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BurmaNet News: September 15, 1996
- Subject: BurmaNet News: September 15, 1996
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 15 Sep 1996 03:41:00
---------------------------------BurmaNet-----------------------------------
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"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: September 15, 1996
Issue #514
SPECIAL EDITION
HEADLINES:
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FBC UPDATE: MORE SCHOOLS TO JOIN FAST
FBC: COSPONSORS OF HOUSE VERSION OF BURMA FREEDOM BILL
AGIR ICI: CAMPAIGN AGAINST OIL COMPANIES
HAN JOURNAL: BURMESE STUDENTS ATTEND WORKSHOP IN SEOUL
SAMPLE LETTER: PRESIDENT CLINTON ON BURMA SANCTIONS
FBC: UPDATE ON FALL ACTIVITIES
PEPSI BOYCOTT: THE REASONS BEHIND CONTINUED ACTION
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE THE FREE BURMA LIST
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FBC UPDATE: MORE SCHOOLS TO JOIN FAST
September 3 - 6, 1996
National Fast Committee:
We now have the National Fast Committee which will provide info about the
fast, answer questions, and coordiante this event. Everyone with political
will, lots of energies,and desire to help us out can be a member of this
committee. If you are interested in helping to organize this rather
important event, please send a note to zni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Who is on the committee:
1. Ma Pwint Htun (Washington) PWINT_HTUN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
2. Kathy Polias (Tufts University) kpolias@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
3. David Wolfbeg (L.A. Campaign for a Free Burma) freebrma@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
4. Brad Simpson (Northwestern University) simpsonb@xxxxxxx
5. George Hobart (Warren-Wilson College) ghobart@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
6. Yuki Kidokoro (UCLA) kidokoro@xxxxxxxx
7. Toni North (Penn State) AMN119@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
8. Nick Thompson (Stanford) nickt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
9. Zarni (Wisconsin) zni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
10. Anita Wadha (University of Houston) akw01346@xxxxxxxxxxxx
11. David Slemmons (University of Oklahoma) slemmons@xxxxxxxxxxxx
The following is the update on the fast organizing and the Free Burma
campaign in general.
1) Connecticut College:
CC will be participating in our Oct. 7-9 Fast for a Free Burma. Jamie is
organizing the event and other on-going Free Burma projects. If you have
friends in CC and wants to help out, via email, please contact Jamie at
jvio@xxxxxxxxxxxx
2) University of Georgia (Athens)
Vanessa will be transferring to U. of Georgia from Augusta College, GA and
she will be organizing the fast. Want to offer some help?? Please drop a
note to Vanessa at Gaia9@xxxxxxx
3) University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Twenty UNC students will join the fast. Contact Lynda if you can be of help at
lmkellam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
4) New Jersey Medical School, Bloomfield
Our organizer, Kevin at New Jersey Medical School in Bloomfield is adding
his school to the list of Oct. Fast schools. Kevin (maddenke@xxxxxxxxx)
was one of the spiders at Stanford who did an an amazing job of gathering
2,000 signatures from their peers in a matter of a few days to block the
arrival of Taco Bell, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, at the student union. He
will be coordinating the fast at Princeton with our contact there with
Joanna Yu (joannayu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx). Kevin needs info on Texaco to
do his activist work there.
5) University of Chicago Lab Schools
Two students at the famous Lab Schools are organizing the fast. Alice and
Lark are their names. If you want to help build the high school Free Burma
campaign, please drop a note to Leah at lwhitesel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
6) Pepperdine University, Calif.
Student activists from PU in Southern California has contacted our spiders
at Santa Monica College to get more info about the fast. It is most likely
that PU will be the next addition to the fasters' list.
7) St. Louis Art High School
Nick, a junior from St. Louis, has signed up to fast with us. He is also
an editor of an environmental and human rights journal in his community.
8) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
UIUC Free Burma folks will be meeting very soon and Oct. Fast is on the agenda.
9) University of Houston
UH Free Burma group met yesterday and 10 students signed up for the Oct. Fast.
10) University of Texas at Austin
At UT-Austin, community organizers and those who have signed up for the
Oct. Fast will be cooperating for the fast.
11) Iowa State University
Fabrice from Iowa State, who has just begun his graduate studies, will be
organizing the fast. In his own words:
Things have been good on this campus, we have recently stopped the building
of a MacDonalds in the middle of the school. All the people heading that
movement are now looking for a new fight, hopefully I will be able to
recruit many of them for the Burma campaign.
12) Santa Monica College
Spiders at SMC have a meeting with their college president to discuss the
college's business dealings with PepsiCo, Unocal and other corporations
with economic interests in Burma. Last time when the board of trustees met
in spring, Burma issue could not be brought up due to the heated debate
between the administration and the
13) Warren Wilson College
Many staff and administrators at Warren Wilson College have agreed
to participate in the Fast.
Also, we are organizing a relay question on the college's social investment
policy (which was passed in 1991 but the administrators are pleading
ignorance),
with a student or staff asking about the policy and list of investments the
college
accepts.
ghobart@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
These additions bring the number of participating colleges and universities
in the Oct. Fast to 31.
The list of participating colleges and high schools:
1-Santa Monica College
2-University of Houston
3-University of Wisconsin-Madison
4-Stanford
5-Harvard/Radcliffe
6-Princeton
7-UCLA
8-Berkeley
9-Johns Hopkins
10-Northwestern
11-University of Chicago
12-Warren-Wilson College
13-Tufts University
14-University of Michigan
15-Penn State
16-University of Washington
17-New York University
18-Iowa State University
19. Texas A & M University
20. University of Minnesota
21. Georgetown University
22. Texas Southern University
23. University of Oklahoma
24. East Tennessee State University
25. Baylor College of Medicine
26. Stephen F. Austin University
27. University of Texas at Austin
28. Texas Women's University
29. Conneticut College
30. University of North Carolina
31. University of Georgia
High Schools:
1. Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington Twshp., New Jersey
2. Lab Schools, University of Chicago
3. Lamar High School, Texas
4. West High School, Madison, Wisconsin
5. East High School. Madison, Wisconsin
6. W.P. Clements High School, Sugar Land, Texas
Now that Nathan Culwell-Kanarek is attending UW-Madison as a first year
student and working on upgrading the Free Burma Coalition webpage
(http://wicip.org/fbc/), Leah Whitesel (lwhitesel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) from
Madison's West High has agreed to coordinate the high school campaign.
Leah is also vice-president of the Amnesty International at her school.
Any assitance to Leah will be appreciated.
New Free Burma Campaigns:
The following schools have just gotten on board the Free Burma campaign.
1) Indiana-Purdue University at Fort Wayne
Pon Nya, a Mon student who came from Unocal's deadly pipeline area in
Burma, has just been elected to the student senate and he will be working
on both Pepsi and oil campaigns there. Pon Nya is also Chairman of the
Monland Restoration Council. His email address is: honsawatoi
(The Mons live in the south and southeastern regions of Burma and were
thought to be cultural mentors of the majority Burmese.)
2) Rice University
Our Texas spiders from U. of Houston have succeffuly recruited their peers
(in some cases, their relatives) to work on Free Burma campaign. And Rice
University, which was the choice of Mr. George H. Bush for G 7 Economic
Summit several years back, has become active in our Free Burma campaign.
Please drop a note to our spiders at U. Houston if you have something to
offer or just to simply say hello:
James Kyaw at tecnoman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Anita at akw01346@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Amisha J Dalwadi at adalwadi@xxxxxxxxxxxx
3) Wesleyan University
Molly, who has been boycotting PepsiCo for the past few years, is
organizing Free Burma group at Welseyan. If you have friends at Welseyan or
other colleges and universities in Connecticut and wish to be of help,
please contact her at
at mbiklen@xxxxxxxxxxxx
4) University of Montana
We do have a Free Burma campaign at the University of Montana. And the
address, phone number, and name has been lost for the past several weeks.
If you have friends who go to school in that part of the world, please try
to help obtain this info. Advance thanks.
News of our Free Burma Activists:
1) Our spider Jon Shay graduated from Colorado College this past spring is
now back in his hometown, Chicago and is ready to help out Free Burma
activities in Chicago area. He will be fasting with Northwestern and U. of
Chicago spiders. Jon gracefully permitted the FBC to use then his favorite
Ethiopian proverb as our campaign motto: When spiders unite they can tie
down a lion.
2) Kristi Wamstead of CU-Boulder is not able to be with us to help this
year's plans a success. Kristi is now in a program called "Semester at
Sea" and somewhere in the Pacific.
3) Liz Trantowski who headed the Free Burma group at Notre Dame just
graduated this past spring and continues to do Burma work in her community
in Glen Ellyn, IL.
4) Katie Kasben, who got the Free Burma campaign going at UNC-Chapel Hill,
is now a graduate. She now lives in Wilmington, NC and intends to
successfully persuade the city counil there before she goes to Thailand to
work with refugees from Burma.
5) Carwil James, who was very active at Northwestern Free Burma group last
year is now starting his graduate program in public policy and is
organizing the Oct. Fast.
6) Kevin Madden, formerly a Stanford spider, has moved to a university in
Bloomfield, NJ and continues to work on Pepsi campaign. He will be
cooridinating the fast with our spiders at Princeton. Kevin is still
committed to pursuing the idea of putting a Free Burma ad in the New York
Times. Have similar interest?? Here is Kevin's address: maddenke@xxxxxxxxx
7) Gregory Heller, the man on the CNN Free Burma (actually financial) news
last spring, is back on campus. He and Mark Goldberg will continue to work
on Free Burma campaign and have agreed to involve New York University in
the fast.
Free Burma Coalition Press Packets/Free Burma Starter Kits
The press packets are ready to mail out to participating groups early
nextweeks. If your group is participating and if you are unsure whether or
not you have give us the snail mail address, please drop a note at
zni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx with your snail mail address. The packets are free
of charge. The FBC press release will be posted to the list and uploaded
in the October Fast Section of the FBC Webpage as the fast event draws near.
If you have good experience in media work, we would really like to pick
your brain to make the event a media coup for our campaign.
The packet is divided into the following general categories:
1) Editorials
from the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times, etc. (All
are hard copies and all strongly in favor of sanctions against and
corporate withdrawal from Burma)
2) Opinion articles (all in strong support of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and
Burma's struggle for freedom)
by Desmond Tutu and Amb.Madeleine Albright, US Rep.to the United Nations
3) Several selected speeches and weekly essays (clean copies)
by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
4) Human rights, political, and economic reports (the most recent ones)
by the UN General Secretary, US State Department, Amnesty International
5) Direct investment
an assortment of news paper articles from various "respectable"
international newspapers
6) Several newspaper and journal articles about the growing Free Burma
campaign
7) Flyers
Sample Pepsi Boycott, No Petro Dollars for SLORC, and Boycott Visit
Myanmar year 1996 flyers
Beyond Rangoon Showings:
Our spiders at U. of Houston and U. of Washington are planning to show
Hollywood's drama "Beyond Rangoon." The movie is available at the rental
places. However, if you are interested in doing Beyond Rangoon screening,
please reserve a theatre at your university and fax a letter to the Castle
Rock in Hollywood requesting them to fed-ex you a movie reel. The Castle
Rock donated copies of BRGN in video format to the FBC and also has been
loaning their reels to our Free Burma groups in the US for free of charge.
If interested, the numbers are:
310-285-2319 (fax)
310-888-3566 (tel.)
In the request, be sure to mention that the reel will be used for the Free
Burma campaign at your school and that their will be no admission charges
at the gate. (Passing around a hat before or after the movie should be
fine. But it's not necessary to mention this customary hat thing though.)
Ian Metrose is the person to talk to. Ian is with the PR Division at the
Castle Rock. If you have any problem getting the reel, please drop a note
at zni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or call FBC at 608-827-7734
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COSPONSORS OF HOUSE VERSION OF BURMA FREEDOM BILL
More co-sponsors for the House version of Burma Freedom bill (HR.2892)
from freeburma@xxxxxxx
Congressmen Richard J. Durbin (D-Illinois) and Joe Moakley (D-Massachusetts)
have become co-sponsors of the Burma Freedom and Democracy Act of 1995
(HR.2892) on September 5, 1996. Now there are 25 co-sponsors for this Bill.
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Co-sponsors of Burma Freedom and Democracy Act of 1995
House Version (HR.2892)
Principle Sponsor: Rep.Dana Rohrabacher (D-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 (D-NJ) 07/10/96
Rep.Marty Meehan (D-MA) 07/16/96
Rep.Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) 07/18/96
Rep.Lane Evans (D-IL) 07/18/96
Rep.Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY) 07/26/96
Rep.Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) 07/26/96
Rep.Elizabeth Furse (D-OR) 07/26/96
Rep.Sidney R. Yates (D-IL) 07/30/96
Rep.Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) 09/05/96
Rep.Joe Moakley (D-MA) 09/05/96
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AGIR ICI: CAMPAIGN AGAINST OIL COMPANIES
August 27, 1996
>From Agir Ici agirici@xxxxxxxxxxxx Paris
In France, we are preparing a public opinion campaign on Nigeria and Burma,
focusing our lobby on three petroleum companies : Shell, Elf and Total.
We will publish in a couple of weeks a leaflet and postcards (about 30.000
samples) to explain the aims and objectives of the campaign. We will ask the
companies to suspend their operations in Nigeria and Burma until the return
of the democratic process. We are too weak in France to launch a boycott
against these companies due to fact that the main consumers organizations
and trade unions are not interested in supporting this kind of campaign.
Despite of this, we will ask citizens to write to the CEOs and also to go to
the gas stations, not to buy gasoline, but to give information to the gas
station's director.
We are working in close coordination with French NGOs such as Info-Birmanie
(which is hosted in our office) and R=E9seau solidarite. Although we get=
many information through their channels, we thank you in advance to send us
directly all information you think useful for our campaign in France.=20
We would like to put your organization=92s name on the front page of our
leaflet to show to French citizens that our campaign has strong links with
an international mobilization. We are not asking you to support our campaign
(this would need us to send you a complete English version of the document)
but only to allow us to put your name on the list of the organizations
which, around the world, are mobilized either on Burma or on Nigeria.=20
We would appreciate to receive your reply ASAP.
Sincerely,
Jean-Marie Fardeau
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HAN JOURNAL: BURMESE STUDENTS ATTEND WORKSHOP IN SEOUL
by Hlwan Moe (abridged)
September 1 --- Two Burmese student activists flew to South Korea to
participate in a transnational training workshop, which was held from August
26 to 31, 1996. This meeting was the great rendezvous for young professionals
working with 25 foreign NGOs and 25 Korean NGOs. The training entitled
"the FDL-AP Young Leaders's Workshop" was sponsored by the Forum of
Democratic Leaders in the Asia-Pacific (FDL-AP).
The FDL-AP is a non-profit international NGO and was established in 1994 to
promote democracy and human rights in the Asia-Pacific region under the
patronage of Mrs. Corazon Aquino, former President of the Philipines, Dr. Kim
Dae-Jung, Chairman of the Kim Dae-Jung Peace Foundation and Dr. Oscar Arias,
former President of Costa Rica.
Dr. Kim Dae-Jung delivered a welcome speech at the opening ceremony. The
themes of the workshop were democracy, Asian identity and values, human
rights, women's rights and development. The participation of the Burmese
student activists paved the way for better understanding and closer cooperation
among the democratic forces in the region.
Back in June of this year, the FDL-AP initiated the collection of signatures
of 102
opposition parliamentarians, belonging to the National Congress for New
Politics (NCNP) and the United Liberal Democrats (ULD). In their statement,
those parliamentarian signatories strongly urged the South Korean government
to enter into a more constructive relationship with Burma in the long run
through supporting the democratic movement. They also called on South Korean
companies to "either withdraw or at least freeze further investment in Burma
until there is a noticeable improvement in the current situation".
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SAMPLE LETTER TO PRESIDENT CLINTON ON BURMA SANCTIONS
September 5, 1996
simon_billenness@xxxxxxxxxxxx (simon billenness)
1. Why write President Clinton now?
2. Where to send your letters
3. Sample letter to President Clinton
1. Why write President Clinton now?
President Clinton could impose a broad range econmic sanctions on Burma at
any time. But so far, the Administration has just issued ritual
condemnations of the growing crackdown in Burma without taking effective action.
Currently, the Administration is not receiving letters in support of
economic sanctions on Burma. Let's see if we can change that...
2. Where to send your letters
President William Clinton
The White House
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
(202) 456-1414
For extra impact, please send copies of your letter to:
Secretary Warren Christopher
Secretary of State
Department of State
C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
(202) 647-4000
National Security Advisor Anthony Lake
National Security Council
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
(202) 456-9481
Your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative
Call the Congressional Switchboard toll-free at: (800) 872-3524
So that we can better gauge the response to this appeal, send a copy of your
letter to the democratic Burmese government-in-exile:
National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma
815 15th Street, Suite 910
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 393-7342
(202) 393-7343 fax
ncgub@xxxxxxxxxxx
3. Sample Letter to President Clinto
[Please adapt this letter as much you can. Individualized letters read much
better than obvious form letters!]
date
President William Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20510
Dear President Clinton:
I am writing to request that you impose economic sanctions on Burma.
Over the past few years, I have followed events in Burma with increasing
interest and concern. I deeply admire Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi
and her efforts to restore democracy in Burma.
[Include a personal paragraph about yourself and why you are interested in
Burma.]
To put pressure on the military junta to open a dialogue with the democracy
movement, Aung San Suu Kyi has asked that other countries impose economic
sanctions on Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi has pointed out that such investment
enriches the military junta while providing few if any benefits for the
Burmese people. While other countries, particularly in Europe, have moved
towards a policy of imposing economic sanctions on Burma, the United States
can and should play a leadership role in this growing movement.
In recent weeks, the Burmese military junta has arrested 30 supporters of
the democracy movement. News reports indicate that the junta may well
launch a further crackdown, perhaps even re-arresting Aung San Suu Kyi.
Taking inspiration from the campaign against apartheid, a growing number of
cities and states are boycotting companies that do business in Burma. Six
cities have already passed laws barring their purchasing agents from buying
goods or services from companies that do business in Burma. In June,
Massachusetts became the first state to enact such a law. Similar
legislation is now pending in New York City and Takoma Park, Maryland.
I request that your Administration join the growing grassroots campaign for
economic sanctions on Burma. Please write back and tell me what actions
your Administration will take.
Sincerely,
Secretary of State Warren Christopher
National Security Advisor Anthony Lake
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FBC: UPDATE ON FALL ACTIVITIES
August 21, 1996
>From zni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
1. Pepsi Campaign
a) on University Campuses
At the beginning of August, Stanford University Dean of Students consulted
our spiders there whether or not it was OK to carry Pepsi products (after
Pepsi allegedly withdrew from Burma). When he learned that the Pepsi
Boycott is still on, the Dean informed our spiders that he will NOT allow
Pepsi to market their "stuff" at Stanford.
This fall the Tufts Free Burma campaign group will be working on getting
Pepsi off campus. The Boycott Pepsi Campaign at Montana will be resumed
after the summer school break.
This semester in the Indiana-Purdue University at Fort Wayne (IPFW),
University's administrators signed a contract with the Pepsi Co.. So, a
campaign has begun on campus.
Pon Nya - honsawatoi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
b) Tibetan Freedom Concert and PepsiCo
Our Tibet activist colleagues have informed us that they brought down
PepsiCo's commercial signs at their Tibet Freedom Concert held in San
Francisco because of Pepsi's continued involvement in Burma.
c) New Pepsi Flyer and FBC Webpage
Reid Cooper at Tibet-Burma Group in Ottawa, Canada has just put out a new
updated Pepsi flyer. As students are coming back to campuses, we will make
it available on our website http://wicip.org/fbc/
2) Free Burma Coalition's webpage
FBC's website is being reconstructed so that it can become an activist tool
with practical information on Free Burma campaign. We will add a few
new sections where ready-made flyers will to be available. Also the FBC
site will contain a section with suggestions on the upcoming October 7, 1996
(48 Hr) Fast for a Free Burma.
There is now a Free Burma Map (USA). If you click on a given state, the
Free Burma list of spiders will appear. The site can be accessed at
http://freeburma.org in the "what's new" section. A Free Burma World Map
will be ready soon.
3) New Free Burma campaigns
There will be new Free Burma campaigns at the following universities:
Princeton Duke
University of Virginia San Francisco State University
Washington University Mississipi State University
4) Minneapolis Burma Action
This past May, Minneapolis City Council passed a Burma resolution calling
on the congressional delegates from Minnesota to support the economic
sanctions against the SLORC.
5) Oklahoma City Free Burma Action
Groove Fest artists and residents are working on Free Burma campaign in
Oaklahoma City. Their webpage - http://www.telepath.com/groovefest/
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PEPSI BOYCOTT: THE REASONS BEHIND CONTINUED ACTION
Full text of fax to PepsiCo, including 3 attachments:
- Shan Human Rights report
- Thein Tun's speech at SLORC rally in New Light of Myanmar
- Article from The Nation (BKK) on SLORC rally
As of today (6 September 1996) PepsiCo had not responded. Feel free
to write your own letter!
Even better, ask your school to write -- especially if they have a
food or beverage contract with PepsiCo.
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FIRST, PEPSI AND STANFORD SPIDERS.
September 7-9, 1996
Nick Thompson from Stanford has just informed the FBC of PepsiCo's loss
at Stanford is $4-5 million over 5 year. PepsiCo's bid to open their grand
Taco Hell was rejected by the Stanford administration after 2,000 students
signed petitions to not accept the offer due to PepsiCo's funding of forced
labor in Burma. Here is what Nick wrote:
I finally got the contract info for the Poilo's/Pepsi deal that was
cancelled. (Poilo's is the new restaurant coming to Stanford campus, they
axed Pepsi contract talks through the whole chain)
It would have been $4-6 million dollars over 5 years in sales for Pepsi!
hope the press eats this up.
Want the spiders share the experience of their successful campaign?? Drop a
note to Nick at nickt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or Kelly at
happee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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BURMA-TIBET GROUP, OPIRG-CARLETON
326 Unicenter, 1125 Colonel By Dr. Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6
CANADA
fax: (613) 520-3989
August 26, 1996
Roger Enrico, CEO
PepsiCo, Inc.
Purchase, NY 10577
U.S.A.
fax: (914) 253-2070
Dear Mr. Enrico:
Please find attached a report from the Shan Human Rights
Foundation. It reports on the use of 60,000 forced laborers (of
whom nearly 600 died) to dig a canal to provide water for PepsiCo
in Burma in March 1994. It is unclear from the report whether the
water was to supply your bottling plant in nearby Rangoon, or for
your "countertrade" farming operations.
This again raises outstanding questions about whether your
Burmese franchisee, Thein Tun, has been trading in agricultural
goods grown with the help of forced labor. This issue is all the
more pressing given recent news reports that he lead a mass rally
in June for SLORC, the Burmese military dictatorship. At that rally
he denounced so-called "destructionists" in Burma's democracy
movement. Your franchisee's actions contradict PepsiCo's oft-
repeated claim of political neutrality. Please see the attached
excerpts from the New Light of Myanmar and Bangkok's The Nation
concerning this rally.
If your staff have been keeping you informed, you will have
read reports on commercial farming and forced labor from such
sources as the Far Eastern Economic Review and the Karen Human
Rights Group. As you know, a wide variety of sources, from the
U.S. State Department to the United Nations and Amnesty
International have all noted that SLORC makes extensive use of
forced labor throughout Burma, for all manner of infrastructure
projects from public roads to irrigation ditches.
Your form letters on Burma now claim that you must continue to
honor a franchise contract (for five more years) before you can
leave Burma. However, the above should provide you with sufficient
grounds to either cancel the contract or to treat it as void
_ab_initio_; after all, would you not pull the plug on any Western
franchise owner that behaved in a similar manner? We suggest you
weigh the nominal damages you might owe Thein Tun versus the on-
going cost of a global boycott. Aung San Suu Kyi was clearly
specifically concerned about your company's presence in Burma when
she said: "As far as we are concerned, Pepsi has not divested from
Burma."
Please give us your considered response, including your
detailed comments on the attached reports. Also, from whom (and
how) does your Burmese franchise buy and sell agricultural
products? We understand that a PepsiCo representative told Harvard
University officials that a list of such suppliers exists; would
you please provide us with that list?
Sincerely,
Reid Cooper, Terry Cottam
Burma-Tibet Group, OPIRG-Carleton
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SHAN HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION
P.O. Box 41, Mae Hongson 58000, THAILAND
Home office is situated in Ho Mong, Southern Shan State (Mong Tai)
Report on Human Rights Violations
On 20th June 1993, Maj Tin Ngwe of the Slorc's No.(1) Centre
division training school, nationalized the farm lands and fields
frm the following Quarters and village circle of Tike Kyee
township, (48) miles north of Rangoon.
(1) Among Shan Suu quarter
a, Aung Mingala quarter,
b, Pyi-taw-tha quarter
(2) Among Lain-maw Chan village circle
a, Lain - maw Chan village
b, Yua Tha-ya "
c, A Le Yua "
d, Gian Gwin Kyee "
e, Nyawn-lay-pin "
f, Taung-ta-long "
(3) Among sin-sa-Khan village circle
a, Nga Aian Suu village
b, Kyo-twin "
The well planted farm (350) acres were among the (1500) acres
that were nationalized but the expenditure of the farmers was not
given back to them. Most of the lands belong to the Shan people
who live in those ten villages.
On 18th December 1993, Maj Tin Ngwe, again nationalized (800)
acres of sugar-cane field belonging to the people who lived in
Sin-sa-Khan village circle of Tike Kyee township. He refused to
give all the expenditure of the field, he even sold all the sugar
cane to one of the rich merchants, who gave him 160,000 kyat.
In the second week of March 1994, Maj Myint Aung of No.(11)
Slorc's light infantry regiment that stationed at Phoung Kyee
ordered and forced 60,000 people of Tike Kyee to participate in
digging the canal from Ta-Boo-wa of Tike-Kyee township to Hmaw-
Bee township, near Rangoon. Nearly 600 people were dead because
of snake bite, fever and lack of medicine. The Slorc refused to
take care of the health of those people who were working 24 hours a day.
The fruitful water from that canal to Hmaw-Bee was sold to the
owner of Pepsi Cola at about 180,000 kyat.
[Signed, dated 15/12/94]
Hkam Karn Fah
Secretary
Shan Human Rights Foundation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR (SLORC PRESS NEWSPAPER)
June 16, 1996
The last two paragraphs are the ones that target the
"destructionists."
OVER 10,000 GATHER AS ENTREPRENEURS VOICE [text cut off]
ENDEAVOURS GAINING MO [text cut off]
Denounce, oppose and ostracize destructionists thwarting Mya [text
cut off]
[photo caption] Vice-Chairman of Myanmar Chamber of Commerce and
Industry U Thein Tun addresses mass meeting of Myanmar
entrepreneurs at the National Gymnasium-1, Thuwunna. --MNA
Yangon, 15 June--Myanmar entrepreneurs unanimously affirmed their
commitment for greater national economic development and denounced
any destructionists impeding such development at a mass meeting
held at the National Gymnasium-1 in Thuwunna this morning...
It was presided over by Vice Chairman of Myanmar Chamber of
Commerce and Industry U Thein Tun [text continues describing three
other industrial/entrepreneurial pillars of SLORC society]....
Chairman's Address
In his address, U Thein Tun said Myanmar was suppressed in all
spheres under colonial rule, with rich flora and fauna resources
being exploited by the colonialists, and the Myanmar people could
not enjoy the wealth of the rich land.
All national races therefore unitedly fought the colonialists
sacrificing many lives to regain independence, he said.
Due to internal insurgency and split of national unity in the
post-independence period, national economic development was not
achieved markedly and so, people could not fully enjoy the fruits
of the independence, he said, noting that disturbances of internal,
external, aboveground and underground subversives hampered the
national development.
He recalled that Myanma economy was transformed after 18 September
1988 putting an end to the centrally-controlled socialist economy
and practicing open-door market economy. [He neglects to mention
that on this day SLORC gunned down thousands of unarmed student
protesters, many in their teens -- coincidentally, Pepsi's target
market]
Today, harmonious efforts are being made to implement the
market-oriented economic system, with doors being opened wider to
the State, cooperative, joint venture and private sectors and the
laws promulgated for helping develop production, trade and service,
he said.
The Government has granted permits for extensive particiation in
various economic fields and is providing sustained support such as
disbursing loans, establishment of Livestock Breeding and Fisheries
Bank, Myanma Industrial Development Bank [whose primary purpose is
to launder profits from heroin, Burma's #1 cash crop] and allotment
of plots for industrial establishments, he said.
Moreover, as the Government sees to proper exploitation of natural
resources and products with abundant [and largely unpaid] labour
resources, financial investment... [text cut off]
[The following in enlarged print]
All see the attempts of internal and external destructionists
working in collusion to hamper the allround national development,
he said, declaring that all people will never accept the
obstruction of peace, stability and progress of the State and will
never desire the incitement to riot and attempts to create
disturbances in the country.
Economic progress is being achieved as the Government and
entrepreneurs are striving to enable public to enjoy the fruits of
independence, he noted, urging all entrepreneurs to unitedly
denounce, ostracise crush any internal and external destructionists
opposing and disrupting economic development of the nation and
peace and tranquility of the public.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
THE NATION: BUSINESSMEN URGED TO SUPPORT SLORC
June 17, 1996
Reuter
RANGOON - About 10,000 Burmese businessmen joined a mass rally to
support official moves to open up the economy and to denounce the
opposition, which they accused of threatening stability, official
media said yesterday.
The rally was chaired by Thein Tun, vice-chairman of the Myanmar
(Burmese) Chamber of Commerce, who told the gathering about the
government's accomplishments since it liberalised the economy after
taking power in 1988, state-run media said.
He said businessmen needed to make continued efforts to hold on to
the progress made by the ruling Slorc.
"All see the attempts of internal and external destructionists
working in collusion to hamper the all-round national development,"
he said.
"The people will never accept the obstruction of stability, peace
and progress of the state and will never desire the incitement to
riot and attempts to create disturbance in the country," he said.
Thein Tun, one of Burma's top businessmen who is chairman and chief
executive of Pepsi Myanmar, also urged businessmen to unite to
crush destructionists.
Burmese people say they are ordered to attend the rallies, with
officials requiring at least one person per household.
The rallies coincide with an increasing crackdown by Slorc against
the pro-democracy opposition led by Aung San Suu Kyi. (TN)
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