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Subject: [theburmanetnews] BurmaNet News: September 2, 2000 Regular Issue

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______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
_________September 2, 2000   Issue # 1610__________

REGULAR ISSUE

[Due to the volume of news on the stand off at Dala, this issue of 
BurmaNet is divided into articles on the incident at Dala and all 
other news.  This is the segment carries news not related to Dala.]

	
INSIDE BURMA _______
*Asiaweek: A Gaffe, or a Career Move?
*SHAN: Chairman Maung Aye will be tough, says Insider
*Living Color Magazine (Burma):  Internet use and the potential 
[translation]

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
Times of India: India soft on Myanmar for security reasons

ECONOMY/BUSINESS _______
*Le Soir: The Belgian government turns its back on TotalFinaElf   
*AFX: TotalFinaElf boycotted by 4 Belgian ministers over Myanmar 
links 
*Bangkok Post: Burma, China in Pulp Factory Pact

OTHER _______
*PD Burma: Calendar of events with regard to Burma


The BurmaNet News is viewable online at:
http://theburmanetnews.editthispage.com


__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________
	


Asiaweek: A Gaffe, or a Career Move?

September 1, 2000


  With the kyat down to about 380 to the U.S. dollar, maybe it 
wasn't -- or  just maybe it was -- the right time to take a swipe at 
Myanmar's leadership. Deputy minister for  national planning and 
economic development Brig.-Gen. Zaw Tun would have known he was 
entering a  minefield when he did exactly that. And indeed he was 
sacked after addressing a seminar on  July 7 at the Myanmar Business 
Association in which he said (among other things): "Some who are  
holding responsibilities in the country lack proper 'awareness.'" 

He's hinted at his frustration  before, but this time he went public--
 and was punished. An act of self-immolation? Doubtful. Zaw Tun is 
savvy,  well respected and considered among the next wave of leaders. 
Among those he chastised was  Senior General Than Shwe, who more or 
less runs the country. Than Shwe oversaw the calculation  of the 
country's economic growth rate, and under his direction GDP grew 
10.9% in 1999-2000  -- an improbable (and inaccurate, says Zaw Tun) 
surge from the 5.8% registered the previous  year. Zaw Tun went on to 
criticize those responsible for souring the investment climate,  
delivering an inconsistent trade policy and the budget deficit the 
country has run ever since these generals seized  power in 1988. Why 
isn't the citizenry up in arms? "The fact is people turn off the TV 
when the news  is shown and turn on their videos," Zaw Tun says he 
told Than Shwe. "Only after the news do they  switch the TV on again 
to view Chinese movies. Perhaps it is only the Senior General who 
watches the  news." Not much of a career move, but you have to wonder 
if Zaw Tun -- and other young officers  -- have a plan to make some 
news of their own.




____________________________________________________


SHAN: Chairman Maung Aye will be tough, says Insider

Shan Herald Agency for News
 
1 September 2000

No: 9-1

Chairman Maung Aye will be tough, says Insider

The winds of change in the army structure

Ceasefire groups being put on the alert

General Maung Aye, slated to succeed the outgoing Chairman of the 
State 
Peace and Development Council, Senior general Than Shwe, 67, is going 
to 
wield a no-nonsense hand with all including Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, 
according to 
an insider.

The new Vice Chairman shall be Lt-Gen Tin Oo, 60, until now Secretary-
2 and 
Chief of Staft of the Army, and Lt-Gen Win Myint, 57, currently 
Secretary 
3, shall become Secretary-2 who will receive his orders straight from 
Maung 
Aye instead of Khin Nyunt, 61, said the source.

Maung Aye, 60, is reported to have said repeatedly that he will not 
accept 
any office in which he is merely a "figurehead" like Gen Than Shwe.

The Army shall also be divided into 2 armies the 1st Army, with base 
in 
Prome, shall be responsible for southern Burma, and the 2nd Army, 
with 
headquarters in Maymyo (Pyin Oo Lwin), for northern Burma, he said.

The 1st Army is to be commanded by Gen Sit Maung, at present, 
Commander of 
the Coastal Region, and the 2nd by Gen Tin Aung Myint Oo, at present, 
Commander of the Northeastern Region. The vacated offices shall be 
filled 
in by Brig-Gen Aung Min and Brig-Gen Htay Oo, currently commanders of 
light 
Infantry divisions, the 66th and 99th, respectively.

Apart from that, most of the important posts shall be held by the 
Defense 
Services Academy (DSA)   graduates. "At present, only 2 of the 12 
regional 
commands are held by the OTS (Officers Training School) graduates, 
and that 
is only out of courtesy," he said. [Gen Khin Nyunt is also one of the 
OTS 
graduates]. "Maung Aye and his cronies are going to do their best to 
outmaneuver Khin Nyunt."

With regards to the ceasefire groups, together with the 
still "legitimate" 
National League for Democracy of the beleaguered Aung San Suu Kyi, he 
would 
not be "wishy-washy" like Gen Khin Nyunt, according to him.

"With the ceasefire groups, he will have only 3 options for them to 
decide 
upon:

One, to surrender their arms and establish legal political paties 
instead;
Two, to return to non-political and non-partisan civilians life; and 
Three, 
to return to the armed struggle. They can make their own choice and 
he's 
ready to accommodate them," he said.

It appears that Gen Khin Nyunt has to content himself "playing second 
fiddle" to Gen Maung Aye from now on, because whereas in the past, 
the 
Military Intelligence Service, headed by the former, had 
been "calling the 
shots", during the past six months or so, he is witnessing the MIS 
requesting endorsements from the local commanders for its activities.

"We've been hearing about this imminent reshuffle for so many times 
and 
nothing has happened so far," said a Burma watcher in China. "It can 
still 
turn out in an unexpected way."



Living Color Magazine (Burma):  Internet use and the potential 
[translation]


[Translation from Burmese]

Since June 2000, Dept of Post and Telegraph and Myanmar 
Communications has given permission for internet use. Fees are high 
and there seems to be limited use. Preference for connectivity is 
given to govt offices, diplomats, int'l corporations and hotels. 

Initial deposit of $1,080 is high for most people. Monthly fees for 
30 hours of internet use is $65 which seems to be reasonable at the 
rate of $2/hour. E-mail charges are $3/hour. Investment for internet 
set-up is almost Kyat 10,00,000. Going price for a computer is about 
$900. Digital phone lines cost K 8,00,000. Total cost for the 
internet set-up is K15,00,000. Even though there are consumers who 
can afford the expenses, limited expansion is foreseen due to lack of 
familiarity with computers and limited knowledge of English language. 
Therefore, the internet business will not be popular in the black 
market. 

Roughly, users can be divided into 3 groups:
a. Age 16-25
b. Age 25-55
c. Age 55 and above

Group C cannot be the target group for internet set-up since members 
of this group have resistance to change and are unable to accept the 
introduction of any new technology eventhough they have better 
language ability.  
Group B includes entrepreneurs who can afford to pay the costs. In 
general, Group B is the target group. However, members of this group 
do not meet the basic English language criteria required for using 
the internet. They also lack the computer skills and experience 
because they grew up in the environment that had very little exposure 
to either English language or computer skills. Due to these reasons 
even with the financial capability, they feel reluctant to purchase 
computers. Present situation at Myanmar Communications are not 
favorable to meet the purchasing power of the consumers. It is hoped 
that once modems can be used, the market will improve and there will 
be a remarkable increase in the number of buyers. Current e-mail set-
up is noted to be expensive due to connectivity via Thai Com 3 
satellite. 

Myanmar.com has information on latest news, NLM, etc. (mentions 
contents) To advertise, please contact their address.

Myatmyanmar.com was set-up by Myat Myanmar Group in 1999. Their web 
site includes newsletters from the Ministry of Information.

Myanmars.net web site was introduced to promote tourism. To 
advertise, contact their address.

mpt.mail.net was sponsored by Myanmar Communications Dept.  
With the growing number of internet users, there will soon be web 
sites for consumers. Web site designing and web page advertising will 
become popular. Among the existing 4 web sites, Myanmar.net and 
mpt.mail.net are aimed to promote business.

To raise public awareness, computer labs should be introduced in 
public libraries. Computer education  should be considered a national 
cause especially by those entrepreneurs whose photographs are 
published in the newspapers when they give donations.

Having few internet users will not help build an open society or 
bring remarkable changes in the country's development. We will see 
changes and development only if internet use become part of our daily 
lives. 

We are hopeful that members of group A will become internet users in 
21st century.  In addition, we also optimistic that the new  
generation (especially youth from cosmopolitan cities) will help with 
the development of Myanmar and contribute more towards the nation 
building process than the present generation.  

Dr. Ko Ko
Economic Analyst
Living Color Magazine 
June 2000




___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________


Times of India: India soft on Myanmar for security reasons

September 2, 2000

By Seema Guha

New Delhi: India and Myanmar completed the seventh national level
meeting between their senior officials on Thursday. Started in 1994,
these meetings are held alternatively in New Delhi and Yangon.

Though since Pakistan's military coup India has campaigned for
democracy, the continued house arrest of Myanmar's pro-democracy 
leader
Aung San Suu Kyi has evoked little response from New Delhi.

Much of this is because of practical considerations. New Delhi needs 
the
cooperation of the military junta in Myanmar to combat the North-east
rebels, who have camps in the loosely administered areas on both sides
of the border.

"Engagement with the military government has become a strategic
compulsion because of China's growing influence in a country on our
borders," a senior Indian official said.

Though New Delhi's natural inclination is to support the pro-democracy
movement, it is perhaps more important to counter the Chinese
penetration in Myanmar, the official added.

Earlier, India had an overwhelming presence in Myanmar. However, since
the late '80s, as New Delhi turned away from the military junta, China
filled the space left vacant.

When the Congress came to power in July 1991, Narasimha Rao decided to
take a second look at India's Myanmar policy. The growing influence of
China at India's doorstep caused concern among policy planers in New
Delhi.

Even as New Delhi's stock fell in Yangon, China's ratings with the
military junta skyrocketed. "This led us to take a hard look at our
previous policy and decide to build bridges with the government in
power," an Indian diplomat explained.

Reports of the build-up of Myanmar's armed forces with Chinese arms
rather close to the country's turbulent North-east caused anxiety.
"Border management" was an imperative for India.

A hostile Myanmar, which could encourage separatists in the North-
east,
was a danger New Delhi could not ignore. Improved relations with 
Myanmar
would ensure that insurgent groups in the area did not use Myanmarese
territory for their camps.

While the official New Delhi policy is not likely to change despite a
lot of public support for Suu Kyi, defence minister George Fernandes 
has
made known he is an ardent admirer of the jailed leader.
	


The Hindustan Times (New Delhi): Suu Kyi's agitation casts shadow 
over Indo-Myanmar talks


August 30, 2000

New Delhi, August 29: The Timing of the Indo-Myanmarese bilateral 
meetings could not have been more inconvenient for India.

Home Secretary Kamal Pande today reached Yangon to hold talks with 
his counterpart in the military junta at the same time as Nobel Peace 
prize wining pro-democracy activist Au San Suu Kyi's third Mahatma 
Gndhi style satyagraha reaches its peak.

External Affairs Ministry spokesman R.S.  Jassal tried to explain the 
necessity of the meeting in the context of its "usefulness as a 
mechanism for peace" along the border of the two countries. 
The spokesman said the bilateral talks are held annually under a 
memorandum of understanding which dates back to 1997. "The objective 
of these meetings is to maintain tranquility along the border and the 
prevention of insurgency," he said.

Asked to comment on the ongoing political stand-off between the 
military government and the Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy 
(NLD), Mr Jassal said that "the Government of India hopes there will 
be a peaceful solution". For the past five days, Ms Suu Kyi has been 
holding a sit-in against the junta in the Yangon suburb of Dala after 
the military blocked her access to the countryside where she was 
planning to hold meetings.

This is the second time she has staged such a demonstration. In 1988, 
she stayed in her car for two prolonged stints.

External Affairs Ministry sources say that New Delhi believes in a 
policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of Myanmar, even 
though Ms Suu Kyi enjoys wide sympathy in the Indian government 
circles. 
India is keen to do business with the military rulers of Myanmar and 
during the Asean Regional Conference meeting in Bangkok last month, a 
Gango-Mekong Swarnabhoomi project was conceived for development of 
infrastructure projects.

Ms Suu Kyi, daughter of nationalist leader General Aung San, won 82 
per cent of the vote in the country's national elections in 1990, 
despite being under house arrest. But the regime did not relinquish 
power. 
India, despite being one of the convenors of the Concert of 
Democracies established in Warsaw last month, finds it hard to 
justify its appeasement of the military dictators in Yangon.

Not only does India recognise the military government, it also shares 
plank with it in ASEAN and the recently formed BIMST forum. 
Simultaneously, India continues to demand the restoration of the 
elected regime of deposed Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry in Fiji. 
India has also suspended the South Asia Association for Regional Co-
operation on the grounds of "political instability" in Pakistan 
following the October 1999 coup.



____________________________________________________


AFP: Protestors try to storm Myanmar embassy in Australia

CANBERRA, Sept 1 (AFP) - Riot police clashed Friday with 50 pro-
democracy
protestors waving portraits of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as 
they
attempted to storm Myanmar's embassy in Canberra.

Two men were arrested as they tried to penetrate a blockade and scale 
the
embassy gates as other protestors fought with police from the 
specialist
Tactical Response Group.

Demonstrators smashed a sign outside the compound and burnt Myanmar's
national flag before being forced back, police said.

The clash turned into a tense two-hour stand-off as the protesters 
took up
positions on the road outside the embassy and demanded that Yangon 
cease its
harassment of Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar's National League for 
Democracy
(NLD).

Suu Kyi has been stranded by the roadside outside Yangon for a week 
by a
ruling military regime determined to quarantine her activities.

Her attempt to leave the capital on August 24 to attend an NLD 
meeting in a
village was halted by officials and police blocking the road and 
enforcing
the junta's ban on Suu Kyi's freedom of movement.

Protest organiser, Maung Maung Than, said they were demanding that 
Myanmar's
ruling military regime allow Suu Kyi to proceed.

"We want to express our strong opposition to the current military
suppression against our leader," he said.

There were no injuries, and the two men arrested were released a 
short time
later.

____________________________________________________


AFP: Nordic foreign ministers condemn military junta 
   
[Abridged]

   MIDDELFART, Denmark, Aug 29 (AFP) - Foreign ministers from the 
Nordic
states condemned the military regime in Myanmar for its treatment of
opposition 

leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a joint statement issued Tuesday.

   The ministers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden 
protested 
against their treatment of the 55-year-old Nobel peace laureate, and
expressed concern for her safety and her health.




_______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
 

Le Soir: The Belgian government turns its back on TotalFinaElf   


August 30
  
  The Belgian government decided on Tuesday to maintain its petroleum 
supply contract with the   petroleum group TotalFinaElf, but to limit 
its duration to one year. This follows a call to boycott by   four 
ministers of the green party  in view of the group' s activities in 
Burma, a country ruled by a   military junta. Luc Van Den Bossche, 
minister for public administration, announced that the supply   
contract with TotalFinaElf, valid for a year from September 1st and 
though in principle renewable twice,   in fact shall not be renewed. 
>From now on, when bids are prepared for the supply of  goods and   
services to federal administrations, ethical criteria will be taken 
into account. He said it is excluded that   contracts be signed with 
companies which support dictatorial regimes. 



AFX: TotalFinaElf boycotted by 4 Belgian ministers over Myanmar links 

AFX, Brussels, 28 August>  The government's four Ecology Party 
ministers, including Transport  Minister Isabelle Durant, said they 
will boycott using TotalFinaElf fuel in their cars due to the 
company's business links with Myanmar. 

Durant, Health Minister Magda Alvoet, secretary of state for 
cooperation Eddy Boutmans and secretary of state for energy Olivier 
Deleuze said they made their decision after TotalFinaElf signed a 
contract to be the official fuel supplier for government vehicles. 


Bangkok Post: Burma, China in Pulp Factory Pact

Saturday, September 2, 2000)


Rangoon-State enterprises from Burma and China signed a $90-million 
contract to jointly invest in a pulp and paper factory with a 200-
tonne daily output capacity, news reports said yesterday.
  
The contract was signed between the Myanmar Paper and Chemical 
Industries enterprise and China Metallurgical construction 
Corporation Thursday evening, said the New Light of Myanmar- 
newspaper. 
Myanmar Industry Minister Aung Thaung said the venture added "another 
milestone to the history of relations between the Peoples Republic of 
China and Myanmar." 
The Chinese-Myanmar pulp factory wil1 be built in Thaboug township of 
the Ayeyawady Division, southwest of Rangoon.-dpa




_____________________ OTHER  ______________________


PD Burma: Calendar of events with regard to Burma

Published by PD Burma. 
                 

¨Z       September 6-8                   : The United Nations will 
host the UN
Millennium
                                                                   
Summit, New
York 

¨Z       September 18th          : Anniversary of SLORC Coup, 1988

¨Z       September 24th          : National League for Democracy 
formed 1988

¨Z       September 24th                    : Burma Solidarity Concert. 
Organised
by Worldview Rights, the
                                                Norwegian Burma 
Council and the
Norwegian Church Aid, Oslo

¨Z       September 26th                    : Open meeting: The cost of 
Army
Rule.
Organised by the Norwegian
                                               Burma Council, Oslo

¨Z       September 27th                    : Board meeting for the 
Burmese
Border
Consortium, Oslo

¨Z       September                       : UN General Assembly, New 
York

¨Z       September                       : NCGUB Meetings

¨Z       September/October       : Second EU "troika" mission to Burma 

¨Z       October                 : EU Foreign Ministers to review 
Burma Policy 

¨Z       October                         : Global Day of Action on 
Open Schools

¨Z       October 16-21st                 : 104th Inter-Parliamentary 
Conference,
Jakarta

¨Z       October 17-18th                 : 4th Annual Meeting for PD 
Burma,
Jakarta

¨Z       October 19- 20th                : The Asem Summit, Seoul

¨Z       October 26-28th                 : The 50th Congress of Liberal
International, Ottawa

¨Z       November                        : ILO Review of Burma's 
practises

¨Z       November 2-17th         : 279th Session of the Governing Body 
and its
committees, Geneva

¨Z       November 10-11th            :Meeting of the Council of the 
Socialist
International, Maputo
                                                                   
¨Z       December 11-12th        : EU and ASEAN Ministerial-level 
meeting, Laos 

¨Z       January 2001            : Sweden takes over EU Presidency

¨Z       February                        : Meeting of Solidarity 
Groups,
Brussels


¨Z       March/April             : Teachers/ Students Union Conferences

¨Z       March/April             : EU Common Position Review

¨Z       March/April             : UN Human Rights Commission, Geneva

¨Z       May/June                        : Meeting of Solidarity Groups

¨Z       July                    : Belgium takes over EU Presidency




____________________________________________________

________________


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