BurmaNet News: November 18, 2001

[strider@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
          November 18, 2001   Issue # 1922
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________


INSIDE BURMA _______
*AFP: Myanmar's historic talks show few signs of progress after a year 
*AFP: Auspicious white elephant given official welcome in Myanmar
*Reuters: Myanmar says shake-up means no changes at talks
*AP: Myanmar junta says generals dismissed for 'violating state policy'
*Xinhua: Amateur Men's Body Building Championship to Be Held in Myanmar

MONEY _______
*AFP: Myanmar denies withdrawal of high-value currency notes 
*The Guardian (UK): British firms on blacklist for Burma dealings 
*Xinhua: Myanmar To Hold Workshop on Tourism Through Internet
*Xinhua: Myanmar Exports More Beans, Pulses in First Eight Months
*Xinhua: Myanmar Utilizes Foreign Investment to Develop Oil, Gas 
Resources 

DRUGS______
*AP: Myanmar authorities seize drug labs near Chinese border 

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*IRNA (Iran):   Malaysia not behind sackings in Myanmar 
*Daily Bangladesh: ESCAP urged to start talks with member states

EDITORIALS/OPINION/PROPAGANDA________
*Xinhua: Myanmar Media Hail Stronger Ties with Laos

					
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________





AFP: Myanmar's historic talks show few signs of progress after a year 


YANGON, Nov 18 (AFP) - The first anniversary of historic talks between 
Myanmar's junta and the democratic opposition aimed at "national 
reconciliation" passed unnoticed last month, and for a reason. 

 The dialogue, informed sources say, has more or less reached a 
standstill. 

 As people in Myanmar generally observe symbolic dates, it would have 
seemed likely that either the junta or Aung San Suu Kyi's National 
League for Democracy (NLD) would have marked the anniversary of the 
talks that began in October 2000 with some kind of statement. 

 But apparently it was too soon to send a positive message. The two 
sides, previous arch-enemies who have agreed not to reveal anything 
about the substance of their talks, said nothing. 

 Diplomats say the most remarkable thing about the talks after one year 
is that they are still taking place. 

 "There has been no statement because there is a great deal of 
frustration ... but they are still in contact," explained a Yangon-based 
analyst. 

 Another observer said: "It's not going as well as it was three months 
ago." 

 According to informed sources, the junta and the NLD are still in the 
"confidence-building" stage and are far from reaching the ultimate 
objective of the dialogue: democratisation and the establishment of a 
civil government. 

 The NLD and the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) are really 
discussing only two issues at the moment -- the freeing of political 
prisoners and the re-opening of NLD branch offices around the country, 
they said. 

 The talks are being carried out sporadically through a liaison officer 
who couriers messages between the junta and Aung San Suu Kyi, who 
remains under de facto house arrest. 

 The NLD has made it clear they are frustrated by the slow pace of 
prisoner releases. 

 The junta says it has released some 186 NLD members since January, but 
810 party members remain behind bars, with 17 of them NLD members of 
parliament from 1990 elections that were nullified by the military. 

 The total number of NLD members in jail accounts for more than half of 
the 1,500 political prisoners the UN says are incarcerated in Myanmar. 

 Only 25 of the 40 original NLD branch offices have been authorised to 
re-open in Yangon in addition to their Mandalay headquarters and two 
other township offices. 

 "For the outside world the pace seems a bit slow, but for us it is 
going reasonably well," said deputy foreign minister Khin Maung Win. 
"There has been a confrontation between the two sides for the last ten 
years, so to make a 180-degree turn needs of course a certain amount of 
time." 

 "This government knows very well that the military can't rule forever," 
he added. "We have no intention of clinging to power." 

 Analysts explained that the slowing pace of the talks could be 
attributed to a reluctance by the junta's top leader, Senior General 
Than Shwe, to move the dialogue forward. 

 "The major break is the number-one, and he holds total and absolute 
power," an analyst said. 

 "Many believe that if it were up to Khin Nyunt it would move a lot 
faster," another observer said, referring to the regime's number-three 
leader, who has been charged with monitoring the talks. 

 Some observers believe a military shake-up that began last week and 
resulted in the sacking of high-ranking officials and the consolidation 
of power in Yangon weeds out hard-liners opposed to the talks. 

 Meanwhile, Aung San Suu Kyi "is in good spirits and is still ready for 
a compromise," an informed source says. 

 And the NLD remains cautious to avoid any gesture that could be 
perceived by the ruling junta as a provocation, diplomats said. 

 "She has no alternative but to continue the dialogue," an analyst said. 


 For the junta, disrupting the talks would have potentially disastrous 
consequences. 

 Western countries have thus far given Yangon the benefit of the doubt 
and are ready, if real progress is made, to begin lifting economic 
sanctions against Myanmar, whose economy is in shambles. 

 "There couldn't be a better environment than there is now," another 
observer noted. "The US and Europe have shown they were ready to ease 
their stand if the dialogue is moving ahead." 

 The European Union, which has sent several fact-finding teams to the 
military state, will soon send another troika to Yangon. 

 The International Labour Organisation, too, is watching Myanmar closely 
and issued a report on forced labour following its October mission which 
Yangon says is "constructive". 

 Ismail Razali, the special envoy to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, is 
due to return to Myanmar later this month for his sixth visit as a 
"dialogue facilitator." 

 "The environment is favourable for progress in the dialogue, but the 
ball is now in the SPDC's court," an observer said. 





___________________________________________________





AFP: Auspicious white elephant given official welcome in Myanmar

 
BANGKOK, Nov 18 (AFP) - A rare white elephant discovered in Myanmar was 
given a red-carpet welcome by top junta offials in Yangon, where 
awestruck spectators have gathered to see the auspicious beast, a report 
said Sunday. 

 The eight-year-old male elephant captured in Myanmar's Rakhine state 
earlier this month was brought to the capital and welcomed in a ceremony 
led by the junta's chief of military intelligence, Lieutenant General 
Khin Nyunt. 

 In a traditional ritual, Khin Nyunt sprinkled water containing gold, 
silver and nine kinds of precious gems over the elephant during the 
ceremony at Mindhamma Hill Garden, the Myanmar Times newspaper reported. 


 Senior General Than Shwe, the Myanmar regime's top general, viewed the 
revered white elephant along with army commander-in-chief General Maung 
Aye and other officials at the ceremony Thursday. 

 The elephant described as having "pearl eyes" and skin that was a 
"whitish-light pink colour" stands nearly six feet (1.8 metres) high and 
has been housed in a temporary shelter dubbed the "precious white 
elephant hall." 

 Shaded by white umbrellas during its journey by boat to Yangon, the 
pachyderm appears to have become a tourist attraction at the site near 
city's international airport, where world's largest Buddha image is also 
located. 

 Local sources say the vaunted tusker, who is accompanied by a female 
elephant, has attracted thousands of faithful believers as well as 
foreign tourists. 

 In Myanmar all elephants are owned and monitored by the state, and 
animal experts say they are one of the best cared for populations of 
tuskers in the world. 

 Historically, white elephants were considered extremely auspicious in 
Southeast Asian culture, and the region's ancient rulers acquired as 
many as they could to boost their fortune. 







___________________________________________________






Reuters: Myanmar says shake-up means no changes at talks


By Aung Hla Tun 
 YANGON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The recent shake-up in Myanmar's ruling 
military will not affect its talks with pro-democracy opposition leader 
Aung San Suu Kyi, a senior official said on Saturday. 

 ``The change we made in the armed forces and the government is carried 
out with a good intention. It means to make the government more 
efficient and to have new blood in the leadership of the army,'' 
Major-General Kyaw Win, deputy chief of Military Intelligence, told a 
news conference. 

 ``But it will not have any impact on the ongoing talks with the 
opposition,'' he said. 

 Myanmar's military government, officially called the State Peace and 
Development Council (SPDC), earlier this week removed two top leaders, 
retired two deputy prime ministers and three ministers, and reshuffled 
the cabinet. 

 The two most senior generals fired -- Win Myint, number four in the 
SPDC and head of the Myanmar Economic Holdings Company, and Lieutenant 
General Tin Hla, head of the Myanmar Economic Corporation -- had close 
ties to the private sector. 

 But the SPDC's three most powerful men -- Chairman and Prime Minister 
Than Shwe, Vice Chairman and army chief Maung Aye, and Secretary One and 
intelligence chief Khin Nyunt -- remained firmly in place. 

 Asked about government efficiency, Kyaw Win said, ``Things are expected 
to become faster, quicker and better.'' 

 The talks between Suu Kyi and the SPDC, brokered by UN special envoy to 
Myanmar Razali Ismail, started in October last year. 

 Brig-Gen Than Tun, a senior military intelligence officer acting as 
liaison between the SPDC and Suu Kyi, said the talks were ongoing but 
not according to a timetable. 

 Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, whose party won 1990 elections by a landslide 
but was never allowed to govern, has been under virtual house arrest for 
more than a year. 

 Ismail will return to Myanmar this month for a fifth time since April 
last year, in a fresh bid to end the political stalemate. 

 A number of Western countries, including the United States and Europe, 
have sanctions in place against Myanmar, saying they want a transition 
to democracy and accusing the military of widespread human rights 
abuses. 

 





___________________________________________________






AP: Myanmar junta says generals dismissed for 'violating state policy'
 

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ In a rare but guarded public admission of 
problems within the ruling junta, Myanmar's deputy intelligence chief 
said Saturday that two top generals of the ruling military junta were 
dismissed for ``violation of state policy.'' 
 Speaking at a press briefing, Maj. Gen. Kyaw Win denied that the 
dismissals and a recent Cabinet shake-up were linked to the ongoing 
political dialogue between the military and opposition leader Aung San 
Suu Kyi. 

 However, he also failed to elaborate on the nature of the generals' 
``violation.'' 

 The junta's fourth-ranking general, Lt. Gen. Win Myint, and Deputy 
Prime Minister and Minister for Military Affairs Lt. Gen. Tin Hla were 
sacked on Nov. 9 in the surprise Cabinet shake-up. Two aging deputy 
prime ministers and three other ministers were ``permitted to retire'' 
the same day. 

 ``The cabinet reshuffle and military reassignments had nothing to do 
with the ongoing dialogue. It is simply to inject young blood into the 
ministry of defense and to improve the efficiency,'' said Kyaw Win. 
 The shake-up of the regime's top ranks was the biggest since November 
1997, when the original junta, the State Law and Order Restoration 
Council, was dissolved and renamed the State Peace and Development 
Council, with younger officials drafted in to replace corrupt and old 
military leaders. 

 The news briefing was apparently held to counter rampant rumors about 
the latest move. 

 The military took power after a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests 
for democracy in 1988. It held general elections in 1990, but refused to 
honor the landslide victory of the National League for Democracy party 
of Suu Kyi, who is currently under house detention. 

 Reconciliation talks between Suu Kyi and the regime began last October 
but have shown no sign of bringing an end to the country's political 
deadlock. 

 Kyaw Win said Win Myint and Tin Hla were dismissed ``because they 
violated the state policy.'' He added that the two generals had been 
questioned but no action had been taken against them, again without 
elaborating. 

 The military posts of Win Myint as army adjutant general and Tin Hla as 
quartermaster general have been filled by regional commanders in a 
series of recent military reassignments, but their political positions 
within the junta as Secretary Three and deputy prime minister will not 
be filled, he said. 

 Kyaw Win said the reshuffle was meant to shrink the size of the 
Cabinet, adding that two deputy prime minister posts vacated by the 
retirement of two aging deputy prime ministers, Lt. Gen. Tin Tun and 
Vice Admiral Maung Maung Khin, would not be filled, too. 

 The post of Secretary Two in the junta, left vacant since the death of 
Lt. Gen. Tin Oo in a helicopter crash in February this year, will also 
not be filled, Kyaw Win said. 

 The reshuffle saw 10 powerful regional army commanders _ who are 
members of the 13-member State Peace and Development Council _ promoted 
to the rank of lieutenant general and given positions in the Ministry of 
Defense. 

 The move appeared meant to consolidate the authority of the top three 
generals, by depriving the regional commanders of their power bases, 
their direct command of troops 

 The 13-member junta is dominated by its three top generals _ junta 
leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe, army chief Gen. Maung Aye and military 
intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt. 

 New regional commanders will be chosen from among junior battalion 
commanders but it is not yet clear whether the new regional commanders 
will become members of the ruling council. 


2001-11-17





___________________________________________________






Xinhua: Amateur Men's Body Building Championship to Be Held in Myanmar




YANGON, November 17 (Xinhua) -- The 55th World Amateur Men's Body 
Building Championship will be held at the National Indoor Stadium-1 here 
from November 21 to 26, according to the Myanmar Body Building and 
Physical Culture Federation (MBBPCF) on Saturday. Of the 63 countries 
which have registered to take part in the contest, confirmations have 
been received from 156 body builders of 58 countries so far, the MBBPCF 
disclosed, saying that some of the nations may not be able to take part 
in the contest due to flight difficulties. There will be seven divisions 
in the 6-day contest, it said. Nine contestants of Myanmar will take 
part in the four events -- four in 60-kilo class, two in 65-kilo class, 
two in 75-kilo class and one in 80-kilo class, it added. The 54th World 
Amateur Men's Body Building Championship was held in Malaysia. 


2001-11-17






______________________MONEY________________________






AFP: Myanmar denies withdrawal of high-value currency notes 


YANGON, Nov 18 (AFP) - Myanmar's military government has denied 
widespread speculation that it will withdraw the largest denominations 
of the local currency, the kyat, from circulation, official reports said 
Sunday. 

 Deputy chief of military intelligence Major General Kyaw Win said 1,000 
and 500 kyat notes would remain in circulation as long as the ruling 
junta was in power. 

 "As long as the military government is in charge, there will be no 
withdrawal of the official currency notes, be it the 1,000 kyat note or 
the 500 kyat note," he told reporters late Saturday. 

 Rumours that the 1,000 kyat note would be cancelled by the government 
stirred panic in Yangon, where residents fearing the devaluation of 
their cash went on spending sprees. 

 "The rumor started in the border areas where reports of counterfeiting 
cropped up and traders were refusing to accept the 1,000 kyat notes," 
Kyaw Win added. 

 Local businesses appeared to benefit from the attempts to unload the 
notes and have enjoyed brisk sales over the past several days. 

 "We managed to sell practically everything that was in stock," one 
Yangon businessman said to a colleague. 

 Taxi drivers in the Myanmar capital have also felt the effects of the 
currency furore, saying they have been hard pressed to make change for 
the unwieldy 1,000 kyat notes. 

 "It was rather tedious making change for all these notes but it appears 
they're not taking any chances," one driver told AFP, adding that all of 
his morning fares had been paid in 1,000 kyat notes. 

 The jitters over the rumoured currency withdrawal reflects the mood in 
Myanmar where the economy remains enmired in crisis despite government 
assurances that the military state is on a growth track. 

 Myanmar citizens in the towns and cities endure annual inflation rates 
as high as 50 percent for basic commodities in addition to constantly 
changing rules on rationing of items like gasoline amid the depreciation 
of the kyat. 

 Myanmar also uses a dollar-denominated currency notes called Foreign 
Exchange Certificates, which have plummeted in value against the 
greenback and prompted the government to limit licenses for their 
distribution. 



 
2001-11-18





___________________________________________________






The Guardian (UK): British firms on blacklist for Burma dealings 



Andrew Osborn in Brussels
Saturday November 17, 2001
The Guardian 

Seven British companies which continue to do business in Burma, despite 
its repressive military dictatorship and a barrage of calls on them to 
sever links with Rangoon, have been named and shamed by the 
international trade union movement. 

The seven are among 250 companies spanning a range of industries which 
have been "blacklisted" on the internet by the International 
Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) in Brussels. 

It is the culmination of a nine-month campaign in which ICFTU has 
written to every company in the world doing business in Burma, asking 
them to withdraw. 

The British companies listed are Premier Oil, Standard Chartered Bank, 
the insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson, First Dynasty Mines, Mekong 
Travel, Andrew Brock Travel and Crown Relocations. 

Some companies failed to respond to ICFTU's plea, while others claimed 
that their presence was beneficial to the people of Burma. 

But Bill Jordan, general secretary of the ICFTU, said: "Any 
international business involvement in Burma is an accommodation with 
tyranny. 

"It supports a corrupt and repressive military regime that has never 
been granted any legitimacy by the people of Burma." 

The ICFTU estimates that more than 1m Burmese are subjected to forced 
labour building roads, railways, oil pipelines, military installations 
and tourist facilities. 

The military junta denies this but the International Labour Organisation 
(ILO) in Geneva said earlier this month that forced labour was still a 
widespread problem, despite an official decree outlawing the practice. 

Andrew Brock Travel told the ICFTU that its campaign was "obscenely 
inappropriate" since it would result only in the unemployment of Burmese 
people. 

Premier Oil said it had talked to the junta about stopping forced 
labour, and it would be unwise to isolate the country





___________________________________________________




Xinhua: Myanmar To Hold Workshop on Tourism Through Internet


YANGON, November 18 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar will hold a workshop on tourism 
and export promotion through internet on November 26, aimed at enhancing 
the country's tourism industry and export through the system. The 
workshop, jointly organized by the Myanmar Federation of Chamber of 
Commerce and Industry and the Myanmar Computer Scientists Association, 
will focus on the use of Website, acceptance of tour inquiry forms, 
electronic(e)-shopping and e- reservation and tourist attraction sites. 
According to official statistics, tourist arrivals in Myanmar dropped by 
48.82 percent in the first eight months of this year compared with the 
same period of 2000, reaching 77,773. So far, there has been 492 
different hotels and motels with 13, 984 rooms in Myanmar. Of them, 21 
are foreign-invested, four are joint ventures, 439 are private-run and 
28 are state-owned. The number of licensed travel and tour companies 
went to 521, of which 508 are private-operated, 12 are joint ventures 
and one is foreign- owned. The country's short-term target is to draw 
500,000 foreign tourists annually. Enditem





___________________________________________________





Xinhua: Myanmar Exports More Beans, Pulses in First Eight Months

YANGON, November 17 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar exported 775,400 tons of various 
beans and pulses in the first eight months of this year, 82.36 percent 
more than the same period of 2000, according to the latest figures 
published by the country's Central Statistical Organization. Meanwhile, 
foreign exchange earned through the export of these agricultural 
products during the eight-month period amounted to 222.75 million U.S. 
dollars, 67.29 percent more than the corresponding period of 2000. Beans 
and pulses are one of Myanmar's four pillar crops, earning huge foreign 
exchange income. 

The other three crops are paddy, sugar cane and cotton. The country is 
now implementing beans and pulses cultivation projects, designing some 
special zones of these crops to expand cultivation and boosting 
production of and trade in beans and pulses with an accelerated momentum 
in the wake of growing foreign market demand. Myanmar enjoys the status 
of being the largest beans and pulses exporter among member states of 
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. According to official 
statistics, in 2000, the country exported 655,399 tons of beans and 
pulses, earning 196.9 million dollars. 






___________________________________________________






Xinhua: Myanmar Utilizes Foreign Investment to Develop Oil, Gas 
Resources  


by Duan Tingchang YANGON, Nov 18, 2001 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Crude oil 
and natural gas are main energy resources of Myanmar. Full exploitation 
of its oil
and gas resources has much important significance in meeting the demand 
of energy of the nation and promoting its social and economic 
development.

However, for a prolonged period, due to being lack of capital, out-dated 
equipment and being technically backward in exploration and 
exploitation, it has
critically restrained the development of Myanmar's oil and gas 
resources.

After taking over state power on September 18, 1988, the present ruling 
Myanmar government made a reform of its "close-door " policy that had 
been adopted for
the past several decades and began to introduce the market-oriented 
economic system, permitting foreign companies to make investment in the 
many sectors
including oil and gas.

Myanmar applies the form of production-sharing basis in the exploitation 
of its oil and gas towards foreign companies, while foreign oil firms 
shall have to
provide the Myanmar government with reasonable quota of product income, 
according to the difference of geographical conditions and its risks, 
Myanmar government makes a reasonable payback to the foreign oil 
companies.

Myanmar encourages foreign oil companies to access the country's 
potential reserves of oil and gas as well as to exploit as much as 
possible oil and gas in border areas.

Myanmar's oil and gas reserves are scattered onshore and offshore, of 
which that lie onshore mainly concentrate on the areas in the central 
basin, while that locate offshore mainly concentrate on the coastal 
areas of Rakhine, Martaban and Tanintharyi.

According to official statistics, as of the end of June this year, 
Myanmar's oil and gas sector had absorbed contracted foreign investment 
of 2.355 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 31.8 percent of its 7.385 
billion dollars' total. The 51 investment projects, made by foreign oil 
companies, came from Thailand, Indonesia and others.

Up to now, foreign oil companies have drilled more than 10 test wells in 
Myanmar's onshore areas but the output of oil is not as encouraging as 
expected.
However, the exploration of oil and gas in the offshore areas by the 
foreign companies has made initial achievements, discovering two gas 
fields -- Yetagon and YADANA, of which the gas reserves of the YADANA 
had been identified as up to 254.7 billion cubic meters.

The YADANA field started supply gas to Thailand in October 2000 and will 
earn 300 million dollars of foreign exchange annually for Myanmar.

According to the figures published by Myanmar's Central Statistical 
Organization, in 2000, the country produced a total of 3.538 million 
barrels of
crude oil and 1.538 billion cubic meters of natural gas, increasing by 
4.2 percent and falling by 8 percent respectively from 1999.

In the first half of this year, the production of Myanmar's crude oil 
and natural gas respectively stood at 1.639 million barrels and 684 
million cubic
meters, falling by 10.38 percent and 10.8 percent compared with the same 
period of 2000.

So far, Myanmar's crude oil is still not self-sufficient and has to 
import more than two million barrels of the oil, about 300, 000 tons of 
petrol and 150,000 tons of diesel annually.

Myanmar's allowance of foreign oil companies to cooperate with it to 
exploit oil and gas reserves, has, to certain extent, relaxed the 
country's phenomena of capital insufficiency in the energy exploitation. 
Meanwhile, it has also enabled
the nation to learn from abroad some advanced technology and 
administration experiences.

Despite achievements made in the exploitation of oil and gas sector, 
Myanmar, at present, still faces with some difficulties in the sectoral 
development, they
are mainly the facts that:

Firstly, the economic sanction imposed on Myanmar by the 
United-States-led western countries and the slowing down of growth rate 
of global economy have
affected the degree of investment power of foreign oil companies in the 
country's oil and gas sector. Although the contracted investment of 
foreign oil
companies in the sector has reached 2.355 billion dollars, but in fact 
the actual utilized investment is so much limited, bringing about the 
difficulties
of capital insufficiency in the development.

Secondly, Myanmar's geographical condition is poor, the degree of 
difficulties in exploitation is high and the investment cost is 
relatively high.

Thirdly, the weakness of infrastructure in transport, communication and 
electric power has constituted an un-negligible impact on the 
exploitation of oil and gas resources.



 


________________________DRUGS______________________




AP: Myanmar authorities seize drug labs near Chinese border 


YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ A counter-narcotics task force in northeastern 
Myanmar earlier this month seized drug refineries and chemical 
precursors used in making illegal stimulants in Kokang region near the 
border with China, a newspaper report said Saturday. 		

 The raid was the result of information exchanged between Myanmar and 
China under an official cooperative effort against the drug trade, 
reported the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper. 

 The newspaper said that the anti-drug squad, accompanied by members of 
the ethnic Kokang local government ``searched and raided an abandoned 
opium refinery, one stimulant factory and an ethyl ether factory near 
Laukkai, capital of Kokang region near Chinese border on Nov. 6.'' 

 The authorities seized 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) of heroin, 276 
kilograms (607 pounds) of raw material used in making stimulant tablets 
and more than 50,000 liters (13,000 gallons) of other drug-making 
chemicals. They arrested eight suspects and also seized two pistols, 
3,128 rounds of ammunition, four motor vehicles, and Myanmar and Chinese 
currency. 

 The arrested suspects will be charged under the Psychotropic and 
Narcotic Drugs law, the newspaper reported. The law carries a maximum 
death penalty for drug smugglers, but the penalty is usually commuted to 
life imprisonment. 

 The Kokang are an ethnic Chinese group living in northeastern Shan 
State. The Kokang have a tradition of heavy involvement in the drug 
trade. 

 As part of transnational drug control activities with neighboring 
countries, Myanmar law enforcement authorities earlier this year handed 
over two drug fugitives, Tan Xiaolan and Xian Quo Min, to their Chinese 
counterparts. 
 
2001-11-17 Sat 09:30 







___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
				




                                                                      
IRNA (Iran):   Malaysia not behind sackings in Myanmar                   
         



Kuala Lumpur, Nov 17, IRNA -- Malaysia denied a report alleging that  
the country was behind the dismissals of seven generals by the Myanmar
government last weekend.                                              

   Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Malaysia had nothing to do 
with the workings of the governments of other countries.              

   "We are working closely with the Myanmar government but only in so 
far as helping them in their process of democratisation.              

   "They sought our help on that matter and we are helping them," Dr  
Mahathir was quoted by Bernama news agency as saying on Saturday.     

    Dr Mahathir said there was no truth in the report because Malaysia
did not meddle in the domestic business of other countries.           

    "We have nothing to do with that. It was their decision," he said.
The Nation, an English daily published in Bangkok, had reported on a  
major shake-up in Myanmar over the weekend, in which seven generals   
were ousted from administrative posts.                                

    It said that Secretary One of the State Peace and Development     
Council Khin Nyunt fired the seven generals after pressure from Dr    
Mahathir during the Asean summit in  Brunei recently.                 

                                                     






___________________________________________________





Daily Bangladesh: ESCAP urged to start talks with member states


November 18, 2001

Dhaka for road links with India, Myanmar

ESCAP urged to start talks with member states on Asian Highway

Bangladesh requested UN agency ESCAP to moot talks with the member 
states for installing Bangladesh-India-Myanmar direct transport 
communications as part of the planned Asian Highway, reports UNB.

Dhaka also called upon the ESCAP to take effective initiatives in 
development of direct traffic running through SAARC and BIMSTEC nations 
in South and Southeast Asia.

The call came from Communications Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda as 
Bangladesh representative in a two-day ministerial conference of the 
Economic and Social Council for Asia and the Pacific at the Grand 
Intercontinental Hotel in Seoul yesterday.

ESCAP organised the conference on road and rail communications 
infrastructure development in the Asia-Pacific region of the globe.

The South Korean President inaugurated the meet on Friday and the 
Executive Secretary of ESCAP gave address of welcome.

Placing the proposals at the meet the Communications Minister mentioned 
that Bangladesh had taken up special programmes, including development 
of road infrastructure and modernisation of rail communications system, 
aiming at developing transport networks linking to Asian Highway and 
Trans-Asian Railway.

Expressing interest of Bangladesh in setting up direct surface transport 
link with Myanmar through southeastern region of the country, he focused 
on tremendous contributions of the Jamuna Bridge along the Asian Highway 
and Trans-Asian Railway.

"The Jamuna Bridge has opened up a scope for reestablishing 
communication links between South Asia and Southeast Asia," he told the 
ESCAP conference.

It also created facility for installing broad-gauge rails along 
Mongla-Dhaka-Nepal route.

The Bangladesh Minister also extended support to joint-venture efforts 
of the United Nations and ESCAP for development of communications 
infrastructure in Asia and the Pacific, especially development of Asian 
Highway and Trans-Asian Railway communications in the present 
perspective of globalisation and regionalisation.







___________EDITORIALS/OPINION/PROPAGANDA__________






Xinhua: Myanmar Media Hail Stronger Ties with Laos



YANGON, November 18 (Xinhua) -- Official newspaper The New Light of 
Myanmar Sunday hailed stronger ties between Myanmar and Laos, saying 
that the two countries have promoted mutual goodwill and supported each 
other. The paper made the appraisal at a time when Lao National Assembly 
President Samane Vignaket is paying a goodwill visit to Myanmar which 
started on Friday at the invitation of Vice-Chairman of the State Peace 
and Development Council General Maung Aye. Recalling in its editorial 
that Myanmar and Laos respectively suffered over 100 and around 60 years 
under the colonial yoke, the paper said, both of the two countries are 
today free nations and are able to determine their own future, proudly 
protecting sovereignty from being challenged by anyone. 

"The two nations are able to exercise peaceful coexistence, making sure 
that no one would interfere in their internal affairs, and that mutual 
interests are served through mutual and reciprocal cooperation," the 
paper noted. The paper disclosed that since December 1990, Myanmar and 
Laos and have been cooperating in the field of drug abuse control, 
adding that the cooperation has been further consolidated in the signing 
of the memorandum of understanding among China, Laos, Myanmar and 
Thailand on October 26, 1993, in New York and the most recent at the 
Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Brunei. With the 
Mekong as common border, Myanmar and Laos started the demarcation of the 
boundary between the two countries since 1990 under the management of 
the Joint Boundary Commission and completed the drawing of the Agreement 
Relating to the Fixed Boundary between the two countries in the Mekong 
River, producing the Boundary Agreement. 

The paper hoped the current visit of Samane to Myanmar will be able to 
achieve consensus on points of mutual interest through exchange of views 
with the Myanmar side and it assured that the visit will contribute to 
the further cementing of ties.



















________________


The BurmaNet News is an Internet newspaper providing comprehensive 
coverage of news and opinion on Burma  (Myanmar) from around the world.  
If you see something on Burma, you can bring it to our attention by 
emailing it to strider@xxxxxxxxxxxx

To automatically subscribe to Burma's only free daily newspaper in 
English, send an email to:
burmanet-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To subscribe to The BurmaNet News in Burmese, send an email to:

burmanetburmese-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


You can also contact BurmaNet by fax:

(US) +1(413)604-9008




________________


Burma News Summaries available by email or the web

There are three Burma news digest services available via either email or 
the web.

Burma News Update
Frequency: Biweekly
Availability: By fax or the web.
Viewable online at 
http://www.burmaproject.org/burmanewsupdate/index.html
Cost: Free
Published by: Open Society Institute, Burma Project

The Burma Courier 
Frequency: Weekly 
Availability: E-mail, fax or post.  To subscribe or unsubscribe by email 
celsus@xxxxxxxxxxx
Viewable on line at: http://www.egroups.com/group/BurmaCourier
Cost: Free
Note: News sources are cited at the beginning of an article. 
Interpretive comments and background
details are often added.

Burma Today
Frequency: Weekly
Availability: E-mail
Viewable online at http://www.worldviewrights.org/pdburma/today.html
To subscribe, write to pdburma@xxxxxxxxx
Cost: Free
Published by: PD Burma (The International Network of Political Leaders 
Promoting Democracy in Burma)




________________

==^================================================================
This email was sent to: reg.burma@xxxxxxxxxx

EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://igc.topica.com/u/?b1dbSX.b1CGhI
Or send an email to: burmanet-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail!
http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register
==^================================================================