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BurmaNet News: November 2, 2000
- Subject: BurmaNet News: November 2, 2000
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 03 Nov 2000 01:50:00
______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
An on-line newspaper covering Burma
________November 2, 2000 Issue # 1654__________
NOTED IN PASSING: When does the SPDC say it stopped using forced labor?
?last June? according to Labour Minister Major-General Tin Ngwe. See
Reuters: Myanmar in dock again at ILO on forced labour
?last Friday? according to Myanmar's Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung
Win. See Kyodo News: Myanmar bans forced labor in compliance with ILO
Not yet--?There are times...[when] the nation has to rely much on
community service." Unidentified government spokesman in fax to AP. See
AP: Burma Govt Dismisses Allegations Of Forced Labor
INSIDE BURMA _______
*Reuters: Myanmar in dock again at ILO on forced labour
*AP: Myanmar villagers say forced labor persists, despite ILO threat
*AP: Burma Govt Dismisses Allegations Of Forced Labor
*Kyodo News: Myanmar bans forced labor in compliance with ILO
*DVB: Man Arrested With Explosives at Burma's Mergui Airport Commits
Suicide
*Myanmar Times: Visas on arrival for travellers from the Golden Land
REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*SHAN: CEDAW Pervades Women's Constitutional Meet
ECONOMY/BUSINESS _______
*In These Times: Halliburton's Love Affair with Burma's Dictators
*The Nation (Thailand): PTT signs gas deals
*Myanmar Times: No timeframe, but Govt pledges digital network
The BurmaNet News is viewable online at:
http://theburmanetnews.editthispage.com
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________
Reuters: Myanmar in dock again at ILO on forced labour
GENEVA, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The International Labour Organisation's key
policy-making body opened a two-week session on Thursday during which
Myanmar is expected to face renewed pressure over accusations of
widespread use of forced labour.
An ILO team is to report next week to the ILO's Governing Body on its
recent mission there, before a November 30 deadline for the ruling junta
to make its laws and practices conform to an international treaty
banning forced labour, a spokesman said.
In an unprecedented move last June, the annual meeting of the ILO's 174
member states called in effect for worldwide sanctions on Myanmar after
a 1998 inquiry found forced labour to be ``widespread and systematic.''
But under a compromise, the forum gave Yangon five months to comply,
setting the scene for a showdown at the ILO Governing Body's Nov 2-17
session. The body has 28 member states, 14 employer organisations and 14
labour groups.
Five ILO experts who went to Myanmar from Oct 20-26 met ministers of
labour, home affairs and foreign affairs, and Lt.-Gen Khin Nyunt, the
powerful Secretary One of the State Peace and Development Council who
heads military intelligence.
``Their report is being prepared. It is clear there has been
cooperation,'' ILO spokesman John Doohan told Reuters in response to an
inquiry.
``The question is whether the government has gone far enough in
implementing the legal, administrative and executive measures to
eliminate forced labour,'' he added.
The team's report, to be issued next week, will be followed by a full
debate in the Governing Council the following week.
Trade unions have estimated that more than 800,000 Burmese are
conscripted with little or no pay as army porters or workers in
construction and agriculture in slave-like conditions.
Labour Minister Major-General Tin Ngwe told the ILO meeting last June
that Myanmar was continuing to take measures to ensure that there were
no instances of forced labour.
____________________________________________________
AP: Myanmar villagers say forced labor persists, despite ILO threat
Nov. 2, 2000
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Villagers who recently escaped Myanmar said the
army used them as unpaid laborers and porters to carry ammunition,
despite an ILO ultimatum to the military regime to end the practice or
face sanctions.
The dissident Federation of Trade Unions Burma released a report in
Bangkok late Wednesday which it said shows civilians are still being
forced to build roads, barracks and work on army-owned farms.
In June, the International Labor Organization gave the regime four
months to show its willingness to stop forced labor. Later this month
the ILO's members will review the situation and decide whether to
implement unprecedented sanctions against Myanmar, also known as Burma.
Myanmar argues that labor is given voluntarily by people to help
national and community development. It says it made legislative and
administrative changes in May 1999 to bring it into line with ILO
conventions.
Three villagers who fled across the mountainous Thai-Myanmar border
last week told reporters at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand
how the army had dragooned them into arduous manual tasks, giving them
little food and no compensation.
``I was walking on the road in my village when soldiers suddenly came
and took eight of us away,'' said a 56-year old ethnic Mon farmer,
describing his experience in September. ``They came with their guns
pointing at us, we were afraid and we had to obey.''
The villager, who did not want his name used for fear of retribution,
said he spent 18 days with an army patrol in southern Myanmar, carrying
baskets of rice, bullets and heavy weapon shells.
``I saw other people beaten by the soldiers. I wasn't beaten because I
could walk fast,'' he said. The villager later abandoned his farm in Ye
township and fled by foot with his wife to Thailand.
Maung Maung, FTUB general secretary, urged the ILO to take a tough
stance against Myanmar.
``Anyone who is not in a military uniform is used for forced labor,''
he said. ``Forced labor is still going on and unless there's a change in
the governing system of Burma, it will not go away.''
The FTUB report alleged abuses across Myanmar: in the Shan, Mon, Karen,
Chin and Arakan States, and in the Bago, Mandalay, Irrawaddy and
Tenasserim Divisions.
The military has ruled Myanmar since 1962. In 1990 it ignored the
result of general elections swept by the pro-democracy party of Aung San
Suu Kyi and has since been repeatedly censured by the United Nations for
human rights abuses.
Most Asian nations opposed the ILO's decision in June asking ILO
members _ governments, workers and employers _ to review their links
with Myanmar.
David Taw of the National Democratic Front, an alliance of ethnic
minority opponents of the regime, said that if sanctions were imposed on
Myanmar it would add to pressure on the regime to negotiate with its
political opponents.
____________________________________________________
AP: Burma Govt Dismisses Allegations Of Forced Labor
Thursday, November 2 6:43 PM SGT
BANGKOK (AP)--A Burmese government spokesman dismissed Thursday
allegations by villagers that the army used them as unpaid laborers
despite an International Labor Organization ultimatum to end the
practice or face sanctions. The dissident Federation of Trade Unions
Burma released a report in Bangkok late Wednesday which it said shows
civilians are still being forced to build roads, barracks and work on
army-owned farms.
The spokesman called the allegations fabrications and said the country
has a tradition of voluntary community labor, most of it unrelated to
the military.
"There are times" when villagers and troops work together to improve the
living standards of the village, said the spokesman in a statement faxed
to the Associated Press in Bangkok. Due to lack of equipment and
machinery, "the nation has to rely much on community service," he said.
In June, the International Labor Organization gave the regime four
months to show its willingness to stop forced labor. Later this month
the ILO's members will review the situation and decide whether to
implement unprecedented sanctions against Burma.
____________________________________________________
Kyodo News: Myanmar bans forced labor in compliance with ILO
YANGON, Nov. 2
Myanmar said Thursday it has issued a government ordinance banning
forced labor in compliance with demands for reform made by the
International Labor Organization (ILO).
Myanmar's Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win said the order became
effective last Friday.
____________________________________________________
DVB: Man Arrested With Explosives at Burma's Mergui Airport Commits
Suicide
Nov 2, 2000
An explosive device was seized from a plane that is about to depart for
Rangoon from Mergui airport in Tenasserim Division and the owner of the
device had committed suicide. DVB [Democratic Voice of Burma]
correspondent Myint Maung Maung filed this report. [Begin Myint Maung
Maung recording] As passengers were being checked before departure from
Mergui airport on 28 October for the Mergui-Rangoon flight by Myanmar
Airways Fokker jet, Military Intelligence [MI] Unit No. 19 from Mergui
seized a radio-controlled device strapped to passenger Saw Than Naing's
left inner thigh and two slabs of plastic explosives concealed in a
false bottom of his traveling bag.
As the passenger was escorted to the airport's special private room foam
and blood started to seep from his mouth. He was immediately taken to
the nearest hospital but died as soon as he reached the hospital.
Furthermore, Lt. Col. Khin Maung Kywe, chairman of Mergui District Peace
and Development Council, has asked for a statement from the MI-19
officer who captured the suspect for his lack of responsibility. As a
mine clearing unit from the Coastal Region Military Command had to
search the plane for mines and explosives the morning flight to Rangoon
was able to depart only in the afternoon while the Kawthaung-Rangoon
flight was cancelled.
[Description of Source: Description of Source: Oslo Democratic Voice of
Burma in Burmese -- anti-government radio run by the National Coalition
Government of the Union of Burma]
____________________________________________________
Myanmar Times: Visas on arrival for travellers from the Golden Land
Volume 2, No.35
October 30 - November 5 ,2000
THERE has been a new development in the ongoing visas-on-arrival debate
following an announcement by the Ministry for Tourism that tourists who
travelled to Cambodia, Laos and Thailand would be able to use the same
visa to enter Myanmar from next year.U Khin Maung Latt, Director General
of Tourism, announced the policy change at a press conference attached
to the Myanmar Travel Show in Bangkok earlier this month.
The new arrangement forms part of the "Golden Land" agreement made
between Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand to promote tourism to the
region.The visa scheme will be linked to package tourism deals for
tourists travelling to two or more of the four countries involved. "We
have agreement between the Ministers of these four countries to do these
packages," said U Khin Maung Latt. "All four countries will promote all
four countries using flexible packages that include visas covering all
countries (within the four) that are visited.
"Now it is up to the tour operators to discuss with tour operators from
the other three countries about how they are going to promote this." The
Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) welcomed the news as a positive
development."It is a step in the right direction," said the agency's
Duncan McLean."The feedback I keep getting, and as we keep saying, is
that the visa process needs to be streamlined."Experts all say that visa
on arrival would make a huge difference to the numbers of tourists,
perhaps to the extent of 200,000, who visit the country and that visas
remain the biggest obstacle to visiting Myanmar."
The visa agreement is the first action to result from the Golden Land
agreement which was initiated by Thailand and signed earlier this
month.The tourism promotion agreement between Cambodia, Thailand,
Myanmar and Laos also goes by the name of Thuwannabhumi which, in the
language of each of the four countries, means Golden Land. The Myanmar
Travel Show is an annual expo organised by the Myanmar Government and
held in Bangkok to promote tourism here at the start of the high season.
___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
SHAN: CEDAW Pervades Women's Constitutional Meet
Shan Herald Agency, October 31, 2000
The international women's rights charter, CEDAW, was the basis for the
participants' arguments and proposals during the 3-day constitutional
seminar that concluded yesterday in a "liberated area".
CEDAW, that sounds something like 'Royal Drum' in Burmese, shortened
from Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, a
charter adopted in 1981 by the UN, became an "open sesame" word at the
women's seminar, entitled "The role of women in constitutional-drafting
process", where 60 participants, about 12 of them male and the rest
female, attended.
Country experiences were shared by Betsy Apple (USA), Jaran Dipapichai
(Member-elect, Commission on Human Rights, Thailand), Ms Ruengrawee
Pichaikul (Asia Foundation, Thailand), Anita Host (Norway) and Khin
Maung Win (Burma Lawyers' Council) among others.
The seminar ended with 5 proposals: Implementation of the CEDAW by
Rangoon (who signed it on 21 August 1997), Equal rights among women
regardless of race, Enshrinement of the principle of gender equality in
the Constitution, Special government portfolio dealing with women
affairs and Participation of women in the constitutional drafting
process both in national and state levels.
The seminar was organized jointly by Burma Lawyers' Council, Forum Asia
and Burmese Women's Union.
____________________________________________________
_______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
In These Times: Halliburton's Love Affair with Burma's Dictators
November 13, 2000
BYLINE: A. A.
In a new report, EarthRights International, an NGO that monitors
environmental and human rights abuses, has uncovered business ties
between Halliburton Company and the dictatorship in Burma (Myanmar).
While Cheney served as its chief executive, Halliburton subsidiaries
worked on the Yadana pipeline project in Burma. In August 2000,
according to the report, a U.S. federal District Court found that the
Yadana pipeline consortium "knew the [Burmese] military had a record of
committing human rights abuses; that the Project hired the military to
provide security for the project, a military that forced villagers to
work and entire villages to relocate for the benefit of the Project;
[and] that the military, while forcing villagers to work and relocate,
committed numerous acts of violence." Natural gas deposits were found
in the Andaman Sea off Burma's coast in 1982. In 1 97, European Marine
Contractors (EMC) was hired to lay more than 200 miles of offshore
pipeline for the Yadana project. EMC is a joint venture between
Halliburton's Energy Services Group and the Italian company Saipem. In
1998, Bredero-Price (now named Bredero-Shaw), a subsidiary of
Halliburton-owned Dresser Industries, manufactured coatings for the
Yetagun pipeline, which runs parallel to the Yadana pipeline.
Bredero-Shaw is a joint venture between Canada's Shaw Industries and
Halliburton. The Yadana pipeline runs from the Andaman Sea via Burma to
Thailand.
In March 1996, Cheney personally signed an agreement between the
national Gas Authority of India and Brown & Root International, a wholly
owned subsidiary of Halliburton, to build a pipeline between India and
Burma's offshore deposits.
Not surprisingly, USA Engage and Cheney played a role in defeating a
Massachusetts selective purchasing law, which was overturned by the
Supreme Court this June. Cheney filed an amicus brief against the law,
which sought to isolate the Burmese regime because of its
well-documented human rights abuses, including forced labor and torture.
The full report, "Halliburton's Destructive Engagement: How Dick Cheney
and USA-Engage Subvert Democracy at Home and Abroad," can be found on
EarthRights' Web site (www.earthrights.org).
____________________________________________________
The Nation (Thailand): PTT signs gas deals
October 31, 2000, Tuesday
THE Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT), the Electricity Generating
Authority of Thailand (Egat) and Ratchaburi
Electricity Generating Co Ltd (Ratcha) signed two gas-sales agreements
on Friday to boost development of the country's natural gas industry.
The signatories included PTT governor Viset Choopiban, Egat governor
Vitaya Kotcharug and Boonchoo Direcksathapon,
Ratcha's managing director.
According to the first sales agreement between PTT and Egat, via the
Ratchaburi master gas sales agreement, Egat will be covered by a
"minimum-take liability" guarantee from the Ratchaburi power plant.
If the Ratchaburi power plant cannot meet the specified volume of
natural gas wanted, Egat can turn to the Wang Noi, Tri Energy and South
Bangkok power plants to make up the difference.
The second contract covers the 25-year gas sales agreement between PTT
and Ratcha, in which the pricing structure and quality of natural gas
have been specified. The gas price is to be based on the pricing
structure in the Gulf of Thailand.
The second agreement is based on the same principles as those for other
independent power producers (IPPs), with corresponding pricing
conditions under a Cabinet resolution passed on November 29, 1994.
The Ratchaburi power plant is now receiving 5.6 million cubic metres of
natural gas from Burma and, once completed, it will be Thailand's
largest power plant a with total production capacity of 3,645 megawatts
(MW).
The project consists of two plants generating 735 MW each, and three
units producing 725 MW each. In addition, another 3.96 million cubic
metres per day of gas from Burma will be used to fuel the 170MW power
plant belonging to Tri Energy, an IPP in Ratchaburi. The plant has been
operational since May.
PTT is also constructing the Ratchaburi-Wang Noi gas pipeline, to be
completed soon, to transfer gas from Burma to the Wang Noi power plant.
The PTT has also connected the eastern gas transmission network to its
western counterpart, to enhance the country's energy supply.
____________________________________________________
Myanmar Times: No timeframe, but Govt pledges digital network
October 23-29 ,2000 Volume 2, No.34
http://www.myanmar.com/myanmartimes/
TELECOMMUNICATIONS Minister Brig-Gen Win Tin has pledged to replace the
country's 40-year-old analog phone system with a new, multi-million
dollar digital exchange to overcome problems caused by network failures.
The Minister's announcement was made to meeting of members of the
Central Supervisory Committee for Communications Policy two weeks ago.
With telecommunications playing an increasingly crucial daily business
role for local firms and institutions, the committee is seeking ways to
bring Myanmar's phone system up-to-date.
The move towards a digital network is already underway in some parts of
suburban Yangon, but no timeframe has yet been established for the
extension of that system.Brig-Gen Win Tin's comments came in the wake of
survey results, released earlier this year, which showed Myanmar's per
capita telephone ownership rate was just 0.5 per cent.The Minister said
his Government's immediate goal should be to match neighbouring
Bangladesh's per capita connection rate of 0.8 per cent. Installing new
lines and upgrading existing cables could quickly increase the number of
telephone connections beyond its current level of 258,825, he said.
A prominent local businessman said the entrepreneurial community would
benefit enormously from an improved telecom system.'Obviously, and to
varying degrees dependent on which part of town your business is based
in, an unreliable phone system is a big problem,' he told Myanmar
Times.'And that's not just for foreign operators based here ? it's
across the board.'But I wouldn't want to get too excited about it just
yet. There is a big task in front of the Government if they're serious
about fixing the problem.'The Minister also said his Government would
take more severe action against members of the public, and the officials
who colluded with them, who sought to violate telecom regulations ?
especially the illegal sale of phone lines.
The market is hungry for more sophisticated telephone systems ügBefore
we only dismissed or imprisoned the department's corrupt officials, but
from now on we'll make every case of violation public to deter further
violations by our officials,' he said.Despite the proposed reform of the
country's telecommunication sector, however, many observers have pointed
to the Government's regulations on the importation of sophisticated
telecommunication devices as a profound constraint on the sector's
development.In a situation which is peculiar to telecom goods, company's
wishing to import equipment must have an independent foreign exchange
(FE) income.
FE bought from another FE earner will not entitle it to undertake the
import.Other problems have also been cited in the processing of
company's applications to import the goods. In one recent case, Myanmar
Tractors was refused a permit to import and deploy wireless telephone
equipment on the grounds that the equipment would use a high frequency
that could disturb other functions, like civil aviation control.
________________
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