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BurmaNet News December 15, 1995
- Subject: BurmaNet News December 15, 1995
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 15 Dec 1995 07:46:00
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------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: December 15, 1995
Issue #302
HEADINGS:
=========
NANDO TIMES: BURMA TAKES ANOTHER TENTATIVE STEP TO ASEAN
BKK POST: ALATAS DEFENDS BURMA'S MEMBERSHIP OF ASEAN
BKK POST: BOYCOTT INVESTMENT IN BURMA, URGE STUDENTS
BKK POST: APPROVAL FOR DRAFT DEAL ON THAI-BURMA BORDER TRADE
BKK POST: MONEY-CHANGERS MUSHROOMING IN BURMESE CAPITAL
NATION: UN ACTION ON BURMA: GOVTS SHOULD PRESS FOR COMPLIANCE
FEER: DOING THE DIRTY WORK
ISBDA: NEW & SPECIAL NLD INFO VIDEOS AVAILABLE
ANNOUNCEMENT: DIAMOND JUBILEE LUNCH IN VIRGINIA
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NANDO TIMES: BURMA TAKES ANOTHER TENTATIVE STEP TO ASEAN
December 14, 1995 (excerpts)
BANGKOK (Dec 14, 1995 - 03:00 EST) - Long-isolated Burma steps on to the
regional stage on Friday when it attends a summit of southeast Asian
leaders for the first time, but its full integration into the booming
region is still some way off.
Rangoon-based diplomats said Burma's military government, much-criticised
in Western countries for its human rights violations, would benefit from
attending the Bangkok summit. "It's another feather in their cap. Another
vindication, as they see it, that their pariah status is starting to come
to an end and that their acceptance is growing," one diplomat said. "It's
all symbolic. They've been trading with ASEAN for ages but to be invited
into the big house as opposed to trading over the garden fence is a big thing,"
said another envoy.
Burma began introducing market reforms in late 1988 after 26 years of
disastrous central planning. But the diplomats said the reform process
still had some way to go before it could comply with requirements necessary
for inclusion in ASEAN's Free Trade Area (AFTA). "ASEAN will push them to
comply with AFTA requirements and unless they do, they won't come in," one
diplomat said. "It's a full-blown market economy which might be quite
frightening for some of the old ideologues." Said another diplomat: "In
terms of the organisational infrastructure required to meet ASEAN
commitments they're certainly not ready yet."
*********************************************************
BKK POST: ALATAS DEFENDS BURMA'S MEMBERSHIP OF ASEAN
December 14, 1995 (slightly abridged)
Burma's eventual membership of Asean should not threaten good
relations between the group and its dialogue partners, said
Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas. Neither does he
believe Burma is cynically using membership of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations to enhance its international
legitimacy and to ward off criticism over human rights and
democratic reform.
"We hope Myanmar being with us does not, and should not,
necessarily influence the total relationship with our dialogue
partners," the minister told the Bangkok Post in an interview
prior to today's fifth Asean summit.
The dialogue partners are a group of nations, including the
US, which maintain close consultation with Asean. Today the
leaders will sign the Bangkok Summit Declaration which will
reaffirm Asean's commitment to expand the association to
include Cambodia, Laos and Burma.
They will also reaffirm the commitment to achieve the Asean
Free Trade Area by 2003 and give the mandate for negotiations
on the liberalisation of services in certain sectors. The
leaders of Cambodia, Laos and Burma will join their Asean
counterparts in an unprecedented meeting on Friday.
In July, Burma acceded to the 1976 Asean Treaty of Amity and
Cooperation, taking the first step towards observers status
that will eventually lead to full membership. Cambodia and
Laos, both observers of Asean, have said they would like to be
full members in two years time.
Minister Alatas said Asean has been trying to explain to its
dialogue partners that eventual Burmese membership should not
affect relations. He cited, as an example, Jakarta's problems
with Portugal over East Timor.
"Indonesia has a problem with Portugal on East Timor. Asean
has a good relationship with the European Union. Should one
influence the other? We say no," he said. Indonesia believes
the East Timor problem with Portugal should be resolved in an
"appropriate forum" he continued.
"We must be able to distinguish certain problems which are
bilateral in nature and questions which relate to
relationships between two countries or two regions," he said.
Despite constant calls for Asean not to include Burma as a
member, Minister Alatas reaffirmed the association's stance of
constructive engagement.
"We realise Myanmar is under heavy criticism from some
developed countries and international bodies over what are
perceived to be human rights violations. "We believe if such a
situation exists you have two options: isolate them and impose
sanctions or you can draw that country out and that process is
the one we are doing.
"Quietly talking them out of their shell and asking them to
see the benefits of being open. "We think it has already had
some benefits and concrete results, although it is a slow
process," he said. "I don't believe Myanmar is trying to use
Asean to ward off attacks by the international community."
During the summit today, the leaders are expected to discuss
possible measures to help the transition of Cambodia, Laos and
Burma into Asean. After the leaders of the 10 Southeast Asian
countries meet, Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa will issue
a chairman's statement.
Sources told the Post the draft two-page statement will cite
economic links and increased participation by the three
countries in all future Asean activities as the most appropriate
way to boost ties between the association and the potential members.
The draft pinpoints exchange programmes and training and
research collaboration as possible means to boost links. Asean
is also expected to announce it will help the three countries
in their transition to market economies and help them in their
eventual participation of AFTA.
The draft ends by saying the meeting of Asean and Cambodia,
Laos and Burma "reinforces the prospects of one Southeast Asia
under Asean by the year 2000". The Asean leaders and their
guests will also sign the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons-Free
Zone Treaty today. This treaty bans nuclear weapons in the
region_ despite a lack of support for the treaty by major military powers.
Britain, China, France, Russia and the US have expressed
reservations over the treaty fearing it may affect the passage
of their vessels through the region. Asean has assured the
nuclear powers there will be "freedom of the seas."
****************************************
BKK POST: BOYCOTT INVESTMENT IN BURMA, URGE STUDENTS
December 14, 1995
Students from a handful of countries yesterday called on their
governments to stop public and private investment in Burma to
prevent its ruling military junta reaping benefits from it.
The call was made by representatives of students from
Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and Burma during a panel
discussion at Thammasat University. They said Thailand, in
particular, should stop business investment in Burma.Former
Burmese student leader Maung Maung Than, speaking at a press
conference afterwards, said any kind of financial support
given by the Thai Government will only benefit the military
dictators and not poor people.
Thailand has been one of the major foreign investors in Burma
in recent years. The panel discussion was attend by
representatives of the Asia Students Association, the Students
Federation of Thailand, the Thai Action Committee for
Democracy in Burma and the Overseas National Students'
Organisation of Burma.
Also represented at the discussion were the All Burma Basic
Education Students Union, All Burma Students' Democratic
Front, Australia's National Student Union, Malaysia Students
Council and the All Burma Students Democratic organisation.
The event was closely observed by 15 plainclothes police officers.
Apart from imposing economic sanctions on Burma, the
panellists also called for Asean governments to pay more
attention towards easing the impact of development projects on
the livelihoods of people in member states. Some said past and
present governmental policies had caused a severe impact on
the environment and livelihood of the people in the region.
Maung Maung Than claimed Burmese forests had been extensively
damaged by Thai logging firms in recent years. He said
although the Burmese government had imposed a ban on logging
in 1989 a number of Thai companies still continued to operate
in Burma. The logging actively, he claimed, has continued with
the support of some Thai politicians and the Burmese military regime.
He said: "The Thai and Burmese governments are supporting each
other for their own benefit. They are not really concerned for
the environment." The student activist claimed a forced labour
problem in Burma has also been worsening because of an
increase in development projects there.
He referred to a United Nations' report indicating there were
more than one million people being put into forced labour to
implement development projects by the Burmese government.
Letters detailing the students' calls will be handed to
representatives of the Asean governments today.
Deputy Interior Minister Suchart Tancharoen yesterday urged
the students to refrain from undertaking any action during the
Asean summit that could damage the country's reputation. He
said the Interior Ministry was willing to help process any message
the students might have for the Asean leaders during the summit.
In a related development, a human rights group yesterday
called on Asean leaders to put aside reservations about
meddling in each others" affairs and raise rights violations
at the summit, according to the AFP news agency.
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia)
said it was concerned that "the prevalence of human rights
violations in the region" would not be discussed at the
summit. Forum-Asia said while it welcomed cooperation between
the countries, it was concerned Asean was overlooking human
rights violations in Indonesia, as well as Burma and Cambodia.
The Bangkok-based group said in an open letter to Asean
leaders that "repression of peaceful dissident in East Timor
continues unabated," citing East Timorese students who alleged
police brutality after they staged a sit-in at the Dutch and
Russian embassies last week.
Forum-Asia called on Asean to pressure Indonesia to end its
presence in the former Portuguese colony it invaded in 1975,
saying Asean members "should feel free to discuss the problems
of other members."
Asean has resolutely maintained a policy of public unity and
refraining from what it sees as meddling in the affairs of
other nations. Burma and Cambodia hope to join the grouping
but Forum-Asia said both should first "demonstrate their
respect for the principles of peace freedom, [and] social justice."
Forum-Asia expressed "grave concern over the continuing
serious violations of human rights in Myanmar" and said
Asean's policy of close contact with the junta had not
"resulted in greater respect for human rights." (BP)
****************
BKK POST: APPROVAL FOR DRAFT DEAL ON THAI-BURMA BORDER TRADE
December 14, 1995
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the draft of the border trade
agreement between Thailand and Burma, ahead of the Burmese
leader's arrival to attend the two-day Asean summit meeting.
The draft agreement represents the first concrete step in the
efforts to improve frosty Thai-Burmese relations which slipped
late last year.
The three-page draft agreement, proposed by Burma late
October, designates three checkpoints where border trade can
be conducted" Burma's Tachilek opposite Chiang Rai's Mae Sai
in the north, Myawaddy across from Tak's Mae Sot, and
Kawthaung-Ranong in the south.
The draft opens the possibility for more trade posts to be
authorised in the future. The agreement is good for two years
when it comes into effect, and will be automatically extended
for another two years at a time unless either side wishes to
terminate it.
Once the agreement takes effect it is likely to put an end to
the free-wheeling trade activities previously conducted by
locals. Even though Thailand decided to conform to Burma's
proposal to use its (Rangoon) version of the agreement which
Bangkok regarded as "containing a few loopholes," the
agreement will regulate trade, while offering assurance that
Burma will open more border checkpoints in the future.
"Once the agreement is signed by the two sides, Burma will
open at least one of the three checkpoints," the Foreign
Ministry said in its report, quoting Burmese Trade
Department's Director-General Kyaw Myint. The agreement sets
regulations on the trade of certain sensitive commodities that
include teak, rice, gems, and livestock except cattle and buffalo.
These products are banned from cross-border trade, but the
Burmese Government allows for officially-sanctioned exchanges
through its state enterprises. Having gone through the process
such as opening letters of credit, these goods can then be
transported through these checkpoints.
It is not known when Thailand and Burma would sign the
agreement. One possible occasion for the pact to be signed is
during the annual meeting of the joint commission chaired by
the two foreign ministers. It is Burma's turn this year to
host the meeting, but not date has been fixed for the meeting
which is supposed to be place at the end of the year.
Gen Than Shwe is scheduled to call on Defence Minister Chavalit
Yongchaiyudh at the Defence Ministry early this afternoon. The
Burmese leader will be accompanied by Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, first
secretary-general of the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council,
and chief of military intelligence.
****************
BKK POST: MONEY-CHANGERS MUSHROOMING IN BURMESE CAPITAL
December 14, 1995 By Khin Maung Thwin
Rangoon, AFP
Money-changers, both licensed and otherwise, are on the
increase in the Burmese capital, responding to public demand
and reflecting the opening of the country's economy. Foreign
Exchange Certificates (FECs), introduced just two years ago,
have become widely used in day-to-day transactions.
Initially intended to help foreign tourists limit the losses
they suffered from an unrealistic official exchange rate, the
FECs now circulate among Burmese as well_ at least those in
contact with foreigners.
Last week, Burma officially opened an FEC trading centre in
central Rangoon where 10 licensed currency dealers have
booths, and Finance Minister Win Tin hailed the move as a step
towards eliminating the black market.
The US dollar is worth around six kyats at the official rate
of exchange and currently trades at between 110 and 130 kyats
at what is now referred to as the market rate. Burmese
citizens, who are not supposed to handle hard currency, may
use FECs, which are officially pegged to the dollar. Some $10-
million worth of FECs are believed to be in circulation.
Speaking at the opening of the trading centre last
week, Win Tin said the use of FECs had helped stabilise the
open exchange rate, "helped bring down the price of the dollar
and stabilise the unofficial rate."
He went on to say that the move to establish an FEC market was
not only an important step toward "positive change" in the
prevailing financial market but would also help eradicate
trading in the black market.
Money-changer Soe Myint, who owns a self-proclaimed "user-
friendly" exchange counter at the newly-established FEC
centre, said it was too soon to comment on prospects for the
future. (BP)
****************
THE NATION: UN ACTION ON BURMA: GOVTS SHOULD PRESS FOR
COMPLIANCE
December 14, 1995
Unless governments act soon, the confrontation over the National
Convention may lead to a renewed crackdown by the Burmese military
junta, writes Human Rights Watch/Asia in New York.
Following the decision on Nov 29 by the NLD to withdraw from
the National Convention, the forum established by the military
government to draft "principle" for a new constitution,
tension remains high in Rangoon.
Human Rights Watch/Asia has received reports of protests
talking place in high schools, in Insein jail and in monasteries.
Every weekend the numbers of people attending the NLD's "people's
forum" outside Aung San Suu Kyi's house has increased, and on
Dec 7 more that 4,000 were reported to have gathered there.
Thus far, the Slorc has allowed these demonstrations of public
support for the NLD to continue, but key figures in the party,
including chairman U Tin Oo and vice chairman U Kyi Maung, are
reported to be under constant surveillance and are routinely
harassed. Witnesses in Rangoon have reported that there is a
prison van parked outside U Kyi Maung's house.
At the same time, while negotiations with the KNU and the KNPP
apparently remain deadlocked, there have been renewed attacks
and killings by the DKBA, a group which receives military
support from Slorc, on refugees and Thai citizens. Since Dec
4, one refugee and three Thais have been killed.
Last Tuesday's UN General Assembly resolution welcomed the
unconditional release on July 10 of Suu Kyi, but deplored
ongoing human rights violations in Burma. It urged Slorc to
release other prisoners, restore fundamental freedoms of
depression and assembly and end forced labor. The resolution
also called on Slorc to allow the International Committee of
the Red Cross confidential access to the country's jails and prisons.
Regarding the National Convention, the UN insisted that the
government "allow all citizens to participate freely in the
political process in accordance with the principles of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights."
Human Rights Watch/Asia recommends the following measures to
ensure that the resolution is implemented:
* Emergency efforts to establish an ongoing human rights
monitoring presence in Rangoon, reporting directly to the UN's
Special Rapporteur in Burma, Prof Yozoyokota.
As tension is expected to increase over the coming weeks and
months, it is crucial that staff be based in Rangoon with a mandate to
conduct on-the-ground monitoring of the human rights situation.
Australia, the European Union, Japan and the US should consider
taking the lead promoting and funding this initiative.
* suspension of any government-supported effort to entice or
stimulate trade and investment in Burma.
The UK held conference to encourage British companies to
invest in Burma only last week, and will be giving sponsorship
to companies who participate in a trade mission to Burma in
February, with plans fro two further mission later in the year.
Governments' policies towards Burma should be consistent with
their principle stand at the UN, and they should avoid helping
to underwrite Slorc's detail of basic rights by generating
direct or indirect financial assistance.
* No bilateral or multilateral loans to Burma until key
provisions of the UN's resolutions are fulfilled.
The World Bank issued a report in October on Burma's economic
reforms, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently
decided to begin a limited program there. Any efforts by the
Slorc to respond to recommendations by the Bank or IMF
regarding Burma's economic problems must be accompanied by
significant actions to improve fundamental human rights.
* Japan, in particular, should refrain from restoring Official
Development Assistance yen loans for major infrastructure
suspended since 1988 until there is substantial human rights
progress.
Tokyo has already rewarded Slorc with a $15 million grant for
a nursing hospital, and $50 million as debt relief grant-in-
aid following Suu Kyi's release.
* At Asean's summit in Bangkok this week, member governments
should use the opportunity of the presence of the Slorc
chairman Gen Than Shwe, to make it clear that the release of
Suu Kyi, though welcome, is not sufficient for Asean to
consider taking further steps to integrate Burma into the
regional grouping.
Human rights reforms which will bring about an end to the flow
of refugees into their countries, and an end to cross border
attacks by forces supported by the Slorc, should be a top priority.
* In the months since Suu Kyi's release, senior Burmese
leaders have conducted "goodwill trips" abroad, solacing
investments, arms and closer political relations in China,
France, Britain, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, Thailand,
Singapore, the US elsewhere. Invitations for any such visits
in 1996 should be linked to specific actions by Slorc to
fulfill the UN resolution.
* Steps to exert pressure on Burma to end the massive use of
forced labour.
In his verbal report to the UN General Assembly, Yozoyokota
stated that Slorc leader Gen Khin Nyunt had issued a "secret
directive" in June to discourage the practice. The government
has yet to make the text public.
Human Rights Watch/Asia welcomes any steps by the government
to eliminate the use of force labour, but note that with no
rule of law for public accountability, the military is likely
to continue to force civilians to work without pay in often
appalling condition.
The secret directive reportedly prohibits the use of civilians
as unpaid labours for many "development projects". but allows
the army to continue to use civilians as porters and
"sanitation" workers. Thus, Slorc may be sanction portering,
the most abusive kind of forced labour, which violates not
only International Labour Organization standards, but also the
Geneva Convention, which Slorc ratified in 1992.
Regardless of the exact of this "secret directive", it is
clearly not being implemented. In interviews conducted by
Human Rights Watch/Asia in September, refugees who had arrived
in Thailand from Kyukkyi township in Karen State between June
and September reported that forced labour on infrastructure
projects is continuing in those area.
Governments should press Slorc to give the Special Rapporteur
unhindered access to all parts of Burma to monitor
implementation of this or any other initiatives announced by
the government in its attempt to dampen international concern
about forced labour and its impact n potential foreign
investors.
At the same time, governments, trade unions and employers
organizations should investigate the practice of forced labour
under Article 26 of the ILO, and following public hearing
should, if necessary, considering Burma's membership of the
organization. (TN)
*******************************************
FEER: DOING THE DIRTY WORK
ASIA'S BROTHELS THRIVE ON MIGRANT LABOUR
December 14, 1995
By Gordon Fairclough in Chiang Rai
Wan came to Thailand to make money. She had heard all about
the "golden land" in letter from her friends. "They all encourage me
to come," Wan says. "They told me the pay was good."
So, soon after Wan finished high school in Keng Tung, a
sprawling market town in Burma's Shan State, she boarded a bus
and made the 100-kilometer trip over mountain roads to the
border. At first, she work at the maid for a Thai family. But
the 800 baht ($28) she earned each month didn't go as far as
she thought. She decided that to really get ahead she would
have to try something new. She went to work in massage parlour.
Faced with poverty at home, several hundred thousand Burmese
have crossed into Thailand in recent years. And like Wan, a
great many of the women- 30,000 by one estimate-have ended up
working in the commercial sex industry. It's a pattern that's
repeated in numerous corners of Asia, as rapid but uneven
economic growth triggers the migration of million of job-
seekers-from countryside to city, and cross international border.
The migrant population supplies a huge portion of Asia's sex
workers-and customers as well. Poor, disoriented and cut off
from the social support of their home villages, they make easy
marks for recruiter. Yet most of Burmese women working in
northern Thailand were not kidnapped or tricked. The word is
out that prostitution can be highly lucrative-and no education
or experience is required.
Now, Wan starts her evenings sitting in a small. glass-walled
room with a dozen other women, waiting to be chosen by
customers. She says she's 23, but her heavy make-up doesn't
quite mask the adolescent pimple on her cheeks.
Wan says she earns about 4,000 baht a month, a fortune in
Burma. She sends half of it home to support her family. And,
after two years in the border town of Mae Sai, she says she
has saved up almost enough to go into business as a
hairdresser back home.
Her customers are mostly men from Taiwan, Singapore and China,
drawn to the Thai town of Mae Sai by the profitable cross-
border trade. They like to spend their earnings on whisky and
sex. In the top-end places, men pay up to 1,500 baht for a
night with a prostitute.
"It's not such bad work," Wan says in heavily accented Thai."
The problem is everyone looks down on you. But what are we
supposed to do?"
Migrants such as Wan are doing a job that fewer and fewer Thai
women want. Rising incomes and fear of AIDS have made Thai
women less willing to work in the sex trade. And those that do
go into the business prefer to work overseas, or in Bangkok and
other entertainment centers where they can make the most money.
The trend is especially pronounced in border areas. In the
western town of Mae Sot, most prostitutes are Burmese. In
Ranong, a port on the Andaman Sea, hundreds of Burmese women
sell sex to their countrymen who work on Thai fishing boats.
It is not only women who work in the sex trade. Maung Htay was
14 when he left his home in central Burma. He sneaked across
the border into Thailand and landed a job in a restaurant in
Mae Sai. At 16, he traveled about 200 kilometers to Chiang
Mai, northern Thailand's commercial center. There, he went to
work in a dingy gay bar.
The money is good. says Maung Htay (not real name), and the
work isn't too hard. He gyrates on stage in his underwear,
trying to entice tourists to have sex with him. Maung Htay,
now 17, says he earns an average of about 10,000 baht a month,
more than he ever dreamed he could make in Burma. "My parents
have no idea what I'm doing," Maung Htay says. And, he says
they are glad to get the 5,000 baht that the sends each month.
Many of the prostitutes' customers are also migrants, job-
seekers from Burma and Thailand's own less-developed rural
areas. Most of Thailand's industrial labour force is made up
of young men and women who have left home for the first time
to find work. They are separated from their families and have
escaped from the social constraints of village life. Many look
to brothels for comfort and fun.
Take the case of Boi. He came to Chiang Mai at 15 looking for
work. Away from his parents, and with cash in his pocket, his
teenage longings for experimentation drew him to Kampaeng Din,
the city's notorious red-light district. He started having sex
with prostitutes and has been a regular customer since.
"The girls all have numbers pinned to their chest so you can
pick them out. Some of them are really cute," he says. Boi
worries about getting AIDS, so he says he's careful: "I always
wear two condoms. I but my own at the 7-eleven."
The flesh trade is highly lucrative, and the authorities make
sure they get a piece of the action. Women in Mae Sai say they
must pay the Thai police 500 baht each month to avoid
deportation. In many cases, the police do more than just turn
a blind eye. They are actually involved in the business. A
prostitute in one combination massage parlour and karaoke
lounge in Mae Sai reassured a guest after a police man walked
past. "No problem" she said. ""He work here"
But protection bought from corrupt cops comes with no
guarantees. As illegal immigrants working in an illegal
industry, people like Maung Htay and Wan are especially
vulnerable. They cannot go to the authorities for help, since
they would risk imprisonment and deportation. They also end up
working in the least remunerative and most dangerous places.
And because they don't know as much about AIDS prevention as
their Thai counterparts, they have much higher infection rates.
Aid workers in Bangkok argue that improving workers' (word
missing) could reduce their involvement in prostitution. "We should
register migrant workers, give them work permits and allow them to
bring their families," says Sanphasit Koonpraphant, director
of the Center for the Protection of Children's Rights.
But few governments would be willing to take such measures,
which would encourage migrant workers to settle permanently in
the host countries. Even more significantly, there's no
guarantee they would be effective: Millions of Thai who have
migrated from the countryside to the cities have full legal
status, but they're usually young and single for economic
reasons-housing and feeding a family in a place like Bangkok
would be too expensive.
Driven by economic, migration continues. At any one time, as
many as 100 million people are on the move in China. Thailand,
in addition to its own internal immigrants, has an estimated
30,000 illegal Burmese migrants and 100,000 illegal Chinese
immigrants, according to the government. An estimate 1 million
Indonesians have migrated to Malaysia, and approximately 1.4
million Philippine nationals are working in other Asian
countries.
As long as poverty drives these migrants away from their
homes, some will keep finding their way into prostitution.
Says Khin, a prostitute in Mae Sai: "If I didn't come here, my
mother wouldn't have anything to eat."
*********************************************************
ISBDA: NEW & SPECIAL NLD INFO VIDEOS AVAILABLE
December 13, 1995
New and Special NLD Info Videos Available!
From: kyawtint@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Special Volume 1: NLD Video Document on the National Day, Nov. 16, 1995.
Special Volume 2: Private Video Document on the Independent Day, Jan. 4, 1995.
Regular Releases:
"Burma's Democracy Struggle and Our Future Prospect,
vol. #17, #18, #19, #20, #21 and #22."
Dear Friends:
ISBDA would like to announe the1995 final distribution of video tapes which
includes two special volumes and the regular series of "Burma's Democracy
Struggle and Our Future Prospect, vol. #17, to #22."The tapes were recorded
during September to November and distributed by the NLD HQ to its members. In
Vol #22, you can see how SLORC placed barricades on the road to disturb the
assembly in front of Daw Suu's home.
Special Volume 1 covered the whole National Day Ceremony held at the NLD
Headquarters on November 16, 1995.
Special Volume 2 covered a Dinner Party of Independent Day which was organized
by senior Burmese Nationalists (Thakhin Gyis) on January 4, 1995, long before
Daw Suu's release.
Descriptions for Regular Series are as follows:
Volume #17 covered the discussion of NLD leaders with the party officials and
members of Kwanchangon Township on September 6, 1995. (US$15)
Volume #18 covered the discussion of NLD leaders with the party officials and
members of Mayangon Township on September 26, 1995. (US$15)
The tape #19, #20, #21 and #22 are the serial video documents of public speeches
and discussions in Burmese by the NLD leaders headed by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
based on the questions by the people gathered every weekends in front of Daw
Suu's resident on the following dates, respectively:
October 21 & 22, 1995.
(US$15)
October 28, 29 and November 4, 1995. (US$15)
November 12, 1995.
(US$15)
November, 18 &19, 1995.
(US$15)
People who interested in sharing these tapes must send return address to ISBDA,
202-601 Chohai 3-chome, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan 480-11 with enclosed check or
international MO payable to Htay H. Kyi.
_OnlY FoR YoU:_
Those friends who have reputation of sharing previous video & audio sets are
suggested to send an email mentioning that he or she has just mailed the payment
so that we can process for shipping the new volumes without confirming the
payment.
copying + handling fees ==>
Burma's Democracy Struggle and Our Future Prospect, vol. #13, #14, #15. #16:
===========(previous set)=============== US$ 60.0 per set.
Burma's Democracy Struggle and Our Future Prospect, vol. #9, #10, #11. #12:
===========(previous set)=============== US$ 60.0 per set.
Burma's Democracy Struggle and Our Future Prospect, vol. #6, #7, #8:
===========(previous set)=============== US$ 35.0 per set.
Five Audio Tapes (C60s):
===========(previous set)=============== US$ 25.0 per set.
Burma's Democracy Struggle and Our Future Prospect, vol. 5:
===========(previous set)=============== US$ 15.0 per copy.
August 11 Press Briefing Audio Tape (C60):
===========(previous set)=============== US$ 10.0 per copy.
Burma's Democracy Struggle and Our Future Prospect, vol. 3 and 4:
===========(previous set)=============== US$ 25.0 per set.
Burma's Democracy Struggle and Our Future Prospect, vol. 1 and 2:
============(previous set) ========== US$ 25.0 per set.
Please clearly mention the tape volume numbers in your order and we will
immediately air-mail after receiving your payment.
All video tapes are recorded by home video camera system on NTSC VHS format.
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ANNOUNCEMENT: DIAMOND JUBILEE LUNCH IN VIRGINIA
December 14, 1995
Dear all friends:
We are excited to invite you to join us for luncheon at George Mason
University on Sunday, December 17 1995 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee
of Rangoon University. A variety of Burmese cuisine will be served and
a traditional concert will be followed. Burmese of young and old
generations will gather to share their unforgettable stories and insights
of their alma mater. For further information, contact 301 4246009.
17 December 1995, Sunday 1:30 - 4:30pm
George Mason University
Metro Campus Professional Center
3401 North Fairfax Drive
Arlington, Virginia 22201
Directions:
>From Maryland: Take 495 to Virginia; take Interstate 66 East (left exit)
toward Washington; take Fairfax Drive/Glebe Road exit. Stay on Fairfax
Drive; George Mason on your left.
>From Virginia: Take interstate 66 East; follow above direction.
>From Washington DC; Take interstate 66 West; follow above direction.
Metro: Blue line to National Airport; take Virginia Square station; GM
located 2 blocks away.
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