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BurmaNet News: December 4, 2000
- Subject: BurmaNet News: December 4, 2000
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2000 07:27:00
______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
An on-line newspaper covering Burma
________December 4, 2000 Issue # 1675_________
NOTED IN PASSING: "The levels of infection are approaching an African
level."
Dr. Chris Beyrer on AIDS in Burma. See BBC: Asia's burgeoning Aids
epidemic
INSIDE BURMA _______
*Agence France Presse: Aung San Suu Kyi's legal team wins small victory
in property suit
*BBC: Asia's burgeoning Aids epidemic
*AFP: Former NLD members call on junta to increase dialogue with
opposition
*DVB: Government warns Shan group not to create discord between army,
people
*Bangkok Post: Burma loses three in fierce fighting; KNU attack centres
on operational bases
*TV Myanmar: Khin Nyunt claims Burma has complete freedom of religion
REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*AFP: Prominent writer who fled Myanmar now in Bangkok
*AP: Karen refugee worker says ICRC met Myanmar rebel leaders
ECONOMY/BUSINESS _______
*FBC: Suzuki: A Dishonest Car Salesman--Activists Catch Suzuki in a Lie
About Burma Deal
OPINION/EDITORIAL________
*Bangkok Post: Editorial: Policy of denial puts all at risk
The BurmaNet News is viewable online at:
http://theburmanetnews.editthispage.com
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________
Agence France Presse: Aung San Suu Kyi's legal team wins small victory
in property suit
YANGON, Dec 4
Aung San Suu Kyi's legal team Monday won a small victory by being
allowed to defend the opposition leader in a property suit filed by her
brother Aung San Oo, who is claiming half ownership of her Yangon home.
Judge U Soe Thein Monday ruled that Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyers would be
permitted to provide a defense for their client in the next hearing in
the case, scheduled for December 7.
The judge had previously ruled that since neither the National League
for Democracy (NLD) leader nor her lawyers were present at an earlier
hearing, the case would proceed without their involvement.
A Yangon analyst characterized Monday's decision as a minor victory for
the opposition leader, though Aung San Suu Kyi is not expected to appear
on Thursday, even though the junta would allow her to go to court.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been held under house arrest in Yangon by the
military government for over two months, since she and several other NLD
leaders were barred from taking a train to the northern city of
Mandalay.
The Nobel peace laureate's lawyers are expected to begin making
presentations and calling witnesses on Thursday.
Aung San Oo filed the suit to obtain half ownership of the opposition
leader's Yangon home, which belonged to their late monther Khin Kyi.
The Burma Lawyers' Council, a Thailand-based exile group, has said the
case clears the way for the ruling State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC) to evict Aung San Suu Kyi from the house and cripple her NLD.
As a US citizen, Aung San Oo would be forced to hand his half of the
property over to Myanmar's military government if he won the suit.
While not overtly political, Aung San Oo is much less critical of the
regime than his sister, and the two are not close.
It is believed that before her death Khin Kyi expressed the wish that
the house be equally shared between the two children, and that if it
were sold the proceeds should be donated to charity.
U Han Toe, lawyer for Aung San Oo, has said his client wanted to stake
his claim over the property so he could donate his half-share in line
with his mother's wishes.
____________________________________________________
BBC: Asia's burgeoning Aids epidemic
30 Nov. 2000
By BBC News Online's Mangai Balasegaram
The numbers are nowhere as numbing as Africa's, but the Aids epidemic in
Asia is growing ever greater, and creeping into the most remote corners
of the continent.
In many areas, all the ingredients for a disaster are there - a lack of
education, a large and mobile population, and governments and societies
ill-prepared or unwilling to cope.
And in some areas, that disaster is already apparent.
Of particular concern is Burma, where experts have painted a very grim
picture from the limited data available.
A staggering 48,000 Burmese died of Aids last year, says the United
Nations Aids programme (UNAIDS), and most of them would have had little
care or treatment.
Young epidemic
Aids researcher Chris Beyrer pointed out that it took African countries
two decades to reach its tragic levels of infection, which rise to a
third of adults in some areas.
In Asia, the Aids epidemic is still very young. Most infections in
China, for example, have occurred in the last two years.
"So we really don't know what the picture is going to look like," said
Mr Beyrer, director of the US-based John Hopkins University Aids
Training and Research Programme.
"Asia hasn't learnt from Africa," said Marina Mahathir, president of the
Malaysian Aids Council.
"Trying to get attention for the problem is still difficult."
Burma's mushrooming epidemic
Against a background of social and economic fragility, the epidemic in
Burma has been particularly hard to deal with.
The widespread availability and low cost of heroin, tremendous social
mobility, lack of access to condoms and health-care in general had led
to a mushrooming epidemic.
Experts say the vast majority of new infections are not even reported.
Mr Beyrer said many young people worked as seasonal labourers in gem
mines, where use of drugs and sex workers was commonplace.
"There's very little prevention and treatment and care," he said.
"The levels of infection are approaching an African level."
"The reality is that it's extremely difficult to implement any form of
public health measure," he said.
A recent World Health Organisation study rated Burma's health-care
system as the second-poorest in the world, with only Sierra Leone faring
worse.
Burma's Aids problem is slowly spilling over its borders. Yunnan
province in China, Manipur state in India and northern Thailand - which
all neighbour Burma - are some of the worst-hit areas in those
countries.
Drugs and taboos
Drug use is also fuelling the Aids epidemic in all Asian countries
except Cambodia and Papua New Guinea, and yet, very few effective
programmes have been implemented to deal with drug use.
Asia's large drug trade also lies behind exploding epidemics elsewhere.
The Russian city with the second-highest infection level is Irkutsk,
which lies on a heroin smuggling route out of China.
Age-old cultural taboos on sex and the stigma attached to the disease
also present clear obstacles.
Many governments only gingerly broach sex education, leaving populations
painfully ignorant of the disease.
A new study on nearly 4,000 people in Chinese cities and villages by the
Gunming Daily found only 3.8% of people knew how HIV was transmitted.
Half the people surveyed believed the virus could be transmitted by
using chopsticks after an HIV-positive person had used them.
Few countries are able to mount the enormous and effective HIV
prevention programmes seen in Thailand, which had led to a dramatic drop
in new HIV infections.
Ethnic minorities from Burma living in northern Thailand are
particularly vulnerable to infections, with their high amphetamine and
low condom use.
But even in Thailand, there are signs of a growing complacency, and
infection is spreading among migrant workers.
____________________________________________________
AFP: Former NLD members call on junta to increase dialogue with
opposition
YANGON, Dec 3 (AFP) - A group of former National League for Democracy
(NLD) members appealed Sunday to Myanmar's ruling junta to step up its
dialogue with opposition parties.
In a letter sent to top members of the junta, the former members, who
were kicked out of the NLD for developing too close ties to the
government, warned that without dialogue, the nation's development will
remain stalled.
"The nation's development is being hindered and tensions have been
created" by the ongoing standoff between the regime and the NLD, lead by
Aung San Suu Kyi, the letter said.
"We urge that the military authorities as well as all legitimate
political parties get together to discuss relevant matters relating to
the 1990 general election or start the process of constitutional
drafting," it said.
"This move will not only help regain international respect but also
help resolve all existing problems in Myanamr," it said.
The NLD won the 1990 election by an overwhelming margin but the junta
nullified the results and retained its tight grip on power.
Since 1990, relations between the government and the NLD have hardly
been warm.
But the junta has this year stepped up pressure on the NLD, placing
Aung San Suu Kyi and several other NLD leaders under house arrest and
facilitating efforts to evict her from her office and home.
In the letter, the former NLD members also offered their services as
potential middlemen who were familiar with the positions of the both the
government and the opposition.
"We pledge that we are ready to lend our help and support to the
political process, which would ultimately return executive, legislative
and judicial powers to the people," they said.
____________________________________________________
DVB: Government warns Shan group not to create discord between army,
people
Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1245 gmt 30 Nov 00
Text of report by Burmese opposition radio on 30th November
The leaders of the Shan State Peacekeeping Council SSPC , that
criticized the SPDC State Peace and Development Council army for the
massacre of many Shan villagers, were summoned by Brig-Gen Kyaw Win,
deputy director of Directorate of Defence Services Intelligence DDSI .
Troops from SPDC LIB Light Infantry Battalion 246 and LIB 524 massacred
24 innocent farmers near Nyaungywa Sone Village of Wa Saing Village
Tract in Kunhing Township on 17th May without any reason. Another 59
more villagers were massacred by the same column on Pan Hkam Village in
Kunhing Township on 20th May.
The Shan State (Rights) Committee, an affiliated group under the SSPC,
issued a statement on 27th July accusing the SPDC of systematically
engaging in an ethnic cleansing programme. The statement urged the
immediate action against those responsible for the two killings.
Brig-Gen Kyaw Win, deputy director of SPDC's DDSI, received Sao Shwe Kyi
and Sao Kun Yit, chairman and secretary respectively of the SSPC, on
19th September. He told them not to publish any statement that could
cause misunderstanding between the army and the people. He also
threatened them that if it happens again the next time it would not be
easy.
Chairman Sao Shwe Kyi could not take it lying down so he replied back
and said that the SSPC could not stand idly by while its own people in
the Shan State were being massacred. The statement was issued by the
popular demand of the people.
The SSPC was formed with a faction of the Shan State Army SSA and the
Shan State National Army SSNA in 1996. Due to the threat by the SPDC MI,
it is not known whether the SSPC will withdraw its statement or not.
DVB Democratic Voice of Burma correspondent Sai Tin Aye reported that
there was a precedent concerning the matter. The Shan State
Nationalities Liberation Organization, the Kayah Newland Party, and the
Karenni National People's Liberation Front, that fully supported the
National League for Democracy-led and-sponsored call for representing
the people's parliament during September 1998 had to withdraw their
support and statement for NLD due to the threat and coercion by the MI.
____________________________________________________
Bangkok Post: Burma loses three in fierce fighting; KNU attack centres
on operational bases
December 4, 2000
Three Burmese soldiers were killed and three others wounded in fierce
fighting with Karen National Union rebels opposite Kanchanaburi on
Saturday, a KNU source said yesterday.
KNU soldiers of the 6th Division launched an attack on three operational
bases of the 710th Light Infantry Battalion at Tabute and Htee Hta Taw
villages.
Both sides exchanged rounds of 81m and 60mm mortar and M79 grenades
during the 30-minute conflict.
The Burmese soldiers retreated, leaving behind three bodies, three
rifles and ammunition.
One KNU soldier was seriously wounded.
Last week, Maj Kyi Win, commander of the 18th Battalion of the KNU's 6th
Division, his wife and four other people were killed when the 999th
Battalion of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army attacked Ywar Dan Shay
village on Myawaddy-Pa-an road opposite Mae Sot district.
The source claimed the KNU had killed a large number of Burmese and DKBA
soldiers over the past four months in Karen state.
Following two major attacks, the KNU captured Burmese operational bases
at Labohae and Bayin Naung opposite Phop Phra and Mae Ramat districts of
Tak and seized a large quantity of weapons and ammunition.
As part of the dry-season offensive, about 5,000 Burmese troops of the
Southeastern Force and 22nd, 33rd, 44th and 88th infantry divisions have
been deployed along the border from Tak to Kanchanaburi, the source
said.
The KNU and other minority groups have called for Rangoon to end the
conflict in Burma which has dragged on for over 50 years but the Burmese
junta has rejected the request.
The conflict also prevented a group of foreign and Thai light airplane
enthusiasts from entering Burma, across the Friendship Bridge from Mae
Sot on Saturday. The 26-member group, flying in 20 small private planes,
were taking part in the Winter Tour Rally 2000. They included Thais,
Malaysians, Singaporeans, British and Americans.
____________________________________________________
TV Myanmar: Khin Nyunt claims Burma has complete freedom of religion
Source: TV Myanmar, Rangoon, in Burmese 1330 gmt 1 Dec 00
Excerpts from report by Burmese TV on 1st December
The 83rd Annual General Meeting and AD 2000 Thanksgiving Service of
Karen Baptist Convention was held at Hpu Tha Byu Memorial Hall in Karen
Baptist Theological Seminary Compound of East Gyogon Ward, Insein
Township, at 0830 [local time] today. Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, secretary-1 of
the State Peace and Development Council [SPDC], attended the ceremony
and delivered an address...
He noted it is a significant characteristic of Myanmar that the national
races have freedom of faith and the right to maintain their own cultural
traditions and have resided in peace and unity in the country. He added
at present there is complete freedom of religion in the Union of Myanmar
and it is evident that freedom is being provided and protected from all
fronts legally, administratively, and socially.
Khin Nyunt said it is a significant fact that though the government is
giving priority to the promotion and propagation of Theravada Buddhism,
the religion of the majority, it is also providing assistance and
protection for the flourishing of other religions. He remarked not only
the government but also the religious leaders and all those who have
devotion should ward off the slanderous acts that will lead to eclipsing
of noble principles such as loving kindness, unity and peace and
tranquility...
___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
AFP: Prominent writer who fled Myanmar now in Bangkok
BANGKOK, Dec 3 (AFP) - Prominent Myanmar writer Tin Maung Than has fled
to Thailand and is in Bangkok, where he is planning to seek asylum in
the West, sources close to the writer said Sunday.
Friends of Tin Maung Than, a noted intellectual and social commentator,
told AFP he is in hiding in Bangkok, where he is preparing applications
for political asylum in "a western country."
Seeking to escape increasing pressure from the country's military
government, the writer left Myanmar with his family about two weeks ago,
secretly crossing the Myanmar-Thailand land border.
Tin Maung Than, a medical doctor by training, has had several brushes
with Myanmar's censors, particularly in his capacity as editor of a
private magazine entitled "Thinbawa", or "Your Life".
An article where he described the deterioration of Myanmar's education
system since the days of British colonial rule was famously completely
censored from the publication.
But his latest run-in with the junta came several months ago when he
became instrumental in releasing an explosive speech by a government
minister who made a rare public criticism of the junta's economic
policies.
And when the junta this month refused him permission to travel to the
United States to begin a PhD, Tim Maung Than decided to skip the country
so he could continue his studies, his friends said.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Bangkok was not available for
comment Sunday but the office has a blanket ban on commenting on
individual applications for political asylum.
Tim Maung Than's writings include novels and educational works, but his
output dropped off in recent months as he came under increasing pressure
from the authorities.
____________________________________________________
AP: Karen refugee worker says ICRC met Myanmar rebel leaders
Dec. 4, 2000
MAE SOT, Thailand (AP) _ Officials of the International Committee of the
Red Cross met recently with leaders of Myanmar's ethnic rebel groups to
explain the group's role in civil conflicts, the head of a refugee
organization said Monday.
At their meeting on Nov. 29 along the Thai-Myanmar border, ICRC
officials explained how the Red Cross takes a neutral role in conflicts
such as those between Myanmar's ethnic rebels and the country's military
government, said Mary Ohn of the Karen Refugee Committee.
The committee is affiliated with the Karen National Union, the main
ethnic group and the only major one still fighting the government in
Yangon for autonomy.
Most others ethnic rebel groups concluded a cease-fire with the
military regime that took power in 1988.
The ICRC could not immediately be reached to confirm Ohn's account.
Ohn said the ICRC told the Karen leaders it would look after refugees
from Myanmar who return to their country of their own free will. There
are several hundred thousand refugees in Thailand from Myanmar, also
known as Burma.
Ohn said the Karen leaders told the ICRC officials that they were not
willing to return on the basis of promises of safety made by the Thai
government and the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees, and
that they would need additional guarantees from the Myanmar government.
They said they Myanmar's junta must first create a genuine peace,
according to Ohn. In the past the KNU has been unwilling to sign a
cease-fire which does not include a comprehensive settlement of their
political demands.
The ICRC has been active in Myanmar since last year when it began
prison visits inside the country.
The visits were the first by the Red Cross in Myanmar since 1995 when
it pulled out of the country because the military government refused it
access to political prisoners.
____________________________________________________
_______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
FBC: Suzuki: A Dishonest Car Salesman--Activists Catch Suzuki in a Lie
About Burma Deal
Washington, DC, November 10, 2000 - In responding to a yearlong boycott
of its products, Suzuki told a blatant lie to the Consumer Union (CU)
and Transnational Corporation Monitor (TNC), both Japan-based
organizations.
In a letter to the CU and TNC written on October 20, 2000 the company
wrote that it does not do business with Burma's notorious former
director of military training and current Minister for Industry-2, Major
General U Saw Lwin. According to Keiji Yamauchi, Executive Managing
Director and General Manager of Suzuki's Administration Department,
"Suzuki's joint partner is the MADI [Myanmar Automobile and Diesel
Industries], not the Ministry of Industry-2."
The Burmese military regime, however, claims otherwise. The Myanmar
Times and Business Review, a regime-sponsored propaganda journal, states
in its March 13-19, 2000 edition that, "The manufacturer, Myanmar Suzuki
Automobile Company, is a joint-venture of the Suzuki company together
with the Ministry of Industry-2."
"Suzuki and the junta are clearly conducting a joint partnership," said
Simon Billenness of Trillium Asset Management, a Boston-based investment
firm, "and now they've embarrassed themselves by getting caught in a
lie."
The Burmese state run newspaper New Light of Myanmar also documents
Suzuki's joint partnership with Industry-2. The paper reported on
February 26, 2000 that, "Minister Maj-Gen Saw Lwin reported on locations
of factories of the Ministry of Industry-2 and conditions of factories."
Saw Lwin's subordinate, U Soe Thein, "reported on establishment of
Myanmar Suzuki Automobile Company Ltd."
Although Saw Lwin is banned from visiting the countries of the European
Union (EU) and any assets of his found in the these countries are
immediately frozen under EU policy, the Mya Buzz reported that Suzuki
invited the infamous General to Japan for a tour of its factories.
Even more incriminating, Suzuki has advertised itself to its fellow
businesses as a joint partner with Ministry of Industry (2). The Free
Burma Coalition has identified from the Myanmar Yellow Pages that MADI
and Industry (2) operate in the same building and are listed under the
same address (see picture). The Myanmar Yellow Pages includes an
introductory message from Takeo Suzuki, President of the Japan Yellow
Pages, Ltd., saying that they have distributed over 20,000 copies of
this publication to Japanese companies over the past 4 years.
Suzuki is under rising pressure over its close financial ties to the
pariah regime from Burma. This month the Burmese junta handcuffed and
arrested 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi after she
attempted to visit supporters of her political party, the National
League for Democracy. Over 100 of her supporters were arrested on the
same day and none have been heard from since.
Both actions have been severely condemned by the U.S. State Department
and President Bill Clinton, who singled out Burma during his UN
Millennial Summit address, "We face a clear moral test today in Burma,
where a popular leader who has struggled peacefully for dialogue has
once again been confined, with her supporters imprisoned and her country
in distress, all in defiance of repeated UN Resolutions. On each of
these matters, we must not be silent."
Over 40 international corporations have pulled out of Burma in recent
years, many due to the regime's brutality. Said Levis Strauss after
leaving the country, "It is not possible to do business in [Burma]
without directly supporting the military government and its pervasive
violations of human rights." Reebok spokesman Doug Cahn stated, "We do
not feel that we can adequately apply our human rights standards and do
business in Burma."
Protest organizers plan to continue the "Boycott Suzuki" campaign until
the company ceases its operations in Burma. "The fact that Suzuki told
such an obvious lie is a good indication that they are eager to cover up
their involvement in Burma at any cost, since it is so shameful to be
working directly with the junta," said Jeremy Woodrum, Director of the
Free Burma Coalition Office in Washington, D.C.
"We won't stop boycotting Suzuki," stated Free Burma Coalition founder
Dr. Zarni, a professor at National Louis University in Chicago. The
Free Burma Coalition plans a global demonstration against Suzuki within
the next month that will likely include action in at least 15 cities
worldwide.
_______________OPINION/EDITORIAL__________________
Bangkok Post: Editorial: Policy of denial puts all at risk
December 3, 2000
The annual United Nations report shows that Aids continues to spread,
around the world and in our region. The greatest danger is lack of
attention by authorities. The refusal by Burma to deal with the epidemic
is the third threat to Thailand, after drugs and uncontrolled
immigration.
The news is not good from the UN agency which spearheads the global
battle against Aids. The UNAids group issued its annual report last
year, and figures were worse than the most pessimistic predictions.
There were five million new HIV cases diagnosed last year. That brought
to 36 million the number of infected people. The number of Aids deaths
has now passed three million. The disease killed more people last year
than in any other.
In short, the Aids epidemic is getting worse. There is still no vaccine
to prevent either HIV or Aids, and little promise there will be one in
the near future. Retroviral medicines have come a long way in a decade,
and now can prolong the lives of some infected people, some of the time.
Their lives depend on having the money to buy the high-priced drug
cocktail, or living in a country whose government can afford it.
We can take a brief bow in Thailand for our efforts, but we can expect
little applause. Compared with most countries, Thailand moved past the
denial stage and began to battle HIV/Aids, somewhat seriously. Education
has succeeded in a new respect for safe sex among many citizens.
Official figures show that new cases of Aids have levelled off.
To put it another way, Thais continue to contract HIV and Aids from a
variety of sources. Parts of our country have not got the message about
this terrible epidemic. There is a real reason to hope for Thailand, but
hope remains faint for the moment. That is partly our fault, and partly
the fault of others.
If the world has under-estimated the spread of Aids, which it has, there
are parts of the world which still are in deep denial over this serious
problem. One such country is Burma. Less than a month ago, a leading
member of the Burmese military junta said that Aids was not a problem in
Burma because married Burmese never cheat on their spouses, and Burmese
girls all remain virgins until they are married. The only Aids problem
in Burma, he claimed, was that foreigners continued to claim that Burma
had an Aids epidemic.
This denial conflicts with official Burmese figures given to the UNAids
- but censored from publication in the Burmese mouthpiece media. They
show that 47% of prostitutes in Rangoon and Mandalay were infected,
according to tests last year. Government figures - again, censored -
state that 57% of heroin addicts proved to be infected when tested last
year. The government has banned condoms for seven years, and provides
virtually no free testing. Needle sharing by heroin addicts is not just
common in Rangoon tea stalls - it is a uniquely Burmese custom.
The threats are entirely related. Aids has spread in Burma largely
because of the huge heroin addiction in the country. The government has
banned studies of drug addiction, but experts who have lived in Burma
estimate that 4% of men and 2% of women are heroin users. These figures
are dangerous because the government interferes with proper studies. But
they indicate that 600,000 Burmese have been infected with HIV/Aids
through heroin alone.
As we learned in Thailand, Aids spreads geometrically. A heroin abuser
can spread the infection to numerous other people. A husband who
frequents prostitutes will hand his infection to his wife, who then will
pass it to her baby during pregnancy.
Such official policies amount to a third security threat to Burma's
neighbours. The Rangoon regime co-operates directly with drug
traffickers and encourages them to boost their profits. The junta abuses
its work force, forcing up to a million of them to flood Thailand,
Bangladesh and India. The refusal of Burma to deal with the terrible
Aids epidemic must be added to the threats from the dictatorship.
________________
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