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Failed attempts to
commit acts of terrorism by dispatching letter bombs to Myanmar embassies in
Tokyo, Japan, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
A Press Conference was held with local and foreign news correspondents at the Defence Services Guest House on Inya Road on 31 October 2002. The briefing given was on the following: - Failed attempts to commit acts of terrorism by dispatching letter bombs to Myanmar embassies in Tokyo, Japan, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. - Thai citizens shoot and kill Myanmar citizens from Thai territory in the Myanmar-Thai border areas. - The New Destiny Project to totally eliminate poppy cultivation from Myanmar soil.
The press conference was attended by Vice-Chief of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Kyaw Win, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs U Khin Maung Win, Deputy Minister of Information Brig. Gen. Aung Thein and high-ranking military and government officials, as well as U Sein Win of the Kyodo News Agency, Patron of the Myanmar Foreign Correspondents’ Club U Hla Htwe, President, U Sao Khai Hpa and other local and foreign news correspondents. Deputy Head of Department Colonel Tin Oo officiated as Master of Ceremonies. First Colonel Nyan Lin, General Staff Officer Grade 1 of the Ministry of Defence gave an account of how letter bombs were sent to the Myanmar embassies in Tokyo, Japan, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
At about 3 o’clock in the after of 28-10-2002, an envelope of a dark blue colour, measuring 18×13 centimeters arrived at the Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. Examination of the envelope raised some suspicions, so the Myanmar Embassy reported the matter at about 5:50 p.m. to the Japanese Police Station of Shinagawa District and the envelope was removed to a place outside the embassy building. Soon after the officers of the Shinagawa Police Force arrived and on examination found the envelope had been wired to batteries and connected to some material that appeared to be an explosive of material some kind. So, the Shinagawa Police telephoned the Tokyo Police Headquarters to send explosive experts to examine the letter. The expert team arrived at the embassy in two X-ray motor vehicles at about 7:35 p.m. On examination, the experts found the envelope to pose a real danger. So, they again moved the suspected envelope farther away to the north-east of the embassy compound and defused it. The envelope was found to contain a birthday card with a printed picture of an apple folded three ways. In the card were found two 1.5-volt batteries of the size of buttons and a stick of Plastic explosive about 1.5 inches that had been connected to the fuse with wires. If the envelope had been opened electrical currents would have flowed into the batteries and fuse and caused an explosion, which could have destroyed a room 10 feet square and caused death in the vicinity.
A closer examination showed that the postage stamps on the envelope were from Thailand and the registration stamp on the address also showed it was of Thai origin. Hence Chief of Police of Shinagawa Mr. Ushigasaki Yasukatsu told the Myanmar Ambassador that the envelope had been posted in Thailand. Moreover it was found that the numerals 8888 had been fashioned on the inside of the envelope. In addition, it was learnt that ex-President of the ABSDF, Moe Thee Zun had arrived in Japan from America on 28-10-2002, the very day that the letter bomb reached the embassy and this could not have been pure coincidence. It is supporting evidence to the conclusion that the letter bomb was the work of one of the dissident groups attempting to commit an act of terror. Likewise, at 2.15 in the afternoon on 30-10-2002 a red envelope with a handwritten address arrived by mail at the Myanmar Embassy in Singapore. This envelope also had 4 postage stamps with a picture of the King of Thailand on its right-hand corner and the word “Postcard” in the lower corner.
Lt-Col Nyan Lin then continued the news briefing with an account of how at 9 o’clock in the morning of 27 October 2002, Tin Tun Naing, age 18 years (son of U Myo) residing in the No.1 Par Hlyan Ward of Tachilek arrived at the Par Hlyan No.2 landing stage of Maisai Creek and on seeing a plastic bag floating on the water stepped into the creek to salvage it.
While trying to retrieve this bag, a man in civilian clothes standing in a vegetable plot on the Thai side of the creek bank shot Tin Tun Naing twice with a small caliber weapon. One bullet hit Tin Tun Naing’s left knee and he is now being treated as an in-patient at the Tachilek Hospital. Similarly at 12:45 p.m. on 29 October, 15 persons in Thai Police uniforms and 7 in civilian clothes seized two Myanmar citizens working as gem cutters/polishers, Kyaw Min, 23 years, (son of U Hla Myint) and Paw Lon, 27 years, (son of U Lon Hpaw) in Hsan Hsai Hpa Hi Ward of Maisai town and took them away to the vicinity of a rabbit farm and started to shoot at them with small arms. The place where this shooting incident took place is opposite the Par Hlyan 1 Ward landing stage in Haung Leik village – tract in Tachilek town. Paw Lon died on the spot. It was during this shooting that son of U Khin Maung Lat, Aung Ko Lat was also shot and killed while fishing on the Myanmar side of the bank at Par Hlyan No.1 landing stage. Kyaw Min was wounded on the right side of his chin, the left thumb and the upper right side of his back and at the joint of his left thumb. He jumped into the creek and escaped although he had been wounded and as he arrived at Par Hlyan 1 jetty on the Myanmar side, responsible Myanmar officials found him and took him to hospital.
Two Myanmar citizens died in the above incidents, but the body of Paw Lon who died in Thai territory, was taken away by the Thai Police. Kyaw Min was hospitalized where he underwent a surgical operation for his wounds. The body of Aung Ko Lat was also dispatched to the hospital mortuary. These incidents will show clearly to the Myanmar people how some Thai citizens relying on force of arms are violating the law to shoot and kill Myanmars citizens in the border areas.
With regard to these incidents, the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Thai Ambassador to Myanmar to lodge a letter of protest. Another similar letter was dispatched to the Thai Foreign Affairs Minister together with a request that the Thai authorities carry out investigations of such lawless behaviour and take effective action to prevent recurrence of such incidents. Then the press conference continued with a briefing by Director, of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (Central), Police Colonel Tin Maung Htay on the New Destiny Project. He explained how the Fifteen Year Plan for the Eradication of Narcotic Drugs was first implemented in the year 1999-2000 and that the New Destiny Project was an integral part of the Plan focusing on the elimination of opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar, begun in April 2002. The main goal is the total elimination of poppy cultivation on Myanmar soil. Thus this project is now being implemented in the five States with the highest rates of opium cultivation. The tactics employed, he said, for the elimination of opium cultivation are - prevention through legislation, prevention through the administrative measures, distribution of other seeds without loss of capital for peasants, distribution of suitable livestock for breeding in the various regions, for the regional authorities to carry out field supervision in accordance with their own arrangements to specific areas in order of priority, to educate and dissuade peasants from opium cultivation and to fulfill their needs to the greatest extent possible.
This New Destiny Project is now being implemented in 5 states that include Shan State (South), Shan State (North), Shan State (East), Kachin State and Kayah State. The expenditure is solely being borne by the CCDAC. In order to eliminate opium cultivation as required by the New Destiny Project, Task Forces have been formed region - wise to carry out field survey and to educate the peasants. This has convinced some peasants of the necessity for eliminating opium cultivation, and as a result they have begun to hand over poppy seeds stored for the coming cultivation season. Moreover, narcotic drugs and precursor chemicals seized in various regions were collected and torched publicly twice in Lashio and twice in Laukkai for Shan State (North), once in Kengtung for Shan State (East), once in Pinlaung for Shan State (South) and once in Loikaw for Kayah State, making it a total of 6 times that large amounts narcotic drugs and chemicals have been destroyed. The public destruction of narcotic drugs by fire held in Lashio was attended by Secretary 1 of the State Peace and Development Council General Khin Nyunt.
At the second destruction of narcotic drugs and precursor chemicals held in the Sports Ground of Lashio, 4429 kilos of poppy seeds, 14393 kilos of poppy seeds obtained from dried poppy bulbs were burned making a total of 18823 kilos of poppy seeds. In addition 45 kilos of heroin, 383 kilos of raw opium, 115 kilos of Ephedrine and assorted chemicals were destroyed. If the poppy seeds destroyed that day had had the chance to be cultivated, 11526 acres of poppy fields would have flourished. Thus a prospective yield of 5 tons of heroin was prevented.
To date, the poppy seeds handed over by the peasants of their own accord are 724 kilos in Shan State (East); 8205 kilos in Shan State (South) and 193 kilos in Kachin State. The Division/State authorities are now making their own an arrangements to put these seeds to the torch. To summarize, the poppy seeds handed over by 7 States/Division between the period 24 April 2002 to 28 October 2002 are as follows: 139 kilos from Kachin State; 38 kilos from Kayah State; 3287 kilos from Mandalay Division; 9063kilos from Rakhine State; 1416 kilos from Shan State (East); 16488 kilos from Shan State (South); and 134206 kilos from Shan State (North) making a total of 164,491 kilos. If this amount had been sown, 100852 acres of opium poppy would have been cultivated with a yield of 443747 kilos of raw opium, that is, 443.7 tons and 44.37 tons of heroin. It has therefore resulted in the interdiction of large amounts narcotic drugs.
This successful interdiction is due to the effectiveness of the New Destiny Project. Thus in the coming opium cultivation season of 2002-2003 opium cultivation and opium yield is expected to decrease by 70 percent. After the briefing came to an end, Vice-Chief of Military Intelligence Maj-Gen Kyaw Win, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs U Khin Maung Win, Heads of Department of the Ministry of Defence Brig. Gen. Than Tun and Brig-Gen Kyaw Thein replied to queries raised by the correspondents and the press conference came to a close. Then the correspondents studied with interest, the photographic records of the letter bomb sent to the Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, the shooting and killing of Myanmar citizens from the Thai side of the border and the public destruction of poppy seeds held in Lashio, Shan State (North).
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The
embassy thereupon informed the criminal investigation branch of the Bukit
Timah Police Department and the Explosive Ordinance Department. Responsible
officials soon arrived to examine and X-ray the envelope. The X-ray film
showed some suspicious looking materials inside. The envelope is now in the
keeping of the Singapore Criminal Investigation Bureau who says they will
continue investigations. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia also, the Myanmar Embassy
received an envelope containing a postcard and stamped with Thai postage
stamps on the afternoon of 29-10-2002. It was delivered by the regular
postman together with other mail for the Myanmar Embassy. When the envelope
was opened for inspection, the melody of “Happy Birthday” was heard. The
card was printed with the usual birthday greetings and the words “---- and
the times we shared” on one side of the card whereas the other side had the
numbers 8888 fashioned on it with red wire. When necessary examination was
made of the envelope and the card, it was found that there were no dangerous
materials in it and that the card together with the music was manufactured
by the Cordial Greetings Corp. Thailand. It is said to be on general sale
and easily available. But the numerals, 8888 was an addition made by the
dissident group that sent the card. This incident has been reported to the
Malaysian Police and the Department responsible for the security of foreign
missions. This information has been provided to the media for the benefit of
the Myanmar people so that they will know how the dissident groups are
making attempts to destabilize the situation and destroy the peace in the
country.
