The regular Press Conference of the Myanmar Information Committee was held in the Conference Hall of the Defence Services Guest House on 16 Inya Road at 10 am this morning.

  
Maj-Gen Kyaw Win explains at the regular press conference with local and foreign correspondents.

Vice Chief of the Military Intelligence Maj-Gen Kyaw Win, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Information Brig-Gen Aung Thein, high-ranking military officers of the Ministry of Defence, government departments, responsible officials of the Ministry of Information and Myanmar News and Periodicals Department, U Sein Win of Kyodo News Agency, Patron of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club U Hla Htwe, Chairman U Sao Khai Hpa and members and invited guests attended the press conference.

Brig-Gen Than Tun Head of Department of the Ministry of Defence first gave a briefing on how young foreign women were being secretly conveyed to Maesai to be sold into the commercial sex trade.

 
Brig-Gen Than Tun explains at the regular press conference with local and foreign correspondents.

Young Foreign Women Sneaked into Maesai, Thailand, for Sexual Exploitation
The office of the UNESCO based in Thailand and the Asian Regional Education College in association, held a research seminar on “A Study and Examination of Trafficking of Young Women in the Myanmar-Thai Border Areas.” Coordinator of “Empower”, a group working to promote women’s rights, Ms. Suran Jan Thamp, told participants at this seminar that they had now managed to collect a lot of facts and figures regarding this matter and that many of the young victims had contacted their group, giving information and at the same time pleading for help. Some of young women were from Maesai Township Chiangrai District sought help because they had been sold for commercial sex purposes. According to these girls there were many such cases. Most of the women sold into sex slavery were young foreign women the majority of whom were Shan women and Chinese women from the Xixaonpanna region. These young women between the ages of 14 and 28 years, it is said, were stealthily brought in through many routes across the border to be sold into the sex trade. Most of them came across waterways, in cars or trucks by road or on foot through jungle trails. Each of them had to pay between baht 4000 to 5000 and this human trafficking is being operated along the border by certain groups consisting of government border officials in conspiracy with human traffickers and dealers in the commercial sex trade all of whom are involved in this illicit business.

The coordinator of the “Empower” group then informed the meeting that inquiries made with regard to Maesai Township alone yielded results which showed that 238 young women had been brought in from abroad for commercial sex exploitation all in the month of January 2002. The inquiries also showed clearly that government officials were involved. In one particular case 2 young Shan women from Kengtung had arrived via Tachilek to a house in Maesai where they were made to stay temporarily. Later two police officials took charge of the two Shan girls and saying they would find jobs for them in a restaurant in Chon Buri District took them away in the police car they came in. The girls said they were repeatedly raped by the two police officials along the entire journey till they reached Chon Buri. Then on arrival at Chon Buri the same two police officials sold them as commercial sex workers against their will. At present these two young women are working in a massage parlour in the Ratchada Phisek district of Bangkok.

Source:     The Chaingrai Monthly News Magazine, Volume 240, page 15, column 3, August 2002,
                 Chiangrai, Thailand.

It is indeed amazing that the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) and the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN), which fabricated and published the false report “Licence to Rape”, has the gall to keep silent with a complete news black-out of such a horrific state of affairs. The veracity of the Thai Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman is also questionable. Can it really be said that he had no information of such a state of affairs or was he merely pretending to be ignorant of it?

This person who is ostensibly the Chairman of the Thai Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Thai media have obviously colluded in a news black-out of the seminar held by the Thai-based UNESCO office in collaboration with the Asia Regional Educational College. Yet not only have they exaggerated the meaningless and entirely baseless report “Licence to Rape” but they are also said to be planning a translation of this false report into the Thai language. At a time when the leaders of Thailand including the Prime Minister and some other responsible officials are striving to promote good relations between the two countries how will it benefit Thailand and the Thai people if the Chairman of the Thai Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Thai media should keep on broadcasting such lies. Responsible officials of Thailand and the Thai people should reflect deeply on this matter. They should question whether such actions would contribute to friendship between the two countries and on whether such behaviour is befitting of a country that professes to be a good neighbour.

Next, Head of the Education Group of the Myanmar National Work Committee for Women’s Affairs gave a briefing on the field trip of the Myanmar National Work Committee for Women’s Affairs to Mon State and Kayin State and the work undertaken to promote the life of women in those regions. Dr. Daw Khin Win Shwe member of the Myanmar National Committee for Women’s Affairs and member of the Myanmar National Work Committee for Women’s Affairs headed the group on the field trip. A similar trip was undertaken to the Shan State as stated in a previous press briefing, in order to enhance the welfare of women in the region and to prevent them from becoming victims of human trafficking.

This time heads of work committee groups and members led by Dr. Daw Khin Win Shwe travelled to the Mon and Kayin States. The group left Yangon on 4 September and arrived in Mawlamying the same day. On 5 September the group visited Thanbyuzayat and Mudon in Mon State. The group then proceeded to Hpa-an Kayin State on 6 September and to Kawkareik on 7 September to undertake first hand field studies. The visiting work committee met with corresponding state and township level work committees and held discussions to co-ordinate work to be done with regard to women’s affairs. Members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other NGOs also attended these meetings. The topics widely discussed included the reorganization of the Myanmar National Committee for Women’s Affairs at different levels, the strategies and tactics for prevention of human trafficking, the prevention of violence against women and the protection and prevention of human trafficking in women and children. In addition to these meeting Dr. Daw Khin Win Shwe and members splitting up into 8 small groups visited village administrative circles and villages and held intimate talks not only with village-level women’s affairs committee members but also with other social welfare groups and villagers. These 8 small groups held frank and free discussions with Mon and Kayin women, and elders of the villages. It was learnt from these discussions that the Mon village women had little interest in going across the border to work in Thailand and that what they earned from their traditional vocation of weaving and agriculture was more than adequate, that economically they were self-sufficient. They were also found to be well - educated. Some of the Mon girls earned a monthly income of about K 40,000 from weaving. In the Kayin State however, there were those who went across the border to work in Thailand. Some girls, who mistakenly believed that they would be able to earn a better livelihood in Thailand, usually came back disillusioned with bitter experiences. They were usually oppressed and ill treated by the Thai Police or their employers; some were sexually molested and others sold off as commercial sex workers. So some of these girls escaped with great difficulty to return to their homeland. Most of the women in Kayin State are not economically well off nor are they educated and so had very little general knowledge of the world. The visiting Women’s Work Committee members therefore held co-ordination meetings with village-level groups to hold discussions and consultations on ways and means to uplift the life of Kayin women economically and socially and to provide them with education and knowledge. The Kayin State suffered and lagged behind in development due to the havoc and destruction wreaked by the KNU terrorists in the Kayin State. This lack of peace and stability in the Kayin State had greatly hampered economic and educational development. But, since peace now prevails in the region, there are many opportunities for regional development and this in turn will raise the standard of life for the women. For every effort made to promote the welfare of women in the region will pay handsome dividends.

The press conference then continued with Col. San Pwint, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Defence giving an account of how Myanmar nurtures goodwill towards its neighbour, Thailand even though some Thai people harbour ill – will towards Myanmar. These people have conspired with the narco-terrorists or the Thai media to continuously try to harass Myanmar with false allegations and fabricated news. Such behaviour does not characterize a good neighbour. Myanmar, on her part however, has been most forbearing and has refrained from retaliating against their transgressions. Some Thai people have tortured and sexually assaulted young Myanmar women, but we have not harmed any Thai girls. In fact, there is a case where we rendered every help and assistance.

On 17 July 2002, a Thai citizen by the name of Piyawun Khanuk, through the Thai military attaché in Myanmar, sent a message that his 9-year-old daughter Supri Dawin Sanuk, was in Hpa-an and that he wanted her to be returned. Inquiries were made and it was found that one Nwe Nwe Aye of Hpa-an had once worked in a garment factory in Bangkok and during this time had married a Thai citizen Piyawun Khanuk. The latter had a daughter by a previous marriage, Supri Dawun Sanuk. Ma Nwe Nwe Aye also had a child with Piyawun Khanuk, named Pwint Nadi. Nwe Nwe Aye who lived together with Supri Dawun Sanuk came to love the motherless little girl and the child also became attached to Nwe Nwe Aye, regarding her as a mother. So, at the beginning of July 2002 when Nwe Nwe Aye was about to return to Hpa-an, the little girl Supri Dawun Sanukh said she wished to go along with her stepmother. So, with her father’s permission she came to Hpa-an with her stepmother. Soon after arriving in Hpa-an, the father phoned Nwe Nwe Aye to send his daughter back. When we found out about how Nwe Nwe Aye was making arrangements to send her stepdaughter back, responsible officials gave her all the assistance needed and in the presence of authorities of both countries, the child Suprida was handed over to the Thai authorities at Myawaddy. On humanitarian grounds, we helped Ma Nwe Nwe Aye in her efforts to send Suprida back to her father. This incident will show that, even though the other party may be antagonistic and violate good relations we do not return evil but always behave, as good neighbour should.

Vice Chief of the Defence Services Intelligence Maj. Gen. Kyaw Win then gave a briefing on the Electrical Power/Energy Projects already implemented, and those currently being implemented and future projects to fully meet the demands for electrical power. He further added that the Government was fully aware of the hardship of the people concerning electrical power, hence the reason why it had made every endeavour to generate more electrical power. With all the resources at its disposal and without any assistance from any quarter whatsoever, it had been able to increase the generation of electrical power to 450 megawatts, from just over 60 megawatts that had been generated before 1988. The Government has always had to confront and find ways and means to overcome many difficulties and obstacles. But it is assured that by the year 2006 when the large and small hydroelectric power plants have all been completed they will be able to generate a total of 3000 megawatts approximately. In the meanwhile, by 2003-2004 when some of the large-scale hydroelectric power plants have been finished there will be an increase of over 500 megawatts of electrical power.

Then Vice-Chief of Military Intelligence Maj-Gen Kyaw Win, member of the Myanmar National Committee for Women’s Affairs Professor Daw Khin Aye Win, Director-General U Thaung Tun of the Political Affairs Department of the Foreign Ministry and Deputy-Director-General of the Hydro Electrical Power Department of the Ministry of Electrical Power U Aung Ko Shwe replied to questions raised by the correspondents present and the press conference came to an end at 11.15 am.