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BurmaNet News: November 27, 1995 #2



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Subject: BurmaNet News: November 27, 1995 #287


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"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: November 27, 1995
Issue #287
 
 HEADLINES:
==========
 
THE NATION: SLORC MAY BE SHOWING STRAIN AS NLD MEMBERS JAILED
THE NATION: ADVISERS WANT ROW WITH BURMA TO END
THE NATION: SUU KYI RAISES THE STAKES IN WAR OF WILLS WITH SLORC
THE NATION: OPEN FOR BUSINESS
THE NATION: 'MARKET ECONOMICS WILL BE GOOD FOR EVERYONE'
BKK POST: NCGUB BACKS SUU KYI STANCE
BKK POST: THAILAND TO TRAIN NEIGHBOURS' OFFICIALS FOR JOINING 
BKK POST: GOVT FIRM ON HELPING FIGHT CHILD SEX TRADE
BKK POST: KHUN SA WANTS TO RESIDE IN THAILAND
FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW:BURMA A TURN FOR THE WORSE
FEER: RETURN VISIT
 
***************
 
THE NATION: SLORC MAY BE SHOWING STRAIN AS THREE NLD MEMBERS 
JAILED FOR TWO YEARS
November 24, 1995
By, Yindee Lertcharoenchok
 
The Burmese junta on Monday sentenced three members of the youth 
wing of the National League for Democracy, the main opposition 
party, to two year's imprisonment on charges of disrupting civil 
order and assaulting police officers, an informed source in 
Rangoon said.
 
The source said the Burmese media did not publicise the arrests 
or the sentences handed to the three NLD members, identified as 
Toe Aung, Maung Aye and Myo Zaw. According to the source, four 
NLD youth members were arrested last Saturday when they tried to 
negotiate with police who were erecting a barbed-wire barricade 
in an attempt to stop people gathering to hear NLD leader Aung 
San Suu Kyi's weekend speech.
 
One was released the same day while the rest were charged with 
disrupting civil order. The source said on Monday the three were 
charged with assaulting police officers and subsequently 
sentenced to two-years jail terms.
 
Since her release in July after nearly six years of house 
arrest, Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, has made an 
appearance every weekend in front of her house on University 
Avenue to give a speech.
 
The Burmese junta known, as the State Law and Order Restoration 
Council (Slorc) has so far tolerated her behaviour and even 
allowed the foreign media and diplomats to visit her home.
 
The road blockade last Saturday was the first sign that Slorc's 
is becoming less tolerant toward Suu Kyi's weekly appearances, 
during which she often calls on citizens to be patient in their 
long wait for political freedom.
 
It was also the first time Slorc arrested members of the public 
or NLD attempting to listen to Suu Kyi's speeches. The source 
said despite the Slorc's attempt to bar the public, about 500 
people turned up on Saturday at Suu Kyi's house.
 
The source added that the barricade was not removed after the 
speech and that Slorc has increased the number of secret police 
and troops around University Avenue. Suu Kyi has become more 
vocal recently as Slorc shows no interest in opening talks with 
her. (TN)
 
***************
 
THE NATION: ADVISERS WANT ROW WITH BURMA TO END
November 24, 1995
 
The chairman of the House committee on foreign affairs yesterday 
urged Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa to help resolve Thai-
Burmese conflicts which have soured bilateral ties since early 
this year.
 
Suwat Liptapanlop said members of Thailand's private sector 
agree that a meeting between Banharn and Burmese junta leader 
Gen Than Shwe would help improve relations. He quoted Thai 
Foreign Minister MR Kasem S Kasemsri as telling a committee 
hearing yesterday that the ministry has tried to mend the 
strained relations and clear up misunderstandings with the 
Burmese side.
 
Kasem was also quoted as saying that the ministry is working out 
a schedule of meetings between Thai and Burmese leaders. Suwat 
said committee members recently travelled to the coastal 
province of Ranong and found that trade there has been badly 
affected. (TN)
 
***************
 
THE NATION: SUU KYI RAISES THE STAKES IN WAR OF WILLS WITH SLORC
November 24, 1995
Aung Zaw on NLD's repudiation of the National Convention.
 
The honeymoon is over and the battle may be about to begin. 
Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi announced Wednesday 
that her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), has a 
legitimate right to rule the country.
 
Furthermore, she criticised the military-sponsored National 
Convention, which will resume on Nov 28, as being undemocratic. 
She declined to say whether the NLD will boycott it.
 
"The NLD, as the political party that received the people's 
mandate, has a duty to point out that its expectations with 
regard to the National Convention have not been realised," she 
told reporters at her lakeside home in Rangoon.
 
The National Convention, which has held been on and off for the 
past two years, has been branded as a "sham" by Suu Kyi and 
other opponents of the military government. Most delegates to 
the convention were hand-picked by the junta, which has demanded 
that the Tatmadaw (Armed Forces) play a leading role in 
politics. The junta which call itself the State Law and Order 
Restoration Council (Slorc) has also introduced measures that 
would effectively bar Suu Kyi from becoming head of state.
 
"The work procedures of the convention are not democratic and 
the basic principles for the proposed constitution include some 
which do not coincide with that of a truly democratic state," 
Suu Kyi said.
 
Nevertheless, she said the party has not yet decided to whether 
it will participate or not. At this moment, 89 of the remaining 
106 delegates who have been attending the convention are from 
the NLD. While Suu Kyi and other party leaders were under 
detention, the remaining NLD members were pressed to attend the 
Convention. In addition, the NLD was pressured by the junta to 
expel Suu Kyi, Tin Oo and Kyi Maung and other party leaders.
 
Despite the detention of its leaders, the NLD won a landslide 
victory in the 1990 general elections. The junta, however, 
refused to honour the outcome and instead convened the National 
Convention in January 1993.
 
During an interview with the BBC World Service on Wednesday 
night Suu Kyi urged dialogue and serious discussion with the 
ruling military leaders. She stressed that changes were needed 
at the National Convention. Suu Kyi declined to elaborate on 
what sort of changes were, saying "...because of this we are 
asking them [Slorc officials] to meet and talk with us."
 
Suu Kyi criticised the lack of free speech at the National 
Convention. Delegates have been asked to read out documents 
given to them by the military and instructed  to submit them to 
the group chairmen, which exclude NLD representatives.
 
The delegates are also prohibited from discussing issues among 
themselves. Suu Kyi said the junta failed to abide by democratic 
principles. She also warned that the NLD would not attend the 
convention if it does not benefit all the Burmese population.
 
The NLD leader also concluded in her statement that if the 
National Convention continues to be convened this way, the 
country will not achieve national reconciliation and genuine 
democratisation, and that a constitution supported by the public 
will never be adopted.
 
On Oct 5, the junta announced that it was postponing the 
National Convention, which was supposed to have resumed in that 
last week of that month. Soon after that, Suu Kyi was re-
appointed to her previous position as secretary general of the 
NLD. Former leaders Kyi Maung and Tin Oo were re-appointed vice 
chairmen, while Aung Shwe retained the position of chairman.
 
It is believed that if the NLD pulls out, other relatively small 
parties might follow them. If that happens, the National 
Convention will amount to nothing. The NLD itself is not without 
rifts. Since 1989, the NLD camp has been divided into two. One 
group that is believed to be led by Aung Shwe prefers to go 
about its work quietly and not take a hard-line stance. But the 
other group led by Kyi Maung, Win Tin and Suu Kyi wants to press 
Slorc to make genuine changes.
 
Because of this another important question is how will NLD 
chairman Aung Shwe react? Will he dare to march with Suu Kyi? 
This is not a new dilemma the NLD is facing. The party, however, 
has shown a semblance of unity since Suu Kyi's release, said a 
member of the NLD.
 
"We are united, we are not taking any confrontational stances. 
We are asking Slorc leaders to sit down with us," said a senior 
NLD member in Rangoon. If the NLD is united and receives public 
support, Slorc will have no choice but to deal with the party 
for the sake of the country. (TN)
 
***************
 
THE NATION: OPEN FOR BUSINESS
November 24, 1995
Burma's minority states
Crescent Press Agency
Donald Wilson and David Henley on the 'make money, not war' 
policy that is being used end ethnic insurgencies.
 
During the six years since Burma's military rulers, the Slorc, 
brutally crushed their country's pro-democracy movement and 
imprisoned opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, they have managed 
not just to stay in power, but to strengthen their position 
through a judicious application of "carrot and stick" policies.
 
The stick has been obvious for all to see. Opposition of all 
kinds is ruthlessly expunged, be it in the streets and tea 
houses of the main cities, or in distant border regions. 
Powerful ethnic minority rebels like the Kachin and the Wa have 
been "bought off" with in situ cease fires coupled with promises 
of trade and aid.
 
 
Weaker ethnic rebels like the Mon, or more intransigent group 
like the Karen, have been dealt crushing military blows 
culminating in the recent capture of Mannerplaw, the Karen rebel 
capital, after 21 years of defiance. The region currently 
experiencing Slorc's "iron fist" policy is eastern Shan State, 
were a mix of ethnic rebels variously owing allegiance to Khun 
Sa and his Mong Tai Army (MTA), or to the allied Shan State 
Progress Party (SSPP) and its military wing, the Shan State Army 
(SSA), still hold out against Rangoon.
 
Less visible, at least until the recent release from house 
arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, was the Slorc carrot. In brief, this 
consists of opening Burma's ramshackle, ruinous socialist 
economy to the outside world, and establishing a free market 
from which everyone will benefit.
 
Nobody doubts, of course, that the Slorc, the Burmese armed 
forces or Tatmadaw, and the regime's cronies in Rangoon and 
Mandalay will reap the lion's share of the profits; but the 
much-maligned "trickle down" effect does mean that, gradually, 
ordinary people too will benefit. Indeed, the argument runs, the 
former "Burmese Path to Socialism" was so completely ruinous to 
the economy of a once-prosperous land that almost any change 
could only be for the better.
 
And so it has proved. Market reforms are leading to the first 
real growth in thirty years, and foreign investment, spear-
headed by Asian companies less squeamish about doing business 
with Slorc, is rising.
 
Trade is flourishing, especially with China, Singapore and 
Thailand, and a consensus appears to be emerging _ at least 
within Asean _ that the Slorc is on the road to reform. In 
support of this viewpoint, Thailand actively promotes a policy 
of "constructive engagement" with Burma, while Japan has 
recently restored humanitarian aid to the country, a decision 
backed by Takashi Tajima, Japan's ambassador in Rangoon, who has 
commented that the military leadership "are definitely moving in 
the right direction".
 
For the present, those benefiting most are the urban traders of 
Rangoon, Mandalay, and a few other large cities like Moulmein. 
Still, cross-border trading with Bangladesh, India and Chin has 
been legitimised, while commerce with Thailand _ which once 
sustained the Burmese black market almost by itself _ is 
booming.
 
Traders in Thai-Burmese border towns like Tachilek and Myawaddy 
intend to take full advantage of the situation, turning the flow 
of business from a trickle to a flood. This is good news for 
Burma as a whole, but bad news for ethnic minority rebels still 
at war with Rangoon.
 
Thailand's traditional sympathies for the Mon for centuries as a 
shield against Burmese expansion have been quietly set aside in 
favour of lucrative gas and oil deals. In a still more revealing 
sign of the times, Thailand has sealed its border with those 
control, and loosened traditional ties with Shan separatist 
organisations such as the Shan State Progress Party and Khun 
Sa's Mong Tai Army.
 
The Burmese border town of Tachilek, opposite Mae Sa, is in 
eastern Shan State. When this dies down, however, Rangoon 
clearly intends to promote Tachilek_ which it has dubbed "City 
of the Golden Triangle"_ as a main gateway to Shan State.
 
Thailand's proximity to the Shans is more than just 
geographical. The majority inhabitants of the region, the Shan 
or Tai Yai, are a Tai people, speaking a language which is 
closely related to central Thai.
 
They regard themselves, and are regarded by the Thais, as part 
of the same family. In spiritual and emotional terms, they are 
the last ethnic opponents of the Slorc Thailand would wish to 
abandon_ and yet the writing is now on the wall. Thailand wishes 
the Shan well, no doubt, but the message from Bangkok to Shan 
rebel leaders appears to be: "make money, not war". As the 
Burmese armed forces close in on Ho Mong, the Shan rebel 
capital, it is a message which seems to be getting through. (TN)
 
***************
 
THE NATION: 'MARKET ECONOMICS WILL BE GOOD FOR EVERYONE'
November 24, 1995
Crescent Press Agency
Donald Wilson and David Henley talk to Perng Fa, a Central 
Committee Member of the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), about 
Slorc's policies and the opening of Shan state to tourism and 
economic development. Perng Fa is an ethnic Shan from the 
Namtu/Bawdwin area of northern Shan State. The interview was 
conducted in Burmese with aid of an interpreter.
 
Give the SSPP's opposition to the Slorc and advocacy for Shan 
self-determination, what is your opinion of Rangoon's current 
move towards a market economy?
 
Perng Fa: We approve of a free market economy which takes 
account of environmental questions and is not purely 
exploitative. The opening of the market should offer everyone in 
Shan State a chance to improve their standard of living. It 
should not be just for the rich few.
 
What about the "Burmese Path to Socialism"?
 
It failed. It did nothing beneficial for the Shans. It just made 
profits for the Burmese military authorities at the expense of 
ordinary Shan_and Burman_people.
 
So what is the SSPP alternative?
 
A free economy, an open door. The Shan people have to learn to 
handle a free market economy if they are to benefit thereby. We 
desire free and equal trade with our neighbours, Burma, China, 
Laos and Thailand. This will be for the good of everyone.
 
What resources does Shan State have?
 
Shan State is rich in timber and in minerals like silver, jade, 
and uranium. Our rivers offer a potential source of untapped 
hydroelectric power. And we have great tourist potential. But 
any exploration of Shan State's natural resources must be 
carried out in a proper way, with full regard for the protection 
of the environment. We intend to extract natural resources on a 
fair basis and with full professional advice.
 
Slorc has recently thrown open Burma to international tourism 
and designated 1996 "Visit Myanmar year". What is your attitude 
to this?
 
We feel it is very good for Shan State and very good for the 
Shan people. Opening to tourism offers opportunities for Shans 
both to make contacts with the outside world and to do business 
with foreigners. If there are tourists in Shan State it will 
become much harder for Slorc to persecute Shans or to follow 
oppressive policies against ethnic minorities.
 
Yes, we welcome tourism. Maybe the Slorc will get the lion's 
share of profits at first, but ordinary people will see some 
benefit too. If Shan people are to profit, they must show 
initiative and talent.
 
Are there any negative sides to an "open door" tourist policy?
 
Well, we must ensure that national parks are set up and properly 
administered to protect out national heritage. Also, we wish to 
avoid sex tourism and the associated problems. Again, if tourism 
is to prosper, we must improve our information technology and 
transport facilities.
 
What do you envisage?
 
A major programme of hotel building and renovation. The 
construction and upgrading of airports, and the establishment of 
at least one major international airport in Shan State. At 
present the roads are in terrible condition. It takes three days 
to travel from Taunggyi, the Shan State capital, to Kengtung. In 
British times it was a half-day journey. Now you have to make 
two night stops. The best way to travel is by reinforced, 
double-sprung jeeps. We call them "Godzilla Jeeps". Tourists 
won't be able to visit Shan State in serious numbers unless the 
transport facilities are improved.
 
What about international communications by land?
 
There are plans to extend the railway from Lashio, in northern 
Shan State, to Yunnan. Similarly, China and Thailand intend to 
construct an all-weather road across eastern Shan State from Mae 
Sai to Jinghong in Sipsongpanna. In fact we need a new road 
network throughout Shan State, as well as good 
telecommunications. At present the telecommunications service is 
rudimentary. Only two or three big towns, like Taunggyi and 
Lashio, have a telephone service. The hotels, too, are pretty 
terrible. We will have to start again from scratch!
 
So the opening of Shan State to tourism and international trade 
will be beneficial?
 
Yes, but not entirely. Of course, this opening is inevitable and 
desirable. The Shan people will benefit materially. And yet such 
an opening may also be detrimental to the character and 
traditional values of the Shans. Still, there is no alternative. 
We will have to try to maximise the profits, while minimising 
the damages.
 
Will Shan State be looking for international aid?
 
We want to establish close links with neighbouring countries, 
especially Thailand. But as for aid... We would certainly accept 
and expect some aid from the British, whom we respect as our 
friends, but who still bear responsibility for Shan State's 
unwilling union with Burma after independence. (TN)
 
***************
 
BKK POST: NCGUB BACKS SUU KYI STANCE
November 24, 1995
 
The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) 
yesterday issued a statement in support of pro-democracy leader 
Aung San Suu Kyi's rejection of the National Convention and call 
for dialogue with the Rangoon junta.
 
The NCGUB said dialogue aimed at national reconciliation would 
lead to a situation in which everyone, including the State Law 
and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), wins. (BP)
 
***************
 
BKK POST: THAILAND TO TRAIN NEIGHBOURS' OFFICIALS FOR JOINING 
ASEAN
November 24, 1995
 
Thailand has designed English-language and personnel training 
programmes for officials from Burma, Cambodia and Laos to 
prepare for Association of Southeast Asian Nations membership.
 
Foreign Ministry spokesman Suvidhya Simaskul said yesterday 
Thailand had already proposed to help Laos and was ready to 
offer the same programme to Burma and Cambodia.
 
Foreign Minister Kasem S Kasemsri made the offer when he went to 
Vientiane this month for the Joint Commission meeting. The Asean 
Secretariat also will extend a package of assistance to the 
three countries for the same purposes, Mr Suvidhya added.
 
Cambodia and Laos plan to apply for membership of the grouping 
in the next two years. Leaders of the three countries will meet 
their Asean counterparts for the first time at the Asean summit 
in Bangkok on December 14-15.
 
Cambodian Co-Prime Ministers Norodom Ranariddh and Hun Sen had 
confirmed they would attend the meeting while Gen Than Shwe, 
chairman of Burma's State Law and Order Restoration Council and 
Laotian Prime Minister Khamtay Siphandone had not responded, he 
said.
 
The Foreign Ministry will hold a seminar on the theme of Asean 
towards one Southeast Asia on December 1 to get input on the 
grouping's future from speakers from various careers. Asean 
groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, 
Thailand and Vietnam, which joined in July. (BP)
 
***************
 
BKK POST: GOVT FIRM ON HELPING FIGHT CHILD SEX TRADE
November 24, 1995
 
Thailand remains firm in its determination to work with other 
countries to crack down on child prostitution, Foreign Ministry 
spokesman Suvidhya Simaskul said yesterday. Getting rid of child 
prostitution is the government's top priority and the country is 
willing to cooperate with Australia and other western countries 
to end the problem, Mr Suvidhya told a press conference.
 
Thailand has worked effectively with Belgium, Sweden, the United 
Kingdom and the United States to solve the child sex abuse 
problem. It has also supported efforts by these countries to 
punish any of their citizens who travel to the kingdom as 
tourists to indulge in child sex, he added.
 
His comments came in response to a report by the Australian 
parliament which blamed the Thai police for being reluctant to 
catch nationals from that country who go on child sex tours 
here.
 
The report by an Australian parliamentary committee on relations 
with Thailand also urged that country's government to review 
cooperation between Australian and Southeast Asian police in 
cracking down on child sex rackets.
 
"This (the report's findings) are not the official position of 
the Australian government," the Foreign Ministry spokesman 
clarified, adding "we want to see other nations demonstrate to 
Thailand their seriousness in working with us to tackle the 
problem, instead of just putting the blame on someone else 
because they have failed to resolve it themselves."
 
The report also suggested that Thailand use its close 
relationship with Burma to encourage Rangoon to develop 
democracy in the country. But Mr Suvidhya said Thailand would 
never do such a thing as it has to live alongside Burma. Bangkok 
will not impose sanctions on Burma unless the United Nations 
decides to do so, he added.
 
"The call for Thailand to push Burma to develop into a democracy 
has come from a country located far from here, but which tries 
to play a role in Southeast Asia," he said. Thailand has made it 
clear that we will not interfere in any issues relating to 
Burma's internal affairs.
 
Australia, where the report originated, has established business 
ties with Burma. Up until July this year, Australia invested US$ 
3 million in three projects in Burma, according to a report by 
the Burmese Ministry of National Planning and Economic 
Development. (BP)
 
***************
 
BKK POST: KHUN SA WANTS TO RESIDE IN THAILAND
November 24, 1995
By Subin Kheunkaew and Nussara Sawatsawang
 
Khun Sa, who relinquished command of the Shan liberation 
movement on Wednesday, wants to spend his final days in 
Thailand. On the eve of the official announcement of his 
retirement at Ho Mong headquarters in Burma's Shan State, the 
drug kingpin said: "If the Thai Government allows, I prefer 
living in Thailand."
 
During a ceremony to inaugurate a pagoda on Wednesday, Khun Sa 
announced he was stepping down as head of the movement to 
establish Shan autonomy. He also announced his giving up all 
power to the Shan people and Buddhist monks.
 
Khun Sa, 61, admitted his decision followed the defection this 
year of young turk Gun Yod with significant part of his Mong Tai 
Army, amid criticism that being half-Chinese, he could not be a 
full Shan. The outgoing Khun Sa, who tops a United States' list 
of most wanted international criminals, said he wanted to spend 
his life in privacy, simplicity and peace but was uncertain he 
could stay in Ho Mong.
 
His strong preference was Thailand. "Thai and Shan people are of 
the same blood," he said. "We share the same religion and speak 
the same language." If his narcotics connections would compel 
the Government to refuse his wish to retire in Thailand, he 
said, without elaborating, that there would be another safe 
place.
 
Heroin from areas controlled by Khun Sa is said to account for 
70-80 percent of the market in the US, which wants to put him on 
trial. Khun Sa said insisted he had no direct dealings in the 
heroin trade but only collected taxes from drug caravans passing 
through his area.
 
With or without him, he said, drug-trafficking would probably 
increase with the Shan state liberation movement splitting into 
small factions, all looking to make money to survive. Citing the 
Wa faction, he said the drug business seemed to be growing, not 
only in terms of heroin, but also the lucrative amphetamines 
trade. (BP)
 
***************
 
FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW:BURMA A TURN FOR THE WORSE
November 23, 1995
Government and opposition grow further apart
By Bertil Lintner in Bangkok
 
Aung San Suu Kyi doesn't like taking no for an answer, but she 
may have to get used to it.  Since her release in July from six 
years of house arrest, Burma's most prominent opposition leader 
has sought some sort of dialogue with the military government 
that imprisoned her. The government has steadfastly refused, 
even while tolerating Sun Kyi's renewed high profile.
 
Alas, the generals seem to have tired of this delicate minuet, 
and appear to be reverting to unbridled hostility.  The clearest 
sign of their change in mood came on October 19 and 20, when the 
New Light of Myanmar, a government mouthpiece, published two 
harsh attacks on Suu Kyi and the movement she is trying to 
revive after years of repression.
 
One of the two pieces - both published under the pseudonymous by 
- line U Phyo - lashed out at Rangoon groups who "are cracking 
cheap jokes at will to satisfy the average level of people, 
thereby engaging in destructive acts ... If I. U Phyo, were a 
police officer . . . I would certainly have taken action against 
these people for obstructing traffic."
 
So much for reconciliation?  Many are starting to question 
seriously whether there can be any accommodation between Suu 
Kyi's National League for Democracy and the ruling junta, 
officially known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council, 
or Slorc.  What's more, some think, ifthe opposition doesn't 
soon produce something more tangible than mere words, Sun Kyi, 
despite all the talk about her being "Asia's Mandela," could 
find herself discredited and marginalized.
 
Whether government and opposition are indeed moving farther 
apart should become clearer on November 16, when Burma 
celebrates its national day.  The two camps are already planning 
separate ceremonies, so the event may mark a parting of ways 
after the awkward truce of the last four months.
 
Even Suu Kyi herself won't say whether a dialogue is becoming 
more or less likely. Speaking by telephone, she  told the 
REVIEW: "I don't want to be evasive, but you have to wait for an 
official statement from the NLD."
 
One problem is that it remains unclear what a dialogue would be 
about. So far, the two sides seems to be talking past each 
other. While Suu Kyi and the NLD call for "national 
reconciliation" implying talks leading to some compromise the 
junta advocates "national reconsolidation," suggesting a 
reinforcement of military rule.
 
"The problem is that they aren't even speaking the same 
language," says a Bangkok - based Burma watcher.  
 
Since her release, Suu Kyi has delivered weekend speeches from 
the gate of her compound on Rangoon's University Avenue, 
attracting hundreds of people.  But she's in no position to do 
much else.  Some fear the longer she and the NLD go without some 
substantive accomplishment, the more their credibility fades.
 
Even Suu Kyi herself states publicly that "I've been released, 
that's all ... the situation hasn't changed."
 
Optimists in Rangoon believe negotiations are likely on November 
28, when the National Convention reconvenes to consider a 
constitution that has been under discussion for almost three 
years. "They will talk," says a Rangoon - based diplomat. "It's 
in the interest of both parties to sort out their differences."
 
Others aren't so sure. The military has picked most of the 700 
delegates to the convention, which opponents dismiss as a sham 
affair meant to legitimize Slorc's grip on power. 
 
They suspect the military hopes simply to string Suu Kyi along 
until the public, with its high expectations of her, inevitably 
becomes disenchanted.  "By making vague promises of talks 
sometime in the future, but doing nothing to facilitate such 
talks, the junta is playing a clever waiting game which can only 
hurt Suu Kyi's chances of achieving her political aims," says a 
Western businessman with years of experience in Burma.
 
"To bring about a change, Suu Kyi would have to up the ante," 
says a worker for a non - government organization in Thailand 
who follows events in Burma.  "She just can't continue calling 
for national reconciliation and a dialogue which doesn't seem to 
materialize."
 
Raising the ante, however, requires confronting not only the 
military rulers but also a powerful new lobby of foreign 
businessmen who have poured millions of dollars into Burma and 
have no interest in rocking the boat.
 
Indeed, money may be the only reason Suu Kyi is walking free: By 
releasing her the military has opened the door to foreign aid 
hitherto withheld.  In October, Japan resumed grants- in - aid 
to Burma with a first allotment of 1.6 billion yen  ($16 
million).  Tokyo says it's willing to deliver more aid to Burma 
on "a case - by - case basis." As the Burma-watcher in Bangkok 
notes, "even the IMF and the ADB have said that they are 
prepared to wait for a political settlement, but not 
indefinitely."
 
Edgardo Boeninger, a member of America's National Democratic 
Institute who went to Burma in early November, argues that 
unless Suu Kyi can prove that she is good for business and the 
present government is not, there will be no incentive to change 
the regime.
 
And if there isn't, Suu Kyi risks irrelevance.  "A year from 
now, she could even be forgotten," says a Burmese source.  "In a 
way, she was more dangerous when she, was under house arrest 
than she is today, as a 'free' person who has to obey the same 
severe restrictions as all other citizens, which makes any overt 
political activity virtually impossible.
 
Most probably Slorc will continue ignoring appeals for a 
dialogue until all parties, domestic and foreign, accept the 
government on its own terms.  That, after all, has been the 
regime's goal since it seized power seven years ago.(FEER)
 
***************
 
FEER: RETURN VISIT
23 November 1995
 
The No.3 man in Burmas ruling junta, Gen. Maung Aye, met two 
powerful United States congressman in Washington on October 25, 
following a visit to the United Nations in New York. The 
congressmen were Bill Archer, chairman of the House Ways and 
Means Committee, and Bob Livinston, Chairman of the House 
Appropriations Committee. Aides described the meetings as 
courtesy calls to repay visits made by the Americans to Burma. 
 
Archer was in Rangoon for a second time in August 1994 and 
Livinston in the same month the following year. Archers Ways 
and Means Committee has jurisdiction over trade. Although no  
legislation is pending on Burma, he is one of the strongest 
supporters in Congress of a policy of economic engagement with 
Rangoon. Some of the biggest U.S oil and chemical companies are 
based in his congressional district of Houston, Texas.(FEER)
 
****************************************************************
 
FOR REFERENCE: 1994-5 PUBLICATIONS ON BURMA
November, 1995
 
1994 PUBLICATIONS ON BURMA
 
TITLE       A Burmese appeal to the UN and US  
AUTHOR      Win, Kanbawza.
PUBLISHER   Bangkok  : CPDSK Publication, [1994?] 59 p.
SUBJECT     United Nations--Burma., Burma--Politics and government.
            Burma--Economic conditions.
 
TITLE       A Report on the location of Burmese artifacts in museums
AUTHOR      Blackburn, Terence R.
PUBLISHER   Gartmore, Stirlingshire, Scotland  : Kiscadale, 1994., 79 p.
SUBJECT     Art objects--Burma., Burma--Antiquities--Catalogs.
 
TITLE       Australia's relations with Colonial Burma  : 1886-1947  
AUTHOR      Selth, Andrew.
PUBLISHER   Clayton, Victoria  : Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash
University,1994. iii, 22 p
SUBJECT     Australia--Foreign relations--Burma., Burma--History--1824-1948.
 
TITLE       Burma debate.
CORPORATE   Open Society Institute. Burma Project.
PUBLISHER   Washington, D.C.  : Open Society Institute, 1994-v.
SUBJECT     Burma--Periodicals.
 
TITLE       Burma  : encountering the land of the Buddhas.
AUTHOR      Everarda, Ellis.
PUBLISHER   Stirling, Scotland  : Kiscadale, 1994., 114 p.  : ill.
SUBJECT     Burma--Description and travel--Pictorial works.
 
TITLE       Burma in revolt  : opium and insurgency since 1948
AUTHOR      Lintner, Bertil.
PUBLISHER   Boulder  : Westview Press, 1994., xv, 514 p.
SUBJECT     Minorities--Burma., Opium trade--Burma.,Politics and
government--1948-Burma--History--Autonomy and independence movements., 
Ethnic relations.
 
TITLE       Burmese crafts  : past and present  / Sylvia Fraser-Lu.
AUTHOR      Fraser-Lu, Sylvia.
PUBLISHER   Kuala Lumpur  ; New York  : Oxford University Press, 1994.
SUBJECT     Art objects--Burma., Art objects, Buddhist--Burma.
 
TITLE  Comparative study of the two military juntas: Thailand and Burma : a
            Burmese perspective. - 2nd ed.
AUTHOR      Kanbawza Win.
PUBLISHER   Bangkok  : C.P.D.S.K. Publications, 1994. 74 p.  : ill.
SUBJECT     Military government--Burma., Thailand.
 
TITLE       Culture shock!  : Burma
AUTHOR      Saw Myat Yin.
PUBLISHER   Singapore  : Times Books International, c1994. 207 p. : ill. ;
SUBJECT     Etiquette, Description and travel, Social life, customs in Burma
 
TITLE       Hard travel to sacred places
AUTHOR      Wurlitzer, Rudolph.
PUBLISHER   Boston  : Shambhala, 1994. v, 161 p.  ; 20 cm.
SUBJECT     Wurlitzer, Rudolph--Journeys--Cambodia, Thailand, Burma.
            Buddhism--Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Description and travel.
 
TITLE    Inked over, ripped out  : Burmese storytellers and the censors  
AUTHOR      Allott, Anna J.
PUBLISHER   Chiang Mai  : Silkworm Books, 1994.,124 p.  ; 19 cm.
SUBJECT     Burmese fiction--20th century--History and criticism.
            Authors, Burmese--20th century--Political and social views.
            Burmese fiction--Authorship--Political aspects,Psychology in
literature, Censorship, Burmese fiction--20th century--Translations into
English.,m Burma--Politics and government--1988-
 
TITLE       Mandalay  : travels from the Golden City.
AUTHOR      Strachan, Paul.
PUBLISHER   Gartmore, Striling  : Kiscadale Publications, 1994., xii, 226 p.
SUBJECT     Burma--Description and travel.
 
TITLE       Mawchi  : mining, war and insurgency in Burma
AUTHOR      Crozier, L. A.
CORPORATE   Griffith University. Centre for the Study of Australia-Asia
Relations.
PUBLISHER   Queensland  : Centre for the Study of Australia-Asia Relations,
Faculty ofAsian and International Studies, Griffith University, 1994., 
113 p.
SUBJECT     Crozier, L. A., Australians--Burma., Insurgency--Burma--Mawchi--
History.  Mawchi (Burma)--History., Burma--Politics and 
government--1824-1948.
  Burma--Politics and government--1948-
 
TITLE       Mountbatten  : the private story
AUTHOR      Hoey, Brian.
PUBLISHER   London  : Sidgwick  and  Jackson, 1994., x, 272 p.
SUBJECT     Mountbatten of Burma, Louis Mountbatten, Earl, 1900-1979.
            Admirals--Great Britain--Biography., Viceroys--India--Biography.
 
TITLE       Return via Rangoon  : a young chindit survives the jungle and
Japanese captivity.
AUTHOR      Stibbe, Philip.
PUBLISHER   London  : Leo Cooper, 1994. xv, 232 p.
SUBJECT     World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Burma. World War,
1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons, Japanese., World War, 
1939-1945--Personal 
narratives, English.
 
TITLE       Thailand  and  Burma handbook.
PUBLISHER   Bath, England  : Trade  and  Travel Publications, 1994-v.
SUBJECT     Thailand, Burma--Description and travel--Guide-books.
 
TITLE      Twilight over Burma  : my life as a Shan princess, foreword by 
Bertil Lintner.
AUTHOR      Sargent, Inge.
PUBLISHER   Honolulu  : University of Hawai Press, 1994. xxiv, 216 p.  :
SUBJECT     Kya Seng, Sao, Sargent, Inge., Shans (Asian people)--Kings and
rulers--Biography. Shan State (Burma)--Politics and governemnt.
 
1995 PUBLICATIONS ON BURMA
 
TITLE       Burma the golden
AUTHOR      Klein, Wilhelm., Pfannmuller, Gunter.
PUBLISHER   [Bangkok]  : Insight Topics, 1995. 168 p.  : col. ill.
SUBJECT     Buddhism, Description and travel--Pictorial works.
                Religious life and customs--Pictorial works.
 
TITLE       Constructive engagement in the Burmese context
AUTHOR      Kanbawza Win.
PUBLISHER   Bangkok  : CPDSK, 1995., j, 210 p.
SUBJECT     Burma. SLORC, Democracy--Burma., Politics and government--1988-
 
TITLE       Cultural sites of Burma, Thailand, and Cambodia  
AUTHOR      Dumarcay, Jacques. Smithies, Michael, 1932-
PUBLISHER   Kuala Lumpur  ; New York  : Oxford University Press, 1995. xi,
SUBJECT     Monuments, Antiquities, Civilization--Burma.Thailand.Cambodia.
 
TITLE       Freedom from fear  : and other writings
foreword by Desmond Tutu ; edited with an introduction by Michael Aris. -
AUTHOR      Aung San Suu Kyi. Aris, Michael.
PUBLISHER   London  : Penguin Books, 1995., xxxi, 374 p.
SUBJECT     Aung San suu Kyi, Burma--Politics and government.
 
TITLE       Norman Lewis omnibus  
AUTHOR      Lewis, Norman.
PUBLISHER   London  : Picador, 1995. 834 p.
SUBJECT     Lewis, Norman--Journeys--Asia. Indochina--Description and travel.
            Burma--Description and travel, India--Description and travel.
 
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