BurmaNet News: November 11, 2001

[strider@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
          November 11, 2001   Issue # 1917
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________


INSIDE BURMA _______
*Reuters: Myanmar's military makes big cabinet changes
*SPDC: [Rangoon junta retires 3 more ministers effective 9 Nov]
*AFP: Indian rights group accuses Myanmar of forcible conversion of 
Christians 
*DVB: Burma plans measures to ward off ILO action after adverse report 
Burma plans measures to ward off ILO action after adverse report 
*DVB: Regional commanders tipped to fill vacancies in reshuffle Regional 
commanders tipped to fill vacancies in reshuffle
*Network Media Group:  A passenger boat sucked in by whirlpool in 
Chindwin river--More than thirty people lost 

MONEY _______
*Bangkok Post: Furniture importers demand ban be lifted 
*Bloomberg: Tommy Hilfiger Corp. Joins Companies Shunning Myanmar 
Products 

DRUGS______
*AP: Thai anti-drug officials visit ethnic Wa base in Myanmar 
*AFP: Thailand's "ya baa" drug crisis claiming ever younger victims 

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*AP: Senior U.S. official meets leading Myanmar general 

					
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________




Reuters: Myanmar's military makes big cabinet changes


 YANGON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Myanmar's ruling military council announced 
major cabinet changes on Sunday, one day after it dismissed two top 
officials in one of the most sweeping changes in the government in 
recent years. 

 Diplomats and analysts said the changes in the past two days, involving 
a senior member of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and 
three deputy premiers, were efforts by the secretive ruling body to 
inject young blood into an ageing leadership. 

 They said the SPDC's moves would unlikely lead to any changes in 
Myanmar's domestic or foreign policies. 

 The analysts said they did not detect any power struggle among the 
current top three leaders -- SPDC Chairman Than Shwe, Vice Chairman and 
Army Commander in Chief Maung Aye, and Secretary One and national 
intelligence chief Khin Nyunt. 

 ``The changes show the unity and strength of those top three. They 
still seem to have a tight grip on the government,'' said a retired 
local politician. 

 State media said the SPDC orders, signed by Khin Nyunt, gave no reasons 
for the dismissal of Secretary Three, Lieutenant General Win Myint, who 
was widely regarded as the fourth most powerful man in the country. 

 Win Myint was formerly military commander of Myanmar's western region 
before he joined the SPDC in late 1997. The sacked general was lately 
chief of Myanmar Economic Holdings Company, a state firm with diverse 
monopolies in mining, banking, fishery and trading sectors. 

 Also sacked was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Military Affairs 
Lieutenant General Tin Hla. He was head of state-run Myanmar Economic 
Corporation. 
 Tin Hla, who had supervised economic affairs and interests of the armed 
forces, is not a member of SPDC. The military has been running the 
country since 1962. 

 Diplomats said both Win Myint and Tin Hla had long been rumoured to 
have had personal business connections with the private sector. 

 OUT WITH THE OLD 

 The SPDC on Sunday announced retirements of five more cabinet 
ministers, including two deputy premiers -- Vice Admiral Maung Maung 
Khin, 72, and Lieutenant General Tin Tun, 70. 

 Three other affected ministers -- aged around 60, which is the official 
retirement age -- were Minister for Culture Win Sein, Minister for 
Cooperatives Aung San, and Minister for Immigration and Population Saw 
Tun, all former senior army officers. 

 None of five retired ministers affected by the Sunday announcements 
served as SPDC members. 

 Government sources close to the two retired deputy premiers said Maung 
Maung Khin and Tin Tun had requested permission to quit for health 
reasons. 

 Diplomats speculated that there could be more purges of senior 
government officials or cabinet members ahead of the fourth anniversary 
of the formation of the SPDC on November 15. 

 The SPDC includes most members of the previous ruling State Law and 
Order Restoration Council (SLORC) which seized power in 1988 and later 
changed its name to SPDC in 1997. 

 It was not clear when or if the SPDC would name successors of the 
dismissed and retired officers. Most of the remaining SPDC members are 
powerful regional army commanders. 

 Analysts say among those rumoured as good prospects for promotion are 
Major General Tin Aung Myint Oo, commander of Myanmar's north east 
region, and Major General Thein Sein who has been in charge of the 
military in triangle border areas of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. 



___________________________________________________





SPDC: [Rangoon junta retires 3 more ministers effective 9 Nov]

[FBIS Transcribed Text] Union of Myanmar State Peace and Development 
Council Declaration No 8/2001 9 November 2001 Permission granted for 
retirement The State Peace and Development Council has permitted the 
following Ministers to retire from duties with effect from today: (1) U 
Win Sein -- Ministry of Culture (2) U Aung San -- Ministry of 
Co-operatives (3) U Saw Tun -- Ministry of Immigration & Manpower By 
order, Sd Khin Nyunt Lieutenant-General Secretary-1, State Peace and 
Development Council [Description of Source: Rangoon The New Light of 
Myanmar in English -- Government-run daily newspaper] 




___________________________________________________





AFP: Indian rights group accuses Myanmar of forcible conversion of 
Christians 


GUWAHATI, India, Nov 11 (AFP) - A human rights group in northeastern 
India Sunday accused neighbouring Myanmar of forcibly converting 
hundreds of ethnic Christians to Buddhism. 

 There are some 20,000 ethnic Naga Christians in Myanmar, adjoining the 
Indian state of Nagaland. 

 The Naga People's Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) group said that in 
the past few weeks large numbers of them had been converted by the 
ruling military junta and religious bodies. 

 "Nagas residing in Myanmar were forced to convert to Buddhism, while 
those resisting were persecuted and kept as bonded labourers by the 
junta and Buddhist monks," said NPMHR leader N. Krome. 

 "Many of the Christians Nagas were lured (by the offer of) government 
jobs to get converted to Buddhism," Krome told AFP by telephone from 
Nagaland's capital Kohima. 

 The allegation followed a recent visit by a NPMHR fact-finding team to 
border areas, where it said it encountered hundreds of villagers fleeing 
Myanmar following the religious conversions. 

 "Some of the families are taking shelter in villages in the northwest 
Mon district of Nagaland bordering Myanamar, following threats and 
intimidation," Krome said. 

 "The villagers are scared to return to Myanmar amid reports that some 
areas are mined." 

 Christian leaders claimed the Nagas were being forced to close down 
their churches. 

 "We have come across people who said churches in Myanmar were being 
desecrated by the military and Christians were being tortured and 
harassed on the slightest pretexts," T.L. Kikon, a Baptist church leader 
in Nagaland said. 

 Meanwhile, an Amsterdam-based human rights group, the Naga 
International Support Center, said troops from India and Myanmar had 
earlier this week jointly raided strongholds of Naga tribal separatists 
inside Myanmar. 

 "The raid lead to the displacement of more than 3.000 people who had 
flee to India," a statement from the group said. 

 At least a dozen separatist groups have bases in Myanmar, including the 
outlawed National Socialist Council of Nagaland (MSCN) which is fighting 
for an 
independent tribal homeland within Nagaland. 

 The NSCN currently has a ceasefire with the Indian government which is 
trying to end 54 years of insurgency in the region. 

 India and Myanmar share a 1,643-kilometre 
(1,018-mile) border. 










___________________________________________________




DVB: Burma plans measures to ward off ILO action after adverse report 
Burma plans measures to ward off ILO action after adverse report 



According to latest reports received by DVB, there is a possibility not 
only military but some ministerial positions would also be affected [by 
the recent dismissal of two top Rangoon junta generals]. The key 
ministerial portfolios to be reshuffled are the construction and 
industry ministries. Although the reason is not clearly known it is 
believed to be connected to the forced labour issue. Observers noted 
that the attempt to remove the construction and industry ministers could 
be seen as a pre-emptive measure to ward off any ILO actions aimed at 
the country after the recent release of a pejorative ILO report which 
stated that the SPDC continues to use forced labour even though it 
officially outlawed the practice last year.  

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 gmt 10 Nov 01 

___________________________________________________




DVB: Regional commanders tipped to fill vacancies in reshuffle Regional 
commanders tipped to fill vacancies in reshuffle


The SPDC has issued declarations on the termination of duties of SPDC 
Secretary-3 Lt-Gen Win Myint and Military Affairs Minister Lt-Gen Tin 
Hla with effect from 9 November. The two declarations dated yesterday - 
Declaration No 5/2001 and Declaration No 6/2001, were signed by order 
and issued by SPDC Secretary-1 Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt. The SPDC declarations 
did not give reasons for the abrupt dismissals. Local and foreign 
political observers commented that this clearly indicates a serious rift 
in the SPDC but Rangoon-based diplomats said both Lt-Gen Win Myint and 
Lt-Gen Tin Hla had long been rumoured to have had personal business 
connections with the private sector and possible involvement in 
corruption. Some observers noted while all the SPDC generals are 
similarly corrupt, the reason to pick and sack the two is not solely 
linked to business connections but an attempt by SPDC Secretary-1 Lt-Gen 
Khin Nyunt to rid of his opponents.  

At a time when the SPDC was unable to replace the position left vacant 
by the sudden demise of SPDC Secretary-2 Lt-Gen Tin Oo in a helicopter 
crash last February, the removal of SPDC Secretary-3 and the military 
affairs minister has posed a great surprise. An AFP report indicated 
that Triangle Region Military Commander Maj-Gen Thein Sein and 
Northeastern Military Commander Maj-Gen Tin Aung Myint Oo will replace 
the positions left vacant by Lt-Gen Win Myint and Lt-Gen Tin Hla.  

According to latest news received by DVB, more than 10 generals apart 
from the two sacked ones, will either be removed or reshuffled. Those 
tipped to be removed from cabinet included Deputy Prime Ministers Vice 
Adm Maung Maung Khin and Lt-Gen Tin Tun and those regional commanders 
tipped to be transferred or promoted include all 10 regional military 
commanders except Southeastern Military Commander Brig-Gen Myint Swe and 
Coastal Region Military Commander Brig Gen Aye Kywe. DVB correspondent 
Myint Maung Maung filed this report. 
 
[Myint Maung Maung] According to today's internal order from the Office 
of the Defence Services Commander in Chief, the duties of 10 of the 12 
regional military commanders have also been terminated together with the 
two lieutenant generals. The order, signed by SPDC Secretary-1 Lt-Gen 
Khin Nyunt and issued on 9 November, has terminated all the duties of 
those regional commanders.  

The commanders whose duties were terminated included Rangoon Military 
Commander Maj-Gen Khin Maung Than, Central Military Commander Maj-Gen Ye 
Myint, Western Military Commander Maj-Gen Aung Htwe, Northwestern 
Military Commander Maj-Gen Soe Win, Northern Military Commander Maj-Gen 
Kyaw Win, Northeastern Military Commander Maj-Gen Thiha Thura Tin Aung 
Myint Oo, Eastern Military Commander Maj-Gen Maung Bo, Triangle Region 
Military Commander Maj-Gen Thein Sein, Southern Military Commander 
Maj-Gen Tin Aye, and Southwestern Military Commander Maj-Gen Thura Shwe 
Mann. These 10 commanders will fill the vacant positions in the SPDC and 
the cabinet. The two commanders who retained their posts are Coastal 
Region Military Commander Brig-Gen Aye Kywe who was appointed commander 
last year and Southeastern Military Commander Brig-Gen Myint Swe who was 
appointed only this year. 

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 gmt 10 Nov 01 


__________________________________________________



Network Media Group:  A passenger boat sucked in by whirlpool in 
Chindwin river--More than thirty people lost 


Chiang Mai, November 11, 2001


A passenger boat was sucked in by a whirlpool in Chindwin river in 
Sagaing Division on the evening of November 8 and more than 30 people 
were not yet found, a report said. 

The boat named Ngwe Zin Thein, running between Monywa and Homlin sucked 
in by Long-Great whirlpool near Gazart village in Kalaywa township near 
Indo-Burma border on the evening of November 8, the report said. 

More than 30 passengers amongst one hundred had not yet found although 
around 70 people were rescued. 

NMG has not yet confirmed about the boat sink from any confirmed source 
and there is no official report from Burmese regime concerning with the 
disaster. 

There was no storm during last Monsoon season but there were heavy rains 
in Upper Burma and Shan State at the end of this rainy season. 





______________________MONEY________________________




Bangkok Post: Furniture importers demand ban be lifted 


November 11, 2001


Supamart Kasem 

Furniture importers in four border districts called on the military to 
lift a ban on the import of furniture from Burma. They said they were 
losing millions of baht.

About 100 furniture importers yesterday filed a complaint with 13th 
Infantry Regiment Task Force commander Col Saksilp Klansanoh over the 
closure of border crossings in Tha Song Yang, Mae Sot, Mae Ramat and 
Phop Phra districts to furniture imports.

According to the letter, the daily import of 10-million-baht worth of 
furniture was halted when the task force imposed the ban in Phop Phra in 
May and later extended it to the other districts.

Most entrepreneurs were affected because they made advance payments on 
the goods and were also barred from delivering previously imported 
items.

The protesters dispersed after Col Saksilp said the furniture imports 
could probably resume after the Forestry Department comes up with new 
measures to combat illegal logging.

He said the task force must follow the Third Army's policy to suspend 
furniture imports in a bid to curb log poaching along the border.








___________________________________________________




Bloomberg: Tommy Hilfiger Corp. Joins Companies Shunning Myanmar 
Products 


2001-11-08 18:00 (New York)

Tommy Hilfiger Corp. Joins Companies Shunning Myanmar Products 
Washington, Nov. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Tommy Hilfiger Corp., Wal-Mart Stores 
Inc. and 23 other companies have promised not to buy or stock products 
made in Myanmar in response to a coalition's low-key effort to punish 
the country for allegedly using forced labor.

The Free Burma Coalition has sought the pledges since June 2000 without 
trying to organize high-profile boycotts, an approach business groups 
say they appreciate.

``The companies can make a rational decision based on their own 
enlightened or unenlightened self interest,'' said Willard Workman, 
senior vice president for international affairs with the U.S. Chamber of 
Commerce. ``I can't find fault with it.''

The strategy is easy to apply to Myanmar, the Asian country formerly 
known as Burma, because the United Nation's International Labor 
Organization has cited it in advising other countries to review their 
trade ties to make sure they aren't encouraging forced labor, said 
Jeremy Woodrum, director of the Free Burma Coalition's Washington 
office.

``I don't think companies want to be associated with forced labor,'' 
Woodrum said. ``I also seriously doubt that the military regime in Burma 
offers a good business environment.''

The coalition was founded at the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 
1995 by a group of Burmese and U.S. graduate students and says it now 
has affiliates in 28 countries.

Pledges

Tommy Hilfiger, a sportswear maker known for its red, white and blue 
designs, made its pledge in a letter to the coalition, as did Jones 
Apparel Group, maker of Nine West Shoes and Norton McNaughton suits.  
Other companies that have agreed to not handle goods made in Myanmar in 
the past two months include Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc., Phillips Van 
Heusen Corp., and Williams-Sonoma, Inc., whose Pottery Barn stores used 
to sell a line of baskets, trays and coasters made in Myanmar.

Sara Lee Corp.'s Hanes division, joined by retailers Wal-Mart and Target 
Corp. previously made the pledge.  Some retailers aren't responding to 
the coalition's tactics.  Federated Department Stores Inc., which 
operates Bloomingdale's, Macy's and other retailers, stopped ordering 
goods from Burma for its in-house brands six years ago. It is refusing 
to force the other vendors whose goods it stocks to follow suit.

``That is not something that is practical for us to do,'' said Carol 
Sanger, the company's vice president for corporate affairs. ``We don't 
control the manufacturing for a vendor that we buy from nor do we 
dictate to that vendor where to source.''

Federated's decision to shun Myanmar-made goods had to do with the 
reliability of suppliers, rather than political issues, Sanger said. 
No Response

Ames Department Stores Inc., a discount retailer, has failed to respond 
to repeated requests by the group, Woodrum said. Ames didn't respond to 
requests for comment.

The Free Burma Coalition urges members to prod Ames to stop buying and 
stocking goods made in Burma and to send e-mail and letters to complain 
about that practice.

``Write to their CEO demanding that they stop immediately or they will 
lose your business,'' the group suggests on its Web site.

Other companies have thanked the group for bringing Myanmar-based 
production to their attention.

Sara Lee's Hanes division already had a policy that barred sourcing from 
Myanmar, though it discovered that two of its suppliers were buying 
apparel made there after the coalition posted a photo of a ladies top 
bearing the brand's label on its Web site.

``It's an unacceptable production location for us,'' said Peggy Carter, 
a spokeswoman for Sara Lee. ``We appreciated the opportunity to clarify 
our policy for the coalition. In the end it came out well for both of 
us.'' 
Forced Work

The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, which represents 
215 national labor union organizations from 145 countries, last year 
estimated more than a million Burmese were being forced to work on 
roads, railways, military installations
and tourist infrastructure.

The United States imposed sanctions in 1997, banning new investments in 
Myanmar.

``Forced labor, including child labor, remains a serious problem,'' the 
U.S. State Department said in February in its annual report on human 
rights conditions. ``Forced use of citizens as porters by the army, with 
attendant mistreatment, illness and sometimes death, remained a common 
practice.'' 
Exports from Myanmar to the U.S. will reach nearly $500 million this 
year, a 10-fold increase since 1995, Woodrum said.

Myanmar has been ruled by military governments since 1962.  The military 
allowed a general election in 1990 but refused to yield power to the 
pro-democracy party led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

The winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize has been held under virtual 
house arrest for much of the past decade.

--Emily Schwartz in Washington (202) 624-1927 or eschwartz@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
/jo 
Story illustration: For news on Myanmar enter {NI BURMA BN <GO>} 
http://www.freeburmacoalition.org/frames/home.htm
for the Free Burma Coalition's Web site.





________________________DRUGS______________________





AP: Thai anti-drug officials visit ethnic Wa base in Myanmar 



YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ Thai anti-drug officials visited a town in 
eastern Myanmar reputed to be a major center for production of 
methamphetamines, and held talks with ethnic Wa leaders there, the 
official press reported Friday. 

 The seven-member Thai delegation led by Kitti Limchaikit, secretary 
general of Thai Drug Abuse Control Organization, discussed drug 
eradication and alternative development projects with Wa leader Pauk Yu 
Ri at Mong Yawn, in the southern Wa region, the New Light of Myanmar 
reported. 

 Thailand has in the past identified Mong Yawn as the source of illegal 
stimulant drugs that have flooded the country in recent years, straining 
bilateral relations with the military government of Myanmar, also known 
as Burma. 

 Mong Yawn is under the administration of the United Wa State Army, a 
former ethnic rebel group, which reached a peace agreement with the 
government in 1989. 

 It is 690 kilometers (430 miles) northeast of Yangon and 24 kilometers 
(15 miles) from the Thai border. 

 The United States has identified the UWSA as the leading drug army in 
Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle, also a major world source of opium, 
the raw material of heroin. The Myanmar regime says the Wa are trying to 
phase out drug production. Hilltribe farmers in the region have long 
cultivated opium as a cash crop. 

 The New Light reported that the Thai drug delegation visited an area 
near Mong Yawn with 2,430 hectares (6,000 acres) of substitute crop 
plantations and poultry farms and had ``cordial'' discussions with Wa 
leaders. 

 The Thais arrived on Monday, and met with Myanmar officials to discuss 
assisting drug elimination and alternative development in Mong Yawn. 

 The visit is the latest sign of improving Myanmar-Thai relations, which 
hit a low point in February after Thai and Myanmar soldiers clashed at 
their land border. 

 But relations have warmed considerably after a June visit to Myanmar by 
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra when a bilateral drug suppression 
agreement was signed. 

 In a separate development, Myanmar official media reported Friday that 
an anti-drugs task force of police and army raided an opium refinery in 
Kutkai township near Chinese border Oct. 20 and seized nearly 5,145 
liters (1,354 gallons) of drug-making chemicals. 

 Kutkai is located in the northern reaches of Shan State, 760 kilometers 
(475 miles) northeast of Yangon. 

 The report said officers also seized three Honda generators and other 
paraphernalia from 17 sheds. It did not mention any arrests or drugs 
seized. 








__________________________________________________




AFP: Thailand's "ya baa" drug crisis claiming ever younger victims 


BANGKOK, Nov 11 (AFP) - When Supabun Kosum took her first 
methamphetamine tablet she was a curious 18-year-old schoolgirl wanting 
only "to test" if the little orange pill delivered the euphoria and 
invincibility her friends raved about. 

 But her schoolyard experimentation with the drug in Thailand's northern 
Nakhon Sawan province touched off a seven-year addiction that would 
consume her life and her income and eventually land her in hospital. 

 "I bought them every day, in the morning and at night, and took them 
with my friends," she said. "It gave me energy and good feelings. At 
midnight we would go dancing and use it," she said. 

 The cheap drug known in Thailand as ya baa, or crazy medicine, has 
swept the country in recent years and created a new generation of 
addicts wary of syringe-injected heroin and eager to mimic Western 
"rave" culture. 

 An estimated 800 million tablets were trafficked in Thailand last year, 
up from 100 million in 1998, while some 25,000 pills are sold daily in 
some Bangkok neighborhoods, according to the United Nations. 

 Some three to four million Thais, from a population of 62 million, use 
the drug and addicts can be found everywhere from primary schools to 
nightclubs. 
 Authorities say that one in every 10 of the kingdom's Buddhist monks 
and novices have fallen prey to drug abuse and sought treatment at 
rehabilitation centers. 

 The pills come mainly from jungle laboratories in neighboring Myanmar 
that churn out vast quantities of the cheap stimulant which was used 
mostly by truck drivers before 1997 when it became popular as a 
recreational drug. 

 Supabun joined a growing number of recreational ya baa users being 
treated for addiction and has spent the past 11 months at Thailand's 
largest drug rehabilitation center, Bangkok's Thanyarak Hospital. 

 "We have about 700 (rehabilitation) patients at this hospital and about 
80 percent of them are methamphetamine patients," said hospital director 
Boonruang Triruangworawat. 

 "Five years ago, the number of methamphetamine patients was about 30 
percent, but it rapidly increased to 40 percent, 50 percent and in 
recent years to 70 and 80 percent," he said. 

 Boonruang said there was no drug treatment for methamphetamine addicts, 
but that "supportive" medicines were given for symptoms of withdrawal, 
which include loss of appetite and long periods of fatigue. 

 Methamphetamine addiction in Thailand has struck a younger 
cross-section of Thai society than the comparatively older heroin and 
opium addicts, who tend to be at least 30. The youngest patient at 
Thanyarak is just eight years old. 

 Nanda Krairiksh, human resources chief for the United Nations Economic 
and Social Council for Asia and the Pacific, said the average age of 
first-time users had decreased from age 17 two years ago to about 13 
today. 

 "A lot of young people take it for recreational use," she said, noting 
that the relapse rate for addicts is about 70 percent. "It cuts across 
social backgrounds. It's everywhere -- it's in every school, in every 
university." 

 The appeal of methamphetamines lies in its ease of use, its low cost at 
about 50 baht a tablet (less than a US dollar) and the misperception 
that it is a non-addictive "fun drug". 

 Experts say "crazy medicine" also complements Western-style rave 
parties popular among young Thais by giving the user an adrenaline-like 
rush of energy for all-night dancing to hypnotic techno rhythms. 

 "It looks like aspirin, it is extremely cheap and it is user-friendly," 
said Sandro Calvani, UN Drug Control Program representative in Bangkok, 
adding that a similar addiction crisis had hit China. 

 "I think it is a kind of drug that stimulates the human brain... to 
have better sex, to dance faster," he said. "It is highly addictive 
because it provokes such a pleasurable effect." 

 Calvani said there is a "very low stigma" attached to methamphetamine 
use, making it a common in social settings where the small orange pills 
can be easily ingested or smoked in its crystal form. 

 Thai narcotics authorities say Thailand's rising tide of 
methamphetamines has been fuelled partly by neglectful parents focused 
on making money, particularly during Thailand's boom years in the 1980s 
and 90s. 

 "Everybody is working hard to get money and become rich and they forget 
their families, their kids," said Viroj Somyai, assistant secretary 
general at Thailand's Office of Narcotics Control Board. 

 "The perception is that this is a medicine, that it's not a narcotic," 
he said, adding that the long-term effects of the drug were unknown. 
"They think it's not a drug you can become addicted to, just a fun 
drug." 

 Viroj added that methamphetamines have spread throughout Thailand 
thanks to "very efficient" distribution networks that start when large 
quantities of the drug are dropped at border villages for delivery to 
dealers in Bangkok. 

 Those dealers then funnel a good proportion of the drugs into schools 
through vulnerable students. 

 "In one school, they will try to pick three or four kids that have 
problems in their life -- like poverty," he said. They get their hooks 
into these kids and the kids become addicted." 

 "They offer drugs to the kids free of charge but they will have to 
bring them to school and sell them to schoolmates." 

 Methamphetamine addicts and public health officials say Thai officials 
are also partly to blame for the illicit trade, which draws huge profits 
on pills manufactured for one or two baht and sold on the street for up 
to 150 baht. 

 "The government must pay serious attention to this problem because we 
find that many of the sellers are from the government, such as police, 
soldiers and politicians," said Boonruang of Thanyarak Hospital. 




___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
				


AP: Senior U.S. official meets leading Myanmar general 


YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ Visiting U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State 
Matthew Daley met with the No. 3 general in Myanmar's ruling junta, Lt. 
Gen. Khin Nyunt, official press reported Sunday. 

 The New Light of Myanmar newspaper report did not give any further 
details of their meeting Saturday at the Defense Ministry in the capital 
Yangon. 
 Daley's visit comes as Myanmar's military regime undertakes its biggest 
Cabinet shake-up in recent years. Over the weekend, official press 
announced that its No. 4 general and six ministers had been sacked. 









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