BurmaNet News January 31, 1996 #335

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"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: January 31, 1996
Issue #335

HEADLINES:
==========
THE ECONOMIST: WHO SPEAKS FOR THE PEOPLE?
NATION: SUU KYI SLAMS ASEAN BURMA POLICY, TOURISM
NATION: SLORC MINISTER CALLS FOR MORE FOREIGN CASH
BKK POST: KHUN SA'S GUERRILLAS SAID FORCED TO LABOUR 
BKK POST: SLORC FORCES SET FOR KARENNI STRIKE
THE NATION: SLAVES TO LABOUR
NATION: CHAVALIT MAY SEND TROOPS TO BURMESE BORDER
NATION: BURMESE JUNTA DENIES MENDING TIES WITH N. KOREA
NATION: MINISTER DEFENDS HIS LINKS WITH BURMESE WOMAN
BKK POST: BURMA DENIES PREPARING TO COUNTER BID TO SEIZE 
BKK POST: ERICSSON IN BURMA CELLULAR PHONE DEAL
REUTER: CAMBODIA SIGNS PACT WITH BURMA
BKK POST: FIRM CONFIRMS BURMA LOG BID
MASSACHUSETTS BURMA ROUNDTABLE: FEBRUARY ROUNDTABLE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE ECONOMIST: WHO SPEAKS FOR THE PEOPLE?
January 27, 1996

The divide between "western" and "Asian" ideas of politics
and development is, by now, wearisomely familiar.  As is
well known, "westerners" argue for democracy and
individual rights, and argue that they nicely complement
economic development (see page 78).  "Asians" stress the
interests of the community and suggest that authoritarian
rule often provides a better foundation for economic growth.

Unfortunately, this familiar tale gives a highly misleading
picture of who is actually pushing for what in developing
Asia.  Take Cambodia and Myanmar, two countries in
South-East Asia, where the arguments over the Asian road
to development are particularly urgent.

Cambodian democracy, a youthful product of concerted
international effort, is running into trouble as the
government takes an increasingly intolerant line towards its
critics.  the military junta ruling Myanmar, which has a far
more brutal record than the Cambodian government, is
trying simultaneously to entrench its control of the country
and to shed its image as the bad boy of the region.

In both countries the most serious opposition to
authoritarianism comes from within.  It is Asians, not
westerners, who are arguing for human rights and
democracy.  Meanwhile, the western powers, which are
often portrayed as eagerly pushing liberal values on a
reluctant Asia, are, in reality, almost languid in their
approach.  They are offering limited rhetorical support for
democratic forces in Cambodia and Myanmar, but little else.

In Cambodia, the most forceful repudiation of the "Asian
way" to development comes from Sam Rainsy, a former
finance minister who is now the country's leading
opposition politician.  "No human being", he says, "should
be asked to choose between bread and freedom."  Aung San
Suu Kyi, the leader of the opposition in Myanmar, takes a
similar line.  She was released from house arret last July. 
Miss Suu Kyi, whose offense had been to win a democratic
election, accepts the government's argument that peace and
stability are essential for economic development.  But she
asks how they can be achieved "on a foundation of
vindictiveness and violation of trust."

It is true that both Mr. Rainsy and Miss Suu Kyi have had a
good dose of the West.  They both spent considerable
periods in exile, Miss Suu Kyi in Britain and Mr. Rainsy in
France.  But they are both extremely popular at home.  Miss
Suu Kyi's party won the election in Myanmar in 1990 with a
crushing majority.  Mr. Rainsy's Khmer Nation Party,
launched only in November and still illegal, already claims
66,000 members.  Conversations with the Khmer- in - the -
street appear to confirm its popularity.

Mr. Rainsy fears -- probably with good reason -- that he may
soon be arrested on trumped - up charges.  Miss Suu Kyi
also knows that she and her supporters risk rearrest, or
worse, if they confront the government.  Both leaders are
looking to the West for political support.

It is here that the Asian - western divide does begin to
correspond to reality.  Other South - East Asian
governments could not care less about the lack of human
rights in Cambodia and Myanmar.  Democracy is not an
issue as the two countries move towards membership of the
Association of South-East Asian Nations.  By contrast,
western governments generally argue that it might be nice if
the governments of Cambodia and Myanmar paid some
attention to democratic norms.

Mr. Rainsy is pinning his hopes on such support.  The
United Nations invested $2.6 billion in bringing peace to
Cambodia and endowing it with a democratic constitution. 
Surely, he suggests, aid donors, still vital to the economy,
would not allow that legacy to be ripped up?  Yet Winston
Lord, the Clinton administration's top Asia man, was at
pains not to be seen wielding the big stick when he passed
through Cambodia this month.  He said he would "convey
concern" about recent developments.  But he drew attention
to Cambodia's ghastly past -- the Khmers Rouges' genocide
and the Vietnamese occupation -- and argued that the world
"cannot be overly demanding."  Mr. Rainsy takes comfort
from the belief that Mr. Lord's private message was much
tougher, but he may be clutching at straws.

Western governments have also been pretty supine over
Myanmar.  They credit their aid embargo with an important
role in the Myanmar junta's one big concession to
international opinion -- the release of Miss Suu Kyi from
house arrest.  But for all the talk of isolating Myanmar, in
most other respects western governments have taken a
conspicuously soft line.  There has been no question of
economic sanctions.  Indeed, many governments, including
those of Britain and France, are now actively encouraging
their businesses to get involved in Myanmar, despite Miss
Suu Kyi's please that foreign investors should "jolly well
wait".

As a result, the governments of Myanmar and Cambodia
feel increasingly confident about ignoring the human - rights
rhetoric coming out of the West.  The military junta in
Myanmar seems to feel under no real pressure to make any
further concessions to Miss Suu Kyi.  And Prince Ranariddh
and Hun Sen, the joint prime ministers of Cambodia, felt
able to be "too busy" to meet the United Nations human -
rights envoy, Michael Kirby, when he visited Phnom Penh
this month.

Mr. Kirby was supposed to represent the outside world.  But
the outside world speaks with many voices, and
Cambodia'[s rulers at the moment seem to prefer Asian
authoritarians' to western liberals'.  On January 24th Mr.
Rainsy took his campaign to Australia.  Three days later
Prince Ranariddh was also due to travel -- to Myanmar.

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

NATION: SUU KYI SLAMS ASEAN BURMA POLICY, TOURISM
Nobel prizewinner says constructive engagement is flawed
January 31, 1996
By Michele Cooper, AFP

Opposition  leader Aung San Suu Kyi believes Asean's policy 
of constructive engagement with the Burmese junta is flawed 
because it concentrates on current economic prospects at the 
expense of political change.

In an interview with AFP at the lakeside home where she 
spent nearly six  years under house arrest until July 10, 
Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday also suggested tourists avoid 
Burma to show they support calls for democratic reforms.

She disputed government claims that economic development was 
on a sustainable upward track and would eventually lead to 
the country's democratisation.

Economic "half-measures" taken by the junta would not bring 
democracy, she said. "It will only lead to a widening gap 
between the haves and the have-nots which is, in fact, 
inimical to democracy."

Only by spreading wealth throughout all segments of the 
nation can democracy be bolstered, she said. "But actually, 
it works both ways. You won't get that kind of economic 
development without democracy," she added.

Aung San Suu Kyi said she regretted that the constructive 
engagement policy followed by the Association of Southeast 
Asian Nations (Asean) seemed to ignore the opposition but 
courted the junta. "Constructive engagement, to be effective, 
should be engaged with all parties concerned," she said.

In her view, Asean should be having second thoughts about 
the early admission of Burma, which would join Brunei, Indonesia, 
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

"Apart from anything else, I do not think the Burmese 
economy is in as good a shape as Asean would like it to be," 
she said. In any case, she said, "Economics and politics are 
interdependent and, whether or not you recognise the fact, 
you cannot escape the consequences of certain political policies."

She said she believed the average six to eight per cent 
economic growth rate was already beginning to tail off. 
"There are some very, very necessary structural changes that 
would have to take place before there can be real economic 
development."

The opposition leader noted meanwhile that her National 
league for Democracy (NLD) was less than enthusiastic about 
the junta's plans to earn more tourist dollars by promoting 
Visit Myanmar Year, which starts in late 1996.

"I don't think that it would help very much if the coming of 
tourists is taken to mean that people don't care whether or 
not there is democracy in Burma," she said.

Referring to her earlier statements that it was too soon for 
foreign investors to come to Burma, she added: "I think for 
tourists, too, there is a time to come and a time not to come."

Aung San Suu Kyi said she and the NLD would continue to 
speak out, despite attacks against her in the official 
press, "Under the law, of course, silence is consent, and we 
certainly are not consenting to the existing situation," she stressed. 

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

NATION: SLORC MINISTER CALLS FOR MORE FOREIGN CASH
January 31, 1996
Reuters

Burma's economic development would "skyrocket" in the next 
few years if the country could get technical and economic 
cooperation from other countries, Minister for Trade Lt-Gen Tun Kyi said.

"If we could possibly get financial and technical cooperation substantially 
from abroad, I strongly believe that the economic development of 
Myanmar (Burma) would skyrocket within a few years time," Tun Kyi 
told a seminar on Monday.

He said foreign investment from 1988, when the ruling State 
Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), took power till 
the end of 1995, totalled more than US$3 billion in 150 
projects in various sectors. Burma expects that to rise to 
$4 billion "In the nera future," he said.

"China , Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand share 43 
per cent of total investment," he said. Tun Kyi said 
uprising and demonstration in 1988 took place mainly because 
of economic difficulties. A six-month-long, pro-democracy 
uprising in 1988 left thousands of people dead or wounded 
and many more imprisoned after a bloody crackdown by the Slorc.

Tun Kyi said an economy will help society and democracy. 
"Economic development can uplift the social and living 
standard of the people," Tun Kyi said. "People will be happy 
if they are wealthy and democracy will flourish with the 
prosperity of the nation."

Most countries halted economic aid in 1988 and although some 
foreign investors have returned to Burma, formal economic 
assistance by international institutions has not yet resumed.

Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, released from six years 
house arrest in July, has urged foreign investors to hold 
off until there are improvements in human rights and democracy.

Tun Kyi also reaffirmed Burma's strong trade ties with Asia, 
noting that a border trade agreement was due to be signed 
soon with Thailand.

Japan's ambassador to Burma, Yoichi Yamaguchi, also made a 
speech at the meeting, calling for an expansion of economic 
ties between the two countries.

"Today we have more than 50 participants on this floor from 
the Japanese business circle, which I understand, shows the 
Japanese business community's strong interests in Myanmar." 
He also said he planned to continue to promote technical 
cooperation between Japan and Burma at various levels. (TN)

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

BKK POST: KHUN SA'S GUERRILLAS SAID FORCED TO LABOUR 
January 31, 1996
Reuters

Hundreds of guerrillas who surrendered to Burmese troops in 
hopes they could go home have been tricked into forced 
labour while their opium warlord leader Khun Sa apparently 
stays free, guerrilla and Thai intelligence sources said yesterday.

Other guerrillas who believe Khun Sa has double-crossed them 
have managed to escape, the sources said. They said hundreds 
of Mong Tai Army (MAT) guerrillas who have surrendered since 
the beginning of January were taken from their headquarters 
at Ho Mong to a camp ringed with barbed-wire near Langko in 
northeastern Shan State.

>From there they were taken to work on a 30-km road linking 
the town of Mong Hsat with former MAT strongholds near the 
Thai border to the south, said a Thai intelligence source.

"They were lured from Ho Mong thinking they were getting a 
free ride home but once in langko they found themselves in a 
big field surrounded by barbed wire," the officer said.

"Then they were taken to work on the road," he said, adding 
that an estimated 1,300 MAT soldiers and local villagers 
were working on the road. Forced labour is common in Burma 
and has drawn criticism from international human rights 
groups. The military government says what it calls voluntary 
labour on public projects is a Burmese tradition.

The Thai officer and guerrilla sources on the border said 
hundreds of other MAT fighters had fled from Ho Mong after 
hearing of their comrades' fate and many had trekked into 
Thailand.

The Thai officer said the fleeing MAT members were being 
allowed to pass through Thai territory to nearby sections of 
the border where they crossed back into Burma.

One guerrilla source said many of those fleeing were 
stashing weapons in the jungle just inside Burma and would 
retrieve them if and when necessary.

"Many MAT guerrillas now release they were double-crossed by 
Khun Sa so they hope to re-group and return to retrieve 
their weapons," one MAT officer told Reuters.

The veteran opium warlord Khun Sa surrendered to government 
forces at the beginning of the month, giving up his 
guerrilla war and his Shan state strongholds. Thousands of 
MAT guerrillas surrendered with their weapons. But some 
factions within the group, in particular Shan nationalists 
seeking autonomy from the Rangoon government, say they will 
continue their fight.

Burma's state media has been reporting the surrender of 
smaller groups of MAT fighters over the last two weeks. It 
said on Monday that a total of 11,889 MAT members had now 
"returned to the legal fold" bringing with them 7,249 
assorted weapons.

The Burmese government has refused US requests that the drug 
lord be handed over to face trial in the United States where 
he has been indicted on heroin trafficking charges.

Burmese officials say he will be put on trial in Rangoon but 
MAT sources said yesterday Khun Sa was still in his Ho Mong 
headquarters being guarded by his own men and Burmese 
soldiers.

"He has nine of his most trusted security men around him at 
all times and about 100 Burmese troops forming an outer 
perimeter," the MAT officer said.

International narcotics suppression agencies estimate Khun 
Sa was responsible for about half of Shan's states' annual 
opium crop of some 2,000 tonnes. The half-Chinese, half-Shan 
Khun Sa always claimed he was fighting for the independence 
of Shan state and denied he was a narcotics trafficker. He 
said he only taxed opium traders passing through his zones 
of control to finance his political fight. (BP)

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

BKK POST: SLORC FORCES SET FOR KARENNI STRIKE
January 31, 1996
Mae Hong Son

Rangoon troops are massing along the border in an 
intensification of their campaign against Karenni rebels. 
Forced of the State Law and Order Restoration Council have 
taken position opposite Sob Moei and Mae Sariang districts, 
said the deputy director of the provincial Internal Security 
Operations Command.

Thousands of Slorc soldiers from more than 20 battalions are 
also in position opposite Muang and Khun Yuam districts, 
said Col Sunthorn mainkamnerd. At Ho Mong, Slorc soldiers 
hoisted flags at Mong Tai Army positions handed over by Khun 
Sa when he surrendered to the Rangoon junta  this month.

Col Sunthorn said Karen National Union guerrillas based 
opposite Sob Moei had sent representatives for talks with 
the Slorc and a ceasefire agreement was likely. Meanwhile, 
the renegade Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, which defected 
from the KNU a year ago to join the Slorc, was persisting in 
efforts to make Karen refugees return.

Some renegade Karens, however, had lost trust in the Slorc 
and had handed over their weapons to the KNU, said Col 
Sunthorn. He expected clashes between Slorc and Karenni 
forces to intensify and said the rebels were likely to seek 
refuge in Mae Hong Son. Deputy Governor Amornphan Nimanand 
said provincial authorities have sent teams to provide 
primary assistance to Karenni refugees at Huay Buk. (BP)

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

THE NATION: SLAVES TO LABOUR
January 31, 1996

Unbearable poverty and a desperate desire to escape a 
despotic government continue to push thousands of Burmese 
immigrants into entering the Kingdom illegally in search of 
work, reports Varaporn Chamsanit.

In a sense, Maung Win's life resembles that portrayed by 
Mark Twain in his Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: a young 
man with an adventurous soul sets off on a journey in search 
of good fortune. Only the story of this young Burmese 
teenager has not yet seen a happy ending.

About two weeks ago, the front pages of a few local 
newspapers reported that a 10-wheel truck accidentally 
caught fire on its way from Ranong to Phuket. Densely packed 
on the truck, hidden by a canvas cover, were more than 70 
illegal Burmese and Mon immigrants.

These undocumented immigrants, coming from different parts 
of Burma, had just arrived in Thailand and were heading down 
South to find work. As a result of the accident, one young 
woman died and 55 people were injured.

Eighteen-year-old Maung Win was among those on the truck the 
day the accident occurred. The young man was lured away from 
his rural home five years ago by a job on a farm in the 
Burmese town of Thampyuzayat. There he got word that there 
were plenty of jobs with good pay available just across the 
border in Thailand.

Due to unbearable poverty and desperation at being 
constantly summoned by the Burmese government to engage in 
laborious work without pay, Maung Win drew up a plan to flee 
his native country. After managing to save a sum of 10,000 
kyat (about Bt2,000) - just enough to pay for the costs of 
travelling and job placement - he set off.

Without knowing exactly where to go and what to do in 
Thailand, the young man joined the procession of Burmese men 
on their way to promised paid labour. It took Maung Win two 
days to get to Burma's Kaw Thaung Island by boat. From 
there, in the footsteps of his fellow countrymen, he crossed 
the border via a 20-minute boat ride to Thailand's Ranong 
province. He had no idea it was illegal for a Burmese 
citizen to come to Thailand for work.

According to Maung Win's adventurous plan, he would work in 
Thailand for two years, save Bt100,000, then "go home and 
buy a farm of my own". He never imagined he would get in any 
trouble, let alone be involved in an accident on his very 
first day in his land of dreams.

Although Maung Win was lucky enough to escape the fire 
without serious injury, he knows that he may not be so 
fortunate when dealing with Thai police. It's only a matter 
of time, he says until he's arrested, charged with illegal 
entry into the Kingdom, thrown in jail and ultimately 
deported.

Official estimates indicate that of the 525,480 illegal 
immigrants staying in Thailand in 1993, 334,123 were Burmese 
nationals.

The current demand for cheap labour in Thailand - especially 
in the fishing industry, on rubber plantations and in 
building construction - plays a part in attracting a vast 
number of illegal labour into the country.

But, according to Burmese immigrants, another factor that 
drives them from their homeland is the hardships deriving 
from unpaid labour enforced by the government.

"Life is hard in Burma, that's why people try to get away," 
remarked U Hla, another illegal Burmese immigrant who was 
injured in the truck fire.

Speaking from a hospital bed, U Hla, 32, said he first came 
to Thailand six months ago. He worked as a carpenter at a 
large construction site in Phuket were approximately 300 
undocumented Burmese workers were hired, undisturbed by the 
police.

"I had a rubber plantation back at home, but I didn't have 
much time to look after it," said U Hla, pointing out that 
the forced labour system in Burma has prevented him from 
earning his income at home.

"Once in a while, men in our village would be summoned as 
porters for the Burmese army. At other times, we had to 
serve as labourers for the government's railway construction 
project. It was very tough and laborious work. If we don;'t 
want to do the job, we have to pay money to the authority as 
a substitute, or we may be put in jail," he said.

After five months working as a construction worker in 
Thailand, U Hla returned to his family in Burma with about 
Bt15,000. Less than a month had passed before he decided to 
come back, this time with his 27-year-old brother.

"If you went around several Burmese villages, you would see 
that there're hardly any people (of working age) left. 
Getting across the border into Thailand is not too 
difficult. There are people who would arrange things for you 
at the border and there are others who travel around rural 
Burmese villages acting as a broker, asking villagers to 
come to work in Thailand," explained U Hla.

"Burma is a nation with plenty of natural resources. We have 
gold, silver and gemstones. If we had a good government, our 
people would be able to make a fair enough living. In that 
case we would not have to participate in slave labour in 
another country," said U Hla.

According to local policemen in the Takua Pa district of 
Phang Nga, where the truck accident occurred, there are 
around 1,200 to 1,300 Burmese currently being held in Takua 
Pa and the three surrounding districts on charges of illegal 
entry. Those that can't afford to pay the Bt2,000-Bt3,000 
fine will be forced to spend two to three months in jail 
before deportation.

According to the local police, around 90 per cent of the 
Burmese arrested can not afford to pay the fine. Of all 
Burmese nationals arrested in Thailand, meanwhile, 30 per 
cent are likely to be re-arrested at a later time. This 
means that despite police action, many Burmese will again 
cross the Thai border within a few hours or a few days of 
deportation.

Although it is against the law for an employer to hire 
illegal workers, local police admit, though did not care to 
elaborate, that it is rare for such employers to be arrested.

U Hla, meanwhile, is well aware that as an illegal Burmese 
worker he may be arrested and sent back to Burma when his 
condition improves. But when asked about his plans for the 
future, U Hla said there was a good chance that he might 
soon be coming back to Thailand.

"I will try to come back here (to Thailand) anyhow. The Thai 
government should allow us to work here because they know 
how the Burmese government has abused its people. It's 
better that I die here than to go back. Who knows, if I die 
here I might be born a Thai in my next." (TN)

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

NATION: CHAVALIT MAY SEND TROOPS TO BURMESE BORDER
January 30, 1996

Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh has expressed 
concern over "the constantly-changing situation" along the 
Thai-Burmese border and has suggested that troops from the 
central command should be deployed there.

He said he was discussing the situation with Army Chief Gen 
Pramon Phalasin and that the likely deployment did not mean 
that Thailand was preparing for war, but was ensuring peace 
and stability.

The presence of the troops was also important to build up 
the confidence, morale and spirit of the people living in 
those areas, he said. He expressed concern, however, that 
the condition on the border remained confusing.

"We have kept our lines of communication open at all levels. 
Earlier [fighting] might have had some effect on Thais 
living in the area but the military operations has already 
stopped.

"However, the condition remains very confusing because the 
situation is constantly changing all the time. We have 
already sent reinforcements [to strengthen the frontier]," 
he said.

Foreign Minister Kasem S Kasemsri said yesterday he 
supported Chavalit's initiative to send reinforcements to 
the border, adding that it was Thailand's right to do so.

But he warned that any action taken should be done carefully 
because Burma is a neighbour. He said it was normal for 
countries that shared common to have minor conflicts, such 
as stray shells occasionally landing on Thai soil, and such 
incidents had to be dealt with carefully. The usual response 
was to fire back warning shots, he said.

The peace agreement between drug warlord Khun Sa and the 
Burmese junta is said to have drastically altered the 
situation on the border. Meanwhile, In Mae Sot, security 
officers were saying little about a weekend dawn raid that 
ended in the kidnapping of six Karen refugees from a village 
in the northern district of Tak.

Karen refugees said about 50 armed members of the Democratic 
Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) sneaked across the Moei River 
around 4 am on Saturday from their Kawmoora base into the 
village near Do Din Gee and kidnapped five former soldiers 
of the Karen National Union (KNU) and a 12-year-old boy 
during the 30-minute incursion.

It was the first time the DKBA had entered the Mae Sot area. 
It had previously raided Karen refugee camps in Tak's Tha 
Son Yang district north of Mae Sot.

Thai officers tried to avoid questions about the incident, 
but admitted they were surprised that the DKBA dared enter 
the area surrounding Mae Sot as Army and border police are 
based there. There were no Thai troops near where the 
incident took place.

The sources said Pee Da, 46, and the boy, Naw Dee, were 
released on Sunday while the rest were still being detained 
at Kawmoora, the former base of the KNU 101st army, which 
was captured last year by the Burmese and later handed over 
to the DKBA.

The sources identified the four other refugees who were 
kidnapped as First Lt Htaw Hla He, 60, Srg Maj Maung May, 
45, and Kyaw Heu, 47, former chief of fallen KNU Wang Kha 
camp, and Bo, 47.

The DKBA had forced all those who remained to take an oath 
that they would remain neutral and not side with the KNU 
otherwise they would be prosecuted. The sources added that 
they did not know the actual fate of those still being held, 
but there were suggestions some had been killed.

The DKBA commander at Kawmoora, Capt Kyaw Thet, had earlier 
said that he would send more forces across the border to uncover 
hidden KNU weapons and capture its leaders still on Thai soil. (TN)

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

NATION: BURMESE JUNTA DENIES MENDING TIES WITH NORTH 
KOREA
January 30, 1996  (abridged)

Burma's military junta has denied that the country is in the 
process of mending its relations with North Korea, with 
Bangkok being used as the centre for secret negotiations.

Rangoon and Pyongyang cut off ties after North Korean agents 
planted a bomb in Rangoon that killed 17 high-level visiting 
South Korean officials, including four Cabinet ministers, 12 
years ago.

The report quoted the source as saying that Burmese 
Ambassador to Thailand, U Tin Winn, had invited North 
Korea's charge d'affaires in Bangkok, Pang Song Hae, to an 
official reception on Jan 4 to celebrate Burma's 48th 
independence anniversary.

"We understand the newspaper's eagerness to print a scoop or 
sensational news report to draw the attention of its 
readership. "Anyhow, we sincerely think they should be more 
careful and circumspect before they report the sensitive news like 
the bilateral relations between two countries," said the release.

But Japan's biggest daily, the Yomiyuri, published a news 
report on Jan 14 quoting former North Korean Ambassador to 
Thailand, Li Do-Sop, as telling the newspaper's Bangkok 
correspondent that "our [Burmese-North Korean] 
communications have been going on for some time and the 
atmosphere was very friendly." "The restoration of bilateral 
ties will take place in the future but it depends on whether 
the two countries are fully ready," Li Do Sop told Yomiyuri.

Another Japanese daily, the Jiji Press, published a report 
on Jan 22 quoting North Korean Ambassador to Thailand, Ri 
SamRo, who just assumed his diplomatic post, as saying that 
Bangkok was being used as the centre for the restoration of 
North Korean relations with Burma and for the opening of 
Pyongyang's diplomatic relations with two Asean countries _ 
the Philippines and Brunei. 

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

NATION: MINISTER DEFENDS HIS LINKS WITH BURMESE WOMAN
January 30, 1996  (abridged)

Deputy Interior Minister Suchart Tancharoen yesterday 
defended himself over his controversial ties to a Burmese 
woman known as Ma Khine, saying he had never abused the 
relationship to seek logging deals with Burma.

Suchart said he had sold sawmills he owned in the northwest 
province of Tak, on the border with Burma. He denied he had 
ever used his close relationship with Ma Khine to open up 
border passes closed by the Burmese government.

"I never attempted to open up border checkpoints. And cross-
border logging trades have been taken up by many companies," 
he said. Suchart said importing logs had been the policy of 
previous governments to compensate for the shortage of wood 
and timber in the country since the ban on logging in Thai 
forests was imposed in the late 1980s.

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

BKK POST: BURMA DENIES PREPARING TO COUNTER BID TO SEIZE 
KHUN SA
January 30, 1996
Report: Nussara Sawatsawang, Rangoon

Speculation is rife in the Burmese capital that the ruling 
junta has staged a military exercise along its coast to 
counter a possible United States' invasion to capture drug 
warlord Khun Sa and put him on trial.

Some observers predict the US will launch an operation from 
the Andaman sea to snatch Khun Sa, along the lines of its 
invasion of Panama to capture strongman Manuel Noriega in 
1989. However, junta and diplomatic sources give the rumours 
little credence.

The joint exercise involved all of Burma's ground, air and 
naval forces along the country's strategic southwest 
coastline on January 20-23. Ships, jets and missiles provided by 
China were used in the exercise, along with troops and artillery.

A source in Burma predict a similar exercise would be held 
along the southern coast close to the natural gas pipeline 
to be laid toward Kanchanaburi.

Last week's activities could not be independently verified 
by other source, although residents spotted combat vessels 
at the scenic beach resort of Chaungtha, southwest of 
Rakhine state. "It's the first time the naval has joined 
such an exercise," the Burmese source said.

Diplomats in Rangoon said they had been expecting an 
invitation from the junta, the State Law and Order 
Restoration Council, to observe the drill. The US has 
demanded that Slorc hand over Khun Sa, who surrendered to 
the military government earlier this month, to stand trial 
in the US on narcotics charges.

But the junta maintains there is no extradition treaty 
between the two countries and it will treat Khun Sa under 
its own laws. Khun Sa faced a US federal indictment since 
December 1989 on 10 charges following the seizure of 1,080 
kilogrammes of heroin in Bangkok in 1988.

An observer of Burmese affairs said an invasion would not 
make sense. The rugged terrain and mountains in Rakhine 
state, and the long distance from there to Khun Sa's Ho Mong 
headquarters, posed the first obstacle.

"Even if Khun Sa serves his jail term in Rangoon's Insein 
prison, Slorc is confident of its strength and security and 
that he will not be abducted," the observer said.

A diplomat in Rangoon said the US was not thinking of an 
invasion. "The Cold War is over and this region, unlike 
Panama where US strategic interests lie, is too far from 
America," he said.

The junta also denied any link between the exercise and its 
fear of invasion. "The only reason for the drill is that our 
300,000 troops have been idle for a long time," a senior 
Burmese military officer said.

Nevertheless, Slorc is still cautious about security. 
Another diplomatic source said Slorc officials had never 
failed to complain about any reported joint military exercise 
between the US and Burma's Southeast Asian neighbours.

Burmese leaders are also prepared to boost their country's 
military strength, and there have been unconfirmed reports 
that Burma's missions abroad are trying to procure more arms 
in exchange for rice. (BP)

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BKK POST: ERICSSON IN BURMA CELLULAR PHONE DEAL
January 30, 1996

Myanma Post and Telecommunications last week signed a contract
for Ericsson Australia Pte Ltd to install a cellular telephone
system. The company will install equipment for existing radio
stations, build four new stations and upgrade the radio
communications system to digital to enable cellular phone links
between Rangoon and the northern commercial centre of Mandalay.

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REUTER: CAMBODIA SIGNS PACT WITH BURMA
January 29, 1996

Rangoon: Burma and Cambodia have signed a cooperation agreement, official 
media reported on Sunday. Burma's minister for foreign affairs Ohn Gyaw and 
his Cambodian counterpart Ung Huot, sign an accord to form a Joint 
Commission for Bilateral Cooperation, according to the reports. No details were 
given.             

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BKK POST: FIRM CONFIRMS BURMA LOG BID
January 31, 1996

EARTH Industrial Plc says its major shareholder, Burmese 
businesswoman Ma Khai Saw, coordinates and assists timber deals 
with Burma. Earth Industrial would buy timber from Rangoon through
a letter of credit with Siam Commercial Bank, the company said. (BP)

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MASSACHUSETTS BURMA ROUNDTABLE: FEBRUARY ROUNDTABLE
January 30, 1996

The next Roundtable will take place on Monday, February 12. The meeting will
start at 7pm at the office of Franklin Research & Development at 711
Atlantic Avenue 4th floor, just across the street from South Station and
opposite the Greyhound Bus terminal.  

Our February speaker will Ms. Katharine Redford of Earthrights
International.  A native of Wellesley, Massachusetts, Ms. Redford is an
expert in human rights law and indigenous rights.  Over the past five years,
Ms. Redford has spent more than two and a half years in Thailand, mostly
along the Burmese border.  

She has recently returned from working with the Karen and the Mon, the two
indigenous peoples in Burma on whose land Unocal and Total plan to build a
gas pipeline. Ms. Redford will talk about how she is working to help these
peoples their rights.

February Action Alert ! !

As the Burmese military continues its crackdown on the democracy movement,
the pressure for the U.S. to impose South Africa-style economic sanctions on
Burma grows.

Sanctions bills have now been introduced in the U.S. House of
Representatives (HR.2892) as well as the U.S. Senate (S.1511). Both bills
are called the "Burma Freedom and Democracy Act of 1995" and would impose
economic sanctions on Burma.

It is vital that we ask both our U.S. Senators and Representatives to
support and co-sponsor these bills. You'll find a sample letter below that
you can download and adapt if you wish. Let us know what reponse you receive.

H2833 Update

In the Massachusetts State House, H2833 (Rep. Byron Rushing's bill barring
state purchasing contracts with companies doing business in Burma) received
a boost when Senator Ed Clancy was replaced as Chairman of the Senate
Steering & Policy Committee by Senator Cheryl Jacques. Senator Jacques'
staff are now actively reviewing H2833 in preparation for reporting the bill
out of the committee and to the Senate floor for a vote.

And if you have not written to your State Senator in support of H2833, now
is the time!

Simon Billenness, Franklin Research & Development, 711 Atlantic Avenue,
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 423 6655		
simon_billenness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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