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The BurmaNet News March 5, 1997
- Subject: The BurmaNet News March 5, 1997
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 04 Mar 1997 23:16:00
------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------
The BurmaNet News: March 5, 1997
Issue #657
HEADLINES:
==========
NEW YORK TIMES:IN THAI CAMPS, FEAR OF BURMESE TROOPS
KNU:BORDER SITUATION UPDATE
NCUB: PRESS RELEASE NO [11]
REUTER:SUUKYI SAYS BURMA RULERS PERSECUTING
AFP:GETTING SET FOR ASEAN MINISTERS' MEETING
AP: BURMESE VOW TO PURSUE OFFENSIVE AGAINST REBELS
REUTER:KAREN THREATEN ATTACKS, BURMA TROOPS DIG IN
THE NATION: US STANDS FIRM ON KAREN ISSUE
BKK POST: UNHCR TO HOLD TALKS WITH NSC
BKK POST: ARMY CHIEF OPTIMISTIC ABOUT TALKS
AP: BURMA SAYS U.S. DRUG CHARGES UNTRUE
THAILAND TIMES: COLLATERAL DAMAGE
PRESS RELEASE:THAI MISSION LEAVES FOR BORDER
IUF ASIA/PACIFIC REGIONAL CONFERENCE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK TIMES:IN THAI CAMPS, FEAR OF BURMESE TROOPS GROWS
March 3, 1997
by Seth Mydans
PU NAM RAWN, Thailand, March 1 -- Choo Dill Charles, a 58-year-old
schoolteacher, was on his knees in a eucalyptus grove just across the
border from Myanmar, begging a Thai official for protection.
"We are afraid," he said, spreading his arms wide.
Around him in the woods were more than 2,000 other ethnic Karen
refugees, tending cooking fires and dozing among sacks of belongings,
hoping to be allowed to move farther into Thailand, away from the danger
of Burmese troops.
Just two miles away, the jagged silhouette of the Bilauktaung Mountains
marked the border of Myanmar, the former Burma, and hid what Mr. Charles and
others said were scenes of horror as the Burmese military mops up the last
of a patchwork of ethnic insurgencies that have carried out a jungle war for
nearly 50 years.
For the first time since the end of World War II, it appears that the
central Burmese Government is in control of the entire 1,000-mile border
with Thailand, and Karen villagers like Mr. Charles have nowhere left to
run.
The Thai official, District Chief Pituck Sakate, a military-style
peaked cap on his head and a pistol on his hip, told Mr. Charles that
for now, the Thai military would not allow the 2,300 refugees to move
from their camp here.
In addition, he confirmed a new Thai policy: for the first time in
nearly 20 years of giving haven to the refugees, Thailand will now send
young me back to Myanmar, whether or not they are soldiers. Only women,
children and the elderly will be allowed to stay.
"It is a question of safety," he said. "If some young men stay here,
because they are the enemy, maybe the Myanmar soldiers will destroy the
camp and maybe people will die."
Though Thai officials have strenuously denied that they are sending
people back, and this weekend chided American officials who protested,
many refugees and aid workers say that noncombatants have been sent back
across the border to an unknown fate.
Earlier this week, 330 men and boys, some as young as 10 years old,
were taken from the encampment here and sent back across the mountains,
the refugees said.
"These boys are schoolboys," said Cristobal Paul, 42, in tears. Her
16-year-old son was taken without a word of farewell on Tuesday. "They
don't know how to live in the jungle. They don't know their way. They
don't know how to hold a gun. They have never seen fighting."
In addition, in at least one instance, women and children have
reportedly been sent back from Thailand. In Washington, the State
Department spokesman, Nicholas Burns, said the United States had
confirmed that 900 women and children were forced back to Myanmar when they
tried to enter Thailand on Wednesday.
The Thai policy appears to reflect new cooperation with the Burmese
military Government as the junta tries to open Myanmar to trade and
moneymaking. It reversed a long policy of allowing various ethnic
guerrilla groups to find safe haven along the border, thus providing a
buffer against the traditionally hostile Burmese forces.
In recent years, Thailand has joined a rush in southeast Asia to do
business with Myanmar, taking advantage of that country's newly
liberalized economy.
The area of fighting across the Bilauktaung Mountains lies to the south
of a $1 billion natural gas pipeline being constructed by the American
oil company Unocal and Total of France. The pipeline is to span Myanmar
and become a major supplier of energy to Thailand.
In addition, Thai companies are among the bidders to build a deep-water
port at the Burmese town of Tavoy, which would be linked to Thailand by
roads.
Both projects are in territory where rebel soldiers of the Karen
National Union have held sway, and the rebels have threatened to disrupt
the pipeline project.
Since the start of the month, tens of thousands of Burmese soldiers
have swept through the area, which is home to 20,000 people, driving an
estimated 2,500 Karen fighters from their camps. As they do so, reports
accumulate from refugees that women have been raped and men have been
marched away to act as porters for the military.
In one incident, Mrs. Paul said 10 women were taken away from a village.
In another, Kaw Paw, a 55-year old farmer, said she watched from a
hiding place as her neighbor, Cree May, 42, was raped by a dozen
soldiers until she died. Mrs. Cree May's husband and father were tied
up and made to watch, she said.
"They were crying and she was crying," Mrs. Kaw Paw said, breaking down in
tears herself. "She was saying, 'God, please help me.'"
Mr. Charles said he had heard rumors that Burmese soldiers were poised
to attack the encampment here. On Thursday, about 50 Burmese soldiers
exchanged small-arms fire with Thai village self-defense forces here
before withdrawing.
Over the months, Burmese soldiers and a breakaway Karen faction that is
allied with them have attacked and burned several refugee settlements.
"My question is, are we safe here?" Mr. Charles said to the Thai
district chief. "In the daytime we see Thai soldiers protecting us but
at night we see nobody."
The Thai official, Mr. Pituck, wrapped his arm around Mr. Charles's
shoulders and gave an encouraging smile.
"Cool heart, cool heart," he said, using a Thai expression that means,
"Relax, take it easy."
"Cool heart, cool heart," Mr. Charles repeated a little later. "That
is what they keep telling us. But we don't even know if it will be safe
for us to sleep tonight."
***********************
KNU:BORDER SITUATION UPDATE
March 3,1997
Border Situation Update March 3,1997
Because there were no organized refugee camps set up in the Umphang area for
the recent influx of an estimated 14,000 refugees fleeing from SLORC troops,
the refugess are living in make shift shelters of plastic sheets, bamboo or
any scrap material they can find. They are scattered all over this area
with no sanitation facilities or organization.
Due to the uncertainty of their situation and lack of help from the Thai
Government to protect them, it was easy for SLORC to convince 600 of the
villagers to return to Burma. Some of these villagers had farms and rice
paddies and were under the impression they would be allowed to return home
and work their farms. They were promised a school would be built for their
village and that they would not be harassed upon returning to their homes.
After returning, they were not only denied the right to work on their farms,
they were forced to build bunkers and roads for SLORC instead of the
promised school. One particular village was fenced by SLORC troops to deny
free movement in and out of the village. Each family was given only 3 small
tins of rice (approximately 6-8 oz. can). Some villagers were tied up at
night for no reason, and some villagers have simply "disappeared". It has
been reported that some villagers have tried to escape but it is not known
how many actually escaped and how many just "disappeared".
********************
NCUB: PRESS RELEASE NO [11]
March 4, 1997
____________________________________________________________
N A T I O N A L C O U N C I L OF THE U N I O N OF B U R M A
____________________________________________________________
PRESS RELEASE NO [11]
The SLORC offensive in KNU Brigade 4 area
Date: March 4, 1997
According to the final report on March 2, 1997, State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC) Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 342 and Infantry
Battalion (IB) 25 were deployed at Htee Htar and Htee Khee village of
Brigade 4 and started relations with Thai border officials. Karen National
Liberation Army (KNLA) troops, in preparation for the SLORC offensive,
withdrew from the villages and attacked the SLORC troops by hit-and-run
guerrilla tactics in defense of the area. At 1:00 PM, on March 2, 1997,
there was a clash between SLORC and KNLA troops not far north of Htee khee
village.
On March 2, a porter who was arrested and forced to work by SLORC in their
offensive managed to escape by fleeing to the Thai-Burma border. He may have
taken some kind of amphetamine (yah mah in Thai). He was later referred to
the Thai officials by the KNLA troops.
Most recently, 1038 women and children refugees from Bong Htee camp have
been forcibly sent in trucks by Thai authorities back to Htaw Ma Phyo/Htaw
Ma Maung villages in Burma, opposite Ban Takolurng of Amphoe Suan Phung in
Ratchaburi province. Thus far, 4000 refugees have been sent back in the same
way by Thai officials, to villages which are a five-hour walk away from Htee
Htar village. The condition of these refugees is very insecure; Burmese
troops are currently moving south of Htee Htar and there is no Thai military
presence to protect them.
There are about 3600 refugees at Ban Phu Nam Roeng in Kanchanaburi
province, which is one hour walk away from Htee Khee. Hopefully, these
refugees will not be pushed back into Burma and will be evacuated to a new
site near by Phu Nam Roeng.
Thus far there have been 10,000 refugees in this region but several hundreds
are still hiding and missing in the deep jungle because of the massive
SLORC presence in the region. There will be 23, 000-25,000 refugees in total
number including those who internally displaced.
International aid organisations and NGOs are providing assistance to
refugees on humanitarian grounds.
Information Committee
National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB)
***********************
REUTER:SUU KYI SAYS BURMA RULERS PERSECUTING OPPOSITION
March 4, 1997
By Deborah Charles
RANGOON, March 4 (Reuter) - Burmese democracy leader Aung
San Suu Kyi lashed out on Tuesday at the military government for
what she termed continued repression of the opposition and vowed to press
her fight for democracy.
"This is persecution of the NLD," Suu Kyi told a news conference after
outlining recent arrests and intimidation tactics by the government against
members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
"The situation is getting worse all the time," she said, adding that
dozens of NLD members had recently been arrested.
Suu Kyi said those arrested included the brother-in-law of Khin Nyunt --
one of the top officials in the ruling State Law and Order Restoration
Council (SLORC).
She cited several other cases of arbitrary arrests and instances when
the authorities intimidated NLD members by threatening the welfare of their
families if they did not stop NLD activities.
Suu Kyi, who won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her non-violent efforts
towards democracy, said her own movements were still restricted but declared
that she and her party were "fighting fit".
She held the news conference at a house outside the barricades which bar
access to her home on University Avenue. Journalists attending the
conference were surrounded by military intelligence officials who took
photographs as they entered and left the house.
The government placed Suu Kyi under virtual house arrest in December for
what it said was her own safety after student street demonstrations. Suu
Kyi, who says she does not need nor want the protection, says she is
required to advise the authorities of her movements and her visitors.
Suu Kyi, daughter of independence leader Aung San, was under official
house arrest for six years for her outspoken attacks on the military
government and was released in July, 1995.
She said the government's continued efforts to stop the NLD from
functioning as a party, and its attempts to intimidate members into
resigning from the NLD showed the SLORC wanted to give the impression the
NLD was lacking popular support.
"They are trying to bring about the absolute destruction of the NLD by
destroying grassroots support," she said, quoting from a letter written by
the NLD to SLORC chairman Than Shwe.
The NLD won a landslide victory in a 1990 election but did not take
power because the SLORC never recognised the result.
"I think what they are trying to do is to stop the people from
supporting the NLD," Suu Kyi said. "It is supposed to appear as though
public support for the NLD has waned."
But a defiant Suu Kyi said her party still has strong support despite
the government's efforts, and it would continue a new drive to increase
membership.
"I am more confident than ever, because now the people of Burma know for
a fact that the only way they can be secure is under democracy," she said.
"We will continue. Even if they declare the NLD an illegal organisation,
we shall continue. Because the NLD is not merely a political party. It is
representative of the democracy movement of Burma and that will continue
until we achieve democracy."
[excerpts from related story]
AP: ASEAN MEMBERSHIP WILL INCREASE REPRESSION IN BURMA, SUU KYI SAYS
March 4, 1997
``To make Burma a member of ASEAN at this moment is to encourage (the
regime) to be more repressive,'' Suu Kyi said a news conference at the home
of her party's vice chairman.
Last year, she said members of her party received long prison terms the day
Burma was granted observer status in ASEAN.
``If they are made a member of ASEAN, it will be as though they
have been given carte blanche,'' she said Tuesday.
*****************************
AFP:GETTING SET FOR ASEAN MINISTERS' MEETING
(abridged)
March 3, 1997
KUALA LUMPUR -- Senior Asean officials will begin a two-day meeting
today in Sabah to discuss the grouping's regional forum and Myanmar, an
official said yesterday.
"We will deal with policy matters. All our issues are important. There
are a lot of issues on our agenda," the official told AFP, without elaborating.
Malaysian Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Abdul Kadir Mohamad
will chair the senior officers meeting (SOM).
The participants will prepare for the 30th Asean ministerial meeting
(AMM) in July in Kuala Lumpur.
The official said: "We will not discuss the date of Myanmar's entry
into Asean."
An Asean-Japan summit, proposed by Japanese Premier Ryutaro Hashimoto
during his January tour of Asean member countries, might be raised at the
meeting, he added.
A senior Japanese official had said that Japan was pressing for an
inaugural Asean-Japan summit in December.
Asean groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam.
Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia are expected to become members of the
grouping in July.
**************************************
AP: BURMESE VOW TO PURSUE OFFENSIVE AGAINST REBELS INDEFINITELY
March 4, 1997
RANGOON, Burma (AP) _ Burma's military government vowed Tuesday
to pursue ``as long as necessary'' a massive offensive against ethnic Karen
rebels that has sent thousands of refugees into neighboring Thailand.
Col. Kyaw Thein, a senior military intelligence official, told reporters
at the government's monthly news conference that the rebel Karen National
Union was ``supported by turncoats inside the country and terrorists without.''
``Mopping up operations will continue as long as is necessary,''
said Kyaw Thein, downplaying the scale of the operations.
In Thailand, meanwhile, the Thai army started moving 2,300 ethnic Karen
refugees Tuesday from a camp where they feared for their safety because it
was just a few kilometers (miles) from the border and vulnerable to attacks
from the Burmese army.
In an operation expected to extend into the evening, large trucks began
to move the refugees from the camp at Pu Nam Rawn in Thailand's Kanchanaburi
province to a new location at Pu Muang, 20 kilometers (12 miles) to the south.
Five kilometers (three miles) inside Thai territory, it is slightly
farther from the border than their former camp.
One of the refugees' leaders, Thra Charles, said they could not be
described as happy, but were ``happier'' because the new camp was not so
close to the frontier.
``We trust the Thai soldiers as they promised to provide us with full
safety,'' he said. Burmese soldiers had made at least one abortive raid on
Pu Nam Rawn.
The refugees had been reluctant to move without witnesses present because
they feared they might be forced back to Burma. Journalists, members of
private organizations and at least one member of the Thai parliament were
present at Tuesday's transfer.
According to reports by Thai and foreign media, accounts from
relief workers and testimony from refugees still remaining in Thailand, the
Thai army on at least two occasions last week forced back Karen refugees who
were seeking shelter in Thailand. Thai officials denied doing so.
The Pu Nam Rawn refugees were among about 15,000 Karens who in
the past few weeks have fled a Burmese offensive against the Karen National
Union, which for almost five decades has been seeking
greater autonomy from Burma's central government.
Another 90,000 Karens have been staying for extended periods at
long-established camps.
The refugees accuse the Burmese army of rape, random executions
and burning villages along their route of advance.
The Burmese army has deployed an estimated 100,000 troops to crush about
2,500 Karen and allied rebels to bring the long, rugged border with Thailand
under control for the first time. The rebels, fighting the government for
more autonomy since 1949, have been forced to abandon several bases.
In Rangoon, Kyaw Thein accused the rebels of mining the
Rangoon-to-Mandalay railway last May and of the Christmas bombing of a
pagoda compound in the capital. A total of 13 people were reported killed.
The rebels and pro-democracy activists say the government staged both acts
to justify crackdowns on flare-ups of political dissent.
Kyaw Thein said the rebels ``are not much of a military threat in
conventional warfare, since the military strength of the KNU is not much.''
``However, even one or two persons can be a threat to security since they
can carry out terrorist activities,'' he added.
The offensive was justified ``to ensure the security of the state''
following the KNU's refusal to sign a cease-fire with the government, Kyaw
Thein said.
The Karens have refused to accept a deal that excludes an overall
political dialogue including Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's
pro-democracy leader. The regime has put a nearly total halt to her public
appearances and speeches.
At a news conference Tuesday, Suu Kyi condemned the government's
attack on the Karens, saying it would not lead to long-term peace.
``The fighting on the border reflects (the government's) views of how to
resolve problems,'' Suu Kyi said. ``A failure to bring about a peaceful
resolution is an absolute shame.''
**********************
REUTER: KAREN THREATEN ATTACKS AS BURMA TROOPS DIG IN
March 4, 1997
By Deborah Charles
RANGOON, March 4 (Reuter) - Ethnic Karen rebels on Tuesday
threatened heightened guerrilla activity inside Burma after the
military government vowed to keep troops at the Thai-Burmese
border where the rebels are based for as long as necessary.
"Burmese troops will face bigger trouble inside the
country," said Mahn Sha, a close aide to Bo Mya, the hardline
leader of the Karen National Union (KNU) guerrilla organisation.
"We will step up attacks in big towns like ... Mandalay and Rangoon."
He made the comment by telephone from the border shortly after senior
Burmese military officials said KNU guerrillas remained a threat.
"The KNU can still be a threat to the government," senior intelligence
official Colonel Kyaw Thein told a monthly news conference.
He said Burmese troops which have been involved in more than 100 border
battles since February will remain at the border as long as necessary to
fight the last major ethnic group yet to sign a ceasefire agreement with
Rangoon.
Mahn Sha said although the KNU had previously confined its operations
mostly to the border, if Burmese troops persisted the KNU would move further
inside the country and would step up attacks on Burmese communications and
supply lines.
Burma's ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) is
worried about increased terrorism attacks by the KNU, officials said on
Tuesday, citing a bomb attack on a Buddhist shrine in Rangoon on December 25
for which the guerrillas were blamed.
Increased troop movement in the capital and barricades on the streets at
night are signs they fear attacks, diplomats said.
Kyaw Thein said the heightened security was in part because of the
number of troops who are in Rangoon ahead of the March 27 Armed Forces
Celebration.
Burmese troops sacked KNU mobile bases in the eastern part of the
country last month in attacks which sent thousands of refugees and
guerrillas scurrying for shelter into Thailand.
Kyaw Thein said a total of 115 skirmishes had taken place in two
separate areas along the border, killing nearly 100 KNU and government toops
and wounding 85.
The KNU, formed in 1948, has rejected several peace overtures from
Rangoon. Kyaw Thein said the latest series of attacks in February followed
the failure of a fourth round of peace talks between the two sides in December.
Kyaw Thein said the government was willing to hold further
peace talks with the KNU.
"The situation right now depends on the KNU, whether they
genuinely wish for peace," he said.
"If they wish for peace then the door is always open. But...the
government has clearly stated some terms for them. If they are willing to
accept the terms the government has laid down then we will be able to
continue peace talks."
Kyaw Thein said the stumbling blocks in the previous rounds of talks
centered on the wording on "renouncing armed struggle and returning to the
legal fold".
The other 15 ethnic groups which have signed ceasefire deals with the
Rangoon government have not given up their arms, but have agreed not to wage
armed struggle, he said.
Mahn Sha said the KNU also wanted to leave the "window open"
for a chance to hold peace talks with the government.
************************
THE NATION: US STANDS FIRM ON KAREN ISSUE
March 4, 1997
Yindee Lertcharoenchok
THE United States Embassy yesterday said the US government stands by
statements made here and in Washington that criticised the Thai Army's
forced repatriation of about 900 Karen refugees to Burma last week.
Although an embassy spokesman declined to comment on a Sunday press report
that a senior embassy diplomat had apologised to Gen Chettha Thanajaro for
the US Embassy's strong criticism of his order for the deportations, he
said, ''We stand by the statements made [in Washington and Bangkok]."
Despite Chettha's insistence that the Army's Ninth Division did not
forcibly push refugees in Kanchanaburi back into Burma via Ratchaburi's Suan
Phung district, US State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said on
Thursday that the US is deeply concerned with the forced repatriation of
Karen civilians, some of them boys as young as 10 years old.
Burns urged Thailand ''not to abandon its historical commitment to the
humanitarian treatment of victims of conflict in Burma". He called on Thai
authorities to end the forced return of Karen refugees immediately and to
recommence provision of asylum until conditions inside Burma permit their
safe and voluntary return.
Chettha was reportedly most upset with a strongly-worded embassy letter
sent to him on Friday by Charge d'Affaires Ralph Boyce, which criticised him
for giving the order for the return of the Karen. He said he would not
comment on others' criticism, but expressed keen disappointment at having a
peaceful repatriation misinterpreted as deportation.
The Army commander-in-chief and other top military brass, including Ninth
Division Commander Maj Gen Thaweep Suwannasingh, have insisted that the
refugees ''volunteered to return to a safe area in Burma".
Referring to an earlier Chettha statement that Thailand will continue to
provide sanctuary to refugees fleeing Burma, the US Embassy spokesman, who
asked not to be named, said the US had welcomed the reconfirmation of
Thailand's ''traditional humanitarian policy".
Although the general had supposedly called off the relocation and
repatriation of Karen refugees after vocal international dissent, relief
workers said the Ninth Division yesterday sent trucks to Pu Nam Rawn in
Kanchanaburi to move more than 2,300 refugees mainly women, children and
the elderly from the refugee camp.
They said the refugees had, until yesterday evening, refused to board the
trucks, fearing the Army would transport them to Ratchaburi and march them
across the border, like the earlier group.
The workers said Ninth Division officers did not clarify where the refugees
were headed whether to a safer location deeper into Kanchanaburi, or to
the Ratchaburi border for forced repatriation.
The refugees at Pu Nam Rawn, who are living under makeshift plastic sheets
and receiving basic health care from the provincial health care unit, had
earlier complained that the site is located within striking distance of
Burmese troops. Thai paratroopers and Burmese forces clashed close to the
camp twice last Thursday.
Meanwhile, a number of Bangkok-based human rights and relief organisations
will embark on a fact-finding trip to Pu Nam Rawn today. A human rights
activist yesterday said organisers have invited several MPs from the House
committees on human rights and foreign affairs to join the tour. Democrat
Suwarot Palang, spokesman of the committee on human rights, will be among
those on the trip. (TN)
******************************************************
BKK POST: UNHCR TO HOLD TALKS WITH NSC
March 4, 1997
Clarification on refugees sought
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) hopes to gain a
clear picture of the situation on the Thai-Burmese border from the National
Security Council tomorrow, after reports that Thailand forced Burmese
refugees to return to Burma last week.
Amelia Bonifacio, representative of the UNHCR to Thailand, made the
disclosure to reporters after a 45-minute talk with Foreign Minister
Prachuab Chaiyasarn yesterday.
"Thailand has demonstrated humanitarian [care] for Indochinese refugees for
over 20 years and because of this, we have sought clarification from the
NSC," Ms Bonifacio said.
"It is difficult for us to believe this would be happening."
The Thai government had adhered to the international principle of providing
first asylum to refugees who asked for asylum, she said.
"The minister confirmed Thai people have real concern for refugees," she said.
The UNHCR did not assist the refugees along the Thai-Burmese border
because there were enough non-government organisations giving food,
temporary housing and medical aid, she said.
The aid situation was under control with NGOs working under the Burmese
Border Consortium, she said.
The UNHCR will provide assistance "when the Thai government and the NGOs
cannot help these refugees," she added.
Deputy Director-General for Information Thinnakorn Kanasutra quoted Mr
Prachuab as saying that he was upset to hear Thailand had not acted on a
humanitarian basis despite the asylum it had provided for Indochinese for
two decades.
"The UNHCR did not ask to take care of the Burmese refugees on Thai soil
but it will monitor the situation and inform the international community,"
Mr Thinnakorn added.
Discussions yesterday also touched on plans to hold a closing ceremony to
mark the end of the Indochinese refugee problem in July.
A working group might be set up to prepare the ceremony, a spokesman said.(BP)
******************************************************
BKK POST: ARMY CHIEF OPTIMISTIC ABOUT TALKS
March 4, 1997
Army Chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro is optimistic that today's meeting of the
Thai-Burma border committee in Tak's Mae Sot district will help clear
misunderstanding between the two sides and allow the construction of the
suspended friendship bridge to resume.
Gen Chettha, 58, made the remark after chairing a special technical
committee formed last week after he met Burmese Army Commander Gen Maung Aye
at Thachilek, opposite Chiang Rai's Mae Sai border town.
The committee was formed with the purpose to settle disputes with Burma
over the alleged encroachment of the Moei River on the Thai side, which led
to the suspension of the construction of the bridge in early 1995.
Gen Chettha said both sides had agreed to use a map and aerial photos from
1989 as a model during today's meeting whose result could help break an
impasse causing the delay of the bridge's construction.
"We have exchanged ideas so that we could be more cautious. The committee's
members should have clear understanding of the issue regarding the border
treaty," said the army commander.
Gen Chettha said he was hopeful that the suspended construction could
resume after committee members held their meeting today.
"I think that the problem could be settled within ten minutes," said Gen
Chettha adding that it was also Burma's desire to see the dispute resolved.(BP)
******************************************************
AP: BURMA SAYS U.S. DRUG CHARGES UNTRUE
March 4, 1997
RANGOON, Burma (AP) _ Burmese authorities on Tuesday decried as
untrue a U.S. State Department report accusing Burma of failing to
cooperate in the war against illegal narcotics.
Burma was one of six countries listed Friday by President Clinton as
major drug source or drug transit countries whose governments are failing to
cooperate in the war against the illicit trade. The decision to
``decertify'' such countries makes them ineligible for some economic aid.
A member of the Burmese government information committee said at
its official monthly news conference Tuesday that the U.S. decision
was aimed at discrediting Burma.
``We are cooperating as much as we can with any country,'' said Col. Kyaw
Thein, also a member of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control.
Speaking ``as an official who is dedicated to the fight against
illegal drugs,'' he said, ``the report is absolutely untrue.''
Kyaw Thein noted that the U.S. decision to certify Mexico as a country
cooperating in fighting narcotics had been called into question by a number
of critics, indicating that ``the U.S. government's system of acquiring
information seems to be wrong.''
Referring to the arrest last month of Mexico's former drug czar on drug
trafficking charges, Kyaw Thein said Washington had ``lauded the person who
had in fact assisted the drug kingpin in Mexico.'' Washington originally had
praised his appointment, and his arrest took U.S. officials by surprise.
The decisions to certify or decertify are based in part on material
gathered for the State Department's annual International Narcotics Control
Strategy Report.
This year's report, released simultaneously last Friday with Clinton's
certification decisions, said Burma is ``the world's largest source of
illicit opium and, potentially, heroin, as opium cultivation and production
in 1996 increased to near record levels.''
It described Burma as the main overall source for heroin sold in the
United States and said that while Burma had made limited improvements in its
counter narcotics efforts, ``these efforts fell far short of what is needed
to cope with Burma's burgeoning drug trade.''
``Burma's antidrug efforts suffer from a lack of resources as
well as the lack of a strong and consistent commitment,'' it said.
At a press briefing in Washington Friday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of
State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Robert Gelbard
charged that ``in Burma, opium cultivation and heroin trafficking go on
without any meaningful constraint by the authorities.''
The State Department report said that there is no evidence the Burmese
government, on an institutional level, is involved in the drug trade.
Gelbard charged, however, that ``drug traffickers have become the leading
investors in Burma's new market economy and leading lights in Burma's new
political order.''
The U.S. government has been highly critical of the military regime for
its human right abuses and failure to turn over power to a democratically
elected administration.
The other countries named by the United States as failing to cooperate in
the war against drugs were Colombia, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Syria and Iran.
Three other decertified countries - Belize, Lebanon and Pakistan - were
granted national security waivers so they remain eligible for aid.
*************************
THAILAND TIMES: COLLATERAL DAMAGE
(abridged)
March 4, 1997
by Seri Klinchan Assawin Pinitwong
RATCHABURI/TAK : The Karen National Union has carpeted areas they
are retreating form with land-mines inadvertently killing and
maiming ethnic minorities who have been forced to work as porters
for advancing Slorc troops, according to a Thai military source
near the Burmese border.
The high-ranking source who requested anonymity said the KNU, in a desperate
attempt to slow a massive government offensive against rebel controlled
territory, left a trail of land-mines as the Karen ethnic minority forces
retreated from their Minthamee stronghold in southern Burma.
The source said among the victims of the land-mines are Karen and
Mon peoples who have been conscripted against their will to carry
supplies and to act as guides in the heavily forested region.
Aung Myo Min, spokesman for the All Burmese Students Democratic Front, said
the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc)
has brutally enslaved some 5,000 men and boys, aged as young as
13 and as old as 60, to support Slorc forces on the frontline.
According to the spokesman, most of the men have been snatched
form villages and market places in Belin, Thaton, Paung, Mudon,
Thanbyuzayat and Ye, Porters have also been forcibly recruited
from several towns in Mon state, Aung Myo Min said.
The Slorc has sent elite troops trained in China form the 54th
and the 55th battalions to crack-down on the last ethnic minority
waging a violent campaign against the Burmese junta.
********************
PRESS RELEASE:THAI MISSION LEAVES FOR BORDER
March 4, 1997
Bangkok, Tues. - Spurred by grave concerns over the safety of a
fresh wave of refugees from Burma fleeing to the border, a team of
Thai human rights activists and academics left on a fact-finding
mission to the provinces of Kanchanaburi and Ratchburi early this
morning.
At least 10,000 new refugees from Karen ethnic areas have sought
asylum in Thailand as result of the recent onslaught launched by
Burma's State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) army nd the
Slorc-organized Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) against the
Karen National Union (KNU).
Ongoing reports of the situation received from the media and other
organizations have generated grave concern domestically and
internationally over the safety and well-being of the refugees.
The Coordinating Committee of Human Rights Organizations in
Thailand (CCHROT) and the Thai Action Committee for Democracy in
Burma (TACDB) have jointly organized the fact-finding team in
response to these concerns.
The mission will make a statement to the media upon their return at
a press conference, details as follows:
Date : Wednesday, March 5
Time : 3 p.m.
Venue: Lumphini Room, Imperial Hotel, Wireless Rd, Bangkok
Proceedings will be conducted in both English and Thai.
***********************
IUF ASIA/PACIFIC REGIONAL CONFERENCE
February 26, 1997
The 9th IUF Asia/Pacific Regional Conference, held in Hong Kong from
February 19 to 21, 1997, was a historic event in many ways. It was an
occasion to express our solidarity with the Hong Kong independent labour
movement as it prepares itself to function under the rule of China, in
about 150 days' time; i.e. under an authority that does not respect the rule
of law, the principle of freedom of association, human rights and civil
liberties.
It was also an occasion to affirm our solidarity with the Korean
Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) which had through massive
mobilisation just stopped the Government in its track for trying to
railroad through Parliament anti-union legislations on December 26, 1996.
Conference participants also had the opportunity of listening to
presentations given by Maung Maung, General Secretary of the Federation
of Trade Unions - Burma (FTUB) and speakers from the independent trade
union centre in Indonesia (SBSI) and various speakers from the
pro-democracy and workers' rights movements in Hong Kong and China.
The conference was attended by 73 participants (delegates and observers)
from 38 trade unions in 13 countries in the Asia/Pacific region,
altogether representing over 83 % of the dues-paying membership of the
IUF in the region which consists of almost 300,000 members.
The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant,
Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) is an
international trade union federation composed of 327 trade unions in 108
countries representing a combined membership of over 2.6 million
members. It is based in Geneva, Switzerland. The Asia/Pacific regional
organisation of the IUF consists of over 80 trade unions in 17 countries.
As well as the resolution on Burma, resolutions were adopted on Hong
Kong, China, Korea, Indonesia, Coca Cola in Sri Lanka, the Global Labour
Institute (GLI) Foundation, in appreciation of the retiring IUF General
Secretary, Dan Gallin and in defence of trade union and other human rights.
More information can be obtained from the IUF Asia/Pacific Regional
Secretariat at the following address:
Ma Wei Pin, Regional Secretary
IUF-Asia/Pacific, Rm. 5, Lvl. 8
Labor Council Building
377-383 Sussex Street
Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Tel: 61 - 2 - 9264 6409
Fax: 61 - 2 - 9261 8539
e-mail: <iufasia@xxxxxxxxxxx>
RESOLUTION: BURMA
The 9th IUF Asia/Pacific Regional Conference, held in Hong Kong from
February 19 to 21, 1997:
· NOTES WITH GRAVE CONCERN that the SLORC has taken no steps to prevent the
continuing human rights violations in Burma, and has instead increased its
suppression of the unrelenting pro-democracy movement inside Burma;
· NOTES WITH ALARM that, as a result, the human rights situation in
Burma has deteriorated over the last year, with mass arrests of members
and supporters of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in May and
December 1996, and military and para-military attacks against peaceful
demonstrators;
· NOTES WITH GRAVE CONCERN that the leader of the NLD, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
is being prevented from holding any public meetings, that her freedom of
movement is being curtailed, and that incidents have taken place which
indicate her life is under threat;
· CONDEMNS the attack by SLORC and the SLORC initiated Democratic Karen
Buddhist Army against Burmese refugee camps in Thailand at Mae Sot, Mae
Ramat and Tha Song Yang which has left around 10,000 people homeless and
many more refugees in Thailand in fear of their lives;
· CONDEMNS the renewed offensive by SLORC against Karens living inside
Burma, such as the recent attacks around the Shoklee village areas and in
Ngapyataw, noting that this offensive is directed at the KNU for
refusing to give in to SLORC's demands and as a warning to other ethnic
groups for their participation in a recent Ethnic Forum which expressed
opposition to the SLORC's National Convention;
· WELCOMES the decisions by Carlsberg, Heineken, PepsiCo and other
companies that have pulled out of Burma in protest at the human rights
situation there;
· CALLS on the IUF and its affiliates, in collaboration with other
like-minded organisations, to pressure companies which continue to
invest in Burma to follow this example and withdraw completely; and to
pressure governments to stop aid to the regime until democracy is
restored in Burma;
· CALLS on the IUF and its affiliates, in collaboration with other
like-minded organisations, to continue a tourism boycott of Burma,
especially during the SLORC inspired "Visit Myanmar Year 1997", and
particularly while there are continuing reports that forced labour is
being used on tourism infrastructure.
· CALLS on the SLORC military regime to immediately and unconditionally
release all those persons detained on the attached list who are either NLD
elected Members of Parliament, NLD members and supporters, or other
pro-democracy supporters who have been arrested for their peaceful protests
against the SLORC regime;
· CALLS on the SLORC military regime to cease its attacks on unarmed
civilians, and especially those who have sought refuge inside Thailand;
· CALLS on the SLORC military regime to immediately prevent all forms of
forced labour within Burma.
*******************