[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

BurmaNet News: July 12, 1995 [#200]



Received: (from strider) by igc2.igc.apc.org (8.6.11/Revision: 1.12 ) id KAA20236; Wed, 12 Jul 1995 10:13:02 -0700
Date: Wed, 12 Jul 1995 10:13:02 -0700



-------------------------- BurmaNet ------------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
------------------------------------------------------------------

The BurmaNet News: July 12, 1995
Issue #200

NOTED IN PASSING:

Once bitter enemies in South Africa are now working
together for the betterment of their people. Why
can't we look forward to a similar process?
- Aung San Suu Kyi on reconciliation (see BKK POST:
SUU KYI CALLS FOR RECONCILIATION AND CHANGES THROUGH
DIALOGUE)

CONTENTS:

BKK POST: SUU KYI CALLS FOR RECONCILIATION AND CHANGES THROUGH DIALOGUE
THE NATION/SUU KYI: FORCES OF DEMOCRACY REMAIN STRONG
AP:PEREGRINE FIRES BURMA UNIT HEAD, CITING SECRET' PLAN TO HURT FIRM
BUSINESS TIMES:YANGON MOVE LIFTS BARRIER TO INVESTMENT
FRDC: BURMA BILL PASSED BY MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: EDITORIAL
KNU: STATEMENT OF THE KAREN NATIONAL UNION ON THE RELEASE OF AUNG SAN 
      SUU KYI  
BURMANET: MCCONNELL DELAYS SANCTIONS BILL FOR 2 WEEKS
NYT:FREED BURMESE DEMOCRAT IS CONCILIATORY 
ABSDF-DNA: ON THE RELEASE OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI FROM HOUSE ARREST
BURMANET: LETTER - NEWS OF CANBERRA DEMONSTRATION II
BKK POST:LETTER TO THE EDITOR - AN OPEN LETTER TO A SCHOOL MATE 
 
----------------------------------------------------------
                             o-------------------------------o
The BurmaNet News is an      |                               |
electronic newspaper         |                  Iti          |
covering Burma.  Articles    |                 snotpo        |
from newspapers, magazines,  |             werthatcor        |
newsletters, the wire        |            ruptsbutfea        |
services and the Internet as |           r.Fearoflosin       |
well as original material    |          gpowercorrupts       |
are published.               |       thosewhowielditand      |
The BurmaNet News  is        |     fearofthescourgeofpowe    |
e-mailed  directly to        |    rcorruptsthosewhoaresub    |
subscribers  and  is         |   jecttoit.Theeffortnecess    |
also  distributed via        |  arytoremainuncorruptedinan   |
the soc.culture.burma        |   environmentwherefearisanint |
and SEASIA-L mailing         |      egralpartisnotimmediat   |
lists and is also            |      elyapparanttothose       |
available via the            |        fortunateenough        |
reg.burma conference on      |         toliveinstates        |
the APC networks.  For a     |         governedbythe         |
free subscription to         |          ruleoflaw...         |
the BurmaNet News, send      |           Fearisahabi         |
an e-mail message to:        |                t.Iam          |
                             |                   no          |
 majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxx       |                  taf          |
                             |                   ra          |
In the body of the message,  |                  id.          |
type: subscribe BURMANEWS-L  |                  Aun          |
[news only mailing list],    |                  gSa          |
or, for the news+discussion  |                  nS           |
list, type:                  |                   uu          |
   subscribe BURMANET-L      |                   Ky          |
                             |                   i.          |
Correspondance and letters   o-------------------------------o
to the editor should be addressed to: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx

-------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                         
----------------------------------------------------------
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:         [on summer vacation]
Boycott campaigns:       [on summer vacation]
Buddhism:                Buddhist Relief Mission, 
                         c/o NBH03114@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chin history/culture:    plilian@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Fonts:                   tamla@xxxxxxxxxxxx
History of Burma:        zar1963@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kachin history/culture:  74750.1267@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Karen history/culture:   102113.2571@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                         Karen Historical Society
Mon history/culture:     [volunteer needed]
Naga history/culture:    [volunteer needed]
[Burma-India border]
Pali literature:         "Palmleaf"
                         c/o burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx
Shan history/culture:    [volunteer needed]
Shareholder activism:    frdc@xxxxxxxxxxx     "Attn. S. Billeness"
Tourism campaigns:         bagp@xxxxxxxxxx       "Attn. S. Sutcliffe"   
World Wide Web:          FreeBurma@xxxxxxxxx
Volunteering:            Dr. Christina Fink
                         christin@xxxxxxxxxx

[Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage]
----------------------------------------------------------





BKK POST: SUU KYI CALLS FOR RECONCILIATION AND CHANGES THROUGH DIALOGUE
12.7.95

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was freed from
house arrest on Monday, read the following statement at a news
conference yesterday attended by visiting and local journalists
and resident diplomats.

The Statement, in English, was transcribed from a tape.

"The official information of the end of my house arrest was
conveyed to me verbally by Colonel Kyaw Win (Deputy Chief of
military Intelligence) in the form of message from Senior General
Than Shwe which was kind and cordial.

"There were three points to the message apart from the ending of
the house arrest:

"First, the authorities would be happy to help me in matters of
personal welfare.

"Second if I wish, the authorities would continue to take care of
security arrangements in the house, and thirdly, he would like me
to help towards achieving peace and democracy in the country.

"First of all, I would like to say that I appreciate deeply both
the tone and content of the message. I've always believed that
the future stability and happiness of our nation depends
entirely on the readiness of all parties to work for
reconciliation.

"During the years that I spent under house arrest, many parts of
the world have undergone almost unbelievable change, and all the
changes for the better were brought about through dialogue.

"So dialogue has been undoubtedly the key to a happy resolution
of long festering problems.

"Once bitter enemies in South Africa are now working together for
the betterment of their people. Why can't we look forward to a
similar process?

"We have to choose between dialogue or utter devastation. I would
like to believe that the human instinct for survival alone, if
nothing else, would eventually lead us to prefer dialogue.

"You will ask, what are we going to talk about once we reach the
negotiation table?

"The establishment of certain principles, recognition of critical
objects to be achieved and joint approaches to the ills besetting
the country would be the main items on the agenda.

"Extreme view points are not confined to any particular group and
it is the responsibility of the leaders to control such elements
that threaten the spirit of reconciliation.

"There is more in common between the authorities and we of the
democratic forces in Burma than existed between the black and
white peoples of south Africa.

"The majority of the people of Burma believe in the market
economy and in democracy which we amply prove by the results of
the general elections of 1990.

"Those of you who read the Burmese newspapers will know that it
is the aim of the State law and Order Restoration Council to
return power to the people. This is exactly our aim also.

"I would like to take the opportunity to urge the authorities to
release those of us who still remain in prison.

"I am happy to be able to say that in spite of all that they have
undergone, the forces of democracy remain strong and dedicated.

"I, on my part, bear no resentment towards anybody for anything
that happened to me during the past six years."


***************************************************************

THE NATION/SUU KYI: FORCES OF DEMOCRACY REMAIN STRONG
12.7.95

Suu Kyi: The aim of the State Law and Order Restoration
Council(Slorc) is to return the power to the people. This is
exactly our aim as well. I would like to take this opportunity to
urge the authorities to release those of us who still remain in
prison. I am happy to say that in spite of all that they have
undergone, the forces for democracy remain strong and dedicated.
Then to strengthen my resolve. It is not the most adjective
statement in the world, but at least you will have lots of times
to ask me questions, but we all  have to observe strict
discipline. Hands up for questions one by one.


What are your future and immediate plans?

The immediate is to conduct this press conference in as orderly a
way as possible.

Are there any restrictions at all?

They [the Slorc] would like me to help towards achieving peace
and stability in the nation.

Did you have any hint that this was going to happen?

Well, I suppose I could say I knew about it at one o'clock on the
10th. I knew it would happen.


How did you know?

Because my usual ...... officer came to see me. Well to tell the
truth. I thought I would be released around the first week of
August, I thought the authorities would wait for people to report
that I had been released and then suddenly release me. But
obviously I was wrong, and I am very grateful to the authorities
that they have observed the law strictly in this matter. The law
as it is.


Have you had any chance to talk with your husband?

No, not at all. I don't have a telephone in the house.


And what is the way forward when you join the constitutional
convention? Do you have any plans along those lines?

Well, the way forward is to first find out what has been going on
outside and what is that our forces for democracy have agreed,
what they want to do. Remember, I am not a dictator. I am a
member of a group of people working for democracy. I have to
consider other people's opinions.


Power to the people?

That is what we always said in the slogans that you see in the
papers.

How will you get them to do that?

Well, this is their intention and we intend to help them in every
way that we can to return power to the people. This is not only
my intention. It is the intention of everybody who wants
democracy, and it is obviously the intention of the Slorc. We can
read it everyday in the Burmese newspapers.


Well will you soon start your political activities soon?

Well, is this a political activity?

Well you engage in a public rallies, or anything like that?

As I told you, I have to take thing step by step. But this is a
very big step.

Can you tell us something about the meeting with the authorities?

Now, both the authorities and I agreed that details could not be
released without the agreement of both parties concerned. So, I
will not talk about details of the meeting, but I would like to
say that, really, there was no hostility at the meeting. It made
me very cautious that it would be possible in the future to have
very, very much more meaningful dialogue than we have had in the
past.


There are hundreds of people outside waiting. They want to see
you. Do you have any thoughts of going out to see them?

Well, after thinking about that, I think we will have to do
something. I must consult my elders who know what the situation
is like out there.


Will there be a dialogue with all parties in Burma?

I hope so. That is what I have always asked for, a dialogue
between all the parties concerned.


Who have you met with so far, the top leaders of the NLD?

Well, yes.


What were you talking about?

What we are talking about? I really would like to know!


What do you think about the National Convention to draft the
constitution?

It is  supposed to be a National Convention, and a National
Convention means that all forces in the nation are involved, and
what we would like to see it as a true national one, and we
should work together.


Are there any thoughts for an election? What is their [ the
Slorc's ] idea of accepting or not accepting the election? Is
there a possibility of them accepting the results of the
election?

Well, you know, the elections took place in 1990. This is now
1995. What is most important about the elections was that clearly
they reflected the will of the people, and that I think, is what
we have to keep our minds on. We may have lost six years, but we
must continue to respect the will of the people but in a way that
is acceptable to all those who can truly work for stability and
the people of nation.


Have you met with Gen Than Shwe and Lt Gen Khin Nyunt? Could you
tell us what you thought of the two men and can you work with
them?

Sorry? Did I talk with the two men?


Could you work with Lt Gen Khin Nyunt and Gen Than Shwe?

I could work with anybody. Why not.


Could you tell us what you thought of the two men?

I thought that Gen Than Shwe by nature is very honest and
straightforward, and Gen Khin Nyunt I found rather charming. Most
of these people are very charming.


Has this time changed anything about any of your goals or
objectives in any way?

This has not changed my basic objective at all, but I hope that
it has changed because it would be a pity if it hasn't changed me
at all. It would be a waste of six years of my life. I hope it
has changed for the better.


Are you going to stay in Burma?

Of course.



AP:PEREGRINE FIRES BURMA UNIT HEAD, CITING SECRET' PLAN TO HURT FIRM
by James T. Areddy


Hong Kong - Peregrine Investments Holdings Ltd. said it
has fired the executive chairman of its Burma unit, Miriam
Marshall Segal, saying she had a "secret" plan to "to damage
the business interests of the company and further the
interests of a competitor."

The Hong Kong securities firm said it had obtained
documents last month showing that Ms Segal "together with
third parties had secretly planned over a period of time to
obstruct and defeat the commercial objectives of the
company."

Peregrine said that on June 29 the firm's Hong Kong office
received an apparently misguided facsimile letter from Ms.
Segal dated the previous day that spelled out the "secret
proposal."  Peregrine said it subsequently recovered
documents from Ms. Segal's assistant that "confirmed and
added significantly to what the first copy fax had indicated."

The firm said it also found documents that suggested Ms.
Segal planned to divert business to a firm of her own and
away from Peregrine.

Peregrine also claims it determined Ms. Segal improperly
had revealed confidential Peregrine information to the firm's
competitors, while it also said she had unauthorized
consultancy agreements with foreign multinationals.

Ms. Segal, a U.S. citizen who has lived in Burma for more
than a decade, couldn't be reached for comment.  A person
answering her home telephone Tuesday said she is in New
York.

Peregrine said it has limited the amount of damage done by
Ms. Segal and is considering legal action against her.

"The company has acted promptly in order to avoid further
damage to the company's interests as a result of Ms. Segal's
actions and meetings will be arranged as soon as possible
with senior officials of the government of Myanmar to
clarify the company's position in relation to its existing
business in Myanmar," Peregrine said.  Myanmar is the
name preferred for Burma by the State Law and Order
Restoration Council, the military junta that seized power in
1988.

Officials in Peregrine's Hong Kong headquarters didn't
return phone calls seeking elaboration on Tuesday's
statement.

Ms. Segal had been affiliated with Peregrine since the Hong
Kong firm established its Rangoon foothold in 1994.  Ms.
Segal held the post of executive chairman of the Peregrine
Myanmar Ltd. unit.



BUSINESS TIMES:YANGON MOVE LIFTS BARRIER TO INVESTMENT
July 12, 1995, BUSINESS TIMES 

But some pragmatic neighbours already have a head start in
potential bonanza

Singapore - The release of top dissident Aung San Suu Kyi
has lifted a barrier to move foreign investment in Myanmar,
but pragmatic neighbours already have a head start in the
potential bonanza, analysts said yesterday.

Ignoring Western calls to isolate the Yangon junta, Asian nations, 
led by Singapore and Thailand, have boosted trade and are
pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into Myanmar, a
nation endowed with oil, timber and minerals.

"We will be one of the early birds to pick the juicy worms,"
said a senior Singaporean expert on Myanmaese affairs.

Governments worldwide hailed the release of the 1991 Nobel
Peace Prize winner from six years of house arrest on Monday
but pressed Yangon to take more steps toward democracy.
Some, however, are already talking business.

Tokyo is expected to resume loans to Myanmar, hated after
the current junta seized power in 1988.  These will reportedly
including lending for airport, power and telecommunications
projects.

Australia is to review its trade relationship with Myanmar, but
it is too early to say whether trade relations would be fully
restored, Trade Minister Bob McMullan said.

Investment in the last five years had only been about US $28
million (S$39 million), mostly related to a now-abandoned oil
and gas exploration project by BHP Ltd.

The renascent tourism industry in Myanmar -- an ancient
Buddhist civilisation -- is also a prime foreign investment
target, along with its crumbling infrastructure.

Malaysian company Atlantic Outline Capital clinched a
US$3000 million tourism deal in 1993 to develop Pulu Basin
Island near the Myanmaese-Thai border.

Businessmen have been urged to look at mining and
agriculture opportunities.

Even the United States and European countries at the
forefront of the campaign to have Aung San Suu Kyi and
other political prisoners freed already have substantial
investments in Myanmar.  US energy firm Unocal and
France's Total are part of a billion-dollar project to develop
offshore gas fields.  British firms are also involved in energy
projects.

But Singapore, with nearly US$300 million committed to
hotel and other projects in Myanmar, has lately been the most
aggressive investor as part of its efforts to become a regional
economic player.  Bilateral trade is worth US$580 million.

Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong vi sited Myanmar
last year.  Last month, the head of the Burmese junta, Than
Shwe, made an official visit to Singapore, during which an
economic cooperation agreement was concluded.

Two other Asian "dragon" economies, South Korea and
Taiwan, have minimal investments in Myanmar.  China,
Myanmar's biggest arms supplier, is keen to import more raw
materials and minerals from Myanmar.

Myanmar's neighbour, Thailand, had 23 projects valued at
US$264.6 million at the end of 1994, second only to
Singapore, particularly int eh hotel, tourism and petroleum
sectors.

Thai investments include the construction of a five-star hotel
in Yangon and a 30-year agreement worth 300 billion baht
(S$17 bullion) to purchse natural gas from Myanmar's



FRDC: BURMA BILL PASSED BY MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 10, 1995, Boston    (Franklin Research and Development)


Today, as people around the world celebrated the release of Aung San
Suu Kyi, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed H2833, a
bill that would effectively bar the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
from buying any goods or services from companies doing business in
Burma.

The Burma bill, H2833, is sponsored by Massachusetts State
Representative Byron Rushing (D, Boston). The bill is closely modeled
on similar legislation successfully introduced by Representative
Rushing that barred Massachusetts from buying goods or services from
companies doing business in South Africa.

The bill would put pressure on corporations doing business in Burma
by denying them the opportunity to sell their goods or services to
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Commonwealth is a
multi-billion dollar purchaser of goods and services annually.

Having passed the House, the bill will now go to the Massachusetts
Senate. If it is approved by both the Massachusetts House and Senate,
it will then go to Governor William Weld for his signature.

Last year, the same bill never left the House Ways & Means Committee
and, consequently, never reached the House floor.

In February, the City of Berkeley, California, became the first city
to boycott companies doing business in Burma. The Massachuetts bill
is the first statewide legislation. It is expected that ten cities
and states worldwide will introduce similar legislation this year.

Simon Billenness
Franklin Research & Development Corporation
(617) 423 6655 x225
(617) 482 6179 fax

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: EDITORIAL 
July 11 1995 (Canada)

So the military regime that rules Burma with dour ruthlessness
 has apparently released Aung San Suu Kyi, the 50 year old Nobel
 Peace Prize winner and pro-democracy icon, just a few short
 weeks short of her sixth anniversary under house arrest. This
 was not entirely unexpected. High officials with the ruling
 Slorc were quoted some months ago as saying that Aung San Suu
 Kyi would be kept in custody for six years; although a U.S.
 Congressman who was the first foreigner to visit her two weeks
 ago came away with the impression that she would be detained
 indefinitely.

However, Burmese rulers, riding an unexpectedly burgeoning
 economy that is moving ahead on the back of offshore oil,
 conscripted labour, and many say, heroin profits, appear to want
 to move their country a baby step more into the mainstream.
 Releasing Aung San Suu Kyi, a respected figure abroad and the
 daughter of a beloved independence hero at home, was clearly a
 precondition for such a move. Countries like Canada and the
 United States seem to have no problem doing business with
 repressive regimes - witness China. But they appear to draw the
 line at those that overturn democratic elections (Burma, 1990),
 toss elected officials in jail with impunity and confine
 international symbols such as Aung San Suu Kyi under house
 arrest without even the nicety of allowing for family visits.
 She has only rarely been allowed to see her husband, an Oxford
 professor, and her two teen-aged [sic] sons.

In the grand scheme of this Southeast Asian country, her release
 is probably little more than window dressing. By all accounts,
 the military is decidedly in control of everything that moves in
 Burma, a coutry of 43 million where gatherings of over five are
 considered seditious.

Later this month, Burma is expected to be granted observer status
 at the meeting of [Asean], the region's most prestigious trade
 group. This status would almost certainly not have been granted
 if Aung San Suu Kyi were still in custody. But her release
 should not mean that the whole world has stopped watching.

                   


   KNU: STATEMENT OF THE KAREN NATIONAL UNION ON THE RELEASE OF AUNG SAN 
      SUU KYI    July 11, 1995

OFFICE OF THE SUPREME HEADQUARTERS, KAREN NATIONAL UNION, KAWTHOOLEI


Aung San Suu Kyi's release yesterday July 10 1995 came as welcome
surprise. The Karen National Union (KNU), has always held Aung San Suu
Kyi in the highest regard for her efforts to restore democracy to Burma
and has supported the NLD since its inception. The KNU hopes that this
will signal the beginning of a posititive change in the internal
politices of Burma.

Nonetheless this event should be recieved with caution as the SLORC has
yet to show a sincere desire to restore peace and democracy to the
country. The world should not forget that while SLORC is attempting to
create a good image with the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, it has launched
a series of offensives against the Karenni in the Lol Kaw area and 
against the KNU in the Tavoy area. While negotiations are going on with
the Mon, massive relocation of villages around the gas pipeline is being
carried out.

The United States government and all the oranizations who have had an
interest in Burma, should keep up the pressure on the SLORC and not be
lulled into a false sense of security by Aung San Su Kyi's release, in
thinking that SLORC is going to change dramatically. Continued action
should be taken by all involved in order to restore peace and democracy
in Burma. 

Bo Mya
President
Karen National Union
**********************

BURMANET: MCCONNELL DELAYS SANCTIONS BILL FOR 2 WEEKS
July 12, 1995

Sen. Mitch McConnell will hold a press conference in Room S-207 in the
Capitol at 2:00 today to announce the outline of the sanctions bill he
has prepared.  The introducation of the measure will be delayed for about
two weeks in order to assess the situation in Rangoon.  One key
consideration will be what Aung San Suu Kyi thinks about initiating
sanctions.

Alternatively, SLORC could forestall a movement to sanctions by
initiating substantive political dialogue with her.  If there is no such
dialogue, McConnell will move ahead to introduce the bill in about two
weeks.  There will also be a hearing on Burma policy around that time
--probably on July 25.  The language of the bill has been described as 
"comprehensive and tough".

NYT:FREED BURMESE DEMOCRAT IS CONCILIATORY (ll) 
By Philip Shenon 

>RANGOON, Burma  Speaking to hundreds of rapturous supporters who had
waited nearly six years for this moment, Aung San Suu Kyi called Tuesday
for a new spirit of compromise between the democracy movement and the
junta leaders who released her from house arrest this week.
>
>Mrs. Suu Kyi, 50, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner who
was freed from confinement Monday, appeared before the public for the
first time since July 1989.
>
She told the crowd gathered outside the gates of her dilapidated lakeside
home that she would continue to fight for democracy in Burma.
>
>``We will produce the form of government that the people want,'' she
said to cheers from supporters who had been gathered here since dawn, at
times choking off traffic on the busy road outside her home.
>
>``But at the same time, we must not be reckless,'' she cautioned. ``We
will surely get to our destination if we join hands. We will not bear
grudges against anybody else. We have to try to understand each other.''
>
>While the conciliatory tone of her remarks should delight the leaders
of the Burmese junta, Mrs. Suu Kyi spent much of her first full day of
freedom trying to revive the democracy movement that the generals had
once sought to crush.
>
>She met throughout the day and into the night with former colleagues
from her political party, the National League for Democracy. Despite her
detention, the party won a landslide victory in national elections in
1990, results that were later nullified by the military.
>
>Mrs. Suu Kyi  the Oxford-educated daughter of Gen. Aung San, the
assassinated soldier who is considered the father of modern Burma  was
placed under house arrest on July 20, 1989, in the midst of a yearlong
crackdown on the democracy movement in which thousands of her supporters
were killed. Hundreds of her political allies remain in prison.

>While Mrs. Suu Kyi repeatedly expressed gratitude Tuesday to the
military for her release, she asked that foreign governments not rush to
restore full diplomatic and trade ties with the junta.
>
>At a news conference in the dimly lighted, peeling living room of the
>two-story house that for so long was her prison  the house and gardens
are a wreck after almost six years in the steamy tropical heat of Rangoon
without any maintenance  Mrs. Suu Kyi was asked how foreign governments
should respond to her release.
>
>``I would like them to see it as a good sign, as a hopeful sign, but I
would like them to regard this with caution,'' she said. ``Cautious
optimism is what is called for.''
>
>The release of Mrs. Suu Kyi, which she described Tuesday as ``completely
unconditional,'' continued to draw praise from around the world.
>
>Japan and several other countries suggested that they would quickly
upgrade relations with Burma, which for years has been treated as an
international pariah.
>
>On Monday, President Clinton said through a spokesman in Washington that
her release could mark ``a major milestone towards the restoration of
peace and
>stability in Burma'' if it ``enables her to participate freely in a
genuine
>process of political reconciliation.''
>
>Although her formal detention order expired Tuesday, the release of
Mrs. Suu
>Kyi was still a surprise to many foreign diplomats in Rangoon, the
capital,
>who suspected that the junta would find some legal ruse to hold her
>indefinitely.
> Several diplomats said her release could be a demonstration not of
weakness
>by the junta but of strength.
>
>Mrs. Suu Kyi's political apparatus was largely destroyed during her
>confinement, and the junta has made important strides in opening up the
>Burmese economy, encouraging a surge of foreign investment.

>In the past, the junta had offered to release Mrs. Suu Kyi only if she
agreed to leave the country and not return for several years.

>A beaming Mrs. Suu Kyi insisted Tuesday, ``In spite of all they have
>undergone, the forces of democracy remain strong and dedicated in
Burma.''

>Her supporters, she said, are prepared to enter into negotiations with
the military over the formation of a democratic government, possibly in
>partnership with the generals.

>``I have always believed that the future stability and happiness of our
nation depends entirely on the readiness of all parties to work for
reconciliation,''

>she said.
>
>``During the years that I spent under house arrest, many parts of the
world have undergone almost unbelievable change, and changes for the
better were brought about through dialogue.''
>
>She compared the situation in Burma to that of South Africa. ``Once
bitter enemies in South Africa are now working together for the
betterment of their people,'' she said. ``Why can't we look forward to a
similar process? We have to choose between dialogue and utter
devastation.''
>
>Mrs. Suu Kyi said she looked forward to negotiating with the junta's
leaders, even though these were the same men who chose to rob her of
nearly six years of her life, holding her in detention without formal
charges or a trial.
>
>``I can work with anybody  why not?'' she said, describing the military
>government's titular leader, Gen. Than Shwe, as ``by nature very honest
and straightforward'' and the powerful head of military intelligence, Lt.
Gen. Khin Nyunt, as ``rather charming.'' She met with both men last year.
>
>``I bear no resentment against anybody for anything that happened during
the last six years,'' she said. ``Now I want to meet good will with good
will.''
>
>Her appearance before the crowd outside her home was electric, with a
sudden burst of ecstatic cheers from the street as she climbed atop a
wooden desk and then atop a rickety wooden table set on the desk and
steadied by a group of her supporters  so that all could see her.
>
>``I wanted my son to see this moment of history for our country,'' a
>37-year-old Rangoon woman said, holding tight to the arm of her
wide-eyed 7-year-old son. ``When I heard on Monday that Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi had been released, I smiled at first. And then I wept with happiness.
So many tears of happiness. I thought that we might never see this day.''
>
>It has been several months since Mrs. Suu Kyi has been permitted to see
her own two sons, who live in England with their father, Michael Aris, a
Tibet scholar at Oxford University.
>
>She told reporters that she had not been able to talk with her husband,
who was denied a visa to visit Burma earlier this year, or her sons since
her release because there is no telephone in her house.
>
>When she spoke to the crowd outside her home, Mrs. Suu Kyi's tiny frame
was wrapped in a traditional Burmese skirt and blouse, both in shades of
lavender,and on her feet she wore simple plastic sandals.
>
>In her hair were a few blooms of the fragrant white-and-gold flower
known in
>Burmese as ganggaw, which many in the crowd took as symbolic since the
flowers

>are grown in abundance on the leafy campus of Rangoon University, where
the democracy movement once had its home.
>
>Her 15-minute speech ended with chants from the crowd of ``Democracy
must win!'' and ``Peace and health for Aung San Suu Kyi!''
The crowd dispersed quickly and peacefully after Mrs. Suu Kyi reminded
them of the need to avoid unnecessary confrontation with the authorities.
`I don't want anyone to say that because of us, the roads were blocked,''
she said, promising to address her supporters again soon. ``For the sake
of our cause, I want all the roads to be open.''






ABSDF-DNA: ON THE RELEASE OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI FROM HOUSE ARREST
Jul 11, 1995      (Dawn Gwin)(Dr. Naing Aung)

It is impossible to resist the feeling of relief and euphoria that
accompanies the release of Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. We now
know some of the emotions those involved in the antiapartheid struggle
must have felt on that day when Nelson Mandela was released from Robin
Island.
The analogy to the release of Nelson Mandela, however, must be made very
carefully because SLORC is not F. W. De Klerk. SLORC could have two very
different motives for releasing Aung San Suu Kyi, and in order to
understand the significance of her release we need to examine both
potential motives very carefully.  When F.W. De Klerk released Nelson
Mandela, he was throwing in the towel.  He was saying that he understood
that apartheid had lost the struggle and now it was time to begin the
process of negotiating the terms of the surrender. It is possible that by
releasing Aung San Suu Kyi, SLORC, like De Klerk, is throwing in the
towel; signaling that it understands that democracy is inevitable and now
is the time to start the long process of negotiating the surrender of
dictatorial power on the best possible terms. We fervently hope this
is what motivated the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, and that the Burmese
democratic resistance is about to embark on a South African-like process
involving a negotiated return to democracy in Burma.  However, we must
examine the possibility, indeed the probability, that there is another
much less hopeful motive behind SLORC's release of Aung San Suu Kyi .
After nearly 7 years of consolidating its rule, SLORC may now believe its
power a so deeply entrenched that it has nothing to fear from Aung San
Suu Kyi. Under this Scenario, SLORC is not throwing in the towel. Ouite
the contrary the release of Aung San Suu Kyi indicate that a confident,
cocky SLOR,C believes the triump of its military dictatorship is now so
complete and so thorough that it can even release a figure of the
structure of Aung San Suu Kyi and not be seriously threatened.  We should
not forget that
this same SLORC government offered democratic election to the Burmese
people and May of 1990, but only because it had mistakenly convinced
itself it could win or controlled those elections to legitimize its hold
on power. When instead, those elections threatened to take power from
SLORC they were very quickly ignored. SLORC, then, is a government that
has a history of making gestures which, on the outside, would seem to
indicate a movement toward democratic government, but which actually are
designed to consolidate SLORC's power the release of Aung San Suu Kyi may
be following this old familiar pattern. SLORC may believe that releasing
her will significantly reduce the level of external international
pressure while at the same time believing it now strengthened apparatus
of repression can easily handle any internal Burmese pressure that Aung
San Suu Kyi can generate. The net result of her release, SLORC therefore
may believe, is a SLORC military dictatorship more in control than ever.
Some
may say that SLORC would be a bit naive to believe such a scenario would
work in that they are under estimating the power of Aung San Suu Kyi. But
SLORC was naive to believe that it could successfully manipulate the May
1990 election, but that did not stop it fonn believing it could. 

There is, regretfully much historical evidence to lead us to believe that
SLORC is releasing Aung San Suu Kyi only because it believe that such a
move will reduce international pressure; and thereby, prolong its
absolute grip on dictatorial power.  The fact is thought that it is too
early to know with cerainty what is motivating SLORC. To those who say
that it is impossble that SLORC is throwing in the towel preparing to
negotiate with Aung San Suu Kyi for democratization, we point out that
many in the anti-apartheid movement said the same thing about F. W. De.
Klerk and they turned out to be wrong. The facts are not yet in, and we
must allow ourselves to be
trapped in any rigid preconceived positions. As a practical matter,
governing the behavior of members of the democratic resistance, howevet,
it little matters right now which motive is behind the release of Aung
San Suu Kyi. If SLORC is throwing in the towel and preparing to enter
the long road of negotiations to decide the terms of its eventual
surrender to democracy then the democratic resistance must redoub}e its
efforts to give Aung San Suu Kyi the strongest bargaining position she
can possibly have in the upcoming negotiation process. On the other
hand, if SLORC's motive
for the release is to increase its grip on power and allowed it to
indefinitely avoid democratization by lowering international pressure,
then the democratic resistance must redouble its effort to ensure that
SLORC's cynical plan does not succeed. Under either scenario our duty is
to redouble our efforts on behalf of democracy in Burma. But at least now
we can do so in the wonderful joy of knowing that Aung San Suu Kyi is
free.

 BURMANET: LETTER - NEWS OF CANBERRA DEMONSTRATION II
July 11, 1995

Hunger-striking demonstrators camped in front of the SLORC Embassy in
Canberra since Friday afternoon (7th) will conclude their protest action
today as had been planned.  This follows another successful day of
publiscising the atrocious human rights situation in Burma and calling
for increased Australian and international pressure on the ruling
military regime for drastic improvements in this situation.

The group conducted another sit-in at the Embassy driveway yesterday.
Messages and demands were shouted at Embassy staff as they arrived.  An
attempt was made to give a copy of the protester's statement (see
Burmanet 7&8 Jul) to embassy staff but this was not accepted by them. 
One was taken to the embassy door by police however.  Also rejected by
the SLORC diplomats was a request by the demonstrators to talk with them.

Journalists from the Canberra Times arrived and interviewed and
photographed the hunger-strikers, their camp with its banners, placards
and flags (an article appeared in the Tues 11/7 CT).  The group then took
a protest to the head office of The Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade (DFAT).  The demonstration at the main entrance lasted for about
one and a half hours.  They were then admitted to speak with an official
from the 'ASEAN and Burma Bilateral Department' with whom they spoke for
about three quarters of an hour.  Issues raised in this discussion were; 
the Benchmark policy and the critical need for this to be seriously
reviewed,  the government was called upon to NOT recognise the so-called
National Convention being orchestrated by SLORC and which will further
set back the return of democracy to Burma,  the DFAT official was
reminded of the civil war and minority ethnic group struggles against the
persecution exerted on
them by SLORC,  the matter of the recent visit to Burma of former prime
minister Bob Hawke and his talks with the military rulers as well as his
investment in Burma through SLORC was also raised.  This was of some
embarrassment to this official (and presumably, DFAT) and it was pointed
out that if the policy of 'benchmark' was properly reviewed then this
should not be able to happen.

Finally, on the subject of the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the
hunger strikers are truly joyous.   Caution and Skepticism are present in
their minds as they know the regime too well, however, from their
activist point of view, this significant and essential step is a great
breakthrough and
should pave the way for some (eventual) concrete democratic changes.  For
this, they are extremely happy although vow to continue the push for
many other outstanding HR issues to be dealt with and to ensure that NOW
MORE THAN EVER, a solid and critical international community faces SLORC
demanding real reform in Burma.

The hunger strike ended this morning, Tuesday 11th July (as planned) and
the protest will conclude with a small celebration of Aung San Suu Kyi's
release.  Though cold and needing showers, all protesters are well.  Many
students will now return to cities far away in Australia from where
they travelled specifically for this demonstration of their passion to
see peace and democracy returned to their country and their people.
WE THANK ALL FOR THEIR MESSAGES AND ACTS OF SUPPORT
********************************

BKK POST:LETTER TO THE EDITOR - AN OPEN LETTER TO A SCHOOL MATE  
JULY 12, 1995


Dear Suu Kyi,  
     I remembered that I have actually never spoken to you during our
High School days,  probably because we were from different sections of
the classes.  Time passed, all of us walked our different paths but old
students have a meaningful understanding to get along well, when suddenly
we popped in front of each other, after not seeing each other for say 30
years? (Right, Jenny?)  Let me caution you and those around you, those
well wishers from Foreign Ministries of many countries, etc.  
     It is a day of  happiness, triumph, but it can fall short, today,
tomorrow, July 19th. or any other day while you are alive.  There are
always full of surprises. Last week, it was said that you will not be
released yet. But suddenly you were
released. You can be assasinated. An individual job, so they say.  So,
know your enemy. You can do many things when you are alive. Do you know
the where about of the Army Captain or Lieutenant who was about to shoot
you, until a superior officer told him not to?  Do you remember  his
face, when he stripped off his insignias? I do not mean, this particular
officer is only to be aware of.  How about your neighbour across the
Inya Lake. (Richard's article in Perspective, The Sunday Post July 9,
1995  .Para- ``another major obstacle'').  If something happened like 
this, many will blame many but we have a saying in Burmese.; ``Those who
are dead will later be foregotten'' So you will be released
unconditionally, but you can also be removed after your release, within a
few days, a few months, a few decades. You can be assinated.  Do you
remember how Ayatollah Kommeni returned to power in Iran and made the
downfall of the Shah by his followers who remained in the country? Yes,
while he is in exile in France.  How many of your alumnus will return to
Burma and work in your party. There is bound to be corruption in the
Civilian government also. There always was one way or the other and
there still is now. 
      How much the people in Government now make money and how much their
children can spend money in a day, I was surprised to know. I work for
the day, no work no pay, you won't believe me.  It    was said that 45
million people's interest is far more important than you. If you read
between the lines, it means, 45 million Burmese people will not get
freedom rights so you will not be given also or think for you alone.  So,
beware. You are released but you will not have the rights of freedom as
long as the 45 million people cannot be given the democratic freedom
rights. You can be removed. So get out, be a Kommeni. Don't fall into
their Catch 22.  Let's wait for the old man to die. Do you think he will
live another 20 years?
                    Ha.  Sincerely,  Alumnus.  


/END