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BurmaNet News: July 19, 1996
- Subject: BurmaNet News: July 19, 1996
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 19 Jul 1996 04:00:00
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>From strider@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Jul 18 12:55:45 1996
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Reply to: "Conference reg.burma" <burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Recipients of burmanet-l <burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: BnetNet News: July 17, 1996
-------------------------- BurmaNet -------------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The BurmaNet News: July 19, 1996
Issue #470
Noted in Passing:
Pressure might work with investors from America and the
E.U. ,Thein Tun says, but I don't see this kind of problem
in countries like Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and
Thailand.(see: FEER: WEST AT ODDS OVER BUSINESS
APPROACH TO BURMA)
HEADLINES:
=========
REUTER: WHO WILL HONOUR BURMA'S DEAD LEADERS?
ABSDF: STATEMENT ON BURMA MARTYRS DAY
REUTER: SLORC WANTS ADVICE ON DEMOCRACY SHIFT
UPI: MANILA TAKES BACK SEAT IN BURMA ISSUE
VOA: ASSK'S VIDEO TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
REUTERS: US NOT TO PRESS SANCTIONS
ST: ANGER OVER EU REMARKS ON ASEAN TIES
THE AUSTRALIAN: EUROPE MISREADS ASEAN APPROACH
STATEMENT: TO THE ASEAN MEMBERS
BKK POST: ENVOY TO PLEDGE HELP IN BURMA VISIT
INDEPENDENT REPORT: CO-SPONSORSHIP FOR BURMA BILL
FEER: WEST AT ODDS OVER BUSINESS APPROACH TO BURMA
BKK POST: BURMA PUTS FAITH IN ASIANS FOR INVESTMENT
REUTER: TOTAL SHARES WEAKEN FOR DEALING WITH SLORC
AP: BAD HEROIN EYED IN THAI DEATHS
INFO REQUEST: RE NYEIN CHAN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REUTER: WHO WILL HONOUR BURMA'S DEAD LEADERS?
July 17, 1996
By Apichart Weerawong
RANGOON, - Burma's military regime have invited democracy leader
Aung San Suu Kyi to Friday's Martyrs Day ceremony, and her response
could indicate the future course of her standoff with the government,
diplomats said on Wednesday.
The solemn commemoration of the 1947 assassination of Suu Kyi's
father, Burma's pre-independence leader General Aung San, and eight
others is not expected to spark a major showdown between Suu Kyi and
the government.
But with the authorities and the people watching Suu Kyi's every move,
diplomats say her action on Friday -- whether she attends the
government-run commemoration or marks the anniversary in her own way --
will be signficant.
"People are watching and waiting to see what she does," one Rangoon-based
diplomat told Reuters.
Suu Kyi was released from six years' house arrest in July last year and has
since revitalised the democracy movement. But she has also angered the
government which has warned her not to push her campaign for
democracy too far.
"Since her release, she's been there as a symbol for the people,
carrying their cause and fighting for them. They will be watching
everything she does," the diplomat said.
An official from her National League for Democracy (NLD) said on
Wednesday Suu Kyi had received an invitation to the official,
government -run Martyrs Day ceremony but declined to say what she
planned for the day.
Suu Kyi's father, six of his pre-independence cabinet colleagues and
two others died in a hail of bullets on July 19, 1947, as gunmen burst in
on them as they held a meeting six months before independence from
Britian.
One of Aung San's political rivals and several members of his gang
were later tried and executed but a host of unanswered questions
surrounding the assassination plot continue to intrigue many Burmese.
Suu Kyi, who last year participated in the official ceremony just days
after her release, hinted last week that she might shun the event this
year.
"In my opinion, we honour our dead leaders, not by holding formal
ceremonies, but by doing what they would have wished us to do,"
she told supporters outside her house.
Her refusal to attend could be seen as an affront to the military and
could heighten the sense of a looming face-off between her and the
generals, diplomats said.
The government then intensified its attack on her in speeches and in
the official media and introduced a sweeping new law allowing for jail
terms of up to 20 years for anyone deemed disrupting the SLORC's
political plans.
But diplomats said irrespective of what happens on Martyrs Day, Suu
Kyi faced a tough task wrestling political concessions.
"They've got all the power, all the guns, all the resources," another
diplomat said. "Aung San Suu Kyi gets a lot of play in the Western
media, she's really tough, but they've got all the political power."
*********************************************************
ABSDF: STATEMENT ON BURMA MARTYRS DAY
July 18, 1996
from: absdf-mtz <lurie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
July 19, 1996 marks the 49th anniversary of Martyrs' Day in
Burma, the day on which an unforgettable event took place. On
July 19, 1947 Burma suffered a great loss when, General Aung
San and eight other heroes of the independence struggle were
assassinated, less than six months before the country regained
its sovereignty.
A few months after the Independence, civil war broke out
throughout the country, and in 1962 the Army led by General Ne
Win, citing the ethnic insurrections as a major threat to the
preservation of the union, seized power from the
democratically elected U Nu government.
Since then students, youths, and the people of Burma have been
sacrificing their lives in the struggle to restore freedom,
democracy and justice to our country.
The ABSDF would like to express the great admiration that we
feel for these people who have given their lives for the
benefit of the country, and the deep sorrow that we feel on
this occasion when we remember their deaths - a sorrow as
deeply felt as that of their family members.
On this special day, we the ABSDF strongly denounce the State
Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) for breaking their
promises concerning democratic reform, particularly their
refusal to honour the results of 1990 May general elections,
and for their continuing and escalating human rights abuses
against the people of Burma, aimed at maintaining their hold
on power indefinitely.
The ABSDF wholeheartedly supports Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the
National League for Democracy (NLD) in their recent boycott of
the SLORC's 'sham' National Convention which seeks to
perpetuate their dictatorial rule through the drafting of a
constitution, by handpicked representatives.
On this significant anniversary, the ABSDF demands that the
SLORC;
1) abolish the 'sham' National Convention,
2) release all political prisoners including elected MPs and
the prominent student leader Min Ko Naing,
3) abolish all unjust laws and stop all forms of human rights
abuse,
4) enter dialogue with the NLD, led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
and with ethnic leaders, to bring national reconciliation,
democracy and lasting peace to Burma.
The ABSDF urges the Burmese people, in honour of our martyrs,
to double their efforts, in the struggle for peace democracy
and human rights.
The ABSDF also urges the rank and file soldiers in Burma to
honour to our beloved independence father General Aung San and
the other eight martyrs, by respecting the genuine desire of
our people for democracy, and by standing alongside them and
protecting them throughout their struggle. It is only by
ensuring that the army fulfills the role for which General
Aung San established it that soldiers can show their genuine
admiration for him.
ABSDF would like to urge all the ethnic groups who have cease-
fire agreements with the SLORC, to support by any possible
means the peaceful struggle led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
We would like to appeal to the international community to
impose trade sanctions and an arms embargo on the SLORC, and
to suspend any development aid until the restoration of
democracy and human rights in our country.
The ABSDF pledges to the people of Burma that we will continue
the struggle until the victory is achieved whatever sacrifices
may be necessary along the way.
********************************************************
REUTER: SLORC WANTS ADVICE ON DEMOCRACY SHIFT
July 17, 1996
MANILA, - Burmese officials have asked Manila for advice on how the
Philippines was able to shift from dictatorship to democracy, President
Fidel Ramos said on Wednesday.
"We have...received their highest officials...and on their query tried
to tell them how we transitioned from a dictatorship to democracy...with
full political freedoms," Ramos said at his weekly press conference.
"We gave them all kinds of materials to help them," Ramos said. He did
not name the officials.
Foreign diplomats have credited Filipinos with setting an example to
the world on restoring democracy when they ousted the late dictator
Ferdinand Marcos in a "people power revolt" in 1986 that drove him and
his family into exile in Hawaii.
A small group of about 300 soldiers launched the revolt but won the
support of hundreds of thousands of civilians who blocked pro-Marcos
tanks advancing on the rebels. Roman Catholic church leaders also
backed the uprising.
Ramos, replying to a question, said countries geographically near Burma
could initiate efforts to promote a settlement between Burma's military
rulers and dissidents headed by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
"Those closer to the problem, those that have had historical problems with
Burma...maybe they can provide the lead action and we will be happy to
support," Ramos said, naming Thailand in particular.
**********************************************************
UPI: MANILA TAKES BACK SEAT IN BURMA ISSUE
July 17, 1996
MANILA, - President Fidel Ramos said Wednesday the Philippines will
stay out of involvement in the burning Burma issue, saying Manila was
bound to observe the "constructive policy" of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations.
"We would like to help but we try to keep constructive engagements
sustained," Ramos said in his regular press briefing. "We may not be able
to just assume and assign ourselves a leading role."
The seven-member ASEAN has been scored by both local and international
cause-oriented groups for not coming up with a collective stand against
Burma's military junta, known as State Law and Order Restoration Council.
Among ASEAN's members, only Thailand has voiced disapproval of the
junta's actions. The six other countries - the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam,
Brunei, Singapore and Indonesia - have maintained the actions were an
internal Burmese problem.
Ramos said the "proper role" for the Philippines at this time is to follow
the majority decision in ASEAN, adding Manila can only go so far as to
welcome Burmese officials who may want to learn from the recent
successes of the country.
*********************************************************
VOA: ASSK'S VIDEO TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
July 18, 1996
The video featuring Aung San Suu Kyi, which has been smuggled to the
European Parliament, includes a warning by her that economic change in
Burma is impossible without political change.
She says sanctions are needed, and dismisses suggestions that
such measures will only hurt the poor, claiming instead that the
most privileged will be the worst affected. She claims sanctions
will affect business confidence, which in turn will put pressure
on the government to end its suppression of democracy.
Ministers on Monday, while condemning human rights abuses
and anti-democratic action by the authorities, failed to
agree on sanctions against Burma.
Europe is waiting to see what action burma's neighbors in Asia
will take, and officials say that the EU is more likely to
follow the international mood than to take the lead.
However, the European Parliament -- which has influence but no
power in foreign policy matters -- is calling Thursday for the
European Union to excert economic pressure against Burma.
British member of the European Parliament, Glenys Kinnock, is
leading the attack on the regime in Rangoon. She claims that
Burma's behavior is similar to that of the former apartheid
regime in South Africa, and she claims that burma has become the
South Africa of the 1990's.
Mrs. Kinnock says that South African President Nelson Mandela has
reminded the world that economic sanctions worked for his people.
Now, she says, Aung San Suu Kyi asks the world to make them work
for her people.
*********************************************************
REUTERS: US NOT TO PRESS SANCTIONS
July 18, 1996 (abridged)
WASHINGTON - The United States, faced with opposition from Asian
countries, will not press sanctions against Burma, Secretary of State
Warren Christopher said Wednesday.
``I think that we do not see a present role for sanctions,'' he told Reuters
in an interview.``But we want to have a discussion with other countries in
the region to see what steps they might be prepared to take to try to ensure
that the regime in Burma does not take additional repressive action and
provides more openness for their people,'' he said.
``This is a long-term endeavor,'' he added.
Christopher made his remarks before leaving Saturday for a trip to Jakarta,
Indonesia, to attend the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN).
He acknowledged differences with ASEAN on how to nudge
Burma's ruling military junta toward democratic reform.
ASEAN recently agreed to give Burma observer status despite widspread
criticism of Rangoon's crackdown on the country's democracy movement.
``At this point, I would say the neighboring countries have
more confidence in the dialogue (with Burma) than we do, but
they think that trying to use a friendly influence on the
Burmese government is the way most likely to be successful,''
Christopher said.
He said the administration had accepted that ASEAN believes
that bringing Burma into its discussions is a positive way to
approach the problem ``and we do not substitute our judgment for
theirs on that subject.''
Nevertheless, he said, ``we will be pressing'' ASEAN to push
the junta to ``liberalize their policies, to open their
societies and not to engage in further repression.''
*******************************************************
ST: ANGER OVER EU REMARKS ON ASEAN TIES
July 18, 1996 (abridged) (The Strait Times)
Senior Asean oficials yesterday reacted angrily to remarks by a vice-
president of the European Commission that Asean-European ties
would suffer because of Asean's relationship with the military regime
in Myanmar. According to a report from Brussel Mr Manuel Marstin
said Asean's moves to accept Myanmar as a member could jeopardise
the EU's plan to deepens its relationship with the seven member groupings.
According to Agence France Presse, he said:"Asean is free to take in
whomever it wants. But it is clear for us that Burma would be a problem.
Unless there is profound change in the regime, it will inevitably create
considerable difficulties."
To this critism of Asean's policy of constructive engagement with
Myanmar, the secretary-general of Malaysia's Foreign Ministry, Tan
Sri Ahmad Kamil Jaafar said:" We may have a different approach.
Who are they to say it's wrong? We think we may yet be able to win
over Myanmar. Asean has never used human rights as an instrument
in its relations with Europe. The EU should not use it with Asean."
He said Asean would not isolate Yangon and would instead try to make
its engagement policy work.
He accused the Western countries of hypocrisy, citing ethnic cleansing
in Bosnia and the sectarian violence in Northern Iraland as examples of
human rights violations which they did little to stop. Nor did he believe
that the Western call for economic sanctions against Myanmar would
work. The Phillippine Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr Rodolfo
Severino, said that the question of who became Asean member was
something for Asean countries alone to decide.
Faced with an active human right lobby, some western countries feel
compelled to take a strong stand in protest against Myanmar's military
regime for its supression of the pro-democracy movement.
But EU itself is deeply divided over the question of economic sanctions
against Yangon, and Asean officials are confident that the Europeans
would not put pressure on Asean to drop its policy of constructive
engagement.
Despite the EU's public posture, the Europeans acknowledged that Asean's
policy was correct because there was no better solution, said a senior Asean
official.
An officials said Asean also want to see change in Myanmar, and the
question was how to achieve this peacefully.
Myanmar imposed self-isolation on itself for nearly 30 years, and the
generals had now decided to open up the country, but change had to
come about gradually, he stressed.
************************************************************
THE AUSTRALIAN: EUROPE MISREADS ASEAN APPROACH
July 18, 1996 (editorial)
In the age of globalisation no one should deny the right of non-Asian
institutions such as the European Union and the International Institute
for Strategic Studies to speak their minds about how the Association of
South-East Asian nations and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) go
about their business. But criticism is a two-way street, and European
commentators should not be surprised if their appraisals prompt responses
of hypocrisy from ASEAN members.
Sometimes the EU can be breathtaking in its arrogance. When the
European Commission vice-president, Mr Manuel Marin, linked Burma's
potential membership of ASEAN with how deeply the EU might engage with
the group, it was inevitable ASEAN officials would respond with their own
critiques of how Europe has handles issues such as Bosnia and Northern
Irealand. As a senior Thai official noted, Burma is an emotional issue in
the West. The ASEAN approach has been to engage constructively the State
Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) military regime and attempt to
win it over. To this end, it is expected to grant observer status to
Burma at the ASEAN ministerial meeting in Jakarta on Saturday, as a
prelude to full membership.
Not everyone in the region agrees with ASEAN's approach. There is no
completely "right" way to handle Burma. While ASEAN's constructive
engagement is seen by some as weak and unproductive, there is also a view
that strong outside support for opposition leader Ms Aung San Suu Kyi
could, rather than putting pressure on SLORC, prompt a violent crackdown
on the Burmese people. Ms Suu Kyi claims constructive engagement has
failed misrably and is urging ASEAN to deny observer status to Burma.
She wants ASEAN and the ARF to pressure the military into opening
a dialogue with her National League for Democracy. In calling for this
course of action, Ms Suu Kyi believes ASEAN and the ARF carry weight. She
is well-placed to make such an assessment. In contrast, the description
by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies of the
ARF as a "marginal" contributor to peace and stability in the
Asia-Pacific misses the point.
The ARF is barely two years old and has yet to achieve its potentials.
But by including among its 19 members all the ASEAN States plus
key regional players as the United States, China, Japan and Korea
(along with Australia), the ARF provides a means for discussion on issues
such as Burma. Its consensual approach has also moderated, to a degree,
the situation in the South China Sea, where China has made aggressive
territorial claims. The ARF has provided a multilateral setting in which
the smaller States do not feel they have to face China alone. The
Europeans should appreciate that in analysing Asian regional groups,
criticism, like engagement, should seek to be constructive.
**********************************************************
STATEMENT: TO THE ASEAN MEMBERS
July 19, 1996
The upcoming 29th ASEAN Ministerial meeting for regional political,
economical development is also very important for Burma.
We suggest to the ASEAN members that an assessment of whether the
ASEAN decisions on Burma has been successful or not needs to be
done and to have a clear practical policy needs to be laid out.
>From our point of view, ASEAN's "Constructive Engagement" does
not have any effect on the calls for: - the recognition of the 1990 election
results - the release of political prisoners -overall cease-fire - to
start the reconciliation process in Burma through starting a dialogue with
the National League for Democracy, NLD led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Because of the Constructive Engagement policy, the Slorc has received
opportunities to strengthen its hold on power and, at the same time have
the opportunity to have investments which are benefiting only the families
of the Slorc.
That the basic human rights are being violated and arbitrary arrests are
still being made, was blatantly presented by the Slorc when arresting NLD
representatives before the NLD conference in last May.
If the ASEAN, at this 29th Ministerial Conference does not try to change
its policy, we can only draw the conclusion that ASEAN members are
collaborators in defending a dictatorship.
Not only are we determined to work together with the ASEAN members
for the economic and social development of the region, we are also
determined to work together for the abolishing of dictatorships.
We therefore request that this meeting will:
- make an evaluation of the Constructive Engagement Policy and have a
practical policy laid out
- to stop the initiatives on accepting the Slorc as a member of the ASEAN.
Students Federation of Thailand (SFT)
All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF)
All Burma Basic Education Students Union (ABBESU, Thailand)
Overseas National Students Organization of Burma (ONSOB)
Burmese Students Association (BSA, Safe Area)
Federation of Trade Unions- Burma, Youth (FTUB)
********************************************************
BKK POST: ENVOY TO PLEDGE HELP IN BURMA VISIT
July 18, 1996 (abridged)
by Nussara Sawatsawang
ASEAN Secretary General Ajit Singh plans to visit Rangoon by the
end of the year to help Burma prepare for entry into the grouping.
Mr. Singh said he would brief the Burmese government on various
aspects of ASEAN activities and discuss any assistance Rangoon
may need during the visit.
"The purpose of my visit will be to help Myanmar [Burma] in her
preparation to join ASEAN, and we'll be looking at-the kinds of
assistance they ~would need and how to help Myanmar integrate
into AFTA [ASEAN Free Trade Area]," he said.
AFTA aims to liberalise trade among ASEAN members by the year 2003.
Mr Singh said the itinerary of his visit has not yet been drafted, but an
informed source said the trip was expected to take place before the end
of the year.
Burmese Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw invited Mr Singh to Rangoon
during the 28th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Brunei last year,
the source added.
Mr Singh's trip to Rangoon is seen as part of ASEAN's effort to
integrate all 10 Southeast Asian countries into its realm by the
year 2000.
********************************************************
INDEPENDENT REPORT: CO-SPONSORSHIP FOR BURMA BILL
July 16, 1996
Sponsorship for Burma Freedom and Democract Act of 1995 House Version
(HR.2892)
Principle Sponsor: Rep.Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)
Rep.Edward Royce (R-CA) 01/25/96
Rep.Christopher Smith (R-NJ) 01/25/96
Rep.Bob Clement (D-TN) 03/28/96
Rep.Ken Calvert (R-CA) 03/28/96
Rep.John W. Olver (D-MA) 03/28/96
Rep.Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) 03/28/96
Rep.Richard H. Baker (R-LA) 03/28/96
Rep.William O. Lipinski (D-IL) 03/28/96
Rep.John Edward Porter (R-IL) 04/30/96
Rep.Ronald V. Dellums (D-CA) 04/30/96
Rep.Sam Farr (D-CA) 06/18/96
Rep.Richard "Doc" Hastings (R-WA) 06/18/96
Rep.Barney Frank (D-MA) 06/18/96
Rep.Tom Lantos (D-CA) 06/18/96
Rep.Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR) 06/20/96
Rep.Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) 07/10/96
Rep.Marty Meehan (D-MA) 07/16/96
*********************************************************
FEER: WEST AT ODDS OVER BUSINESS APPROACH TO BURMA
July 18, 1996
AP-Dow Jones News Service
RANGOON -- Burmese entrepreneur Thein Tun has had better years. In
April, U.S. soft-drink giant PepsiCo Inc. decided to sell its 40% stake in
his bottling company, Pepsi Cola Products Myanmar. Then, Danish beer
maker Carlsberg said in early July that it had ditched plans to build a
brewery in cooperation with Thein Tun's Myanmar Golden Star Group.
Now Thein Tun is hoping he'll be third-time lucky. His strategy: to court
prospective Asian partners, who he thinks are less susceptible to the
consumer-boycott threats that frightened Pepsi and Carlsberg out of
Burma. The Burmese businessman hopes to conclude a deal soon with
Malaysia's Asia-Euro Brewery to replace Carlsberg, the Far Eastern
Economic Review reports in its latest edition Thursday.
'Pressure might work with investors from America and the E.U.,' Thein
Tun says, 'but I don't see this kind of problem in countries like Japan,
Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand.'
He's probably making a good bet. Indeed, while Western companies - and
governments - are backing off Burma in protest against the military
regime's human-rights abuses, Southeast Asian companies are moving in
to take up the slack. They're often supported by their governments, which
maintain that 'constructive engagement' is the best way to bring about
change.
The differences in Asian and Western viewpoints became stark in July. As
the U.S. Congress and European Union discussed economic sanctions, the
seven members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations prepared to
welcome Burma - now officially known as Myanmar - as an observer at
ministerial meetings in Jakarta and admit the country to a regional
security forum.
Aside from some natural-resource extraction projects, Southeast Asian
companies top the foreign-investment league tables in Burma. Most seem
to meet with little grassroots opposition at home.
In fact, many Asean companies are actually encouraged by their
governments to invest in Burma.
This is most pronounced in the case of Singapore, where Senior Minister
Lee Kuan Yew recently declared, 'At the end of the day, the opposition in
Burma has to face the realities of life. The one instrument of effective
government there is the army.'
Many companies seem to be taking Lee's words to heart. Singapore's Fraser
& Neave, for example, has already stepped in to fill Heineken's slot. The
Dutch beer maker announced in July that it wanted out of a brewery
project in Burma.
Other Singaporean companies have invested in everything from trading and
hotels to manufacturing. And several are involved in building port
facilities and industrial areas.
'The (Singapore) government has instructed the Singaporean business
community to come into Myanmar in a big way,' says Set Maung, an
economic adviser to the Burmese government. 'It is a big help.'
The one sector where it would be difficult, if not impossible, for Asian
companies to replace Western ones, however, is oil and natural gas. That is
one reason why Western activists have focused so much attention on a $1.2
billion pipeline project that will carry natural gas from the Andaman Sea
to a power station in Thailand.
Both the U.S.'s Unocal and France's Total have encountered opposition from
human-rights and pro-democracy groups.
It is difficult to judge just how debilitating U.S. or European sanctions
would be. But any foreign investment or trade sanctions is likely to hurt
the country's fledgling economy. Burma's exports to the U.S. have been
growing steadily in recent years. In 1995 they reached about $80.1
million, or roughly 10% of Burma's total merchandise exports. Garments
accounted for $65 million of the goods shipped to America, up more than
38% year-on year.
That's why some investors came out forcefully against sanctions during a
conference sponsored by Burma's chamber of commerce on July 16.
'Maybe some people believe sanctions can achieve democracy or better
human rights,' says Joe Pang, head of Hong Kong-based Victoria Garment
Manufacturing, who runs garment factories in Burma. 'I don't think it's
the right solution. I don't believe that out of poverty and hunger come
democracy.'
For people like Thien Tun, Pang's comments are a big relief.
**********************************************************
BKK POST: BURMA PUTS FAITH IN ASIANS FOR INVESTMENT
July 17, 1996
by Achara Ashayagachat
BURMESE economists have brushed aside international objections
about the political situation in their country, saying Asian investors
will be the economy's propellor.
Since the Foreign Investment Law was enacted in 1988, the Myanmar
Investment Commission has permitted 192 projects worth nearly
US$4 billion from 20 countries, the economists say.
So far there have been no withdrawals, claimed U Thinn Maung,
head of the Directorate of Investment & Company Administration.
As for the recent withdrawal of Heineken from the Singapore-based
Asia Pacific Brewery, which invested in the Heineken brewery in
the country, "it's not direct investment here," he explained.
There were some terminated projects such as oil exploration and
mining companies that found less economic viability after certain
period of doing business here, he said.
"There has been international pressure for years, since the
SLORC's existence, but looking at the turn of this century, the
growth centre will be in Asia not Europe or the US. Therefore,
why worry about western sanctions?" he remarked.
Burma will officially start "Visit Burma Year" this October amid
international concerns over the tight political situation in the country.
But officials say they are sure tourists will not be able to
resist the beauty and endowments of Burma.
By the end of last year, over 100,000 visitors came to Burma, and
spent roughly $300 each.
It is estimated that tourism numbers will more than double, said
U Thin Maung during the BoI Greater Mekong Sub-region Business
Workshops.
Out of the total of $4 billion of pledged foreign investment,
$1.4 billion has gone on 25 oil and gas projects.
Discovery of new offshore gas fields developed by foreign
investors on a production sharing basis show that this sector
could well be the prime driving force in the development of
Burmese economy in the near future, he said. I
The Burmese government has gradually shifted its emphasis from
import substitution to export-oriented industries, said Khin Than
Nwe, deputy director of the Ministry of Industry.
55 manufacturing projects have been licensed, so far the biggest
sector among other foreign investments, followed by the hotel and
tourism sector with 36 projects totalling $1.09 billion,
according to U Thinn Maung.
"We don't have a priority sector, but in the near future we may
announce target industries," said the Burmese head of delegation
to the second Bol workshop.
Rangoon has enough hotel projects, so there should not be new
investments in the capital, he said.
"Investment will be commercially viable and will be encouraged in
areas such as the historic sites at Mandalay and Pagan," said U
Thinn Maung.
Thailand is the second largest investor after Singapore in the
sector, investing about $180 million in eight projects. 31 Thai
companies have invested $422 mil lion in Burma.
Burma has also promoted the establishment of industrial parks,
following other emerging markets such as Vietnam.
The licensing body Myanmar Investment Commission has so far
permitted two industrial parks developed by Singaporean and
Japanese joint ventures with the Ministry of Construction, said U
Thinn Maung.
Mitsui& Co has invested $12million or 60% equity in a 70-hectare
industrial estate 17 kilometres from central Rangoon.
*********************************************************
REUTER: TOTAL SHARES WEAKEN FOR DEALING WITH SLORC
July 18, 1996 (abridged)
PARIS, - Shares in French energy group Total fell on Thursday amid
concerns about the company's involvement in Burma through a pipeline
project, brokers said.
"There's a lot of arbitrage with people selling Total in favour of
Elf-Aquitaine," the other major French oil group, a broker said.
Another broker said the weakness in Total's stock was linked to the
company's project in Burma and the sale on Thursday by a major Danish
pension fund of its stake in Total.
Shares in Total were down 3.5 francs, or 0.97 percent, at 357.50 by
midmorning while Elf's stock was up 0.90 franc, or 0.25 percent, at 357.90.
The bourse's CAC index was up 0.83 percent.
Danish fund Kommunernes Pensionsforsikring said on Thursday it sold
its 60 million crown ($10 million) shareholding in Total to protest against
its involvement in a billion-dollar Burmese pipeline project.
"Everyone is free to buy or sell our shares," said a spokesman for
Total. He had no other comment.
Total and Unocal own 31 percent and 28 percent of the 60 km pipeline
project designed to transport gas from the Yadana field, 70 km off the
Burmese coast in the Andaman Sea.
"What we want are the kind of sanctions that will make it quite clear
that economic change in Burma is not possible without political change,"
Suu Kyi said in the video, made public by members of the European
Parliament.
***********************************************************
AP: BAD HEROIN EYED IN THAI DEATHS
July 17, 1996 (abridged)
by Jerry Harmer
MAE CHAN, - Poor-quality heroin is flooding northern Thai border
villages since the surrender of Burmese opium lord Khun Sa, and it
has been blamed for several deaths among tribespeople.
Aid workers, drug dealers and addicts in this village 450 miles north of
Bangkok say that the so-called 999 heroin, cut with amphetamines, has
filled a vacuum left by the more pure heroin Khun Sa used to produce.
Produced primarily by the Wah and Kachin ethnic groups in jungle
refineries in Burma, the heroin is already making a mark in villages
across the border in Thailand, where scores of addicts have collapsed
after using it.
"It's twice the strength of the heroin that's been around for the past few
years," said Dr. Jennifer Gray of the Australian aid agency AusAid, which
runs a detox program in Mae Chan. "That's the big worry, that they'll
overdose and die."
Khun Sa used revenue from heroin sales to finance what he claimed
was a struggle for autonomy of the Shan people in remote, rugged
eastern Burma. He surrendered to Burma's military government and
officially disbanded his 11,000-man Mong Tai Army in January.
The United States has demanded Khun Sa's extradition on drug
trafficking charges. Burmese officials have refused and say the
former warlord is confined to a military base.
Khun Sa's downfall has created a temporary heroin shortage in the
Thai-Burma border region, and the void apparently has been filled
with the low-quality 999 heroin. The border tribes, who traditionally
smoke opium, have switched to heroin in recent years.
Unconfirmed reports of several deaths due to 999 overdoses have
reached Gray's headquarters. There are many more cases of non-fatal
overdoses.
Opiates are a traditional way of life in the region, but heroin injecting is
a fairly new phenomenon. In some villages, 60 percent of the men are
estimated to be heroin users, and the AIDS rate is correspondingly high.
**********************************************************
INFO REQUEST: RE NYEIN CHAN
July `17, 1996
Does anyone have any contact details for Nyein Chan, poet and author of
`The Dream of a People', `I have seen it' and`I am a child of Burma'?
Thank you
Alice
************************************************************
>From lammert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Fri Jul 19 03:17:15 1996
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>From strider@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Jul 18 12:55:45 1996
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 01:32:55 -0700 (PDT)
Reply to: "Conference reg.burma" <burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Recipients of burmanet-l <burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: BnetNet News: July 17, 1996
-------------------------- BurmaNet -------------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The BurmaNet News: July 19, 1996
Issue #470
Noted in Passing:
Pressure might work with investors from America and the
E.U. ,Thein Tun says, but I don't see this kind of problem
in countries like Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and
Thailand.(see: FEER: WEST AT ODDS OVER BUSINESS
APPROACH TO BURMA)
HEADLINES:
=========
REUTER: WHO WILL HONOUR BURMA'S DEAD LEADERS?
ABSDF: STATEMENT ON BURMA MARTYRS DAY
REUTER: SLORC WANTS ADVICE ON DEMOCRACY SHIFT
UPI: MANILA TAKES BACK SEAT IN BURMA ISSUE
VOA: ASSK'S VIDEO TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
REUTERS: US NOT TO PRESS SANCTIONS
ST: ANGER OVER EU REMARKS ON ASEAN TIES
THE AUSTRALIAN: EUROPE MISREADS ASEAN APPROACH
STATEMENT: TO THE ASEAN MEMBERS
BKK POST: ENVOY TO PLEDGE HELP IN BURMA VISIT
INDEPENDENT REPORT: CO-SPONSORSHIP FOR BURMA BILL
FEER: WEST AT ODDS OVER BUSINESS APPROACH TO BURMA
BKK POST: BURMA PUTS FAITH IN ASIANS FOR INVESTMENT
REUTER: TOTAL SHARES WEAKEN FOR DEALING WITH SLORC
AP: BAD HEROIN EYED IN THAI DEATHS
INFO REQUEST: RE NYEIN CHAN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REUTER: WHO WILL HONOUR BURMA'S DEAD LEADERS?
July 17, 1996
By Apichart Weerawong
RANGOON, - Burma's military regime have invited democracy leader
Aung San Suu Kyi to Friday's Martyrs Day ceremony, and her response
could indicate the future course of her standoff with the government,
diplomats said on Wednesday.
The solemn commemoration of the 1947 assassination of Suu Kyi's
father, Burma's pre-independence leader General Aung San, and eight
others is not expected to spark a major showdown between Suu Kyi and
the government.
But with the authorities and the people watching Suu Kyi's every move,
diplomats say her action on Friday -- whether she attends the
government-run commemoration or marks the anniversary in her own way --
will be signficant.
"People are watching and waiting to see what she does," one Rangoon-based
diplomat told Reuters.
Suu Kyi was released from six years' house arrest in July last year and has
since revitalised the democracy movement. But she has also angered the
government which has warned her not to push her campaign for
democracy too far.
"Since her release, she's been there as a symbol for the people,
carrying their cause and fighting for them. They will be watching
everything she does," the diplomat said.
An official from her National League for Democracy (NLD) said on
Wednesday Suu Kyi had received an invitation to the official,
government -run Martyrs Day ceremony but declined to say what she
planned for the day.
Suu Kyi's father, six of his pre-independence cabinet colleagues and
two others died in a hail of bullets on July 19, 1947, as gunmen burst in
on them as they held a meeting six months before independence from
Britian.
One of Aung San's political rivals and several members of his gang
were later tried and executed but a host of unanswered questions
surrounding the assassination plot continue to intrigue many Burmese.
Suu Kyi, who last year participated in the official ceremony just days
after her release, hinted last week that she might shun the event this
year.
"In my opinion, we honour our dead leaders, not by holding formal
ceremonies, but by doing what they would have wished us to do,"
she told supporters outside her house.
Her refusal to attend could be seen as an affront to the military and
could heighten the sense of a looming face-off between her and the
generals, diplomats said.
The government then intensified its attack on her in speeches and in
the official media and introduced a sweeping new law allowing for jail
terms of up to 20 years for anyone deemed disrupting the SLORC's
political plans.
But diplomats said irrespective of what happens on Martyrs Day, Suu
Kyi faced a tough task wrestling political concessions.
"They've got all the power, all the guns, all the resources," another
diplomat said. "Aung San Suu Kyi gets a lot of play in the Western
media, she's really tough, but they've got all the political power."
*********************************************************
ABSDF: STATEMENT ON BURMA MARTYRS DAY
July 18, 1996
from: absdf-mtz <lurie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
July 19, 1996 marks the 49th anniversary of Martyrs' Day in
Burma, the day on which an unforgettable event took place. On
July 19, 1947 Burma suffered a great loss when, General Aung
San and eight other heroes of the independence struggle were
assassinated, less than six months before the country regained
its sovereignty.
A few months after the Independence, civil war broke out
throughout the country, and in 1962 the Army led by General Ne
Win, citing the ethnic insurrections as a major threat to the
preservation of the union, seized power from the
democratically elected U Nu government.
Since then students, youths, and the people of Burma have been
sacrificing their lives in the struggle to restore freedom,
democracy and justice to our country.
The ABSDF would like to express the great admiration that we
feel for these people who have given their lives for the
benefit of the country, and the deep sorrow that we feel on
this occasion when we remember their deaths - a sorrow as
deeply felt as that of their family members.
On this special day, we the ABSDF strongly denounce the State
Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) for breaking their
promises concerning democratic reform, particularly their
refusal to honour the results of 1990 May general elections,
and for their continuing and escalating human rights abuses
against the people of Burma, aimed at maintaining their hold
on power indefinitely.
The ABSDF wholeheartedly supports Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the
National League for Democracy (NLD) in their recent boycott of
the SLORC's 'sham' National Convention which seeks to
perpetuate their dictatorial rule through the drafting of a
constitution, by handpicked representatives.
On this significant anniversary, the ABSDF demands that the
SLORC;
1) abolish the 'sham' National Convention,
2) release all political prisoners including elected MPs and
the prominent student leader Min Ko Naing,
3) abolish all unjust laws and stop all forms of human rights
abuse,
4) enter dialogue with the NLD, led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
and with ethnic leaders, to bring national reconciliation,
democracy and lasting peace to Burma.
The ABSDF urges the Burmese people, in honour of our martyrs,
to double their efforts, in the struggle for peace democracy
and human rights.
The ABSDF also urges the rank and file soldiers in Burma to
honour to our beloved independence father General Aung San and
the other eight martyrs, by respecting the genuine desire of
our people for democracy, and by standing alongside them and
protecting them throughout their struggle. It is only by
ensuring that the army fulfills the role for which General
Aung San established it that soldiers can show their genuine
admiration for him.
ABSDF would like to urge all the ethnic groups who have cease-
fire agreements with the SLORC, to support by any possible
means the peaceful struggle led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
We would like to appeal to the international community to
impose trade sanctions and an arms embargo on the SLORC, and
to suspend any development aid until the restoration of
democracy and human rights in our country.
The ABSDF pledges to the people of Burma that we will continue
the struggle until the victory is achieved whatever sacrifices
may be necessary along the way.
********************************************************
REUTER: SLORC WANTS ADVICE ON DEMOCRACY SHIFT
July 17, 1996
MANILA, - Burmese officials have asked Manila for advice on how the
Philippines was able to shift from dictatorship to democracy, President
Fidel Ramos said on Wednesday.
"We have...received their highest officials...and on their query tried
to tell them how we transitioned from a dictatorship to democracy...with
full political freedoms," Ramos said at his weekly press conference.
"We gave them all kinds of materials to help them," Ramos said. He did
not name the officials.
Foreign diplomats have credited Filipinos with setting an example to
the world on restoring democracy when they ousted the late dictator
Ferdinand Marcos in a "people power revolt" in 1986 that drove him and
his family into exile in Hawaii.
A small group of about 300 soldiers launched the revolt but won the
support of hundreds of thousands of civilians who blocked pro-Marcos
tanks advancing on the rebels. Roman Catholic church leaders also
backed the uprising.
Ramos, replying to a question, said countries geographically near Burma
could initiate efforts to promote a settlement between Burma's military
rulers and dissidents headed by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
"Those closer to the problem, those that have had historical problems with
Burma...maybe they can provide the lead action and we will be happy to
support," Ramos said, naming Thailand in particular.
**********************************************************
UPI: MANILA TAKES BACK SEAT IN BURMA ISSUE
July 17, 1996
MANILA, - President Fidel Ramos said Wednesday the Philippines will
stay out of involvement in the burning Burma issue, saying Manila was
bound to observe the "constructive policy" of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations.
"We would like to help but we try to keep constructive engagements
sustained," Ramos said in his regular press briefing. "We may not be able
to just assume and assign ourselves a leading role."
The seven-member ASEAN has been scored by both local and international
cause-oriented groups for not coming up with a collective stand against
Burma's military junta, known as State Law and Order Restoration Council.
Among ASEAN's members, only Thailand has voiced disapproval of the
junta's actions. The six other countries - the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam,
Brunei, Singapore and Indonesia - have maintained the actions were an
internal Burmese problem.
Ramos said the "proper role" for the Philippines at this time is to follow
the majority decision in ASEAN, adding Manila can only go so far as to
welcome Burmese officials who may want to learn from the recent
successes of the country.
*********************************************************
VOA: ASSK'S VIDEO TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
July 18, 1996
The video featuring Aung San Suu Kyi, which has been smuggled to the
European Parliament, includes a warning by her that economic change in
Burma is impossible without political change.
She says sanctions are needed, and dismisses suggestions that
such measures will only hurt the poor, claiming instead that the
most privileged will be the worst affected. She claims sanctions
will affect business confidence, which in turn will put pressure
on the government to end its suppression of democracy.
Ministers on Monday, while condemning human rights abuses
and anti-democratic action by the authorities, failed to
agree on sanctions against Burma.
Europe is waiting to see what action burma's neighbors in Asia
will take, and officials say that the EU is more likely to
follow the international mood than to take the lead.
However, the European Parliament -- which has influence but no
power in foreign policy matters -- is calling Thursday for the
European Union to excert economic pressure against Burma.
British member of the European Parliament, Glenys Kinnock, is
leading the attack on the regime in Rangoon. She claims that
Burma's behavior is similar to that of the former apartheid
regime in South Africa, and she claims that burma has become the
South Africa of the 1990's.
Mrs. Kinnock says that South African President Nelson Mandela has
reminded the world that economic sanctions worked for his people.
Now, she says, Aung San Suu Kyi asks the world to make them work
for her people.
*********************************************************
REUTERS: US NOT TO PRESS SANCTIONS
July 18, 1996 (abridged)
WASHINGTON - The United States, faced with opposition from Asian
countries, will not press sanctions against Burma, Secretary of State
Warren Christopher said Wednesday.
``I think that we do not see a present role for sanctions,'' he told Reuters
in an interview.``But we want to have a discussion with other countries in
the region to see what steps they might be prepared to take to try to ensure
that the regime in Burma does not take additional repressive action and
provides more openness for their people,'' he said.
``This is a long-term endeavor,'' he added.
Christopher made his remarks before leaving Saturday for a trip to Jakarta,
Indonesia, to attend the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN).
He acknowledged differences with ASEAN on how to nudge
Burma's ruling military junta toward democratic reform.
ASEAN recently agreed to give Burma observer status despite widspread
criticism of Rangoon's crackdown on the country's democracy movement.
``At this point, I would say the neighboring countries have
more confidence in the dialogue (with Burma) than we do, but
they think that trying to use a friendly influence on the
Burmese government is the way most likely to be successful,''
Christopher said.
He said the administration had accepted that ASEAN believes
that bringing Burma into its discussions is a positive way to
approach the problem ``and we do not substitute our judgment for
theirs on that subject.''
Nevertheless, he said, ``we will be pressing'' ASEAN to push
the junta to ``liberalize their policies, to open their
societies and not to engage in further repression.''
*******************************************************
ST: ANGER OVER EU REMARKS ON ASEAN TIES
July 18, 1996 (abridged) (The Strait Times)
Senior Asean oficials yesterday reacted angrily to remarks by a vice-
president of the European Commission that Asean-European ties
would suffer because of Asean's relationship with the military regime
in Myanmar. According to a report from Brussel Mr Manuel Marstin
said Asean's moves to accept Myanmar as a member could jeopardise
the EU's plan to deepens its relationship with the seven member groupings.
According to Agence France Presse, he said:"Asean is free to take in
whomever it wants. But it is clear for us that Burma would be a problem.
Unless there is profound change in the regime, it will inevitably create
considerable difficulties."
To this critism of Asean's policy of constructive engagement with
Myanmar, the secretary-general of Malaysia's Foreign Ministry, Tan
Sri Ahmad Kamil Jaafar said:" We may have a different approach.
Who are they to say it's wrong? We think we may yet be able to win
over Myanmar. Asean has never used human rights as an instrument
in its relations with Europe. The EU should not use it with Asean."
He said Asean would not isolate Yangon and would instead try to make
its engagement policy work.
He accused the Western countries of hypocrisy, citing ethnic cleansing
in Bosnia and the sectarian violence in Northern Iraland as examples of
human rights violations which they did little to stop. Nor did he believe
that the Western call for economic sanctions against Myanmar would
work. The Phillippine Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr Rodolfo
Severino, said that the question of who became Asean member was
something for Asean countries alone to decide.
Faced with an active human right lobby, some western countries feel
compelled to take a strong stand in protest against Myanmar's military
regime for its supression of the pro-democracy movement.
But EU itself is deeply divided over the question of economic sanctions
against Yangon, and Asean officials are confident that the Europeans
would not put pressure on Asean to drop its policy of constructive
engagement.
Despite the EU's public posture, the Europeans acknowledged that Asean's
policy was correct because there was no better solution, said a senior Asean
official.
An officials said Asean also want to see change in Myanmar, and the
question was how to achieve this peacefully.
Myanmar imposed self-isolation on itself for nearly 30 years, and the
generals had now decided to open up the country, but change had to
come about gradually, he stressed.
************************************************************
THE AUSTRALIAN: EUROPE MISREADS ASEAN APPROACH
July 18, 1996 (editorial)
In the age of globalisation no one should deny the right of non-Asian
institutions such as the European Union and the International Institute
for Strategic Studies to speak their minds about how the Association of
South-East Asian nations and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) go
about their business. But criticism is a two-way street, and European
commentators should not be surprised if their appraisals prompt responses
of hypocrisy from ASEAN members.
Sometimes the EU can be breathtaking in its arrogance. When the
European Commission vice-president, Mr Manuel Marin, linked Burma's
potential membership of ASEAN with how deeply the EU might engage with
the group, it was inevitable ASEAN officials would respond with their own
critiques of how Europe has handles issues such as Bosnia and Northern
Irealand. As a senior Thai official noted, Burma is an emotional issue in
the West. The ASEAN approach has been to engage constructively the State
Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) military regime and attempt to
win it over. To this end, it is expected to grant observer status to
Burma at the ASEAN ministerial meeting in Jakarta on Saturday, as a
prelude to full membership.
Not everyone in the region agrees with ASEAN's approach. There is no
completely "right" way to handle Burma. While ASEAN's constructive
engagement is seen by some as weak and unproductive, there is also a view
that strong outside support for opposition leader Ms Aung San Suu Kyi
could, rather than putting pressure on SLORC, prompt a violent crackdown
on the Burmese people. Ms Suu Kyi claims constructive engagement has
failed misrably and is urging ASEAN to deny observer status to Burma.
She wants ASEAN and the ARF to pressure the military into opening
a dialogue with her National League for Democracy. In calling for this
course of action, Ms Suu Kyi believes ASEAN and the ARF carry weight. She
is well-placed to make such an assessment. In contrast, the description
by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies of the
ARF as a "marginal" contributor to peace and stability in the
Asia-Pacific misses the point.
The ARF is barely two years old and has yet to achieve its potentials.
But by including among its 19 members all the ASEAN States plus
key regional players as the United States, China, Japan and Korea
(along with Australia), the ARF provides a means for discussion on issues
such as Burma. Its consensual approach has also moderated, to a degree,
the situation in the South China Sea, where China has made aggressive
territorial claims. The ARF has provided a multilateral setting in which
the smaller States do not feel they have to face China alone. The
Europeans should appreciate that in analysing Asian regional groups,
criticism, like engagement, should seek to be constructive.
**********************************************************
STATEMENT: TO THE ASEAN MEMBERS
July 19, 1996
The upcoming 29th ASEAN Ministerial meeting for regional political,
economical development is also very important for Burma.
We suggest to the ASEAN members that an assessment of whether the
ASEAN decisions on Burma has been successful or not needs to be
done and to have a clear practical policy needs to be laid out.
>From our point of view, ASEAN's "Constructive Engagement" does
not have any effect on the calls for: - the recognition of the 1990 election
results - the release of political prisoners -overall cease-fire - to
start the reconciliation process in Burma through starting a dialogue with
the National League for Democracy, NLD led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Because of the Constructive Engagement policy, the Slorc has received
opportunities to strengthen its hold on power and, at the same time have
the opportunity to have investments which are benefiting only the families
of the Slorc.
That the basic human rights are being violated and arbitrary arrests are
still being made, was blatantly presented by the Slorc when arresting NLD
representatives before the NLD conference in last May.
If the ASEAN, at this 29th Ministerial Conference does not try to change
its policy, we can only draw the conclusion that ASEAN members are
collaborators in defending a dictatorship.
Not only are we determined to work together with the ASEAN members
for the economic and social development of the region, we are also
determined to work together for the abolishing of dictatorships.
We therefore request that this meeting will:
- make an evaluation of the Constructive Engagement Policy and have a
practical policy laid out
- to stop the initiatives on accepting the Slorc as a member of the ASEAN.
Students Federation of Thailand (SFT)
All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF)
All Burma Basic Education Students Union (ABBESU, Thailand)
Overseas National Students Organization of Burma (ONSOB)
Burmese Students Association (BSA, Safe Area)
Federation of Trade Unions- Burma, Youth (FTUB)
********************************************************
BKK POST: ENVOY TO PLEDGE HELP IN BURMA VISIT
July 18, 1996 (abridged)
by Nussara Sawatsawang
ASEAN Secretary General Ajit Singh plans to visit Rangoon by the
end of the year to help Burma prepare for entry into the grouping.
Mr. Singh said he would brief the Burmese government on various
aspects of ASEAN activities and discuss any assistance Rangoon
may need during the visit.
"The purpose of my visit will be to help Myanmar [Burma] in her
preparation to join ASEAN, and we'll be looking at-the kinds of
assistance they ~would need and how to help Myanmar integrate
into AFTA [ASEAN Free Trade Area]," he said.
AFTA aims to liberalise trade among ASEAN members by the year 2003.
Mr Singh said the itinerary of his visit has not yet been drafted, but an
informed source said the trip was expected to take place before the end
of the year.
Burmese Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw invited Mr Singh to Rangoon
during the 28th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Brunei last year,
the source added.
Mr Singh's trip to Rangoon is seen as part of ASEAN's effort to
integrate all 10 Southeast Asian countries into its realm by the
year 2000.
********************************************************
INDEPENDENT REPORT: CO-SPONSORSHIP FOR BURMA BILL
July 16, 1996
Sponsorship for Burma Freedom and Democract Act of 1995 House Version
(HR.2892)
Principle Sponsor: Rep.Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)
Rep.Edward Royce (R-CA) 01/25/96
Rep.Christopher Smith (R-NJ) 01/25/96
Rep.Bob Clement (D-TN) 03/28/96
Rep.Ken Calvert (R-CA) 03/28/96
Rep.John W. Olver (D-MA) 03/28/96
Rep.Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) 03/28/96
Rep.Richard H. Baker (R-LA) 03/28/96
Rep.William O. Lipinski (D-IL) 03/28/96
Rep.John Edward Porter (R-IL) 04/30/96
Rep.Ronald V. Dellums (D-CA) 04/30/96
Rep.Sam Farr (D-CA) 06/18/96
Rep.Richard "Doc" Hastings (R-WA) 06/18/96
Rep.Barney Frank (D-MA) 06/18/96
Rep.Tom Lantos (D-CA) 06/18/96
Rep.Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR) 06/20/96
Rep.Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) 07/10/96
Rep.Marty Meehan (D-MA) 07/16/96
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FEER: WEST AT ODDS OVER BUSINESS APPROACH TO BURMA
July 18, 1996
AP-Dow Jones News Service
RANGOON -- Burmese entrepreneur Thein Tun has had better years. In
April, U.S. soft-drink giant PepsiCo Inc. decided to sell its 40% stake in
his bottling company, Pepsi Cola Products Myanmar. Then, Danish beer
maker Carlsberg said in early July that it had ditched plans to build a
brewery in cooperation with Thein Tun's Myanmar Golden Star Group.
Now Thein Tun is hoping he'll be third-time lucky. His strategy: to court
prospective Asian partners, who he thinks are less susceptible to the
consumer-boycott threats that frightened Pepsi and Carlsberg out of
Burma. The Burmese businessman hopes to conclude a deal soon with
Malaysia's Asia-Euro Brewery to replace Carlsberg, the Far Eastern
Economic Review reports in its latest edition Thursday.
'Pressure might work with investors from America and the E.U.,' Thein
Tun says, 'but I don't see this kind of problem in countries like Japan,
Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand.'
He's probably making a good bet. Indeed, while Western companies - and
governments - are backing off Burma in protest against the military
regime's human-rights abuses, Southeast Asian companies are moving in
to take up the slack. They're often supported by their governments, which
maintain that 'constructive engagement' is the best way to bring about
change.
The differences in Asian and Western viewpoints became stark in July. As
the U.S. Congress and European Union discussed economic sanctions, the
seven members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations prepared to
welcome Burma - now officially known as Myanmar - as an observer at
ministerial meetings in Jakarta and admit the country to a regional
security forum.
Aside from some natural-resource extraction projects, Southeast Asian
companies top the foreign-investment league tables in Burma. Most seem
to meet with little grassroots opposition at home.
In fact, many Asean companies are actually encouraged by their
governments to invest in Burma.
This is most pronounced in the case of Singapore, where Senior Minister
Lee Kuan Yew recently declared, 'At the end of the day, the opposition in
Burma has to face the realities of life. The one instrument of effective
government there is the army.'
Many companies seem to be taking Lee's words to heart. Singapore's Fraser
& Neave, for example, has already stepped in to fill Heineken's slot. The
Dutch beer maker announced in July that it wanted out of a brewery
project in Burma.
Other Singaporean companies have invested in everything from trading and
hotels to manufacturing. And several are involved in building port
facilities and industrial areas.
'The (Singapore) government has instructed the Singaporean business
community to come into Myanmar in a big way,' says Set Maung, an
economic adviser to the Burmese government. 'It is a big help.'
The one sector where it would be difficult, if not impossible, for Asian
companies to replace Western ones, however, is oil and natural gas. That is
one reason why Western activists have focused so much attention on a $1.2
billion pipeline project that will carry natural gas from the Andaman Sea
to a power station in Thailand.
Both the U.S.'s Unocal and France's Total have encountered opposition from
human-rights and pro-democracy groups.
It is difficult to judge just how debilitating U.S. or European sanctions
would be. But any foreign investment or trade sanctions is likely to hurt
the country's fledgling economy. Burma's exports to the U.S. have been
growing steadily in recent years. In 1995 they reached about $80.1
million, or roughly 10% of Burma's total merchandise exports. Garments
accounted for $65 million of the goods shipped to America, up more than
38% year-on year.
That's why some investors came out forcefully against sanctions during a
conference sponsored by Burma's chamber of commerce on July 16.
'Maybe some people believe sanctions can achieve democracy or better
human rights,' says Joe Pang, head of Hong Kong-based Victoria Garment
Manufacturing, who runs garment factories in Burma. 'I don't think it's
the right solution. I don't believe that out of poverty and hunger come
democracy.'
For people like Thien Tun, Pang's comments are a big relief.
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BKK POST: BURMA PUTS FAITH IN ASIANS FOR INVESTMENT
July 17, 1996
by Achara Ashayagachat
BURMESE economists have brushed aside international objections
about the political situation in their country, saying Asian investors
will be the economy's propellor.
Since the Foreign Investment Law was enacted in 1988, the Myanmar
Investment Commission has permitted 192 projects worth nearly
US$4 billion from 20 countries, the economists say.
So far there have been no withdrawals, claimed U Thinn Maung,
head of the Directorate of Investment & Company Administration.
As for the recent withdrawal of Heineken from the Singapore-based
Asia Pacific Brewery, which invested in the Heineken brewery in
the country, "it's not direct investment here," he explained.
There were some terminated projects such as oil exploration and
mining companies that found less economic viability after certain
period of doing business here, he said.
"There has been international pressure for years, since the
SLORC's existence, but looking at the turn of this century, the
growth centre will be in Asia not Europe or the US. Therefore,
why worry about western sanctions?" he remarked.
Burma will officially start "Visit Burma Year" this October amid
international concerns over the tight political situation in the country.
But officials say they are sure tourists will not be able to
resist the beauty and endowments of Burma.
By the end of last year, over 100,000 visitors came to Burma, and
spent roughly $300 each.
It is estimated that tourism numbers will more than double, said
U Thin Maung during the BoI Greater Mekong Sub-region Business
Workshops.
Out of the total of $4 billion of pledged foreign investment,
$1.4 billion has gone on 25 oil and gas projects.
Discovery of new offshore gas fields developed by foreign
investors on a production sharing basis show that this sector
could well be the prime driving force in the development of
Burmese economy in the near future, he said. I
The Burmese government has gradually shifted its emphasis from
import substitution to export-oriented industries, said Khin Than
Nwe, deputy director of the Ministry of Industry.
55 manufacturing projects have been licensed, so far the biggest
sector among other foreign investments, followed by the hotel and
tourism sector with 36 projects totalling $1.09 billion,
according to U Thinn Maung.
"We don't have a priority sector, but in the near future we may
announce target industries," said the Burmese head of delegation
to the second Bol workshop.
Rangoon has enough hotel projects, so there should not be new
investments in the capital, he said.
"Investment will be commercially viable and will be encouraged in
areas such as the historic sites at Mandalay and Pagan," said U
Thinn Maung.
Thailand is the second largest investor after Singapore in the
sector, investing about $180 million in eight projects. 31 Thai
companies have invested $422 mil lion in Burma.
Burma has also promoted the establishment of industrial parks,
following other emerging markets such as Vietnam.
The licensing body Myanmar Investment Commission has so far
permitted two industrial parks developed by Singaporean and
Japanese joint ventures with the Ministry of Construction, said U
Thinn Maung.
Mitsui& Co has invested $12million or 60% equity in a 70-hectare
industrial estate 17 kilometres from central Rangoon.
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REUTER: TOTAL SHARES WEAKEN FOR DEALING WITH SLORC
July 18, 1996 (abridged)
PARIS, - Shares in French energy group Total fell on Thursday amid
concerns about the company's involvement in Burma through a pipeline
project, brokers said.
"There's a lot of arbitrage with people selling Total in favour of
Elf-Aquitaine," the other major French oil group, a broker said.
Another broker said the weakness in Total's stock was linked to the
company's project in Burma and the sale on Thursday by a major Danish
pension fund of its stake in Total.
Shares in Total were down 3.5 francs, or 0.97 percent, at 357.50 by
midmorning while Elf's stock was up 0.90 franc, or 0.25 percent, at 357.90.
The bourse's CAC index was up 0.83 percent.
Danish fund Kommunernes Pensionsforsikring said on Thursday it sold
its 60 million crown ($10 million) shareholding in Total to protest against
its involvement in a billion-dollar Burmese pipeline project.
"Everyone is free to buy or sell our shares," said a spokesman for
Total. He had no other comment.
Total and Unocal own 31 percent and 28 percent of the 60 km pipeline
project designed to transport gas from the Yadana field, 70 km off the
Burmese coast in the Andaman Sea.
"What we want are the kind of sanctions that will make it quite clear
that economic change in Burma is not possible without political change,"
Suu Kyi said in the video, made public by members of the European
Parliament.
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AP: BAD HEROIN EYED IN THAI DEATHS
July 17, 1996 (abridged)
by Jerry Harmer
MAE CHAN, - Poor-quality heroin is flooding northern Thai border
villages since the surrender of Burmese opium lord Khun Sa, and it
has been blamed for several deaths among tribespeople.
Aid workers, drug dealers and addicts in this village 450 miles north of
Bangkok say that the so-called 999 heroin, cut with amphetamines, has
filled a vacuum left by the more pure heroin Khun Sa used to produce.
Produced primarily by the Wah and Kachin ethnic groups in jungle
refineries in Burma, the heroin is already making a mark in villages
across the border in Thailand, where scores of addicts have collapsed
after using it.
"It's twice the strength of the heroin that's been around for the past few
years," said Dr. Jennifer Gray of the Australian aid agency AusAid, which
runs a detox program in Mae Chan. "That's the big worry, that they'll
overdose and die."
Khun Sa used revenue from heroin sales to finance what he claimed
was a struggle for autonomy of the Shan people in remote, rugged
eastern Burma. He surrendered to Burma's military government and
officially disbanded his 11,000-man Mong Tai Army in January.
The United States has demanded Khun Sa's extradition on drug
trafficking charges. Burmese officials have refused and say the
former warlord is confined to a military base.
Khun Sa's downfall has created a temporary heroin shortage in the
Thai-Burma border region, and the void apparently has been filled
with the low-quality 999 heroin. The border tribes, who traditionally
smoke opium, have switched to heroin in recent years.
Unconfirmed reports of several deaths due to 999 overdoses have
reached Gray's headquarters. There are many more cases of non-fatal
overdoses.
Opiates are a traditional way of life in the region, but heroin injecting is
a fairly new phenomenon. In some villages, 60 percent of the men are
estimated to be heroin users, and the AIDS rate is correspondingly high.
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INFO REQUEST: RE NYEIN CHAN
July `17, 1996
Does anyone have any contact details for Nyein Chan, poet and author of
`The Dream of a People', `I have seen it' and`I am a child of Burma'?
Thank you
Alice
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