Burma Update

scmp - Saturday, April 23, 2005


REUTERS and AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Jakarta
Leaders of three-quarters of the world's population met in Indonesia yesterday in search of common ground for Africa and Asia on issues from terrorism to poverty, but old rivalries swiftly took centre stage.

From staunch allies of the US to fierce critics of western dominance of world affairs, presidents, kings and ministers from 100 countries, many of them among the world's poorest, arrived to a red-carpet welcome amid tight security.

"Asia-Africa is the missing link in the worldwide structure of inter-regional relations," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in opening remarks to the conference.

He also stressed the need for unity, evoking the message of the first Asia-Africa Conference 50 years ago in the Indonesian city of Bandung, where leaders sought to challenge the bipolar world of the cold war era. At that conference the developing world sought to assert itself for the first time, inspiring the Non-Aligned Movement.

Tackling graft, poverty and the spread of diseases such as HIV/Aids are high on the agenda of this year's meeting, alongside plans to close the gap between Asian and African countries and the developed world.

But diplomatic rows and old rivalries within Asia were expected to dominate the meeting, including the spat between economic giants China and Japan over Tokyo's second world war aggression, which has rocked the region.

The number two leaders of North and South Korea met briefly, their highest-level contact in five years, but they did not discuss Pyongyang's nuclear programme.

Military-ruled Myanmar's top general was also present but refused to discuss democratic reform despite growing pressure from other Southeast Asian nations.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe used his speech to ridicule the US as a "fascist international dictatorship", prompting nervous laughter from fellow leaders, many of whom are close allies of Washington.

"The unilateralism that looms over the world today is as dangerous as the threat of war," Mr Mugabe thundered.

"We now know that the greater threat comes from the United States' and Britain's weapons of mass deception," he said, referring to claims before the invasion of Iraq that Baghdad had stockpiled chemical and biological weapons.

Others warned that Asian and African hardship would exacerbate extremism at a time when militants continue to stage attacks against Washington's so-called war on terror and its operations in Iraq.

"The current preoccupation of the rich countries with counter-terrorism has diverted valuable resources from the development process," said Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, who is the present chair of the Non-Aligned Movement.

In his address to the summit, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan sought to sell his plans for the UN, which include a road map for how rich nations must work to eradicate poverty in poor countries, creating a "fairer, freer and safer" world.

scmp - Saturday, April 23, 2005


ASSOCIATED PRESS in Yangon
The junta has been forced to deny a suggestion by an international human rights group that it used chemical weapons in an attack on ethnic Karen rebels near the Thai border.

"Myanmar has no technology to produce any chemical weapon," Information Minister Brigadier-General Kyaw Hsann said.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) claims it has "circumstantial evidence" that Myanmese forces fired an artillery shell that emitted yellow smoke and a "highly irritating odour".

According to the CSW, the attack happened on February 15 at a Karen border post in Myanmar known as Nya My, about 10km west of Mae Hong Son, a town in the northwest of Thailand.

Karenni National People's Party secretary-general Rimond Htoo said five soldiers had been sent to hospital after they vomited blood. Two remained in hospital.

"Strong circumstantial evidence exists for the use of chemicals, particularly nerve agents, pulmonary agents and possibly blister agents," said the group's Martin Panter, a doctor who interviewed and examined the rebels.

But General Kyaw Hsann pointed out that Myanmar had signed an international treaty banning chemical weapons and said the military was not even fighting Karen rebels.

Meanwhile, Karen rebels attacked a convoy of trucks and buses on a highway in the south, killing eight people and wounding 15 others, the government said yesterday.

Friday, April 22, 2005


REUTERS in Jakarta
Yangon, under renewed pressure over its human rights record, said yesterday it would not discuss democratic reforms at a meeting of Asian and African leaders in Indonesia that will be attended by the junta's top general.

Foreign Minister Major-General Nyan Win also said the junta would not be pressured on whether it would take the leadership of Southeast Asia's main political grouping next year.

"We've come to discuss about the Afro-Asia commemorative summit. No need to discuss about the internal situation," he said.

The country's hardline leader, Senior General Than Shwe, was due to arrive in Jakarta yesterday for the inter-regional summit.

Myanmar has faced growing pressure not to chair the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) next year after others in the grouping said they were increasingly frustrated by Yangon's slow pace of reform and its treatment of political prisoners.

Asean foreign ministers sidestepped the issue at a gathering in the Philippines this month by postponing the decision over Myanmar's chairmanship.

The US and Europe have threatened not to attend any Asean meetings hosted by Myanmar. Washington has also said it might withhold funding to development projects in the region.

Asean's alphabetically-rotating chairmanship is currently held by Laos.

Singapore and several other Asean members have shown signs of impatience with Yangon's slow reform progress, in a rare breach of the group's long-held principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of members.

Analysts and diplomats in Yangon say General Than Shwe is expected to seek bilateral meetings with Asean counterparts on the sidelines of the summit to discuss the issue of the chairmanship.

smp - Friday, April 15, 2005


AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Kuala Lumpur
The UN is "very disappointed" with Myanmar's failure to implement democratic reforms and release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the world body's special representative, Razali Ismail, said yesterday.

Mr Razali, who has not been allowed into Myanmar for a year, said there was "no indication whatsoever of when [Aung San Suu Kyi] will be released".

Asked whether the UN was losing hope, he replied: "The UN is very disappointed."

However, Mr Razali said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations should be given some credit for its efforts to press Myanmar's junta to implement reforms.

"Asean has its ways, I'm sure they will work out something," he said.

"Give some credit to Asean."

At a meeting in the Philippines on Monday, Asean foreign ministers failed to reach a consensus on the issue of Myanmar's chairmanship of the group next year, but told the military-ruled state to push forward with democratic reforms.

There were "frank and open" discussions about Myanmar's alleged human rights abuses and its continued detention of Ms Suu Kyi, officials said.

But Asean ministers were reluctant to strip Myanmar of the alphabetically rotating chairmanship because it could set a "very dangerous and bad precedent", said Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo Yong-boon.

The issue of Myanmar's chairmanship has exposed divisions in the 10-member bloc, with older members such as the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia demanding real democratic change in the military-ruled country.

Newer members such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos have taken a more supportive stand, some invoking Asean's long-held tradition of consensus building and non-interference in the affairs of its members.

Mr Razali acknowledged that whatever tactics were adopted, swaying the junta would not be easy. "One thing I know of the military government of Myanmar is that once they have made up their mind, they maintain their position," he said.

"It'll take a lot of effort on anybody's part to make inroads."