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BurmaNet News: Weekend of Oct 29-30
- Subject: BurmaNet News: Weekend of Oct 29-30
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 22:15:00
************************** BurmaNet **************************
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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BurmaNet News: Monday, October 31, 1994
Issue #47
Due to the production of a special Narcotics Issue this weekend,
regular issues of the BurmaNet News were not distributed on the
weekend of October 29th-30th. This issue covers articles from
those days.
**************************************************************
Contents:
NATION/AP: SUU KYI HOLDS NEW TALKS WITH JUNTA LEADERS #1
BKK POST/REUTERS: SUU KYI HOLDS NEW TALKS WITH JUNTA LEADERS #2
BKK POST: BURMESE GREET SECOND MILITARY, SUU KYI MEETING
NATION: US OFFICIAL SET TO VISIT BURMA FOR TALKS
BKK POST: NO SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES IN BURMA, SAY EXILED LEADERS
NATION: ROMANCE GIVES WAY TO SLAVERY IN MANDALAY
SCB: ATTEMPTING TO END UNIV. OF WISCONSIN'S INVESTMENT IN BURMA
BRC-J: ACTION ON TROPICAL TIMBER
BURMANET: COMMENTS ON SPLITTING
KYO: KAREN DEVELOPMENT IN KAREN HANDS
BKK POST: MAE SOT TO MOULMEIN FLIGHTS BEGIN TODAY
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NATION/AP: SUU KYI HOLDS NEW TALKS WITH JUNTA LEADERS #1
Saturday, October 29, 1994
AP
Rangoon - Leaders of Burma with Nobel Peace Prize-winning
dissident Aung San Suu Kyi, in a further indication that her
sixth year of house arrest might be her last.
The three-hour meeting between the detained democracy leader and
Khin Nyunt, secretary of the ruling State Law and Order
Restoration Council, came just over a month after the two met for
the first time on Sept 20.
State television and radio broadcast news of the morning meeting
at the Defence Ministry Suu Kyi, wearing a blue traditional
Burmese blouse and matching sarong, being greeted by a
broad-smiling Khin Nyunt and the two of them talking cordially.
Judge Advocate General Brig Than Oo and Inspector General Tin Aye
were also present at the meeting.
The news reports said Khin Nyunt explained the political,
economic and social conditions of the country and development
projects undertaken by the junta.
The junta has come under increasing pressure in recent months to
free the 1991 Nobel Prize winner.
**************************************************************
BKK POST/REUTERS: SUU KYI HOLDS NEW TALKS WITH JUNTA LEADERS
Saturday, October 29, 1994
Reuters
[Photo caption: Burmese opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung
San Suu Kyi and State Law and Order Restoration Council
secretary-general Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt hold talks for the second
time on Friday.]
Burma's detained dissident leader Aung San Suu Kyi met military
intelligence chief Khin Nyunt yesterday for three hours of talks
on Burma's current political economic situation, Burma's state
television reported.
It was the second meeting between Suu Kyi and junta leaders in
just over a month.
Also at the meeting was armed forces Judge Advocate-General
Brig-Gen Than Oo and armed forces Inspector-General Brig-Gen Tin
Aye.
The talks at a military guest house in Rangoon covered political
and economic changes introduced by the junta -- the State Law and
Order Restoration Council (SLORC), the television said in a
broadcast monitored here.
The television gave no more details but showed brief film of the
three junta members in military uniforms sitting around a low
table, decorated with flowers, with Suu Kyi who was wearing a
traditional Burmese blouse and sarong.
The 49-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, under house arrest
since July 1989, met junta leader Gen Than Shwe and Khin Nyunt on
September 20 in the first such talks since her detention.
The official media reported no details about the first encounter
except to say it was cordial. The September talks received a
guarded welcome from diplomats and dissidents who said it was an
important first step on the road to dialogue.
Suu Kyi has been detained by the junta in her lakeside Rangoon
home since July 1989 for "endangering the state".
Married to a British academic, Suu Kyi was swept up in a 1988
pro-democracy uprising in Burma which was finally put down by the
military with the loss of hundreds of lives.
Daughter of Burma's independence hero Gen Aung San, she went on
to co-found the National League for Democracy which won more than
80 per cent of the seats in 1990 polls.
But she was denied power by the junta which ignored the result.
**************************************************************
BKK POST: BURMESE GREET SECOND MILITARY, SUU KYI MEETING
Sunday, October 30, 1994 Reuters, Rangoon
"Diplomats see SLORC wanting to come out of impasse"
A second prominently publicised meeting between detained
dissident Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma's military leadership
surprised residents in the capital despite strong rumours that
more talks were imminent.
State-run newspapers yesterday devoted far greater space to the
three-hour meeting on Friday than when the two sides first met
unexpectedly on September 20.
"I could not resist clapping my hands at the sight," one elderly
man said, when state television showed a smiling Suu Kyi meeting
Lieutenant-Gen Khin Nyunt, Secretary One of the ruling State Law
and Order Restoration Council (SLORC).
Also present at the "frank and cordial" talks in a military guest
house in Rangoon were armed forces Judge Advocate General,
Brigadier-General Than Oo, and armed forces Inspector General,
Brigadier-General Tin Aye.
"It was high time they met. Even the Jews and Arabs have reached
agreement," the same resident said, apparently referring to peace
accords between Israel and Jordan and Israel and the Palestine
Liberation Organisation.
Wearing a blue traditional blouse and sarong, Suu Kyi, 49,
daughter of Burmese independence hero General Aung San, looked
healthier and more relaxed than one month ago.
"She never looked prettier," one television viewer said.
The talks in September were the first time Suu Kyi had appeared
in public since July, 1989, when the military-backed government
placed her under house arrest in Rangoon.
Married to a British academic, Suu Kyi was prominent in a
pro-democracy uprising in 1988 which was suppressed with
substantial loss of life.
The SLORC ignored the landslide victory won in a 1990 general
election by the National League for Democracy which she
co-founded, but in recent weeks has indicated it was prepared to
open dialogue with Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace laureate.
As well as television and radio reports on Friday night, the
Burmese language Mirror devoted most of its front page yesterday
to a report and pictures of the meeting.
The English-language New Light of Myanmar carried a front-page
three-column spread and three pictures -- considerably more than
in September.
Burmese television said Friday the current political and economic
situation of the country.
They also concerned "the political and economic reforms which the
SLORC is in the process of implementing, as steps that should be
taken with a view to the long-term welfare of the nation," the
station added.
Rangoon-based diplomats contacted by Reuters from Bangkok said
the media treatment of the second meeting was significant.
Diplomats also said the presence yesterday of the armed forces
inspector-general and advocate-general could mean the dialogue
was getting down to a working level.
In September, Suu Kyi had met only military intelligence chief
Khin Nyunt and SLORC chairman General Than Shwe.
"I think this is more than show. It looks as if the SLORC really
wants to come out of the impasse," one diplomat said of the
second meeting.
Burma's neighbour Thailand, which follows a policy of
"constructive dialogue" with the military junta, urged the
Rangoon government in July to release Suu Kyi as an important
step towards political acceptance.
Western governments have led international criticism of the SLORC
for alleged suppression of minority and human rights, detention
without trial and imprisonment of political opponents.
Diplomats said there had been extensive rumours in Rangoon that a
second round of talks had taken place or was imminent.
**************************************************************
NATION: US OFFICIAL SET TO VISIT BURMA FOR TALKS
Sunday, October 30, 1994
AP, AFP
Washington - A middle level State Department official will visit
Burma next week after a long period of US coolness toward the
military government that nullified the Southeast Asian country
The announcement Friday said that Thomas Hubbard, deputy
assistant secretary of state for East Asia, will talk about human
rights, democracy and the fight against narcotics -- for which
Burma has been a major source.
Burma has only recently begun to emerge from near-isolation.
Visits by tourists and reporters for years were few and heavily
restricted. The military rulers renamed the country Myanmar, a
name not officially recognized by the US government.
Earlier Friday, military officials in Rangoon, Burma's capital,
had a second meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace
Prize winner whose National League for Democracy won a landslide
in the nullified 1990 election. Under house arrest since then,
she had her first meeting with the SLORC on Sept. 20.
A State Department official, who asked that his name not be used,
said the US government wants her and other prisoners of
conscience freed. The 1994 State Department report on human
rights says the military Restoration Council, known as SLORC,
maintains its control by "arrests, detentions, harassment,
intimidation and mistreatment of political activists."
Once considered among the rich nations of Southeast Asia, the
country of 40 million people has gone downhill since independence
from Britain in 1948. The World Bank estimates that the average
Burmese earns less than $500 a year.
The United States cut off aid after the military suppressed
democracy demonstrations in 1988, and has removed the country
from the list of those that cooperate on curbing narcotics.
The State Department said that Hubbard would be accompanied to
Burma by officers of the US National Security Council and
officials in the State Department who deal with democracy, human
rights, labour and narcotics.
An official of the US Drug Enforcement Agency has filed an
unusual lawsuit against the State Department in the federal
court, accusing it and the CIA of undermining efforts to cut the
flow of heroin from Burma to the United States. Richard A. Horn,
now a DEA official in New Orleans, said US government policy
aimed at discrediting Burma's rulers conflicted with his mission
to work with them against drugs.
He was formerly the top DEA agent in Burma.
The State Department declined to comment on the ground that the
case is before the court.
Kenneth Bailes, a spokesman for the Bureau of East Asian and
Pacific Affairs, said the US mission was not a direct reaction to
the Suu Kyi meeting. He said it had been planned for a long time.
The group plans to leave for Burma this weekend but details of
the trip were not immediately available.
A State Department official, who asked not to be identified, said
the US delegation would present the Burmese leadership with the
results of a recent policy review and offer them alternative
"visions" of future relations.
**************************************************************
BKK POST: NO SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES IN BURMA, SAY EXILED LEADERS
Saturday, October 29, 1994
by Saritdet Marukatat, New York
Exiled leaders of Burma discuss the trend toward dialogue with
the ruling military regime in Rangoon. They say that while talks
are taking place there have been no substantive changes in the
country.
"We want to see that it (the talks) will lead to a substantive
political dialogue and to a comprehensive political settlement."
Engaging in dialogue with the State Law and Order Restoration
Council (SLORC) would be useless unless real changes took place
in the country, he said.
Worse, it could serve to improve SLORC's image, he said. SLORC
staged a widely publicised meeting with dissident leader Aung San
Suu Kyi last month that coincided with the opening of the 49th
United Nations General Assembly.
Burma's Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw subsequently held talks with
the counterparts from the European Union and a senior UN
official. In July he met Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans
in Bangkok.
SLORC had so far done very little to bring about political reform
in Burma, U Sein Win said.
Burma analysts in New York also question the sincerity of the
Rangoon government.
One Western observer stressed the need for "serious dialogue".
"What we are interested in is the substance of the talks," an
analyst in Washington said.
Worried about what amounts to growing recognition for SLORC, the
NCGUB, in a series of campaigns, is questioning the wisdom of the
dialogue between the junta and Australia, the European Union and
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Formed in late 1990, the NCGUB demands that Rangoon recognises
the outcome of the 1990 elections and unconditionally free its
leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and other political prisoners.
U Sein Win was critical of what he called a lack of collective
effort within the international community to pressure SLORC to
step down and bring about political reform.
He blames it on ASEAN and other countries which continue to
engage in political and economic activities with Rangoon.
NCGUB secretary Thaung Htun, who was at the interview, described
ASEAN constructive engagement policy as "short-sighted" and
"unrealistic".
U Thaung Htun said the policy "underestimates the power of
Burmese people" to bring about changes.
ASEAN, however, maintains constructive engagement is the Asian
way to encourage gradual changes in Burma and bring it out of
isolation.
Surachart Bumrongsuk, Chulalongkorn University studying at
Columbia University said the policy advocated by Thailand was not
flexible and would likely put Thailand in a corner.
"Conducting foreign policy without leaving any option open will
be too haphazard," the scholar said in a paper on Burma that was
presented to a recent seminar organised by the Association of
Asian Studies in Boston.
"Are Thai policy makers so confident that Thailand does not need
any option because they have chosen to stay with SLORC, without
regard for what the future will be and may bring?" he wrote.
The United States, which advocates isolating Burma, is frustrated
about lack of concerted efforts as many countries are pursuing
their own agendas in dealing with the military regime.
In a statement to the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific of the
House Foreign Affairs Committee in June, Deputy US Assistant
Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Thomas Hubbard said
that trade sanctions against Burma needed multilateral
co-operation but this was difficult because many countries had no
interest in the idea.
"In this respect, multilateral sanctions would clearly be
preferable, but Japan and ASEAN oppose trade and investment
embargoes, and the European countries have no enthusiasm for them
either," the Dispatch, the US State Department publication quoted
him as saying.
But U Sein Win hoped that Washington under the leadership of Bill
Clinton, who strongly advocates human rights and democracy, would
step up pressure on SLORC by discouraging American companies from
going to Burma.
Washington did not bar its business corporations from investing
in Burma, U Sein Win said.
**************************************************************
NATION: ROMANCE GIVES WAY TO SLAVERY IN MANDALAY
Sunday, October 30, 1994
"A community in chains contrasts with the romanticised colonial
images of Burma. But development by mass forced lab our is indeed
what Faith Doherty of the Southeast Asian Information Network
(SAIN) found in a recent visit to that country."
[Photo caption: PREPARING FOR TOURISM YEAR: Prisoners in chains
are put to work to clean the moat surrounding Mandalay Palace,
background, as Burma prepares for Visit Myanmar 1996. The famous
Mandalay Hill is seen on the right. Photo: Faith Doherty.]
Mandalay is in Burma and is also in my view the hottest place on
earth.
While the cities of Rangoon, Moulmein and Maymyo receive their
annual rain during the rainy season, Mandalay stays dry.
What is it like in the dry season I cannot imagine as this city
is under construction and dust permeates through everything.
Mandalay Palace is a central point of focus and was once the
heart of the city. Described as a fortress within a fortress, its
history shows so much relevance to the mentality of the ruling
military regime of Burma today.
In 1857, King Mindon moved his capital from Amarapura to Mandalay
and began to build a city that would rival the growing city of
Rangoon then occupied by the British.
Built according to an ancient plan and under the direction of
astrologers and monks, King Mindon arrived in Mandalay with the
entire population of Amarapura and moved into a temporary palace.
Under his direction the city of Mandalay and the palace took
shape. The foundations of the city had been laid before his
arrival as had an essential rite that was insisted upon by
Brahmin Ponnas (Indian priests) but denounced by the Buddhist
Sangha.
Fifty-two people had been buried alive, three under each palace
gate of which there were 12, one at each corner of the wall, some
were buried under the stockades, and four under the Lion Throne
in the Hall of Audience. Mandalay would now be assured of its
guardian ghosts who would protect the king from his enemies.
The palace was built from teak which was carved and lacquered and
consisted of hundreds of rooms housed under pavilions with many
courts. Thousands of people were conscripted to build the palace
under a system that by all accounts still remains to this day.
A village headman had great power during this time. Apart from
providing labour, he was also the chief tax collector. He had the
power to command the local militia and decide on issues of
conflict between those under his law.
Above the headman was the governor of the province who was
usually a member of the royal family. Taxes collected by the
headman went to the governor who would then give them to his king
and the royal court.
Thousands of people were forced to work on building the city of
Mandalay with no return for their labour.
I went to visit Mandalay Palace this year, with stories of King
Mindon and a ridiculous image of a city described by many an
Englishman with romance in my head.
It was a boiling hot day and the breeze was a relief from the
heat as I stood in front of the palace taking a rest and trying
to figure out how to get inside without having a guide escort me
around.
When you visit Burma as a tourist, especially monuments
controlled by the State Law and Order Restoration Council, there
are guides assigned to ensure your visit is informative and
pleasant.
They stick to you like glue and it seems their main objective is
to ensure that you don As I stood there pondering the many ways
of giving my guide the slip my eyes were riveted to an
extraordinary scene being played out in the moat that surrounds
the palace, only this moat held no water.
Instead, I saw people, thousands of them bending over and
collecting what I thought must have been mud from the bottom of
the canal. The mud was being passed along a line of men who
eventually threw the dirt into a pile on a sidewalk that ran
alongside the palace.
>From where I was standing the scene reminded me of ants building
a nest for their queen. I crossed the road and made my way to the
edge of the moat to get a closer look. I was right, people were
collecting mud. To my left was a huge pile of dirt which had one
been at the bottom of this canal.
Who knows what was in there, souls of the many people killed
during the city's history, the tears of those who have stayed in
Mandalay after the bloody days of 1988?
Whatever it was, there was a lot of it. I stayed there watching,
wondering what was going on. The breeze came round again bringing
with it a sense that perhaps it would rain today.
Windchimes sounded in the distance and people continued to work,
chew betel nut and drink from water canisters. Windchimes? Where
on earth could they be? How could they be heard in such a huge
space, surely not the palace?
I slowly walked toward the edge of the moat. Looking closely I
saw all the men were wearing the same longyi (Burmese sarong) and
I realised with a jolt that these were not ordinary workmen but
prisoners.
I had seen this longyi before on men building a road somewhere
between Rangoon and Mandalay and had been told they were
prisoners. We had passed by so quickly that I didn't have time to
look. Someone called out to me from the moat, I leaned forward to
see who it was and saw one man standing in the dirt holding a big
clump of mud grinning wildly at me. I smiled back and then to my
horror watched as he turned to give his parcel of earth to a
person next to him who had chains around his ankles.
Next to him was another, and another. I quickly walked to another
spot to see if these were the only people in chains. I realised
that there were hundreds of people forcibly being made to work in
the dirt. They had chins that seemed to be wound around their
waists.
The chains came down between their legs and eventually manacled
around their ankles with a rod of iron in between. Windchimes?
No, chain-gangs.
I took my camera and started taking pictures, convinced that at
any moment either a prison guard or a SLORC soldier would come
and tell me to move away. I managed to speak to one of the
prisoners who was able to understand a little bit of English. I
wanted to know if any of these prisoners were incarcerated for
their political beliefs or activities. Where were they all from?
What on earth were they doing?
"Are you a criminal?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied grinning at me.
Great, I thought, now what?
"Is everybody here a criminal?"
He looked at me blankly, this man covered in mud with chains
around his ankles. I tried again, this time speaking really
slowly.
"Is everybody here a criminal?"
He turned and pointed to a group of people working the moat and
replied "Sangha".
Sangha means a monk or community of monks.
I thanked him and moved on. I stayed for another 10 minutes or so
and saw young boys of 13 or 14 chained and working, old men thin
as a rake, some wearing shorts but a majority of the men were in
the prison longyi.
The closer I got to the moat, the more interest I was receiving
from those working until eventually they were pointing at
themselves and waving at me and smiling for the camera cheering
me on.
I noticed two truckloads of SLORC soldiers coming from one of the
exits out of the palace and making their way toward where I was
standing and decided that perhaps I should move on.
I was worried about the amount of attention I was getting from
those on the moat. I walked down the pavement and turned left and
observed the scene from there.
Men working at this corner of the moat were not in chains and
were smiling and laughing. They were soldiers, rank and file of
the Tatmadaw (Burmese army) also working in the mud, but without
chains. Is this the separation between military personnel and
civilians I thought? (One soldier noticed me with my camera
smiled and took his hat off, others started to call out to me in
Burmese. I took more pictures and noticed the trucks coming this
way so I moved away and started to cross the street.)
Standing in the middle of the road on a pavement that divided the
road in half, some women came up to me smiling and giggling,
pointing to themselves and the camera. I took their photographs
and interacted with them for a few minutes. I walked on desperate
to find out what was going on.
About a month before I arrived in the city, 20,000 people had
been conscripted the Burmese army to come and clean the moat. The
water held in the canals was not just for show, but actually used
as a supply for those living in the city. However, in order to
get the palace and the city ready for Visit Myanmar 1996, orders
were made to clean up the moat.
The water was drained and people were used to start digging and
collecting the mud. The army systematically went from house to
house taking people for labour. If you could afford it you could
pay the army instead, a fee for non-labour.
As well as residents in the city of Mandalay, the army took
farmers from areas surrounding the city as well.
It wasn't for the army as this is the rice planting season and,
if the farmers were unable to plant rice, the army would also be
affected come harvest season. Rice grown by the villages is also
taken to feed the Tatmadaw.
General Maung Aye, vice-chairman of the SLORC and
Commander-in-Chief of the army, came to Mandalay to deal with the
problem. The farmers were allowed to go back to their fields and
plant rice.
However, for the residents in the city of Mandalay things became
worse, Eventually, prisoners were brought in and used for labour
instead of residents. As well as cleaning the moat, forced labour
is also used to help clean up Mandalay.
The women I had photographed in the middle of the road were not
being paid for their labour, nor were they receiving payment of
any kind that would benefit their communities.
I also learned that for the residents of Mandalay their assured
water supply for bathing and cooking had been taken away from
them as the moat had been drained. I now understood why I had
seen so many people washing alongside the roads, a familiar site
in Asia generally, but not alongside open sewers.
And all for us, the tourist who will come to Mandalay, a city
with the distorted image of Kipling and colonial buildings being
replaced with money from Chinese millionaires whose pagodas are
big buildings of concrete and steel looming over a community in
chains.
The issue of forced labour in Burma does not just relate to
Mandalay. Just as in King Mindon's time, thousands are being
conscripted to work on development projects.
In an area where the ethnic Mon live, a railway is being built
from the towns of Ye to Tavoy, and thousands of people have been
forced to work at gunpoint by the army and have been relocated to
areas away from their villages and kept under the control of
various battalions ensuring that deadlines given by Rangoon are
met.
To see Upper Burma's major cities and witness the same mentality
was so blatantly a shock.
If you plan to visit Burma and you go to Mandalay, think about
the 13- and 14-years old boys forced to work in chains, ankles
chaffed by the hard iron and infected by the mud. And, because it
is Burma, because it is a military dictatorship, and because of
the Junta prisoners are criminal or political.
Without being able to go and ask each person one by one what
their crime had been I cannot say who did what, but clearly
someone from the Sangha, a monk has been disrobed, charged under
some emergency act of 1875, and placed in chains to work the
canal in Mandalay.
**************************************************************
SCB: ATTEMPTING TO END UNIV. OF WISCONSIN'S INVESTMENT IN BURMA
Oct 29, 1994
baflamm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hello, I am a member of newly formed group at the University of
Wisconsin which is trying to end our universities investment in
Pepsi-Co and Texaco. The only way that our university will
definitely end investment in these companies, which are wrongly
present in Burma today (supporting the military dictatorship,
etc.) is to prove violation of anti-discrimination acts by these
companies. It doesn't seem that the morality of indirectly
supporting a government which kills its own people and forces
slave labor seems to bother them. If anyone has any information
or just wants to talk please reply.
Thanx.
**************************************************************
**************************************************************
KYO: KAREN DEVELOPMENT IN KAREN HANDS
K.Y.O. News Bulletin
No. (4) October 1994
Over the last few decades, while neighbouring Thailand has been
enjoying rapid economic growth, Karen State, like the rest of
Burma, has experienced economic decline.
Basic living standards have continually deteriorated, due to the
civil war and systematic persecution by the Burmese army. In
1993, a crisis point was reached as thousands of villagers faced
shortages of food.
It was this disaster that caused the Karen to realise just how
serious the situation had become. It provided the impetus for
the form attain of a new type of Organization: an ethnic Karen
NGO. The Karen Office for Relief and Development (KORD) was set
up in Manerplaw in April 1993.
KORD was set up to promote and manage relief and development
programs in Karen State. It will also serve as an intermediary
between foreign founders and Karen villagers, most of whom live
in remote mountainous regions.
The KORD central committee is chaired by Padoh Yoshu, a Rangoon
university graduate, and is made up of Karens experienced in
health, education, agriculture, income generation and relief.
Similar sub- committees have been set up in each of the seven
districts where KORD will operate.
Due to the urgent need for food assistance, the focus of KORD's
activities over the last year has been on relief work. KORD
successfully mobilised the Karen from the leadership level to
the grassroots, in order to get the aid quickly and safely to
the worst affected areas.
Over fifty KORD relief workers have completed a BRC training
course on management of relief aid. The training covered needs
assessment, prioritization, organization and reporting.
Since April 1993, KORD has organised several mobile medical teams
and has distributed rice and blankets to afflicted areas all
over Karen State.
A typical relief assistance trip usually involves a team of five
to ten persons including a KORD monitor leaving from the Thai
border to trek for one or two weeks to the affected area.
As food shortages reach their peak during the wet season, the
relief team will of often have to clamber through thigh-deep
mud, facing attacks of malaria and possible attacks by SLORC'
troops on their journey to deliver assistance. The dedication of
KORD staff, who regularly endure these difficulties is
admirable.
Padoh Yoshu feels it is important to balance relief aid, which
could damage people's ability to be self-sufficient, with
developmental aid, which aims to empower the villages to improve
their own lives. While he admits that any very visible
development project will be at risk from SLORC troops, he feels
that some progress is possible now, and that if the Karen people
can learn about development, they will be prepared for the time
when peace finally comes to their region.
In May 1994, the BRC funded a development training course given
by a Canadian expert for 30 KORD staff. The raining focused on
practical small- scale community development.
It is likely that KORD will be seeking funding for a number of
development projects in the near future. The majority of
projects that KORD are considering at present relate to
agriculture, such as the digging of irrigation channels, or the
introduction of new crops. However, they are also interested in
setting up primary school and health facilities in areas where
none exist, and in small-scale manufacturing such as the
production of groundnut oil, or fish paste, the Karen staple.
KORD staff are highly motivated to learn more about development
work, and keen for further trainings.
KORD has already gained great momentum. It presents an excellent
opportunity for the poverty-stricken villagers of Karen State to
improve their own lives.
(Ref. BRC News Letter No. 10)
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BRC-J: ACTION ON TROPICAL TIMBER
Burmese Relief Center-Japan
nbh03114@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The SLORC has been invited to attend an international conference
on tropical timber. We are trying to organize something here and
would like to cooperate with environmental groups to stage some
kind of action. People from the countries invited could also ask
their delegations to voice concerns about human rights to either
the whole conference or directly to the SLORC delegates. Please
contact BRC-J if you are interested in this issue.
Here is the information on the meeting:
International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC)
Seventeenth Session
8-16 November 1994
Yokohama, Japan
General Information Notes
1 The Seventeenth Session of the International Tropical Timber
Council (ITTC)and the Fefteenth Sessions of the three Permanent
Committees are scheduled to be held in Yokohama, Japan from 8-16
November 1994. The Opening Session will commence at 10:00 hours
on Tuesday, November 8, 1994.
2 All meetings of the Sessions will be held in the Pacifico-
Yokohama Conference Center, 1-1-1, Minato-Mirai, Nishi-Ku,
Yokohama 220 Japan, which is located in the same complex as the
Headquarters of the International Tropical Timber Organization
(ITTO).
CREDENTIALS
In conformity with the decision of the Council, credentials of
all delegations should be issued by the competent authorities,
specifically the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the accredited
diplomatic mission in the country hosting the Session (Japan).
****
Timber producing countries have a total of 1000 votes at the
conference. Of those, Burma has 34. Timber consuming countries
have 1000 votes as well.
PRODUCERS
Africa
Cameroon
Congo
Cote d'Ivoire
Gabon
Ghana
Liberia
Togo
Zaire
Asia/Pacific
India
Indonesia
Burma
Malaysia
PNG
Philippines
Thailand
Latin America
Bolivia
Brazil
Columbia
Ecuador
Guyana
Honduras
Panama
Peru
Trinidad and Tobago
Venezuela
CONSUMERS
Australia
Austria
Canada
China
Egypt
E.C.
Belgium/Lux
Denmark
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands
Portugal
Spain
UK
Finland
Japan
Nepal
NZ
Norway
ROK
Russia
Sweden
Switzerland
USA
Correspondence concerning the session should be directed to:
Dr. B.C.Y. Freezailah
Exec. Dir., ITTO
International Origanizations Center-5th Floor, Pacifico Yokohama
1-1-1 Minato-Mirai, Nishi-ky Yokohama 220 Japan
fax 81-45 223 1111
tel 81-45 223 1110
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BURMANET: COMMENTS ON SPLITTING
BurmaNet has had a number of comments on the proposal to split
the news into individual postings. The majority so far are
against it (see #1), while some favor it (see #2). If you have
an opinion on the matter, please send it. Also, if you are
regularly reading the news on soc.culture.burma, soc.culture.thai
or seasia-l, please drop a note to strider@xxxxxxxxxxxx Also, if
you print out issues of the BurmaNet News and distribute them to
other people, please let me know as I am interested to know how
widely the News circulates beyond the direct subscribership base.
As of this morning, the number of direct subscriptions to the
BurmaNet News stand at 110 and have been growing at about 20%
month for the last three months.
--Strider
#1 No... Don't do it! This is the ideal way to present
it. I has an index. Its great. I distribute hard copies
to the Burmese community in Sydney, they file all the
messages in an indexed database. Splitting it would be
a pain in the butt!
#2 The break down of Burma Net postings into smaller news
clips is preferred. thanks,
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BKK POST: MAE SOT TO MOULMEIN FLIGHTS BEGIN TODAY
Sunday, October 30, 1994
Mae Sot, Tak
Thai Flying Service Co Ltd will run two inaugural commercial
flights from Mae Sot to Moulmein today as part of a Thai-Burmese
tourism promotion plan.
The flights by 18-seater Twin Otters will take 34 businessmen and
reporters to the Burmese town in Mon State before flying them
back on Monday afternoon.
Leading the Thai delegation is Deputy Interior Minister and Tak
Minister Udorn Tantisuntorn, who will be accompanied by Zone 7
chamber of commerce chairman Rak Tantisunthorn, Tak chamber of
commerce vice-chairman Paniti Tangpati and leading local tourism
businessmen and exporters.
The Thais will meet senior Burmese officials including those from
the Hotel and Tropism Ministry as well as Southeastern Army
Commander Maj-Gen Sein to discuss tourism cooperation after the
opening of the Thai-Burmese Friendship bridge.
Moulmein is about 240 kilometres west of the Thai border. The
town, located in the Gulf of Martaban, is famous for its
picturesque environment.
Mr Udorn said his team would take the opportunity to look for
trade and investment opportunities.
Burmese Hotel and Tourism Minister Lt-Gen Kya Ba approved the air
link between Mae Sot and Moulmein in May by allowing Thai Flying
Service Co to operate charter flights between the two points.
Thai Flying Service marketing director Ladda Worasri said the
frequency of flights would depend on demand.
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NEWS SOURCES REGULARLY COVERED/ABBREVIATIONS USED BY BURMANET:
AP: ASSOCIATED PRESS
AFP: AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
AW: ASIAWEEK
AWSJ: ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL
Bt.: THAI BAHT; 25 Bt.=US$1 (APPROX),
BBC: BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION,
BI: BURMA ISSUES
BIG: BURMA INFORMATION GROUP
BKK POST: THE BANGKOK POST
BRC-CM: BURMESE RELIEF CENTER-CHIANG MAI
BRC-J: BURMESE RELIEF CENTER-JAPAN
CPPSM: C'TEE FOR PUBLICITY OF THE PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE IN MONLAND
FEER: FAR EAST ECONOMIC REVIEW
JIR: JANE'S INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
KHRG: KAREN HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP
Kt. BURMESE KYAT; 110-120 KYAT =US$1 BLACKMARKET
6 KYAT=US$1 OFFICIAL
NATION: THE NATION (DAILY NEWSPAPER, BANGKOK)
NLM: NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR
S.C.B.:SOC.CULTURE.BURMA NEWSGROUP
S.C.T.:SOC.CULTURE.THAI NEWSGROUP
SEASIA-L: S.E.ASIA BITNET MAILING LIST
USG: UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
XNA: XINHUA NEWS AGENCY
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