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FutureWork and Burma........ (r)



On 5 Apr 1995 TMYINT@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> From: Tun Myint <TMYINT@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> 
> >From:	PO2::"burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx" "Conference 'reg.burma'"  5-APR-1995 11:53:03.31
> >To:	Recipients of burmanet-l <burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> >CC:	
> >Subj:	Re: FutureWork and Burma
> 
> >From: Eng-Soon Chan <lds107@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>  
>  
> *> >> People who do not
> *> >> participate in revolution just focus on their daily lives and improvement of
> *> >> their living without considering fair or unfair way of making money. Mostly
> *> >> those kind of people are foreign immigrants such as Indians and Chinese. 
> 
> *> >You know, this is not necessarily true. My grandparents are Chinese, but 
> *> >my mother almost got shot saving some students' lives. My mother worked 
> *> >at the Thai-Burmese border with the student groups, and our family is 
> *> >totally devoted to Burma. I know many other "chinese immigrants"  
> *> >who are as devoted for the country as "Burmese", if not more.  
> *>  
> *> >Pwint
> 
> *> Dear Pwint:
> *> 	As I expected such point can be made in my posting, I am ready to say I
> *> don't mean to single out such honorable citizens. I am trying to find the way
> *> that can help Burma-born deserved citizens to get justice and fair share of
> *> life in Burma. There are also some Burmese especially who are imbued and
> *> satisfied with SLORC ideology say "I cannot take care of my aunt's cows, being
> *> eating my own rice" as Burmese saying goes. It is very certain that we have to
> *> face the problems such that there are many Chinese in Mandalay and northern
> *> Burma who took the opportunity by cooperating SLORC. They have been buying
> *> almost the whole part of Mandaly. They are just opportunity-takers. We have to,
> *> including Burmese citizens like you, have to think that it cannot be tolerated
> *> in terms of justice.
> *> 	I think you have misinterpreted upon my lack of more clear explanation.
> *> I cannot personally let Burmese(100%), who are military elites and its followers
> *> getting and collecting property, have as they are just because they are Burmese
> *> too. They all have to face the future policy or laws of democratic Burma. I am
> *> trying to find what sort of policy, and laws can help to settle justice in
> *> Burma in order to help all deserved Burmese.
> *> 	Thanks,
> *> 	Tun Myint
> *> 
>    
> {**Hi, 
> **I am new to this discussion. I am a chinese decent from Burma. I think 
> ..the way Mr.Tun Myint describe is extremely unfair as chinese and indians 
> ..in Burma are all opportunitist and they are earning money in unfair way. 
> ..Also such as"100% Burmese". I think this is racist. Like my family have 
> ..been the fourth generation in Burma and they have contributed to the 
> ..country since their arrival. As they became 
> ..Burmese citizens and they lived and died in Burma. Their wealth is 
> ..Burma's wealth. I believe they should be perceived as Burmese regardless 
> ..of ethnic origin as there are many ethnics minority in Burma. I don't 
> ..think it is fair to decide who get more priveledge by the time of 
> ..ancestral migration to Burma. My father and mother were all born in Burma 
> ..and lived their lives through Burma. Burma is their country and they are 
> ..Burmese Citizen. Their property is Burma's property. They may look 
> ..chinese but have nothing to do with China. To deny their right is 
> ..unjustice and narrow minded. Thanks.
>  
> ..Soon.***}
> 
> Dear Soon;
> 	First, I want to thank you for participating in this discussion. 
> I think you have not read my first posting. If so, you have mistakenly
> intepreted the core point of the whole discussion that I have done so far. I am
> not trying to find the way to deny anyone's rights in Burma. I am trying to
> find the way to settle justice and fairness for any Burmese citizens who have
> been fighting for it by triyng to get rid of the military dictatorship regime
> and, citizens who are victims of 33 year-old army-dominated politics.
> 	I replied to Pwint of Washington by saying even 100% Burmese who are
> taking unjust benefits by cooperating SLORC or  supporting SLORC's atrocities
> against Burma's innocent citizens can not be allow to have those property that
> they made unjustly. For instance, Slorc's top leader Gen Khin Nyunt has set
> up Timber Co.Ltd with a thai woman, and some other generals too. We have to
> have policy or law to justify such a situation. Because they robbed those
> properties from citizens of Burma. I wish that answer to the point that Pwint
> of Washington made that I excluded many of deserved Burmese-Chinese who are
> participating in revolution.
>        You accused me that I am a racist. I have never said Chinese and Indians 
> in Burma cannot be treated as Burmese because they are not Burmese. This is a
> stament that would be made by a racist. You have pointed to that direction and
> I am sorry to  hear that. What I discussed was that Chinese, Indians and even
> 100% Burmese who suck the blood of citizens of Burma for 33 years by
> cooperating the Generals of Burmese Army and collecting property unjustly have
> to face the law and policy of future democratic Burma. 
> 	Is that clear enough? If not,....
> 	There are many of my friends in Burma who are both Indians and Chinese.
> They are doing businesses such as trading, car work-shops, farming and gardenig 
> and they are no more different from me or you. We share with each other as 
> friends and care as frineds, even like brothers and sisters.  One of my frined 
> was arrested when he got back to Burma in 89 from border with the duty. He is my
> beloved friend and all of foreparents are Chinese.
> 
> 	After all, Burma's democratic citizens will decide what they want.I 
> wish this clear you up what I stand for.  
> 	Thanks
> 	Tun Myint.
> 
> 

Do you have any thoughts on the rights of the "Burma-born" Rohingya and 
their denied rights to citizenship?> > 	
> 
I agree with you that those who are complicitous to SLORC abuses should 
someday "face the law".  I would remind you, however, that a lot of the 
"blood sucking", and "cooperation with the SLORC", is done by Burmese 
(Burmans and ethnic minorities).  I suspect that there are quite a few 
businessmen, who are not in the military, who have profited substantialy 
as a result of their relationships with the military.  Do these people 
deserve any less condemnation than the Chinese or Thai nationals?  What 
about the low ranking soldiers who are responsible for human rights 
abuses in Rangoon, and the ethnic states?  Will these people someday face 
justice?  Given the egregious abuses that the SLORC armed forces have 
already committed, is it morally suspect to even belong to these groups, 
on any level?  It is a difficult issue.   

	Do you see any danger in classifying 
"Chinese " or "Thai" as a nationality or ethnic group, as being culpable 
for the human rights abuses?  Mightn't this be construed as, or lead to, 
xenophobia?  The people who are complicitous to the abuses are 
individuals, maybe even government officials, but they are not 
necessarilly represenatative of the entire population of Chinese or Thai. 

What do you think.

Curt