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BurmaNet News: April 28, 1996
o------------------------- BurmaNet -------------------------o
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
o------------------------------------------------------------o
The BurmaNet News: 28 APRIL 1995
Issue #159
o------------------------------------------------------------o
NOTED IN PASSING:
"The shit has hit the fan."
A border relief official on events along the
Thai/Burma border today. <See BURMANET: UP TO
1000 DKBA/SLORC TROOPS HIT 4 MORE REFUGEE CAMPS>
What Thai authorities are doing to the Mon refugees
today is directly connected to Thailand's agreement
with Slorc for the purchase of natural gas -it's as
simple as that"
<See NATION: WOMAN REFUGEE JAILED, PARTED FROM
ILL BABY>
"The past year has been an encouraging one for the
generals who run Myanmar...But just as things seemed
to be going right, they have started to go wrong."
The Economist magazine, noting signs of success
by activists pressuring companies to pull out of
Burma. <See ECONOMIST: MACY'S NO LONGER SHOPS AT
MYANMAR>
o------------------------------------------------------------o
BURMANET: UP TO 1000 DKBA/SLORC TROOPS HIT 4 MORE REFUGEE CAMPS
KNU: CONCERNING ATTACKS ON THE REFUGEE CAMPS
REUTERS: BURMESE TROOPS BURN KAREN CAMP IN THAILAND
THE NATION: WITH A 'FRIEND' LIKE THIS ONE, THAILAND DOESN'T
NEED ENEMIES
THE NATION: NSC: NO NEED OF FOREIGN FORCE TO HELP MAN BORDER
NATION: THAILAND'S PROTESTS OVER BURMESE BORDER INCURSIONS
GROW LOUDER
ECONOMIST: MACY'S NO LONGER SHOPS AT MYANMAR
BURMANET: "BEYOND RANGOON"
BURMANET: CHIN LEADER DIES IN INDIAN ARMY CUSTODY
AP: BURMA'S RICH-POOR GAP WIDENS
AP: GUERRILLAS KILL NINE IN BURMA
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL TO PEPSI, UNOCAL, TEXACO--SAY NO TO BURMA
ABSDF-MTZ: SLORC'S HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AGAINST KAREN REFUGEES
ON THAI SOIL
NATION: WOMAN REFUGEE JAILED, PARTED FROM ILL BABY>
BANGKOK POST: BURMA JUNTA ASKED TO RECONSIDER VISA REQUEST
BANGKOK POST: FM HOSTS BREAKFAST TO BOOST ASEAN TIES
BANGKOK POST: BURMA ASSURES NO CHANGE IN GAS PIPE ROUTE
DESPITE RAIDS
BANGKOK POST: CHUAN ISSUES WARNING ON BORDER RAIDS
o------------------------------------------------------------o
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BURMANET: UP TO 1000 DKBA/SLORC TROOPS HIT 4 MORE REFUGEE CAMPS
April 28, 1995
In their largest incursion to date, as many as 1,000 Burmese
army and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) troops attacked
four Karen refugee camps today. The attacks began early in the
morning when "intruder" attacked a section of Me Ta Wa camp.
Thai Border Patrol Police fired on the attackers but were
forced to retreat. There are as yet unconfirmed reports that
one Thai soldier was killed and another taken prisoner. The
attacking troops burned the guard post at Me Ta Wa and then
moved on to Sho Klo refugee camp at about 10:00am.
After burning a section of Sho Klo, they moved on to Kler Klo
camp and burned it to the ground. After Kler Klo, they
returned to Kamaw Lay Ko and finished the job of destruction
they began there on Tuesday.
For the first time, the Thai authorities seem to be serious
about responding. The Thais have brought up armored vehicles
and aircraft and there were reports of running engagements with
the intruders. In the words of one usually taciturn border
relief official, "the shit has hit the fan."
The highway between Mae Sot and Mae Sariang has been closed.
No further information is available about casualties. Today's
attacks bring to six the number of camps damaged or destoyed
this week. The populations of the camps before the SLORC/DKBA
attacks were:
Mae Ra Ma Luang 4,583 Burned, 4/24
Mae Ta Wa 7,889 Burned in part, 4/19, 4/23, 4/28
(Kler Htay Loo subcamp, 4/23)
Sho Klo 8,493 Burned in part (a subcamp) 4/28
Klay Mo Hta 3,659 Burned 4/25
Kler Kho 3,726 Burned in total, 4/28
Kamaw Lay Kho 4,039 Burned in part, 4/25
finished off, 4/28
In the original mutiny, some 400-500 Buddhist Karens defected
from the Karen National Union to form the DKBA. There have
been persistant reports that the DKBA is commanded by SLORC
officers and that Burmese army troops are in the ranks.
Burmese army troops have also been reported moving with DKBA
forces both inside Burma and Thailand. Given the scale of
today's incursion, a degree in rocket science is not required
to figure out the DKBA didn't do this by itself.
The possibility exists that the "DKBA" troops coming over the
border are Karens from the Burmese army who have simply been
issued new uniforms. Even prior to the mutiny in December
1994, there were more ethnic Karens in the Tatmadaw than there
were in the KNU ranks.
o------------------------------------------------------------o
KNU: CONCERNING ATTACKS ON THE REFUGEE CAMPS
OFFICE OF THE SUPREME HEADQUARTERS
KAREN NATIONAL UNION
KAWTHOOLEI
Statement by KNU Foreign Affairs Department spokesperson
concerning attacks on Karen refugee camps on the Thai- Burma
border
For immediate release:
26.4.95
During recent weeks incidents concerning the security of Karen
refugees in Thailand have intensified and the KNU urges the
Royal Thai government and the international community to take
appropriate measures now to counter what has now become an
escalating level of violence and destruction. During the course
of two days , the 24th April , separate SLORC forces numbering
in hundreds, made up mainly of SLORC soldiers with small
numbers of Karen defectors , have attacked large and widely
separated refugee camps.
The escalating violence
Events of the past week demonstrate the escalating the
escalating cycle of violence and destruction.
* On 19th April a group of about 20 SLORC troops and Karen
defectors crossed the Moei River from the SLORC base at Mae Hta
War , burned 30 houses and abducted 5 Karen refugees. Threats
were made that more such attacks would result of the refugees
refused to return to Burma.
* On 23th April at 7.30 am about 300 SLORC troops crossed the
Moei River to enter the Kler Htay Loo refugee camp not far from
Mae Hta War . A clash occurred with camp security forces in
which at least one person was killed and the village was burned
down.
* On the same day at 4.30 pm the SLORC troops attacked Mae Wee
Khlo refugee camp inland from Kler Thay Loo. Again at least one
person was killed during the fighting . The intruders then
forced inland and set up road- blocks on the main Mae Sarieng-
Mae Sod road, abducted 9 people and seized a pick-up truck.
* On 24 April at 10 am SLORC troops returned to Kler Htay Loo ,
again clashed with camp security forces and burned Mae Loh
village adjacent to Kler Htay Loo camp. A number of Karen
refugees were abducted by the attackers.
* Also on 24th April, another group of about 200 SLORC troops,
including about 10-15 Karen defectors, crossed the Salween
river at Pu Mya Loo and proceeded to attack a major new refugee
camp at Maramu Khlo [ also known as Mae Ra Ma Luang] with a
population of over 4,500 people . It is known that a number of
refugees were abducted, that many refugees were injured and
that two of the seven sections of the camp were burned as well
as the rice store in one section . On this occasion the Thai
army's 35th Task Force engaged the intruders.
* According to the most recent information, at midnight on the
next day, the 25th April, another group of SLORC forces
attacked the Kamaw Lay Kho refugees camp between Mae Hta War
and Mae Sod which also has a population of over 4,000 people .
More than 300 houses were burned.
The protection of Karen refugees in Thailand
There are approximately 75,000 Karen refugees currently in
camps inside Thailand along the Thai- Burma border as a result
of the long running civil war and systematic abuse of the
civilian population by the Burmese military . This includes
approximately 10,000 recent arrivals who fled Burma as a result
of the recent military offensive by SLORC troops against the
KNU and the resulting withdrawal of the KNU from its
headquarter at
Marnerplaw and its base at Kawmoorah.
The refugees have been allowed by the Royal Thai government to
take refuge in Thailand and have been cared for by the Karen
Refugee Committee with the help of a consortium of NGOs working
in conjunction with the Thai authorities. Their welfare is
monitored informally by representatives of Bangkok-based
embassies and from time to time by a representative of the
UNHCR. In the past , the security of the refugees has not been
a major problem.
Immediately following the recent SLORC offensive , SLORC
troops, together with renegade Karen who defected from the KNU
to the SLORC , began intruding into Thai territory ,
embarrassing unarmed refugees , distributing leaflets urging
Buddhist refugees to return to Burma , threatening to destroy
refugee camps and even abducting refugees. A number of deaths
occurred as a result . These actions caused fear and confusion
amongst the refugees. Many fled from established camps to new
and less accessible locations and , in many camps , the
refugees are still struggling to complete the establishment of
adequate shelter in advance of the coming wet season. This will
now be a major problem.
The earlier threats to the security of the refugees caused by
the intrusion of SLORC troops into Thailand, and efforts by the
SLORC to force the refugees to return to Burma, prompted the
KNU , on 25th February, to appeal for monitoring of the refugee
situation on the Thailand -Burma border by an appropriate
international body. Subsequent announcements by the Thai
military that they would take steps to secure the camps were
welcomed by the KNU . It is believed that the UNHCR has
requested the Thai government for permission to play at least a
nominal monitoring role through the placement of a protection
for somewhere near the border, but as yet no action has been
taken.
The current escalating series of incidents proves beyond doubt
that the SLORC is prepared to flagrantly disregard Thai
sovereignty and the civil war in Burma has now very clearly
crossed international boundaries.
It also demonstrates that the level of protection provided so
far by the Thai authorities is inadequate and that the SLORC is
prepared to bring about the repatriation of Karen refugees who
are clearly unwilling to return to Burma because of the
persecution of Karen villagers on Karen areas under SLORC
occupation.
The KNU believes that it is undoubtedly in the interests of the
refugees that they return to Burma , but insists that this
should only occur through a systematic program of voluntary
repatriation in accordance with international principles and
practices and that this can only occur when a political
solution is found to the political problems underlying the long
civil war. That is why the KNU has continued to demand that
cease fire negotiations with the SLORC include negotiation of
the necessary political
settlement .
International action needed
The disasters at Maramu Khlo and Kamaw Lay Kho points to two
inescapable conclusions :
1. It is time for the Thai government and the international
community to recognize the threat posed to regional security by
the spill over effect of the civil war in Burma and to provide
an effective international presence able to provide security to
the refugees and to serve as an effective monitoring body in
the Thai- Burma border area.
2. More than ever, it is time for the Thai government , the
nations of the region and the international community to
explore effective ways to bring about an end to the civil war
and a political settlement which can bring peace and democracy
to Burma.
o------------------------------------------------------------o
ECONOMIST: MACY'S NO LONGER SHOPS AT MYANMAR
Bangkok
The past year has been an encouraging one for the generals
who run Myanmar. General in in, the finance minister,
announced this month that his country had received pledges of
$2.59 billion in investment since 1988, and the flow has
quickened over the past year. But just as things seemed to be
going right, they have started to go wrong.
Anti-junta campaigners in America are claiming some success
in their efforts to persuade companies to disengage from
Myanmar. The latest to pull out is Federated Department
Stores, which owns Macy's, Ny's largest shop. This month
Macy's said it would stop buying clothes made in Myanmar.
Eddie Bauer and Liz Claiborne, two other American retailers,
have also pulled out. Levi Strauss withdrew two years ago.
Eddie Bauer, which has had demonstrations outside its shops,
cited Myanmar's lack of human rights. Macy's said it was put
off by corruption in Myanmar. But pressure from the Coalition
for Corporate Withdrawal from Burma, which wants a democratic
government in Myanmar and the release of the opposition leader,
Aung San Suu Kyi, probably also played a part. The coalition
says the fall in December in Mannerplaw, headquarters of the
Burmese resistance, drew attention to its cause.
In February, the city council in Berkeley, California,
decided not to buy goods produced by companies doing business
in Myanmar. With a long history of radicalism, Berkeley was
one of the first towns to take similar action against South
Africa. Other bastions of American liberalism, among them
Madison, Seattle and the state of Massachusettes, are mulling
over anti-Myanmar legislation. Simon Billenness, an investment
analyst and anti-junta campaigner, predicts that Myanmar "will
be the South Africa of the 1990's."
Perhaps not. The anti-aparteid campaign was helped by the
political clout of black Americans. There are few Burmese in
America, and fewer American businesses in Myanmar. But the
American campaign could affect investment in Myanmar by Asian
companies. Shops like Macy's and Eddie Bauer are not direct
investors in Myanmar; they bought clothes from joint ventures
involving companies from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Those companies
will have to consider the anti-junta wishes of their clients.
The single largest potential investor in Myanmar involves
Unocal, a California oil company. Together with Total, a
French company, and the Myanmar government, Unocal is engaged
in developing gas fields in Myanmarand in building a pipeline
that will carry the gas to Thailand. The total investment in
the development could be as large as $1 billion. Anti-junta
campaigners claim that forced labour is being used in the area
of the pipeline and that villagers along the route are being
forcibly moved. Because the pipeline would go through
territory contested by rebel ethnic groups such as the Mon and
the Karen, soldiers are needed to protect it.
Unocals's petrol stations in California have been picketed
and some shareholders have filed resolutions against the
Myanmar investment. So far Unocal is adamant that it will stay
the course. Its resolve is certain to be tested further."
[picture of Aung San Suu Kyi stating "Americans want Suu Kyi
out"]
o------------------------------------------------------------o
REUTERS: BURMESE TROOPS BURN KAREN CAMP IN THAILAND
Category: international
MAE SOT, Thailand, April 26 (Reuter) - A group of
about 100 Burmese soldiers and members of an allied Karen
guerrilla
faction crossed into Thailand and set fire to a Karen refugee
camp, leaving more than 3,000 people homeless, a Thai army
officer said on Wednesday.
The army source, based on the border, said the
intruders crossed the Moei river, which forms the Thai-Burmese
frontier, late on Tuesday night and then entered Kamaw Lay Ko
camp in northwest Thailand.
They looted and set fire to more than 300 buildings
and then took an unknown number of people hostage, both Thai
villagers and Karen refugees.
The Thais were released before the intruders withdrew
into Burma, the Thai officer said.
The remainder of the camp's 3,000 inhabitants fled
their homes and hid in a nearby forest, he said.
Relief workers say Burmese troops and members of the
allied Karen faction have launched a campaign of terror against
the 70,000 Karen refugees in Thailand in an effort to force
them back into government-controlled parts of Burma and deprive
the KNU of its civilian support base.
``The current escalating series of incidents proves
beyond doubt that the SLORC is prepared to flagrantly disregard
Thai sovereignty, and the civil war in Burma has now very
cleary crossed international boundaries,'' the KNU said.
The SLORC is an acronym for Burma's ruling military
body, the State Law and Order Restoration Council.
``It also demonstrates that the level of protection
provided so far by the Thai authorities is inadequate and that
the SLORC is prepared to use force to bring about the
repatriation of refugees who are clearly unwilling to return,''
the KNU added. Thailand has complained to Burma
several times about intrusions and violent attacks by Burmese
troops and their allies but Burma's military government says
any intrusions were by members of the breakaway Democratic
Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), not government troops.
The DKBA was formed late last year after several
hundred Karen fighters mutinied against the main Karen
guerrilla force and joined Burmese government troops.
``It is time for the Thai government and the
international community to recognise the threat posed to
regional security by the spillover effect of the civil war in
Burma and to provide an effective international presence able
to provide security to the refugees,'' the KNU said.
NATION: THAILAND'S PROTESTS OVER BURMESE BORDER INCURSIONS
GROW LOUDER
April 28
28.4.95/The Nation
The Thai Army asked its Burmese counterpart yesterday to help
prevent territorial violations by armed forces from Burma ,
while Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai questioned claims that
Rangoon was not aware of the incidents.
" We have heard some Karen forces may have been cooperation
with Burma, so at least Burmese officials at the border level
should have been aware of what happened," Chuan said.
Thailand will dodge a further protest note to Burma in order to
seek an explanation on the " unacceptable " incursions, Deputy
Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said yesterday.
" We want Rangoon to ensure us that there will be no repeat of
such incidents, which have made Thais unhappy ," Surin said .
Additional border patrol police and military soldiers have been
dispatched to the area to ensure the people's safety.
In Chiang Mai, the Thai Army's request was made after three
serious territorial violations, and attacks on refugee camps in
northern Tak and Mae Hong Song provinces were staged by several
hundred renegade armed Karen last Sunday and Tuesday.
The incidents occurred while senior Army leaders from both
countries were attending the 11th Thai- Burmese Regional Border
Committee in Phitsanulok and Chiang Mai between April 25-27.
Several people were killed and injured and over a hundred Karen
civilian refugees were forced at gunpoint to cross the Salween
River back to Burma.
The Third Region Army Commander, Lt Gen Surachet Dechatiwong,
who chaired the meeting on Tuesday, unexpectedly cancelled the
forum and asked for leave on Wednesday to accompany Army
Commander in Chief Gen Wimol Wongwanich on an inspection tour
of the Thai border and the camps , some of which were burned
down by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army [DKBA].
Surachet, who held an unscheduled five-hour meeting yesterday
morning with his Burmese counterpart southeastern Commander Maj
Gen Ket Sein, said after the talks that he had raised the
border incidents with Ket Sein and asked the Burmese general "
to cooperate" in preventing similar occurrences in the future.
He quoted Ket Sein, who is responsible for the areas where the
DKBA forces are active, as agreeing to consider the request.
Surachet said the Burmese general was not in the country when
the violent acts took place and would " have to consider and
investigate all the evidence about the incidents" .
The Thai general said he could not confirm whether the
intruders were DKBA or Burmese forces, but said Thai
authorities still have to investigate the incidents and find
out the identities of " the foreign forces".
Karen refugee officials said both the Burmese and DKBA troops
have been involved in the continuing raids and harassment of
refugees since February.
" We [Thailand] don't know who they [the intruders] were. We
did't see clearly [whether they were Burmese or DKBA forces]
because they crossed at night," Surachet said.
The Burmese team, which was initially scheduled to fly to
Bangkok at 7.30 am, could not leave Chiang Mai until about 2.30
pm
Surachet told reporters that the delay was because the Thai
Army plane , which was to transport the group , was
unexpectedly commissioned to fly on another urgent mission.
Surachet also played down the last-minute cancellation of a
scheduled courtesy call by Burmese delegates to Army commander
Gen Womol , saying the Thai general was unexpectedly engaged
elsewhere.
NATION: WOMAN REFUGEE JAILED, PARTED FROM ILL BABY
28.4.95/The Nation
A woman has been locked in jail and separated from her
desperately-ill baby following a raid by police on Mon refugees
residing at a Bangkok temple, relief sources said yesterday.
We Lai, an eight-month -old baby girl, was listed in serious
condition at Lertsin Hospital , they said .
She was diagnosed as suffering from pneumonia , malnutrition
and other complications after spending several days at the
Immigration Detention Centre [IDC] on Suanplu Road.
Relief sources described the conditions at the jail as " almost
intolerable " with temperatures soaring to 43 [degree C] during
the day.
We Lai , her mother Naing Bai, and 12 other Mon refugees were
arrested during a raid on Wat Prok in Yannawa district on April
19, and were subsequently sent to the detention centre ,
according to the Mon National Relief Committee [MNRC] . The
baby was reportedly showing signs of illness at the time .
Although Naing Bai's husband is Thai , he is said to suffer
from mental illness and is unable to support the family.
We Lai and her five year old brother are Thai citizens, but
Naing Bai does not have a residency permit , according to the
relief agency.
On Tuesday , April 25 , Naing Bai was sent to a jail in
Kanchanaburi on the first leg of her deportation , sources
said. We Lai was noted to have a high fever and was breathing
with great difficulty .
The baby was rushed to hospital after immigration authorities
thoroughly checked her documents , the sources said. She was
then placed on oxygen and in a mist tent to assist her
breathing .
" She has been fighting for her life ever since, " a relief
official said . A private charity had offered to pay for the
medical services .
We Lai's condition was reported to have stabilized yesterday
and doctors believed she would live . But Phra Wongsa Pala ,
chairman of the MNRC, called for her to be reunited with her
mother, at least until the baby gets better.
" I think this case would shock most Thais if they knew of the
situation," Phra Wongsa said .
" The authorities should reconsider the situation and allow the
mother to return to Bangkok , at least until the baby is
discharged from hospital ."
Lt Col Jonglak Wongsaked, an officer at the Suanplu detention
centre , told The Nation he was recently contacted by relief
officials and was now sympathetic to the baby's plight.
However , he was alerted to the situation only after Naing Bai
had left the IDC and there was wow little he could do to help .
Also arrested at Wat Prok on April 19 was Maung Kyan - a Mon
who lost both arms and both eyes in a landmine explosion 10
years ago-along with his wife and two children .
Maung Kyan recently underwent a cornea transplant operation to
restore some of his vision , but relief officials feared his
condition would deteriorate because of the unsanitary
conditions at the detention centre.
They said that because Maung Kyan had been officially listed as
a "person of concern" by the United Nations High Commission on
Refugees, he and his family had been sent to the Maneeloi camp
for Burmese refugees in Ratchaburi where he should be able to
be able to recover. Naing Bai, however, does not have such
status.
MNRC officials said there had been repeated raids on Wat Prok,
part of a general crackdown on refugees and illegal immigrants
from Burma who are residing in Thailand.
They said the crackdown was intended to pressure Mon
separatists in Burma to sign a ceasefire with the ruling State
Law and Order Restoration Council(Slorc).
This would allow a pipeline planned to transport natural gas
from Burma to Thailand to through Mon-held territory to be
built and secured they added.
What Thai authorities are doing to the Mon refugees today is
directly connected to Thailand's agreement with Slorc for the
purchase of natural gas -it's as simple as that" said Phra
Wongsa.
Thai authorities, however said, they were merely enforcing the
Immigration Act.
o------------------------------------------------------------o
BURMANET: "BEYOND RANGOON"
By U Kyaw Win
U=Win%Counseling%OCC@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Thu Apr 27 11:01:35 1995
Date: Thu, 27 Apr 95 10:51:41 PDT
Subject: "Beyond Rangoon"
"Beyond Rangoon" is a compelling story of a young American
physician whose husband and young child were murdered in a
state-side home robbery. Dr. Laura Bowman, played by Patricia
Arquette and her elder syster Andy, also a physician, take a
trip abroad to help Laura out of her grief and sort out the
remainder of life. They find themselves in Burma in 1988 and
is engulfed in the pro-democracy uprising. Laura comes into
contact with the Buddhist religion and regains her strength.
It is Castle Rock Entertainment's wish that there be no
political demonstrations of any sort at the theatres or
elsewhere for fear that such would frighten people away from
viewing the film. The message is a powerful one and the movie
can stand on its own.
I therefore request all persons to honor Castle Rock's wish.
However, please do promote the film in a positive
non-political way.
I worked hard as its special advisor five months on location in
hot/humid Malaysia, away from my family, . U Aung Ko acted
excellently as a supporting actor--something he had never done
before, and I am rooting for an Academy Award for him.
If you are so moved by the film and its ending, please do give
it a rousing standing ovation to honor the memory of those
massacred and those still struggling in our beloved homeland.
Please go in groups and enjoy the film. I have seen the final
cut and you will be moved, I assure you.
It will premier in France on 19 May 95; in England on 30 June,
USA and world- wide on 25 August 1995.
U Kyaw Win
o------------------------------------------------------------o
BURMANET: CHIN LEADER DIES IN INDIAN ARMY CUSTODY
By Michael Beer
mbeer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mr. Sang Hlun and two Chin National Front (CNF) soldiers were
arrested by the Indian Border police at the India-Burma border
on March 31, 1995. The border police freed the two soldiers
but took Mr. Sang Hlun by helicopter to the Assam rifles. No
news was heard from him or about him until April 24th, when
Indian authorities informed his relatives that he died of
malaria and delivered his body. Examination of his body
revealed signs of torture. It is believed that he had been
tortured to death. At the time of his arrest, Mr. Sang Hlun
was the head of the CNF northern command. He was one of the
founding members of the CNF and was once the vice chairman. A
graduate of Rangoon University, he served until his death as
the judge in the CNF affairs. He was 36 years old.
The Chin people who occupy the northwest highlands of Burma,
are fighting for a sovereign Chinland. The Chin National
Front was formed in the 1980s for this purpose. Sang Hlun
joined the CNF in 1988 after he fled Burma to escape the
brutal crackdown on the pro-democracy movement. In the
beginning the CNF was supported by the authorities in India.
However, the relationship became strained when the Chins
crossed the Nagaland in 1991 to receive training in Kachinland.
The Nagas are fighting for independence from India. The then
CNF president, John Thang, received aid from the nagas leader
Mauva. India outlawed the CNF in India and to this day still
accuses the CNF of ties to the Nagas. CNF denies a present
connection and asked the Indian authorities to post their men
in CNF headquarters for verification. There had been small
incidents resulting in casualties. The Indian authorities
have arrested a few high ranking CNF officers and incarcerated
them. This is the first time a high ranking CNF member has
died in the custody of the Indian authorities.
o------------------------------------------------------------o
AP: BURMA'S RICH-POOR GAP WIDENS
Keywords: Asia
ACategory: international
RANGOON, Burma (AP) -- Khin Shwe earned $50 a month as
an engineer when Burma embraced socialism and treated foreign
investors like pariahs. Now, he's making millions from hotels,
construction deals and overseas trading.
As a little boy, Serge Pun fled Burma with his family
as private businesses were being nationalized. He's back,
having already pioneered credit cards, upmarket shopping
centers and laundries. Golf courses and Hawaii Ice Cream
parlors are next on his list.
``Six years ago, I never dreamed all this could happen. Now I
have a house, a car, money, everything,'' says Khin Shwe, 45,
at one of his luxurious hotels overlooking the fast-modernizing
Burmese capital.
He and Pun are among the first wealthy entrepreneurs in
one of the last Asian countries to turn to free enterprise. But
their small moneyed elite towers above an impoverished land
where the gap between rich and poor is rapidly rising.
For much of the last three decades, an ideology mixing
socialism, isolationism and military control insured equal
poverty for virtually everyone.
After crushing a ``people's power'' revolt in 1988, the
military liberalized the economy, sought foreign investment and
allowed Burmese expatriates, many of them rich ethnic Chinese,
to return.
Capitalism is now the name of the game, and Shwe and
Pun see themselves as part of the vanguard of growth and
general
prosperity. For the foreseeable future, general prosperity will
have to wait.
``My salary can hardly buy milk powder for my baby,''
says a well-educated hotel employee who works 12 hours a day to
earn 3,000 kyat a month. At the unofficial rate to which most
prices are pegged, that's about $30.
Even worse off are civil servants and members of the
intelligentsia who make up a small -- perhaps 5 percent -- but
important segment of the population. Government employees earn
between $6.50 and $25 a month.
Some analysts and critics of the military junta say
such hardship, coupled with political repression, could lead to
another upheaval like that of 1988. The regime disagrees.
``In an economy of transition, there will always be
disparity between the rich and poor,'' said Set Maung, a senior
economic adviser to the junta.
``There is going to be jealousy, but as long as people
can get by, have food, shelter and clothes, they will be
satisfied,'' he said. ``Burmese people are easily contented
unless there is great injustice.''
Despite an official minimum daily wage of only 20 kyat,
or 20 cents, urban laborers are in great demand due to a
building boom, and most won't accept less than 100 kyat, or $1.
Some of their increased earning power, however, has
been eaten up by inflation running at 20 to 30 percent by
official estimates. Farmers, who make up 65 percent of
the population, have been enriched by the end to a law forcing
them to sell the bulk of their rice to the government at low
fixed prices.
But by most standards, Burma's countryside is still
woefully poor.
According to the United Nations, three out of four
children in Burma don't complete primary school; 40 percent of
children under 3 suffer from malnutrition; two out of three
people drink unsafe water; 95 percent of women can't get
contraceptives; and only 2 percent have access to electricity.
Such problems, rooted in decades of misrule, cannot be
blamed on Burma's current regime. But critics point out that
since seizing power six years ago, the junta has more than
doubled the size of the armed forces to some 300,000 personnel,
and spends 30 to 40 percent of the national budget on the
military.
o------------------------------------------------------------o
AP: GUERRILLAS KILL NINE IN BURMA
ACategory: international
RANGOON, Burma (AP) -- Guerrillas belonging to a drug
warlord's militia burned down a sawmill, killing nine workers
and seriously injuring eight others, a government-run newspaper
reported Wednesday.
The attack occurred Sunday night in the so-called
``Golden Triangle'' area where the borders of Burma, Thailand
and Laos meet. The region is the source of much of the world's
heroin supply.
About 50 guerrillas belonging to a militia run by Khun
Sa, one of the top Burmese drug traffickers in the area, tied
up their captives and beat them with wood planks, the New Light
of Myanmar newspaper said. The privately owned sawmill 290
miles northeast of Rangoon produced ties for a railroad being
built nearby. The motive for the attack was not immediately
known.
Khun Sa is wanted in the United States on charges of
heroin trafficking.
Late last year, the government began an offensive
against Khun Sa's forces after several years of avoiding
clashes. About 10,000 guerrillas belong to his militia.
o------------------------------------------------------------o
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL TO PEPSI, UNOCAL, TEXACO: SAY NO TO BURMA
[Press release from the student group at the University of
Washington]
Seattle--April 25,1995--
The Seattle City Council is urging U.S. corporate giants Pepsi,
Unocal, and Texaco to join "an international economic boycott
of Burma until the human rights violations cease and control
of the government has been transferred to the winners of the
1990 democratic election."
In a resolution adopted by an 8-0 vote here Monday afternoon,
the City Council noted that investment by Pepsi, Unocal, and
Texaco "supports the military government and it's cruelty
towards the Burmese people."
Consumer and shareholder pressure is rising against the handful
of American companies active in Burma, which is ruled by a
military junta regarded by the United Nations and the United
States as one of the world's most repressive regimes.
Widespread abuses include torture, rape and forced labor, with
a complete lack of free expression and association.
City Council member Martha Choe sees the campaign for human
rights in Burma as the natural sequel to the victorious
anti-apartheid movement, which she also backed. "We realize
that what cities do on matters like this is important and does
make a difference," she says.
"Seattle is an influential voice on the Pacific Rim, so this
vote sets a key precedent," says Larry Dohrs of the Seattle
Campaign for a Free Burma. "The situation in Burma is so
desperate that liberals, conservatives, and moderates al agree
that pressure on the Burmese junta must increse."
Other local governments around the U.S. are also becoming
involved in the Burma democracy campaign. On February 28, the
Berkeley, California, City Council banned city contracts with
companies doing business in Burma. Similar laws are pending
in New York City, Santa Monica, and the State of
Massachusetts.
Campus activism is also on the rise: On March 16 the University
of Washington Board of Regents passed a measure to support
shareholder resolutions aimed at limiting U.S. business
involvement in the military ruled Southeast Asian country.
"Actions by universities, cities, and states are setting the
stage for federal sanctions, similar to those against the
apartheid regime," says Simon Billenness of the Coalition for
Corporate Withdrawl From Burma. "The momentum is growing
rapidly."
Several U.S. companies have already left Burma, including Eddie
Bauer, Macy's, Levi Strauss, and Liz Claiborne. Coca-Cola and
Reebok also refuse to do business with the Burmese junta.
o------------------------------------------------------------o
ABSDF-MTZ: SLORC'S HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AGAINST KAREN REFUGEES
ON THAI SOIL
Date: 25th April, 1995
Deliberately regarding on the recent event that as many as 300
Slorc troops under the name of DKBO swept into Mae Lor Ta and
Mae Wee Klu refugee camps, deep inside Thailand's Tha Song Yang
District, early on 23.5.95, killing two Karen refugees,
abducting several people and threatening to burn the camps
down.
Recalling on the fact that 20 Slorc troops, on 23.1.95,
intruded into Thailand and attacked the five trucks carrying
the karen refugees from Mae Pho Hta, a village on Thai side of
the Thai-Burma border at the junction of Moei and Salween
rivers, to a new refugee camp site at The loh Thi Hta in which
two karen women and a Thai driver were killed , and 10 others,
including four small children were seriously injured,
Recalling on the several rounds of Slorc's manipulated
abduction of the KNU officials and Karen refugees including a
senior Buddhist KNU official, namely, Man Yin Sein and other
five karens from Mae La refugee camp in Thailand on 9.2.95,
Recognizing the value of all human life and regretting any loss
of life in Burma created by Slorc's war against the people,
Emphasizing Slorc's human rights abuses not only in the country
but also its increased extension to the outside of the country
now,
Emphasizing with increased concern about the security of the
Karen refugees and all Burmese refugees who are staying under
much scare of attacking by Slorc troops in the refugee camps on
Thai soil,
Denounces extended Slorc's rights abuses by killing refugees,
harassing unarmed refugees, threatening to destroy refugee
camps and abducting refugees even on the Thai soil. Demand the
Slorc to stop its mounting human right violation inside and
outside of Burma.
Appeal earnestly to the Thai government to effectively step up
the security measures for the protection of the Karen refugees
and all Burmese who are now taking refuge in Thailand in order
to prevent any intrusion of Burmese troops inside Thailand
which violate the Thai sovereignty and also not allow to happen
like these events again.
Appeal earnestly to the UN and international community, to
seriously consider to reach a correct resolution toward the
escalating insecurity problems and to see the refugees on Thai
soil are being effectively protected, by establishing a UN
monitoring program and international participation.
Foreign Affairs Office
Central Leading Committee
All Burma Students' Democratic Front
WITH A 'FRIEND' LIKE THIS ONE, THAILAND DOESN'T NEED ENEMIES 28
APRIL 1995
THE Thai army needs to adopt a more clear-cut response to the
frequent violations of Thai territory by a Karen faction know
to be in language with the Burmese military junta. Like it or
not, the half-hearted reaction by Army Commander-in-Chief Gen
Wimol will most probably rekindle criticism about the
controversial ties between Thai military generals and the
internationally-condemmed Slorc.
The latest attacks on Karen refugee camps in Tak and Mae Hong
Son provinces on Tuesday were reportedly carried out by
soldiers of the DKBA , established after a few hundred
Buddhist Karen became dissatisfied with the Christian-led KNU.
Thai border officers said Slorc has often claimed no
connection or control over the DKBA, despite the fact that it
helped create the new group in December.
Wimol visited the affected camps on Wednesday to see first hand
the border situation, and said the Army would not resort to
violent retaliation.
He proposed that a safe area be found deeper inside Thailand
for the Karen refugees in order to hamper future intrusions. A
testy Wimol was sarcastic when commenting on how Thailand
should respond to the aggression. "Of course, we can fire
artillery over (the border). But what if the shells kill
innocent people and children? We will be criticized again?" The
Army Chief seems to be missing the point here. A Thai
"response" does not necessary mean a violent retaliation. A
tough official protest demanding clarification would be enough
as an initial response.
The government and the Foreign Ministry, of course, have a role
to play in the blatant violations of Thai sovereignty. But the
military, as the nation's guardian against its
enemies, has a frontier responsibility.
Thai border officers, who asked not to be named, said
territorial violations and become "a normal daily practice" of
the DKBA forces, and that security along the 250-kilometre
Thai-Burmese frontier "is becoming increasingly difficult to
control".
Yet the Army's initial response to reports on the refugee
camps attacks tended to make people believe that nothing
serious was happening at the border. And the first serious Thai
reaction came from Government House, not the military. In a
statement issued earlier this week denying serious border
violations, the Army said it would "never allow foreign troops
to cross on to Thailand soil and any force attempting to do so
would face a drastic response".
The stern statement only added to the large loss of face when
it was confirmed that major incursions had taken place and that
battle were fought on Thai soil.
"It's better to have friends than enemies," Wimol has often
said. There was no need, insisted, to dance to the tune of the
West which doesn't understand Thailand's security situation,
being a country surrounded by several trouble-plaguded
neighbours. (TN)
THAILAND'S PROTESTS OVER BURMESE BORDER INCURSIONS GROW LOUDER
28 APRIL 1995
THE Thai Army asked its Burmese counterpart yesterday to help
prevent territorial violations by armed forces from Burma,
while Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai questioned claims that
Rangoon was not aware of the incidents.
"We have heard some Karen forces may have been cooperating with
Burma, so at least Burmese officials a the border level should
have been aware of what happened," Chuan said.
Thailand will lodge a further protest note to Burma in order to
seek an explanation on the "unacceptable" incursions,
Deputy Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said yesterday.
"We want Rangoon to ensure us that there will be no repeat of
such incidents, which have made Thais unhappy," Surin said.
Additional border patrol police and military soldiers have been
dispatched to the area to ensure the people's safety. In Chinag
Mai, the Thai Army's request was made after three serious
territorial violations, and attacks on refugee camps in
northern Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces were staged be
several hundred renegade armed Karen last Sunday and Tuesday.
The incidents occurred while senior Army leaders from both
countries were attending the 11th Thai-Burmese Regional Border
Committee in Phitsanulok and Chiang Mai between April 25-27.
Several people were killed and injured and over a hundred
Karen civilian refugees were forced at gunpoint to cross the
Salween River back to Burma.
The Third Region Army Commander, Lt Gen Surachet Dechitiwang,
who chaired the meeting on Tuesday, unexpectedly cancelled the
forum and asked for leave on Wednesday to accompany Army
Commander in Chief Gen Wimol on an inspection tour of the Thai
border and the camps, some of which were burned down by the
DKBA.
Surachet, who held an uncheduled five-hour meeting yesterday
with his Burmese counterpart Maj Gen Ket Sein, said after the
talks that he had raised the border incidents with Khet Sein
and asked the Burmese general "to cooperate" in preventing
similar occurrence in the future.
He quote Ket Sein, who is responsible for the area where the
DKBA forces are active , as agreeing to consider the request.
Surachet said the Burmese general was not in the country when
the violent acts took place and would "have to consider and
investigate all the evidence about the incidents".
The Thai general said he could not confirm whether the
intruders were DKBA or Burmese forces, but said Thai
authorities still have to investigate the incidents and find
out the indemnities of "the foreign forces".
Karen refugees officials said both the Burmese and DKBA troops
have been involveed in the continuing raids and harassment of
refugees since February.
"We (Thailand) don't know who they (the intruders) were. We
didn't see clearly (whether they were Burmese or DKBA forces)
because they crossed at night," Surachet said.
The Burmese team, which was initially scheduled t fly to
Bangkok at 7.30 am, could not leave Chaing Mai until about
2.30pm.
Surachet told reporters that the delay was because the Thai
Army plane, which was to transport the group, was unexpectedly
commissioned to fly on another urgent mission.
Surachet also played down the last minute cancellation of a
scheduled courtesy call by Burmese delegates to Army commander
Gen Wimol, saying the Thai general was unexpectedly engaged
else-where. (TN)
NSC: NO NEED OF FOREIGN FORCE TO HELP MAN BORDER
28 April 1995
NATIONAL Security Council secretary-general Charan
Kullavanijaya said yesterday Thailand does not need help from
any foreign force to maintain peace along the Thai-Burmese
border as it is able to cope with the itself.
The NSC chief made the statement in reply to an AFP report that
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had
requested that a permanant monitoring force beplaced on the
Thai-Burmese border, following attacks on ethnic Karen refugee
camps in Thailand by Rangoon troops.
The wire-service report also said the UNHCR representative in
Thailand, Reprecht von Arnim, had sent a letter to Gen Charan
on March 20 which offered an "international presence" at the
Thai-Burmese border but the NSC had not yet responded.
Concerning this matter, Gen Charan said he had not yet
received such a letter. The letter he had received contained a
UNHCR request for permission for its men to cross the border
into Cambodia from Aranyaprathet.
"The situation at this stage has not reached a point where we
would have to ask for help from any contry. If they want to
help, they should call for the Burmese to stop killing each
other. By doing this they would help improve the situation on
the Thai-Burmese border," the NSC chief said.
Gen Charan said Thailand dopes not regard the KArens who fell
to the Thai side of the border because of fighting inside
Burma as refugees.
"We have provided humanitarian assistance to these they have
been attacked and plundered while on Thai sol where thet
expected protection. (TN)
NSC: NO NEED OF FOREIGN FORCE TO HELP MAN BORDER
28 APRIL 1995
ECONOMIC growth has underlined the need for an efficient
manpower developmetn steategy for the Mekong sub-region,
Deputy Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said yesterday.
"It is therefore a priority to upgrade the human resources and
human capabilities to the fullest and in compliance with the
rapid economic change," he added.
The deputy foreign minister was opening a gathering of
regional experts on "Human Resourecs Develpment in the LOwer
Mekomg Basin."
The Mekong River Commission Secretarite convened the three-day
meeting t work out national and regional human resources
development strategies for Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and
Vietnam.
The Asian Development Bank has initiated 11 possibleprojects
for human recources development in all six riparian states of
the Mekong, which include China and Burma.
The HRD projects "cover all dimensions of the regions
socio-economic well-being, namely education, health care,
enviroment , tourism and economic planning," Mr Surin said. The
project would completement the 1994/95 Work Programme
prepared by the MAekong Secretariat for the four Lower Basin
States.
The programme emphasises environmental management and
trainning on the legal aspects of international cooperation for
water resources development.
The four countires should keep up the momentum of this
"cooperative sprit" inorder to convine Burma and China to join
projects that would benefit the Mekong sub-region as a whole,
he added. (BP)
FM HOSTS BREAKFAST TO BOOST ASEAN TIES
28 APRIL 1995
FOREIGN Minister Krasae Chanawongse ohsted an informal
gathering over breakfast for minister from the Association of
Southeast Asian NAtional and the four whould be member
countries - Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
Dr Krasae said the breakfast meeting on Wednesday in Bandung
was intended to further warnm relations between the ten
countries which will all eventually be included under the
ASEAN u,brella.
Vietnam willl be admitted as a full member at the annual
meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers in Brunei in July.
Laos has been an observer for two years and Canbodia is
expected to sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation this
July, paving the way for it to obtain observer status. It's
only a matter of time before Burma joins also.
The minister were in Bandung to attend a commemorative
ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the Asian African
Conference in 1995 which led to the founding of the
Non-Aligned Movement six years later in Belgrade. (BP)
BURMA ASSURES NO CHANGE IN GAS PIPE ROUTE DESPITE RAIDS
28 April 1995
Burma has given an assurance that the route of the gas
pipeline project will not be changed despite the deaths of five
Burmese workers last month, according to a senior Burmese
official.
National Planning and Economic Development Minister David Abel
said that all the proposals for the route of the pipeline have
been surveyed and a suitable one selected.
"The present route is suitable. Both offshore and onshore were
surveyed simultaneously. We have camps already and the foreign
contractors are there, surveying the route," he told
reporters.
In February Thailand and Burma signed an agreement to
purchase natural gas from the Yadana gas field to supply
Thailand. Last month the camp was attacked by a guerrilla
group, killing five workers.
Prime Minister's Office Minister Korn Dabbaransi met Burmese
Energy Minister Khin Maung Thein over the weekend at the Ban Ei
Taung border site in Kanchanaburi, where the pipeline is
expected to be laid.
They also briefed each other on whether there is a possibility
of changing the route for security reasons. Brig-Gen abel
admitted that five Burmese workers were killed during the
attack on the camp by insurgents.
Deputy Energy Minister Tin Tun said the area was safe, saying
about 16 foreign engineering experts are now living in the
jungle.
"The whole area is very safe, but there will sometimes be
sporadic terrorist attacks. What about the bombings in
Colorado City or at London Airport? You don't say London
Airport is not safe," he told the Bangkok Post.
Brig-Gen Abel said the project would be completed in 1998 as
expected. The investment cost of US$ 580 million for building a
gas pipeline from the field to the Thai-Burmese border was also
ready to be implemented.
Under the agreement, Burma will supply 525 million cubic feet
per day to Thailand for 30 years. French oil company Total, the
US-based Unocal and Thailand's PTTEP joined in the
investment.
There is another natural gas field Yetagun, operated by the
US-based Texaco, Premier and Nippon Oil which is expected to be
another source to supply 250 million cubic feet of gas per day
to Thailand.
The Thai and Burmese authorities are still negotiating the
matter of power supply. The Burmese preferred producing in
Burma, setting up a power plant and selling power to Thailand,
according to U Tin Tun.
He said: "If the price rises, they might sell to Thailand. If
not, they can set up a petrochemical or power plant in Burma.
"But I think it's more economical and more efficient to
produce power on the Burma side and send power to Thailand,
because constructing a transmission line is easier than a
pipeline.
However, he said that it depends on the Electricity Generating
Authority of Thailand, which is the authority buying the gas.
(BP)
CHUAN ISSUES WARNING ON BORDER RAIDS
28 April 1995
Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai has ordered relevant government
agencies to take strong retaliatory action over the border
incursions in northern Thailand, saying Rangoon could not deny
knowledge of the border violations.
He said Burmese government has denied that the armed men who
crossed into Thailand to abduct Karen refugees were people
under its control. "But deep down Rangoon knows that the
violations were committed by Buddhist Karens," he said.
Mr Chuan was referring to the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army
which broke ranks with the anti-Rangoon Karen National Union to
fight alongside Burmese troops in its drive against rebel
forces along the Thai border.
The Prime Minister said Bangkok could not tolerate the
abduction of refugees from under the care of Thai authorities.
He has instructed Defence Minister Vijit Sookmark to
immediately protest the incursions.
"I personally told the Defence Minister we will not let the
problem pass without doing anything because it involves
national sovereignty, no matter what excuse Burma may come up
with," Mr Chuan told a group of journalists from the
Reporters' Association of Thailand who made a courtesy call on
him at Government House yesterday.
Mr Chuan, the Democrat Party leader, told reporters in a
separate interview he believed that the DKBA must be
coordinating with Burmese troops in their operation at the
border and he is confident that at least the local Burmese
authority is fully aware of the collaboration.
He said he has told the Defence Ministry to order the Army to
promptly retaliate should there be a recurrence of border
violations.
The Prime Minister confirmed that a Thai government official
had been detained by the intruding force an act which the
Government could not accept and had ordered strong
retaliation.
Deputy Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan told reporters Thailand
will protest and seek a clarification from the Burmese
government over the raids on two refugees camps on Thai soil in
Tak and Mae Hong Son.
The Thai military was currently collecting information on the
incident for the Government to take action against the Burmese
military regime, he said.
The two Burmese refugee camps in Tak and Mae Hong Son
provinces were razed by fire, causing more than 10,000
refugees to flee deeper inland. This incident was the latest in
a series of brazen border incursions by Burmese troops and
elements of the renegade Democratic Karen Buddhist Army.
Mr Surin said the Premier had expressed serious concern over
the Burmese intrusions and demanded further measures be taken
by the Thai Government.
Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Wimol Wongwanich visited the
burned-out camp in Tambon Mae Tarn in Tha Song Yang District on
Wednesday to examine the area himself in order to bring back
more information for consultations with the Government. "We
will demand a guarantee from the Burmese authorities that they
would prevent such incident from recurring," he said. The
retaliatory measures against the offending Burmese
soldiers would depend on the Interior and Defence ministries,
he said, adding that the Foreign Ministry was only the
mediator to express Thailand's concern.
Mr Surin said there was no need to ask for assistance from
other countries to help look after the refugees along the
border as Thailand could take care of them temporarily.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has
expressed its will to the Thai Government via the National
Security Council (NSC) to have representatives in the Burmese
refugees camps, but the NSC said it had received no such
request.
Meanwhile, Burma yesterday denied any responsibility for
Tuesday's attacks. Third Army Region commander and chairman of
Thai-Burmese Border Committee Lt-Gen Surachet Dejatiwong
yesterday informed his Burmese counterparts Maj Gen Khet Sein
and Maj Gen Saw Tun about the raids during a four-hour
closed-door meeting in Chiang Mai. Only a few officers were
seen attending the meeting.
However, the high-ranking Burmese military officers reportedly
asked both Thai and Burmese authorities to investigate and
verify who the intruders are.
The intruders managed to round up a number of refugees and take
them back to Burma after torching the two refugee camps. The
Third Army commander also asked the Burmese to help look into
this matter since the intruders has crossed into Thailand from
Burma.
Maj Gen Surachet later told reporters that "we should not
assume the identity of the intruders before the investigation
is completed."
"There are several groups of Burmese minority rebel forces in
Burma. The attacks occurred at night so it is better for both
sides to send their officials to investigate first. At the
moment we could not say the intruders are Burmese because it
might be wrong," the general said.
He said he did not receive an order from Gen Wimol informing
him of what action the military should take if there are more
attacks by intruders.
Meanwhile Maj Gen Surachet said Thai and Burma had discussed
solutions to solve border problems.
Thailand had raised two incidents, one concerning the death of
a Thai villager who was shot by Burmese troops in Chaing Rai's
Mae Sai District, and the other involving the arrest of two
Thais from Tak's Mae Ramat District.
He said Burma was unhappy about the report on the death of the
Thai villager in Mae Sai. The Burmese officers said the
incident occurred during a tense situation.
The Third Army commander said the Burmese promised not to let
such incidents happen again. The Burmese side also promised to
inform Thailand about Somyos and his wife Sunet Sanjum who were
arrested by Burmese troops on Thai soil in Mae Ramat
District and are now in jail in Myawaddy.
The two sides also agreed to immediately send a technical team
to inspect erosion of the Moei River bank where Thailand has
lost a large area.
The meeting of the Thai-Burma committee closed yesterday in
Chiang Mai after the venue of the meeting was moved from
Phitsanulok.
Meanwhile, officials said in Tak yesterday some 2,000 Karen
refugees have been rendered homeless and face possible food
shortages because of the damage to the camps.
Officials of the Karen Refugee Committee said 458 shelters at
the border camps in Tak and Mae Hong Son were destroyed in the
raids while part of their food supply was also destroyed. (BP)
BURMA JUNTA ASKED TO RECONSIDER VISA REQUEST
28 April 1995
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the United Nations secretary-general,
has complained to the Burmese government over its refusal to
grant a visa to Michael Aris, the husband of opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, according to the British Broadcasting
Service on Tuesday.
Mr Aris last visited his wife at Christmas last year. Mrs Suu
Kyi is currently in her sixth year of house arrest in the
suburbs of Rangoon. A spokesman for the UN secretary-general
said Dr Boutros-Ghali had asked the Burmese government to
review its decision.
According to a BBC correspondent in New York, the chief
spokesman for the UN chief said Mr Boutros-Ghali had recently
learned "with grave concern" of the Burmese government's
decision to refuse Mr Aris a visa.
The spokesman said the secretary-general had now asked the
Burmese government to take a prompt review of its decision. He
did not say how the protest was made, but did say that as yet
there had been no reply from the Burmese government.
Mr Aris has in the past been allowed access to his wife, and it
is unclear precisely why permission has been refused this time.
One theory is that the Burmese junta was angered by his
bringing out a statement from his wife after his last visit.
The UN has been trying to persuade the Burmese government to
improve its human rights record for some time. It has called
for the release of Mrs Suu Kyi and other political prisoners
ever since it began a dialogue with the Government at the end
of last year.
*Meanwhile, the Seattle City Council has urged US corporate
giants Pepsi, Unocal and Texaco to join "an international
economic boycott of Burma until the human rights violations
cease and control of the government has been transferred to the
winners of the 1990 democratic election."
The Council also requested the US government to enact South
African-style sanctions against Burma.
In a resolution adopted by a unanimous 8-0 vote in Seattle on
Monday, the City Council noted that investment by Pepsi,
Unocal and Texaco "supports the military government and its
cruelty toward the Burmese people."
Consumer and shareholder pressure is rising against the
handful of American companies active in Burma, which is ruled
by a military junta regarded by the United Nations and the
United States as one of the world's most repressive regimes.
Widespread abuse includes torture, rape and forced labour, with
a lack off free expression and association.
City Council member Martha Choe sees the campaign for human
rights in Burma as the natural sequel to the victorious
anti-apartheid movement, which she also backed.
"We realise that what cities do on matters like this is
important and does make a difference," she said.
"Settle is an influential voice on the Pacific Rim, so this
vote sets a key precedent," said Larry Dohrs of the Seattle
Campaign for a Free Burma. "The situation in Burma is so
desperate that liberals, conservatives and moderates all agree
that pressure on the Burmese must increase," he added.
Other local governments around the US are also becoming
involved in the Burma democracy campaign. The Berkeley City
Council in California in February banned city contracts with
companies doing business in Burma.
A similar law is pending in the State of Massachusetts, the
first state-wide measure to be offered.
Campus activism is also on the rise. The University of
Washington Board of Regents on March 16 passed a measure to
support shareholder resolutions to withdraw from the
military-ruled Southeast Asian country. (BP)
NATION: DEMOCRACY MARKING TIME WITH THE GENERALS
lATEST UN REPORT OFFERS DEMENDING REVIEW OF RANGOON'S NATIONAL
CONVENTION
By AUNG ZAW
28 APRIL 1995
Burmese Foreign Minister U Ohn Gyaw told his Thai counterpart
Dr Krasae Chanawongse recently that Burma's political and
economic system had changed since 1988. His superior, the
State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) Secretary One
Lt-Gen khin Nyunt added, "Democracy and human rights are good
and Burma wants both."
But for most Burmese, there has been very little in the way of
poltcail developments to cheer over the past few years. In
particular, the moribund national convention which is supposed
to be paving the way for new elections is progressing at a
snail's pace.
Since the 1990 May election, the results of which the military
junta ignored, Slorc has moved to tighten its grip on the
country.
In 1992, it established the National Convention Convening
Commission, which was comprised mostly of Slorc's leaders,
including Maj Gen Myo Nyunt, who was also responsible for the
killings of street demonstrators in 1988.
Its task was to handpick candidates to attend a National
Convention that would be tasked with drawing up the guidelines
for drafting a constitution - a constitutiontailor-made by
Slorc.
Prior to the Convention, six objectives were formulated, one of
the which was underlining of the military's leading role in
politics. Western diplomats boycotted the convention, and
Australian Foreign Minister criticised the whole exercise as
undemocratic.
The opposition protested and called it a "sham" and leaflets
were distributed by underground student groups and NLD
(National League for Democracy) members. Independent source
estimate about 100 people were soon rounded up. In September
1993, a delegate was arrested and sentenced to 20 years for
distributing leaflets at the said national convention.
Shortly after this, a dozen activists who protested against the
convention were arrested and jailed.
The remaining leaders of the NLD, which won the 1990 elections
in a landslide, had no choice but to attend the convention.
Nevertheless, many NLD members from various districts and
towns urged their leaders to protest the convention. They
secretly circulated pamphlets urging a boycott
On Jan 9, 1993, the Convention. began. Of the 702 delegates who
attended, only 107 were elected members of parliament and while
49 were party representatives. The rest were chosen by the
military. But to the surprise of most, it was abruptly
adjourned. It has resumed since then, but has been adjourned
repeatedly.
Among some of the things agreed at the convention was the
granting of self-adminstration status to six smaller ethnic
grops living in regions dominated by larger minority groups in
Shan State. By doing so, many believe that Slorc is using its
old "divide and rule" tactic to contain dissent. A Shan
dissident in Bangkok said, "I don't think Slorc is serious in
forging national reconciliation. They are just trying to
divide us."
Rumours are rife that Slorc was facing a lot of unexpected
opposition even from its handpicked delegates. Opposition
leaders including NLD members were warned not to oppose
Slorc's objectives and have since been put under surveillance.
As had been expected, the convention does not amount to
anything meaningful as far as the oppressed Burmese are
concerned. Opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said the
convention is a farce. "The convention is only a ploy by the
Slorc to legitimize its control."
UN Special Rapporteur Professor Yozo Yokota, who has been
assigned to monitor the human rights situation in Burma, said
in a recent report that the delegates who have been attending
the convention have no freedom of movement at all and have to
stay in the compound (Kyaitkasan ground) where it is being
held. Yokota strongly requested a meeting with the NLD members
at the UN office in Rangoon, but the Slorc arranged a meeting
instead at a government guest house. The NLD members reportedly
told Yokota that they had been notified to meet with Special
Rapporteur only three hours before.
The NLD delegates told the Special Rapporteur that most of
their proposals in the convention had been ignored except for a
very few ones. Additionally, the NLD delegates told the Special
Rapporteur that they are not allowed to publish or distribute
any documents or newsletters.
During the conevntion, they were told to read statements
previously approved by the chairman. When the NLD members asked
if they could organise meetings around the country, they were
told to seek permission from the Slorc.
Rangoon residents close to the delegates reported that their
movements are strictly controlled. A source said, "They are
like prisoners."
Yokota's recent report said, "Delegates are not totally freed
to meet with other delegates inside the compound. They are not
entitled to leave the compound without authorization. When they
leave the compound, delegates are not allowed to take out any
written or printed materials. It was also reported to the
Special Rapporteur that when the delegates return to their
states to see their families they are sometimes harassed by the
local
authorities."
The report continued: "There is one sergeant clerk for each
domitory where the delegates are housed. It was reported that
these people also observe the observe the activities of the
delegates."
On a recent interview given by Yokota, he said: "I am under the
impression that the delegates' movements are restricted. And
this I think should be changed. They should be given more
freedom to exchange views with others. But that is not the
case."
Earlier, Yokota had suggested the distribution of the Burmese
translation of the universal declaration of human rights to all
the delegates to enable them to study it and try to see if some
provisions are relevant to the constitution they are drafting.
"When I visited Burma last November, I raised this issue.
Unfortunately, the government has not done anything about it.
Only five or six copies of the English text, apparently printed
by the United Nations are available. Obviously, they were not
widely used," Yokota concluded. (TN)
o------------------------------------------------------------o
BURMANET SUBJECT-MATTER RESOURCE LIST
BurmaNet regularly receives enquiries on a number of different
topics related to Burma. The scope of the subjects involved is
simply too broad for any one person to cover. BurmaNet is
therefore organizing a number of volunteer coordinators to
field questions on various subjects. If you have questions on
any of the following subjects, please direct email to the
following coordinators, who will either answer your question or
try to put you in contact with someone who can:
Arakan/Rohingya/Burma- [volunteer needed]
Bangladesh border
Art/archaeology/: [volunteer needed]
Campus activism: tlandon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx "Tim Landon"
Boycott campaigns: tlandon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx "Tim Landon"
Buddhism: NBH03114@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Buddhist Relief Mission
Fonts: "Fonts", c/o burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx
History of Burma: [volunteer needed]
Kachin history/culture: 74750.1267@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Karen history/culture: Karen Youth Organization,
c/o burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx
Mon history/culture: "Hongsyawaddy",
c/o burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx
Naga history/culture [volunteer needed]
[Burma-India border]
Pali literature "Palmleaf", c/o burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx
Shan history/culture: [volunteer needed]
Tourism campaigns: bagp@xxxxxxxxxx "Attn. S. Sutcliffe"
World Wide Web: FreeBurma@xxxxxxxxx
Volunteering: "Volunteer coordinator", c/o
burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx
If other categories should be added to this list, please
suggest
them.
o------------------------------------------------------------o
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Burma fonts:
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Ethnologue Database(Myanmar):
http://www-ala.doc.ic.ac.uk/~rap/Ethnologue/eth.cgi/Myanmar
BurmaNet News (most recent issue only):
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o------------------------------------------------------------o
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Attention to BurmaNet
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--------------------------------------------------------------
NEWS SOURCES REGULARLY COVERED/ABBREVIATIONS USED BY BURMANET:
--------------------------------------------------------------
ABSDF-DNA: ALL BURMA STUDENT'S DEMOCRATIC FRONT [DR. NAING
AUNG]
ABSDF-MTZ: ALL BURMA STUDENT'S DEMOCRATIC FRONT [MOE THEE ZUN]
AMNESTY: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
AP: ASSOCIATED PRESS
AFP: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
AW: ASIAWEEK
Bt.: THAI BAHT; 25 Bt. EQUALS US$1 (APPROX),
BBC: BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION
BF: BURMA FORUM
BKK POST: BANGKOK POST (DAILY NEWSPAPER, BANGKOK)
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
GOA: GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA
IRRAWADDY: NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY BURMA INFORMATION GROUP
KHRG: KAREN HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP
KNU: KAREN NATIONAL UNION
Kt. BURMESE KYAT; UP TO 150 KYAT-US$1 BLACK MARKET
106 KYAT US$1-SEMI-OFFICIAL
6 KYAT-US$1 OFFICIAL
MOA: MIRROR OF ARAKAN
MNA: MYANMAR NEWS AGENCY (SLORC)
THE NATION: A DAILY NEWSPAPER IN BANGKOK
NCGUB: NATIONAL COALITION GOVERNMENT OF THE UNION OF BURMA
NLM: NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR (DAILY STATE-RUN NEWSPAPER,RANGOON)
NMSP: NEW MON STATE PARTY
RTA:REC.TRAVEL.ASIA NEWSGROUP
RTG: ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT
SCB:SOC.CULTURE.BURMA NEWSGROUP
SCT:SOC.CULTURE.THAI NEWSGROUP
SEASIA-L: S.E.ASIA BITNET MAILING LIST
SLORC: STATE LAW AND ORDER RESTORATION COUNCIL
TAWSJ: THE ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL
UPI: UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
USG: UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
XNA: XINHUA NEWS AGENCY
o------------------------------------------------------------o