BurmaNet News: November 29, 2001

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______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
          November 29, 2001   Issue # 1928
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________


INSIDE BURMA _______
*Reuters: Myanmar opposition urges release of more prisoners
*The Irrawaddy: The War on Kachin Forests

MONEY _______
*Xinhua: Thai Trade Exhibition Opens in Myanmar
*Narinjara News: Dhaka, Yangon for strong sub-regional cooperation 

GUNS______
*NCGUB Newsdesk: Restructuring the Military
*Independent Mon News Agency: SPDC?s IB No. 62 burnt down a Karen 
village near Thailand border 

DRUGS______
*AP: Police seize heroin destined for Canada, arrest six 

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*Far Eastern Economic Review: UN Dreams For Burma
*AFP: UN Envoy Meets Aung San Suu Kyi, Expects 'Tangible Results by 
2002'
*Xinhua: Myanmar Hosts Mekong Ministerial Conference




					
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________




Reuters: Myanmar opposition urges release of more prisoners


YANGON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Myanmar's pro-democracy opposition said on 
Thursday year-old reconciliation talks with the ruling military were 
still at the ``confidence-building stage'' because of the number of 
political prisoners still behind bars. 
 National League for Democracy (NLD) secretary U Lwin made the comment 
after a two-hour meeting between party leader Aung San Suu Kyi -- held 
under de facto house arrest by the military for more than a year -- and 
a special United Nations envoy mediating the talks. 
 ``We must have patience,'' U Lwin told reporters in answer to questions 
about progress in the secretive talks, which began in October last year. 


 ``The talks are still at the confidence-building stage because there 
are many prisoners still waiting to be released,'' he said. 

 According to Amnesty International, more than 1,500 political prisoners 
are still in Myanmar's jails. 

 Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate who led the NLD to victory in parliamentary 
elections in 1990, and U.N. special envoy Ismail Razali were 
tight-lipped after their meeting. 

 Razali on Wednesday said he remained ``optimistic'' the talks were 
progressing after meeting with the ruling State Peace and Development 
Council's powerful Secretary 1 and military intelligence chief, Khin 
Nyunt. 

 Razali arrived in Yangon on Tuesday amid signs of growing frustration 
among opposition and ethnic minority groups with the talks. 

 Critics say the military has shown no sign of loosening its grip on 
power, which it has held in different guises since a coup in 1962. 

 Although restrictions remain on Suu Kyi's movements, the military says 
it has made several concessions to the opposition since talks began, 
including the release of about 200 imprisoned opposition politicians and 
the reopening of many NLD offices. 

 Leaders of Myanmar's main ethnic minorities said on Wednesday that 
Razali had told them he was aware the reconciliation talks needed more 
urgency. 

 Ethnic minority leaders said they had also asked Razali to put pressure 
on the military government to release more political prisoners and allow 
political parties to function more freely. 

 (With additional reporting by Dan Eaton in Bangkok) 









___________________________________________________




___________________________________________________





The Irrawaddy: The War on Kachin Forests


Vol 9. No. 8, October -November 2001




One of the world?s "biodiversity hotspots" is under siege, as a growing 
number of business interests seek to cash in the "peace" in northern 
Burma?s Kachin State.



by John S. Moncreif and Htun Myat/Kunming

A project is in progress to build a number of roads in Kachin State in 
return for huge logging concessions. While improving and expanding the 
infrastructure in Kachin State is much needed, the impact of this deal 
on the environment could prove to be disastrous.

A recent agreement involves the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), 
the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K), the State Peace and Development 
Council (SPDC) and a Chinese construction company. The middleman in the 
deal is the Kachin Jadeland company, owned by Kachin businessmen Yup Zau 
Hkawng. The agreement stipulates that the Chinese company will build 
roads leading from Myitkyina to Sumprabum and, eventually, Putao, from 
Myitkyina to Bhamo, and from Wai Maw (near Myitkyina) to the Chinese 
border near Kampaiti.

In return for building these roads, the Kachin Jadeland company and the 
Chinese company have been given huge logging concessions deep in Kachin 
State. There are two concession areas, one located between the Mali Hka 
and the N?mai Hka rivers (the whole triangle-shaped area), and the other 
one between the railway line from Myitkyina to Mandalay to the road 
leading from Myitkyina to Bhamo. This area is in the heart of the Kachin 
State and has never been subject to large-scale logging. This project is 
the most massive logging effort ever undertaken in Burma, according to 
one observer. 

But, according to a source, the deal with the Chinese construction 
company has been terminated and Yup Zau Hkawng is negotiating with a 
Malaysian-Chinese company to do the job. Another Kachin source confirms 
that companies from China, Malaysia and Hong Kong are working on the 
road from Wai Maw to the Chinese border. Despite the confusion over the 
partner company it looks as if Yup Zau Hkawng will go ahead with the 
plan.

Yup Zau Hkawng is an influential businessman with close connections to 
the new KIO leadership as well as the SPDC. Since a shakeup in the KIO 
leadership last February, Col N?Ban La has assumed the position of 
vice-chief of staff of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the armed 
wing of the KIO. He along with his underlings Lt-Col N?Sang La Awng (aka 
Aung Wa), chief of the "national council", and Lt-Col Lahpai Zau Tang, 
2nd Brigade commander in Tanai, are on Yup Zau Khawng?s payroll, 
according to a Kachin source. Yup Zau Hkawng, in turn, is also paying 
off the SPDC Northern Commander, Maj-Gen Kyaw Win, the source added.

 
A map of the Northern Kachin State shows a series of trees marking the 
proposed logging sites as well as a group of planned roads.  

Continued logging in Burma threatens one of mainland Southeast Asia?s 
most forested regions as Burma contains half the forest in the region. 
In the last thirteen years, Burma?s border with Thailand has been 
heavily logged. Concessions granted to Thai logging firms have left 
areas in the Shan, Karenni, and Karen States without any significant 
forests. This leaves the Chindwin Valley in Sagaing Division and the 
Kachin State as one of the few remaining undisturbed forests in Burma. 
The effect of these concessions will be devastating for the environment, 
says one Thai-based environmentalist.

Further concessions endanger one of the world?s remaining sources of 
biodiversity. The Kachin State is part of the Indo-Burmese region listed 
by Dr. Norman Myers, an ecologist based at Oxford University?s Green 
College in England, as one of the eight "hottest hotspots for 
biodiversity" in the world. The hotspots are sites containing the 
greatest concentration of endemic species that are also experiencing 
exceptional loss of habitat. 

The replacement of biodiversity is difficult unless the same species are 
being restored. But reforestation projects in the Kachin State are 
virtually non-existent. A side from the rich flora, fauna such as deer, 
thakin, snakes, birds, monkeys, bears, and tigers are threatened by 
logging in Kachin State. Several species in the Kachin State have never 
been recorded, and the destruction of habitat looks to make this 
difficult.

A 1998 report by the World Resources Institute, an environmental 
watch-dog organization, noted that extensive deforestation had already 
caused massive soil erosion, sedimentation of rivers, increased flooding 
and acute dry season water shortages in some areas. Further logging 
looks to intensify the severity of these problems. And the destruction 
of forests in this area along the headwaters of the Irrawaddy River will 
not only damage the environment but will also have a grave impact on the 
livelihood of people downstream. Increased flooding endangers rice 
paddies along the Irrawaddy as well as riverine fisheries.

According to one Burma watcher, the terms of the new concession call for 
the selective felling of large/mature trees only. However, the logistics 
involved in monitoring the areas and the high profits at stake make 
proper enforcement a daunting task. Reports that mining concessions will 
follow the logging have also alarmed environmentalists, as mining would 
further degrade the land. According to the Burma watcher, the logging 
concession could be extended all the way to the Indian border.

One analyst estimates that the logging could go on for five to ten years 
before running out of trees. But the rate of extraction hinges on access 
to roads that are often washed out during the rainy season and made 
impassable due to icing over in the cold season. The new road 
construction projects are upgrading paths to third-grade roads to be 
able to handle vehicles such as logging trucks. The construction costs 
of the roads are expensive at 600,000 yuan (approximately US $70, 500) a 
mile. 

Logging has been underway in Kachin State for over ten years. Heavy 
logging has already taken place on the east side of the Nmai Kha River 
down to Sinbo and Bhamo, which includes the former Communist Party of 
Burma War Zone Area 101, under the control of the NDA-K. Reports from 
the region indicate that loggers have clear-cut the area.

The flow of logs from these earlier concessions has fueled the growth of 
a thriving border trade in timber. Logging companies have built a 
network of roads running from China over high mountain passes to extract 
the timber from a strip of land along the Kachin State?s border with 
China. The roads lead to a string of logging towns?Ruili, Yingjiang, 
Tenchong, Fugong, Hpimaw, and Panwa. In Hpimaw alone, there are an 
estimated seventy sawmills. A recent visitor to Pawnwa, a border town in 
Yunnan, reported a steady flow of logging trucks coming across the 
Chinese border from Burma. From these border crossings, the wood is 
shipped to nearby Kunming and as far away as Guangdong (Canton). 

China?s appetite for wood is big and growing, particularly in Yunnan 
province, home to almost 40 million people, where the GDP has grown an 
estimated 7-10 percent over the last few years. The boom in Yunnan 
Province?s construction sector has created a demand for Burmese wood. 
The logs coming from Burma are used in buildings, doors, window frames, 
high-quality furniture, flooring, and household objects. In Hpimaw, wood 
is being made into crude chopping boards.

China?s supply of wood decreased when the Chinese government implemented 
a logging ban for twelve provinces in 1998 after severe flooding in the 
upper Yangtze Valley. In 2000, six provinces were added to the list. 
Since the ban, China has become the world?s second largest wood importer 
behind the US. The prohibition has left hundreds of thousands of Chinese 
loggers without jobs. Kachin State logging provided employment for a few 
thousand loggers in each of the towns along the border. The new 
concessions, however, look to provide more jobs for Chinese loggers.

This year marks the 7th anniversary of the KIO?s ceasefire agreement 
with Rangoon. Unlike the NKA-K and Kachin Democratic Army (KDA), the KIO 
has not "returned to the legal fold". The KIO says it aims to settle its 
political conflicts with Rangoon at the negotiation table by political 
means. The SPDC has told the KIO that it is only a military transitional 
government and is therefore not entitled to make any political 
agreements. It has told the KIO to wait until the National Convention 
has drawn up a new constitution, and a new government is formed. 

The ceasefire has brought an end to the bloodshed in Kachin State. Years 
of civil war have had a huge impact on the population. Civilians can now 
travel more freely and farmers no longer fear being shot at while 
working in their fields. During the fighting, communities either fled to 
the cities and larger towns for safety, or spread in small groups and 
moved deeper into the jungle-clad hills and mountains. "Before the 
ceasefire, we were running and hiding in the forest and our villages and 
livestock were destroyed," says a Kachin source. "Now people can think 
about their future again, they can settle in one village for a long 
time, and plan their farming activities for the future. People can also 
benefit from more healthcare facilities; that is very important." 

Kachin State is a very underdeveloped area. Many communities live in 
very isolated and remote areas, and lack of transportation and 
communication facilities present huge obstacles in the development of 
the area, despite the fact that Kachin State is rich in natural 
resources. During the civil war, all parties involved relied heavily on 
the extraction of natural resources to finance their struggle. These 
resources include teak, jade and gold. After the armed opposition groups 
signed ceasefire agreements with the authorities in Rangoon, and the 
scale and pace of environmental destruction in Kachin State has 
increased dramatically. 

After the ceasefire, the organization lost control of the Hpa-kan jade 
mines, which provided most of its income. Now firms from China, Hong 
Kong and Singapore are mining there under concessions granted by 
Rangoon. The main income from the KIO comes from logging. "Our KIO 
leaders know that it is not good, but it is the only way to get income," 
says the Kachin source. "Our forest will be empty, and our natural 
resources will be destroyed. That is the bad side of the ceasefire."

According to the terms the concessions, Kachin Jadeland and the Chinese 
company will be able to sell the concessions to subcontractors and reap 
huge profits. "Some people will benefit in the short term, but in the 
long term everyone loses," says one Thai-based foreign analyst. 

Within the KIO, complaints are rising that after the ceasefire was 
signed there has been no real political progress. Some KIO leaders admit 
that people are getting impatient. Part of the problem, they say, is 
that since the beginning of the revolution the leaders have ruled the 
organization in a military way. Now the fighting has stopped, but the 
leaders have not been able to adapt to the new situation and change 
their ruling style. This rigidity has caused resentment among younger 
leaders in the KIO. 

The same people in the KIO point out that the lack of political progress 
is a nation-wide problem, and that the bottleneck is in Rangoon and not 
in Pajau, the KIO?s headquarters. Says a Kachin observer in China: "The 
SPDC has not been able to finish the National Convention, and has not 
been able to make any agreement with Aung San Suu Kyi, so it is out of 
the question that they can settle the ethnic nationalities question." 

KIO sources also point out that after the ceasefire the Burmese army has 
dramatically increased the number of its battalions in Kachin State. "If 
the SPDC want peace, and aims to settle the political problems through 
negotiations, why are they bringing more and more soldiers to our land?" 
asked a Kachin man from Myitkyina. 

"This is called border development but in reality they are destroying 
the whole environment," a Kachin in his 50s said. 

Additional reporting was contributed by Irrawaddy editor Aung Zaw. 











______________________MONEY________________________






Xinhua: Thai Trade Exhibition Opens in Myanmar

YANGON, November 29 (Xinhua) -- The fourth Thai trade exhibition opened 
here Thursday, aimed at promoting export of Thai products to Myanmar and 
enhancing the development of the two countries' economic and trade 
cooperation. The four-day Thailand Exhibition 2001, organized by the 
Department of Export Promotion of the Thai Commerce Ministry ( DEPTCM) 
in cooperation with its Myanmar counterpart, is the fourth of its kind 
held in this country. 

The exhibition features export products from 127 prominent Thai 
manufacturing and exporting companies covering auto parts and 
accessories, vehicles, chemical products, construction material and 
hardware, cosmetic, electrical products, food, garment and textile 
products and machinery. According to the organizer, the DEPTCM plans to 
hold such trade exhibition twice a year in Myanmar starting 2002. The 
first, second and third Thai trade exhibitions were respectively held in 
Yangon in December 1998, 1999 and 2000. Official statistics show that 
Myanmar-Thai bilateral trade, including the border trade, amounted to 
648.89 million U.S. dollars in the first eight months of this year, 
accounting for 17. 69 percent of Myanmar's total foreign trade. Thailand 
stands as the country's second largest trading partner only after 
Singapore. 






___________________________________________________



Narinjara News: Dhaka, Yangon for strong sub-regional cooperation 


28/11/2001



Bangladesh and Myanmar Tuesday underscored the need for strengthening 
sub-regional economic cooperation with a view to harnessing the economic 
benefit for the peoples of the two countries. This was stated when 
Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh U Ohn Thwin mad a  courtesy call on 
Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan at his office here, official sources 
said. During the meeting, the entire gamut of bilateral relations 
between Bangladesh and Myanmar was discussed.  They observed the two 
neighbouring countries share common bonds of history and culture dating 
back to ancient times and there also exists tremendous potentials to 
increase the economic cooperation and volume of trade between the two 
countries. Khan particularly laid emphasis on joint cooperation in the 
area of agro-based and dry-fruit processing industries and technical 
centre for humans resources development of both the countries with the 
possible assistance of the EU and Japan. 

They also agreed on exploring the possibility of extending airline 
between Beijing-Kuming-Yangon-Chittagong and construction of Asian 
Highway, which will further contribute to economic, commercial and 
infrastructure development between the two countries. Regarding Rohingya 
refugee problem, the foreign minister hoped that it could be solved 
through mutual understanding and cooperation. The minister conveyed his 
felicitations and regards to the Senior General Than Shwe, Chairman, 
State Peace and Development  Council and Prime Minister of Myanmar and 
reciprocated the sentiments of his Myanmar counterpart. Director-General 
of South East Asia Golam Muhammed was also present.  

sources  BSS, Dhaka 

_______________________GUNS________________________





NCGUB Newsdesk: Restructuring the Military



National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma

 November 26, 2001

The international media have widely been reporting about the shakeup in 
the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the military hierarchy, 
and the Cabinet.  The SPDC has announced appointments to the vacant 
ministerial posts.  However, the generals are dragging  their  feet in 
announcing the makeup of the new SPDC or the changes in the regional 
commands.  (Changes in the Cabinet and regional commands reported in the 
NewsDesk of 12 November). 
Maj Gen Kyaw Win, deputy chief of intelligence, in his recent press 
conference, confirmed that 10 regional commanders had been brought from 
outlying areas to Rangoon to fill higher military posts, some left 
vacant by the recent sackings. 

He said the SPDC was "bringing in younger and more active military 
officers."  AFP reporting the press conference, quoted Maj Gen Kyaw Win 
as saying, "The regional commander (posts) will be filled up by 
commanders of army divisions." 

Despite Kyaw Win's statement, no announcement has been made about the 
appointment of younger officers to the regional commands.  From the 
state-run Burmese press reports, it appears that the promoted commanders 
are still in charge of the regional commands and they will continue to 
be so until their successors are announced. 

The only announcement by SPDC concerning military appointments has been 
the naming of Maj. (Lt) Gen Thein Sein as the new Adjutant General 
replacing the number four man in the SPDC, Lt Gen Win Myint, and Maj 
(Lt) Gen Tin Aung Myin Oo as the new Quartermaster General taking over 
the place of Lt Gen Tin Hla.  (The Quartermaster General's Office wields 
more clout over military units since it controls military supplies, 
fuel, vehicles, and other military unit needs whereas the Adjutant 
General Office only deals with personal matters of individual soldiers, 
controlling their leaves, travels, health benefits, and so forth) 

What The Changes Mean

The Tokyo-based Burma Survey & Research (BSR) team says that former 
regional commanders promoted and transferred to Defense Ministry 
positions, some as commanders of the newly formed Army Groups have all 
been promoted as lieutenant generals.  They are, however, still referred 
to as major generals and will officially become lieutenant generals once 
they complete their 12-month officiating period. 

The significant development is that these promoted generals will 
continue to be members of the SPDC and when new regional commanders are 
appointed the new commanders will not have any say in the SPDC. 

The move initiated by the top leaders in the SPDC is aimed at depriving 
the new regional military commanders of decision-making powers at the 
national level. 

Bureau of Special Operations

The commander of the Bureau of Special Operations (BSO) is the most 
powerful post under the Commander-In-Chief of Army because he controls 
all Army operations, regional military commands, light infantry 
divisions, military operations commands, regional operation commands, 
and artillery/armored operations commands. 

SPDC has not appointed a new BSO Commander so far and by all 
appearances, there will not be one.  BSO Commander's duties will most 
likely be shared among the newly created Army Group Commands.  The four 
generals tipped to become Army Group Commanders (Tat-Taw-Suu-Hmuu) are: 

(1) Maj. (Lt.) Gen. Kyaw Win (Commander of Northern Command, Myitkyina) 
(2) Maj. (Lt.) Gen. Maung Bo (Commander of Eastern Command, Taunggyi)  
(3) Maj. (Lt.) Gen. Aung Htwe (Commander of Western Command) (4) Maj. 
(Lt.) Gen. Soe Win (Commander of Northwest Command, Monywa) (Rangoon 
[press confirms that he is now attached to the Defense Ministry) 
At the time of the helicopter crash that killed him, Lt. Gen. Tin Oo had 
two important positions in the Army--Chief of Staff of the Army and 
Commander of the BSO. 

The position of the Chief of Staff (Army), according to BSR, will most 
likely go to Maj. (Lt.) Gen. Ye Myint (former Commander of Central 
Command, Mandalay) and Maj (Lt.) Gen. Thura Shwe Mann (Commander of 
Southwest Command, Bassein) will become the newly created position of 
Joint Chief of Staff (Army-Navy-Air Force). 

The Army is the most powerful branch of the Defense Services in Burma 
and Maj (Lt) Gen Shwe Mann's new position places him as the third most 
powerful officer in the combat wing after Senior General Than Shwe and 
the Commander-in-Chief of Army, Gen. Maung Aye.  NewsDesk of 12 November 
reported that Maj (Lt) Gen Shwe Mann might replace Gen Maung Aye as the 
Commander in Chief of Army and that has not happened so far. 

The new SPDC lineup

The country's decision-making powers now rest in the hands of a troika 
of generals--Senior General Than Shwe, head of the SPDC, General Maung 
Aye, SPDC vice chairman, and Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, SPDC 
secretary.   

Lt Gen Khin Nyunt is also the only secretary left in the SPDC.  Deputy 
Chief of Intelligence Kyaw Win said at the press conference that the 
Secretary-2 post once held by late Lieutenant-General Tin Oo and the 
Secretary-3 post held by Lieutenant-General Win Myint "will not be 
filled". 

The list below is the new SPDC lineup and their expected ranks in the 
Defense Services: 
Chairman Senior Gen. Than Shwe, Commander-In-Chief (Defense Services) 
Vice Chairman Gen. Maung Aye, Vice Commander-In-Chief (Defense Services) 
Secretary Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, Director General, Defense Services 
Intelligence Bureau 

Members 

Maj (Lt) Gen. Thura Shwe Mann, Joint Chief of Staff (Army-Navy-Air 
Force) Maj (Lt) Thein Sein, Adjutant General
Maj (Lt) Gen. Tin Aung Myin Oo, Quarter Master General
Maj (Lt) Gen. Ye Myint, Chief of Staff (Army)
Maj (Lt) Gen. Tin Aye, Military Training General
Maj (Lt) Gen. Khin Maung Than, Commander of Rangoon Military Command Maj 
(Lt) Gen. Aung Htwe, Army Group Commander
Maj (Lt) Gen. Kyaw Win, Army Group Commander
Maj (Lt) Gen. Maung Bo, Army Group Commander
Maj (Lt) Gen. Soe Win, Army Group Commander

The Intelligence Wing 

The general that gained the most from the latest round of shakeup would 
be Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt.  He is now a full officiating general, 
and significantly, the Director General of the Defense Services 
Intelligence Bureau (DSIB). 

The Office of Strategic Studies and the Directorate of Defense Services 
Intelligence have been merged to form the DSIB with seven departments 
under it--(1) Administration, (2) Foreign Affairs, (3) Counter 
Intelligence, (4) Internal Security, (5) Border Areas, (6) Computer 
Section, and (7) Training. 

Top-level intelligence officers in these departments have also received 
promotions. 
What that could mean is that Burma's military which has had three major 
branches--Army, Navy, and Air Force--may now have four--Army, Navy, Air 
Force and Intelligence.   

According to the previous military structure, the DDSI was under the 
Office of Strategic Studies (also under Khin Nyunt), which reports to 
the Office of the Commander-In-Chief of Army.  Under the new structure, 
the intelligence wing would become an independent branch and under full 
control of Khin Nyunt. 



___________________________________________________




Independent Mon News Agency: SPDC?s IB No. 62 burnt down a Karen village 
near Thailand border 

(IMNA)

Date: November 27, 2001


In the morning of November 27, 2001, about 120 troops from Burmese 
Army?s IB No. 62 led by Lt. Col. Wai Tun burnt down 32 houses in a Karen 
village called Htee-wah-doe, which situates about 5 kilometers from 
Thailand border of Sangkhlaburi District and about 800 villagers fled 
into nearest Mon village, Halockhani and displaced, according escaped 
villagers.  

The troops of Burmese Army from IB No. 62 came into this village with 
accusation it was rebel base, and has taken base there since October 25, 
to find out the KNLA troops and a recent Mon splinter troops led by Col. 
Pan Nyunt in and around the village. After they could not find any rebel 
soldiers, the commander ordered his men to burn down this village 
according to villagers.  
Some 500 villagers who feared the arrest and torture by the Burmese 
soldiers already fled into Halockhani Mon village before the Burmese 
army arrived into village. After the Burmese army burnt down their 
village, all 300 remaining villagers fled to Halockhani to seek haven 
under New Mon State Party (NMSP) protection. The IB No. 62 commander 
also said they would come back to the village again to check the rebel 
troops? activities. Thus, over 800 villagers who feared for further 
abuses moved into Halockhani resettlement site and now they are 
displacing under make-shift shelters. 

During the troops were in the village, they stole villagers? belongings 
and took livestock, such as pigs, chicken and ducks, according to 
villagers. Now, while they are displacing, a Mon relief organization, 
Mon Relief and Development Committee, provides them with food supplies.  


Halockhani resettlement site is just right on border of Thailand and 
Burma, but situates in Burma and resettled the Mon refugees who were 
spontaneously during NMSP-SPDC ceasefire. Htee-wah-doe village was 
established with displaced villagers, who fled from mostly Kya Inn 
Seikyi Township of Karen State after 1997 dry season offensives launched 
by Burmese Army.  







________________________DRUGS______________________





AP: Police seize heroin destined for Canada, arrest six 


BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Police said Thursday they seized 12.8 kilograms 
(28 pounds) of heroin destined for Canada from an apartment in Bangkok, 
and arrested six members of a trafficking ring including two foreigners. 


 Three men were arrested from the apartment and the other members of the 
gang _ two men and a woman _ were arrested on the street Wednesday, 
police Lt. Gen. Priewpan Damapong said. 

 He said police had watched the group for some time before posing as 
prospective buyers to strike a deal, which led to the street arrest of 
Chang Ling Wang, 25, Chakrit Chan, 23 and Nalae Muser, a 20-year-old 
woman. All belonged to an ethnic hilltribe group in northern Thailand. 

 The three suspects led the police to the apartment where the remaining 
three people were arrested -- Somsri Jasri, 31, a Thai, Wichai Wong, 30, 
from Myanmar and Wang Huei Po, 25, a Chinese. 

 If found guilty they face the maximum death penalty. 

 Priewpan said the mastermind, a Taiwanese with a network in North 
America, remains at large. The suspects told the police that they 
planned to send the heroin to Canada. The gang also sold 
methamphetamines, he said. 

 Police confiscated three cars and six mobile phones from the suspects. 

 Also Wednesday, police arrested three other ethnic hill tribesmen for 
possession of 100,000 methamphetamine tablets in Chiang Rai, 680 
kilometers (422 miles) north of Bangkok. 

 They were charged with possession of illegal drugs for purposes of 
sale, possession of an unregistered gun, attempt to obstruct police work 
and attempt to kill policemen. They also face the maximum death penalty 
if found guilty.

 







___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________



Far Eastern Economic Review: UN Dreams For Burma


FEER, Issue cover-dated November 29, 2001

    While talks between Burma's ruling generals and pro-democracy leader 
Aung San Suu Kyi seem stalled, the United Nations' proposed solution for 
national reconciliation is becoming clearer. The world body is backing a 
transition to democracy that would result in UN-monitored elections five 
years after any agreement is signed, according to a Rangoon-based source 
close to the UN special envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail.

    The proposed deal has the military receiving an allotted number of 
seats in an elected parliament which would also be contested by a 
political party formed by the junta, most probably led by the regime's 
first secretary, Lt.-Gen. Khin Nyunt. Whether or not the process ever 
gets that far is increasingly uncertain--Khin Nyunt seems to be losing 
out in a power struggle with army chief Gen.        

 Maung Aye. (See article on page 29). Under the UN plan, regime members 
would also be granted amnesty from lawsuits aimed at past human rights 
abuses. Suu Kyi wants a better deal, says the source, adding that 
progress on the talks has come to a halt and the two sides have not met 
formally since May. Even so, the junta remains upbeat about the process, 
apparently in an effort to attract more foreign aid to Burma.

    The UN is obliging, dangling more carrots for a deal as donors iron 
out the details of a $16 million HIV/Aids prevention programme for 
Burma. 
		



__________________________________________________


		



AFP: UN Envoy Meets Aung San Suu Kyi, Expects 'Tangible Results by 2002'




YANGON, Nov 29 (AFP) -- UN envoy to Myanmar Razali Ismail met democracy 
leader Aung San Suu Kyi Thursday as he attempted to speed up the pace of 
reconciliation between the opposition and ruling junta. The Malaysian 
diplomat entered the lakeside villa of the National League for Democracy 
(NLD) leader at about 11:00 am (0430 GMT) and stayed for two hours, a 
source in Yangon said. Razali was expected to meet with her for a second 
time, possibly on December 2, the source added. He would leave on 
December 3, cutting short his trip by one day, the UN confirmed. 

There have also been unconfirmed reports that Razali is planning a trip 
to Shan state in the north on Friday, a public holiday in Myanmar. The 
envoy is on his sixth visit to the military-ruled country where Aung San 
Suu Kyi has been held under loose house arrest since September 2000. 
Historic talks between the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the State 
Peace and Development Council (SPDC) began in October 2000 but progress 
seems to have stalled in the past few months, according to local 
diplomats. 

Razali met with the ruling SPDC's First Secretary Lieutenant General 
Khin Nyunt, Yangon's point man in the talks, on Wednesday and top aides 
to Aung San Suu Kyi earlier in the day, sources said. The talks have 
always been held in the strictest of secrecy, but on Tuesday Razali 
appeared a little less tight-lipped than usual. He spoke for the first 
time of a time-table for progress in the reconciliation talks, and even 
went so far as to say he expected to see "tangible results by 2002." 

His optimism was echoed by NLD spokesman U Lwin who described 
Wednesday's meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi's elderly deputies as "very 
useful" and one that "evoked a very encouraging result." Aung San Suu 
Kyi's NLD won a landslide election in 1990 but the results have never 
been recognised by the junta. Razali is expected to meet later in the 
day with Home Minister Tin Hlaing and the new Minister for Labour Tin 
Win. 
[



___________________________________________________






Xinhua: Myanmar Hosts Mekong Ministerial Conference


YANGON, November 29 (Xinhua) -- The 10th Ministerial Conference on 
Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation opened here 
Thursday, participated by ministers of the six Mekong riparian countries 
-- Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The one-day 
conference, which is also attended by representatives of the Asian 
Development Bank (ADB), donor countries including Japan, and U.N. 
agencies, will mainly discuss development strategies for the next decade 
including projects on poverty alleviation, human resources development 
and economic development. Speaking at the opening of the conference, 
First Secretary of the Myanmar State Peace and Development Council 
Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt warned that the current global economic 
slowdown is posing new challenges to the individual nations as well as 
to the GMS. 

"Even as each of us try to cope with these challenges, it also becomes 
imperative that economic cooperation in the region should be 
intensified," the Myanmar leader stressed. Recognizing that investment 
of multilateral and bilateral agencies as well as the private sectors in 
funding identified projects was vital, he said the various yearly 
conferences and ad hoc meetings helped foster dialogue and understanding 
among the six countries and continued participation of aid agencies and 
donor countries in its implementation. He pledged that Myanmar will 
continue to participate in GMS programs to the best of its abilities. 

At the conference, ADB Vice-President (West) Myoung-Ho Shin said the 
September 11 terrorist attacks have worsen an already weak world 
economic outlook, causing downward revisions to growth forecasts. He 
stressed the importance for GMS countries to work together to benefit 
from each other's strengths. Myoung-Ho Shin noted that ADB is optimistic 
about the long-term growth prospects for the subregion, adding, however, 
that there is no room for complacency in these difficult and challenging 
times. Pointing out that the conference is designed to help the GMS 
address these issues and challenges, the ADB vice-president said the 
agenda includes consideration and adoption of a 10-year strategic 
framework for the GMS Program. He also pointed out that the proposed 
framework for the coming decade is more inclusive not only in terms of 
sectors and issues covered, but also in terms of partnership with all 
stakeholders. 

Myoung-Ho Shin disclosed that ADB loan assistance to date for the 10 
major infrastructure projects totals 772 million U.S. dollars, adding 
that co-financing by GMS development partners has pushed financing 
support to over one billion dollars with technical assistance amounting 
to over 40 million dollars. He further pointed out that initiatives of 
the draft strategic framework require some 950 million dollars in loan 
and technical assistance for 2002-04. 

Noting that the implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and a 
new round of WTO (World Trade Organization) negotiations strengthen the 
need for regional cooperation, he went on to say that "the GMS program 
can make a significant contribution to ensuring all member countries are 
on a level playing field." The GMS Economic Cooperation was initiated by 
the ADB in 1992 to bring together countries along Mekong River and chart 
the road map for peace and progress in the subregion. Since then, over a 
hundred projects for the six countries were identified and the much 
needed projects software was drawn up. However, in the first decade, not 
many of the projects could be implemented due to financing constraints, 
indicating that the gradual buildup is occurring in the next decade. 

The 9th Ministerial Conference of the GMS Economic Cooperation was held 
in Manila, the Philippines, in January 2000.













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