
the general public.

Burma is one of the world's poorest countries.

Last month, the United States confirmed that it would maintain its
sanctions - including a ban on new investment.

-- 
HTTP://www.physics.adelaide.edu.au/~uneoo
EMAILS: drunoo@xxxxxxxxxxxx, uneoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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