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The BurmaNet News, May 12, 1997
- Subject: The BurmaNet News, May 12, 1997
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 19:12:00
------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------
The BurmaNet News: May 12, 1997
Issue #718
HEADLINES:
==========
BURMANET: REQUEST FOR PRIVATE MESSAGES TO STAY PRIVATE
BURMANET: NEW SUBSCRIPTION POLICY
AFP: UN ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL MEETS BURMESE
MUL PRESS RELEASE: SLORC INTRUSION INTO REFUGEE CAMP
BORDER SOURCE: REFUGEE SITUATION UPDATE
AFP:BURMESE "FAMINE" PROMPTS 5,000 REFUGEES TO FLEE
KNU: INNOCENT CIVILIANS TORTURED BY SLORC
REUTER: THOUSANDS OF KAREN REFUGEES LEAVE THAI
AFP: NORTH KOREA SIDES WITH ASEAN OVER US SANCTIONS
REUTER: POLITICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS TARGET
L'EVENEMENT DU JEUDI: THE BURMA BOYCOTTS
L'EVENEMENT DU JEUDI: OUR INDIGNATION
THAILAND TIMES: KIDNEY TRANSPLANT PERFORMED
ANNOUNCEMENT: BURMESE REFUGEE CARE PROJECT WEB
ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW ENGLAND BURMA ROUNDTABLE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BURMANET: REQUEST FOR PRIVATE MESSAGES TO STAY PRIVATE
May 11, 1997
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BURMANET: NEW SUBSCRIPTION POLICY
May 11, 1997
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AFP: UN ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL MEETS BURMESE
OFFICIALS, OPPOSITION
May 10, 1997
RANGOON, May 10 (AFP) - A senior Burmese junta member met UN
assistant secretary general for political affairs Alavaro de Soto on Saturday
following his discussions with the opposition, official sources said.
De Soto wrapped up his four-day official visit by meeting the junta's first
secretary and military intelligence chief Khin Nyunt Saturday morning, the
sources said.
The UN official Friday met Aung San Suu Kyi, head of the National
League for Democracy (NLD), which swept 1990 elections to a parliament
never convened by the junta, and her executive committee, party
sources said. No information was available on the content of the
discussions.
On Friday, De Soto met with Htun Oo, chairman the ethnic Shan
Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), an unrelated political party
which also won seats in the election.
Htun Oo told AFP they had a very fruitful and interesting discussion, in
which SNLD executives had a chance to brief the UN official on the
prevailing situation and the position of the ethnic minorities.
Informed sources said a document passed to De Soto and representing the
views of the elected representatives of ethnic minorities in Burma called
for a tripartite dialogue among democratic, ethnic and military forces.
The goal of the dialogue should be a democratic and federal union,
according to a copy of the document obtained by AFP.
The document rejected the National Convention set up by the military's
ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) to draft a new
constitution. "At the convention only 15 percent of elected members were
included and the rest were hand-picked," it said.
The Nationalities' demands for democracy and self-determination under a
federation were ingnored, while the military presented guidelines
preserving for itself a leading political role in future state affairs.
The military was trying to control state and executive powers from the
central all the way down to the township level, and those few political
parties which had not been declared illegal were prevented from carrying
out political activities, the document said.
De Soto also met Rangoon-based diplomats, Burmese Foreign Minister
Ohn Gyaw, Chief Justice Aung Toe and other members of the National
Convention convening commission.
Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD withdrew from the convention after a percentage
of seats in any future parliament was reserved for the military, saying it
was useless to attempt to influence official drafts through the process.
*********************************************
MUL PRESS RELEASE: SLORC INTRUSION INTO REFUGEE CAMP
May 12, 1997
M O N U N I T Y L E A G U E
SLORC'S MILITARY TROOPS INTRUDE INTO MON REFUGEE
CAMP (HALOCKHANEE) AND THE SITUATION OF REFUGEES IN
MERGUI REGION, SOUTHERN BURMA
About 200 armed troops from the SLORC's No. 106 Infantry Battalion led
by Major San Lwin have intruded into Mon Refugee Camp (Halockhnee)
on the 10 May 1997. The camp is situated about 60 kilometers southwest
of Sangkhlaburi district, Kanchanaburi province, Thailand. It was once
attacked by the SLORC's military troops in July 1994 and the makeshift
huts and refugee's belongings were burnt down while ASEAN ministers
were holding a meeting in Bangkok.
This time the refugees are extremely frightened by the sudden arrival of
SLORC's armed troops into the camp and their occupation of the refugees'
rice store. These refugees were formerly oppressed by the SLORC's
military troops when they were living in their native villages inside Burma,
which caused them to flee Burma and use the Thai border as a haven.
Unfortunately, they were not accepted by the Thai authorities as refugees
and who forced them to leave Thai soil.
Following a variety of pressures by the Thai and Burmese authorities, the
New Mon State Party, NMSP, had to agree to a ceasefire with the SLORC
on 29 June 1995. One of the conditions in the gentlemens' agreement
between SLORC and NMSP was that SLORC's military troops would not
enter into the Mon refugee camps. However, in practice, SLORC is still
carrying n its aggressive action and human rights violations in Mon State,
without regard for the ceasefire agreement and protests from the NMSP.
Due to growing dissatisfaction with the ceasefire agreement, a faction in
Merguie region, southern Burma, known as the Mon Army, has split from
the NMSP and no longer abides by the terms of the agreement. Fighting
resumed immediately after the Mon Army's separation from the NMSP in
late 1996.
Following the military attacks by the SLORC's troops Infantry Battalion
No. 262, No. 358, and No. 324 commanded by Col. Aung Khin from 13 to
27 April 1997 in Mergui region, more than 2,500 Mon people including 21
Buddhist monks have become homeless, scattered in the jungle and facing
food shortages. SLORC's military troops set two Mon villages with
schools and monasteries on fire on 27 April 1997. Meanwhile, on the
other side of the border, the Thai authorities have blocked all kinds of
communication to the refugees and destroyed the road linked to that area.
Mon refugees in Mergui region, opposite Prachuab Khirikharn province of
Thailand, are now facing gross hardship, having their homes and
belongings burnt, and shortages of food, medicine, and clothing.
At the same time the refugees in the Halockhanee camp, opposite
Sangkhlaburi district, Kanchanaburi province, have become hostages held
under gun point and vulnerable to attack by the SLORC's military troops at
any time.
****************************************************
BORDER SOURCE: REFUGEE SITUATION UPDATE
May 12, 1997
KANCHANABURI PROVINCE
Thu Ka
After the assault on the area surrounding Thu Ka refugee camp and the
exodus of refugees to Thailand on 12.4.97, the SLORC troops have now
retreated to Taung Chang (Taw Klo), Htee Kler Hta and Kho Chaung.
These three sites are very close to the old Thu Ka area. There is a car road
running between Htee Kler Hta, Kho Chaung and Thu Ka. The refugees,
now on the Thai side of the border, see this as a tactic of the SLORC to
convince them to return to their villages. Many fear that by spreading the
news that the SLORC troops are no longer in the Thu Ka area, the Thai
authorities could attempt to repatriate them as soon as possible.
Tired of being shifted around and hesitant to move to the unknown site at
Maw Raka, some distance away, many former refugees from Thu Ka have
disappeared. There are only around 900 people remaining.
Pu Muang
The population now stands at 2,469. Conditions remain the same as
previously reported, the residents are still sheltering under plastic,
although many have built simple, low, bamboo platforms to raise
themselves off the ground. The plastic sheeting is now frayed due to the
combined action of the sun and the wind. Heavier grade plastic sheeting
for the whole camp was supplied by 8.5.97. Cooking oil has also been
supplied to the camp, with a ration of 1 liter per person per month.
The main concern of the refugees remains their uncertainty over whether
they will be moved to a new site. The biggest benefit of being moved to the
new site at Htam Hin, along with two other camps, would be to unite
divided families. Since the rains will start as early as the end of May, the
camp committee sees it as important to have a clear decision regarding
their future as soon as possible. Refugees are not allowed out of the camp
and vendors are not allowed in, therefore the residents are unable to
purchase vegetables or other small comforts. All lights must be out by 9pm
every night.
RATCHABURI PROVINCE
Huay Sut
The population has remained stable during the 10 days. The residents'
main concerns are the same as at Pu Muang, i.e. the deteriorating plastic
sheeting used as roofing, the imminent onset of the early rains, and the
uncertainties of the expected move to the new site at Htam Hin. As at Pu
Muange, the refugee committee would like to start to plan some form of
education for the children in the camp but the possibility of a move in the
near future makes advance planning difficult. Normally children would
resume school at the beginning of June, after the summer break.
The diarrhoea outbreak has abated and now the main medical problem is
malaria. Most of the cases are Falciparum malaria, in the last week three
deaths due to cerebral malaria have been reported. The intense heat sitting
under the plastic sheeting undoubtedly contributed to the rapid dehydration
of young children suffering malaria.
Heavier grade plastic will be brought in by next week. As at Pu Muang the
refugees here also receive cooking oil to make their yellow beans ration
more palatable.
Within the last week four new families have arrived from Kwee Waw
Wah. These people were cut off on the western bank of the river by
advancing SLORC troops and have only now made their way to the border.
Ban Bo Wi
The situation at this camp remains the same as during the writing of the
last report. On 10.5.97 45 new families arrived from Bu Thaw Plaw, Si
Praw Hta, and Toh Teh Tah, all belonging to Ler Mu Lah township. This
morning (12.5.97), another 7 families arrived in the camp, and there are
said to be some 300 more displaced persons near the border who have not
yet entered the camp. Some of the people who left earlier to return to
Burma have re-entered the camp. The population of the camp is estimated
at around 2,400
PRACHUAB KIRI KHAN PROVINCE
Htee Yaw Kee
The population at this site is now 936, with 690 on the Thai side of the
border and the remaining 246 still on the Burma side. Those on the Thai
side reside near the place known as Suan Thanon, though both places are
now referred to by the Karen as Htee Yaw Kee camp. The Thai authorities
officially claim that no refugees are in the area, and therefore NGO visits
are discouraged. SLORC troops of the Infantry Battalion 103, 44th
Division, are said to be only 2 days from the site.
There is still no medical assistance available to this considerable
population which is said to include 27 pregnant women and 10
handicapped persons.
Mu Kho Paw
The SLORC battalions IB 101 and LIB 224, both of the 44th Divison,
attacked the Mon base Chaung Chi, near Mu Kho Paw, on 27.4.97. The
base was overrun and about 784 Mon refugees fled over the border to
Thailand. They are now located about 1 kilometer from the border, near
the Thai village of Huay Kai Tor. Nine truckloads of SLORC trucks are
said to have arrived at the former Muslim base camp ready to attack the
only remaining Mon camp at Huay Pak.
In the same vicinity, on the Burmese side of the border, the ABSDF 8888
camp and the Karen Muslim camp were formerly located. These fell to the
SLORC on 21.4.97 and 22.4.97. Due to difficulties of access, it is not clear
how many people were displaced to the Thai side from these two groups.
There are reportedly about 167 Karen at Mu Kho Paw camp as of the date
of this report. It is still not possible for NGOs to get permission to deliver
assistance to this place.
CHUMPHON PROVINCE
Kho Theh Loo
The population now stands at 278 refugees on the Thai side of the border.
It is not clear how long the Thai authorities will allow them to stay before
they are asked to go back to the Burmese side of the border. Access has
been good for NGO assistance and relations with the Royal Thai 4th Army
are said to be good.
Kho Thet Loo is located between Chumphon and Thap Satae.
*****************************************************
AFP:BURMESE "FAMINE" PROMPTS 5,000 REFUGEES TO FLEE TO
BANGLADESH: REPORT
May 10, 1997
DHAKA, May 10 (AFP) - Five thousand Burmese Moslem refugees have
crossed into Bangladesh in the past few days fleeing famine in western
Burma, a report here said Saturday.
The Moslem Rohingya refugees defied tight border security to
enter the country because of a "famine" situation in Burma's Arakan state,
the Bhorer Kagoj daily said.
However, the Bangladeshi military, which maintains a heavy
presence on the Burmese border, said the report was baseless.
"The Burmese have mined the border and it is not so easy to cross
over with heavy patrols on our side." Colonel Wali Ullah, commander of
the paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) in southeastern Cox's Bazar
district told AFP.
"Let them (newspapers) produce 100 to prove they are right," he
said, adding that several families who had tried to enter Bangladesh for
economic reasons were immediately deported.
Other Burmese refugees detained over the past few weeks had also
been deported, he said.
Ullah said troops were checking all incoming boats on the Naaf
river on the border and residents had been warned against sheltering
foreigners.
A 30-year-old Burmese man died in a mine explosion Friday on the
border, he said. Two others were also killed in earlier explosions.
The reports of a new refugee influx came amid continuing
repatriation of Rohingyas who fled their homes in 1992 alleging
prosecution by Burmese troops. Rangoon has denied the charges.
Of the 250,000 refugees, 21,800 are still in the process of
returning home.
A source with links to the World Bank said in Dhaka recently that
a recent study made it clear that economic reasons were behind attempts by
refugees to enter Bangladesh.
Aid agencies have poured in millions of dollars to feed Rohingyas
still awaiting repatriation under UNHCR supervision.
*****************************************
KNU: INNOCENT CIVILIANS TORTURED BY SLORC
May 9, 1997
Thaton district, Karen State
On May2, 1997, SLORC LIB 230 intelligent officer Tin Ngwe, arbitrarily
arrested Mayaing Kone villager Saw Maung Kyaw and severely beat him.
On the same day he arrested another two villagers, Myint Kyaw Eh and
Tee Pa Kya, age44, and took them to the LIB 230 commander major Thet
Win at Noke ka Toke military camp. On May 3,1997 the intelligence
officer Tin Ngwe again arrested another villager, Tee Pa Ler. He ordered
the villagers to dig a pit and he forced Tee Pa Ler to lie down in the pit.
Then he shot and wounded the poor villager in the pit. When the poor man
struggled for life, he ordered the villagers to cover the pit to bury the poor
villager alive. While he did this, he forced the whole village to come and
see it. He took the remaining two villagers, Myint Kyaw Eh and Tee Pa
Kya and stabbed them and wounded them. Then he tied them and dragged
them on the ground in the village all day for all the villagers in the village
to see. These two villagers were not released yet.
KNU Information Center
********************************************
REUTER: THOUSANDS OF KAREN REFUGEES LEAVE THAI
CAMPS
May 9, 1997
UMPHANG, Thailand, May 9 (Reuter) - Thousands of Karen refugees who
fled from fighting in Burma have disappeared from camps in Thailand,
and officials say they have either returned home or slipped away to work in
Thai cities.
A Thai army source said thousands of Karen refugees living in the
sprawling camps in Mae Sot and Song Yang districts in Tak province had
left.
``The young men and women have escaped from the camps to find work in
the big cities,'' the army source said.
He said a Thai government move to allow Asian workers, especially from
Burma, to work legally in 43 of Thailand's provinces had encouraged the
refugees to escape from the camps and seek work.
``Only old people and young children are in the camps at the moment --
the young and strong people have gone,'' the source said.
At least 15,000 Karen refugees have disappeared from the camps, he said.
A further 1,500 refugees who fled from a Burmese government offensive
against Karen rebels earlier this year went back home to Azin and Jaidong
villages in Moulmien, Burma, on their own accord in April, a refugee
official said.
An additional 1,200 have informed refugee officials that they are willing to
return to Burma.
``We will begin to repatriate these people back to their villages from May
20,'' U Zaw Hlae, deputy chief of Nu Po refugees camp, told Reuters.
About 11,000 refugees now live in Nu Po camp, many of whom may decide
to return home later, Zaw Hlae said.
About 100,000 Karen refugees, including followers of the Karen National
Union (KNU) guerrilla group, have lived in camps in Thailand since they
began fleeing fighting in Burma in 1984.
The refugees have been a target of attacks by a rival Karen group since
1995 when a Buddhist faction of the predominantly-Christian KNU
defected to Burmese troops and began to fight against the KNU.
The KNU, which was formed in 1948, is the last major rebel organisation
still fighting against Burma's military government.
So far 15 rebel group have reached ceasefire agreements with Burma's
government.
*************************************************
AFP: NORTH KOREA SIDES WITH ASEAN OVER US BURMA
SANCTIONS
May 9, 1997 (abridged)
SEOUL, May 9 (AFP) - North Korea has sided with the Association
of South East Asian nations (ASEAN) in opposing a US ban on investment
in
Burma, according to a dispatch monitored here Friday.
"Sanctions and pressure cannot be a solution," the North's Korean Central
News Agency (KCNA) quoted a foreign ministry spokesman in Pyongyang
as
saying.
"We consider that the ASEAN nations' position supporting Myanmar's
(Burma's) ASEAN membership reflects their independent determination to
reject other's interference and solve their problem by themselves," the
spokesman said.
***************************************
REUTER: POLITICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS TARGET
TEXACO
May 9, 1997
NEW YORK, May 9 (Reuter) - Environmental groups, Burmese political
activists and the Reverend Jesse Jackson's Rainbow-Push Coalition plan to
descend on Texaco Inc's annual shareholder meeting in Rye Brook, N.Y.,
on May 13.
The Westchester People's Action Coalition, New York Student
Environmental Coalition and Wetlands Environmental and Social Justice
Centre said that they will organize a protest outside the meeting.
The Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility, a church shareholder
activist organisation, will address the shareholder meeting.
The environmental activists said they are targeting Texaco's environmental
record in Ecuador.
A legal case against the company was rejected by a New York State
Federal Court in White Plains and a motion for reconsideration is under
appeal following a submission to the courts by the Ecuadorean
government.
Texaco has until May 12 to make a response in the case which seeks $800
million to $1.0 billion from the oil major for allegedly polluting rivers and
land and displacing Amazon Indians.
The Free Burma Coalition, a student organization, will also be represented
at the annual meeting to protest Texaco's participation in Yetagun gas field
in the Andaman Sea, some 125 miles off the Burmese coast, in which it
holds a 42.9 percent stake.
Activists charge that U.S. companies which invest in Burma are
prolonging the life of the country's military government.
Father Joe LaMar of the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibilty said
that Texaco could avoid the opprobrium which has attached to another
U.S. oil company involved in Burma, Unocal Corp, by pulling out now.
"They indicated to us that they were not necessarily committed to Burma.
They can get out with a profit now," LaMar said.
Last year, Texaco shareholders rejected calls to pull out of Burma at the
annual meeting by a large majority.
Since then, the U.S. has imposed economic sanctions on new investment in
Burma and New York City and some public sector and state pension funds
have indicated they are considering divesting stakes in companies which
invest there.
Texaco has always said it will abide by U.S. law in its dealings in Burma.
Jesse Jackson is also expected to attend the annual meeting to protest
against Texaco's treatment of black employees, other groups said.
His office could not be reached for comment.
Texaco has been a target for Rainbow-Push since the company lost a racial
discrimination lawsuit last year. Texaco settled a suit brought by black
employees last year for $176.1 million but faces a new race suit in a
Manhattan federal court.
***************************************************
L'EVENEMENT DU JEUDI: THE BURMA BOYCOTTS START TO
PAY OFF
May 8-14, 1997 (in France)
by Patrice Piquard
Notwithstanding the boasting and buffoonery of the Burmese junta which
after the ban on new American investment in Burma declared that it was
"sorry, but all deals go to firms from countries with coherent foreign
policies", Burma is very sick. Inflation has topped 30%; the price of rice
has doubled in a year; foreign exchange reserves have dropped to their
lowest level since 1988, the year the military seized power; exports are
down and the national debt has already reached 8 billion francs. The
diagnosis of the IMF is that Burma must devalue its currency by 99% and
initiate long-awaited structural reforms. Behind the dictators' seeming
confidence lies an economy in tatters, held together only by drug
trafficking and the black market, which are largely controlled by the
authorities. Despite rosy official figures, foreign investment is declining
outside the oil and gas sector (where Total plays the leading role) and
tourism. But hotel construction will pay the price of the failure of the
"Year of Tourism", since only the French and Italians are visiting Burma
without a twinge of conscience. In other sectors, the primitive
infrastructure and fear of boycotts deter punters from touching the Burmese
market. The advice of the resistant Aung San Suu Kyi not to invest in
Burma has led thirty American cities and states to refuse contracts to firms
which have a presence in Rangoon. To these official boycotts (against
which the European Union has threatened to file a complaint at the World
Trade Organisation) must be added the informal boycotts of human rights
organisations. We must therefore conclude that if the Europeans, especially
the French, began a boycott of Total, the pressure on the junta would
become irresistible.
(unofficial translation by dawn star <cd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
********************************************
L'EVENEMENT DU JEUDI: OUR INDIGNATION MUST BE
EXPRESSED
May 8-14, 1997 (in France)
by Stefane Hessel
The visit to Paris by the leaders of the Burmese government in
exile - at the same time, it seems, as members of the military
regime (the SLORC) - brings to mind the human rights
violations in a country which has given Asia an exemplary
Nobel Peace Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, whose calls have not
been echoed as widely as they ought. The 1990 elections,
though agreed to by the junta, were won by the National League
for Democracy. SLORC canceled them, introduced martial law and
placed Aung San Suu Kyi, the party's leader, under house
arrest. Over a period of seven years the authorities have
extended the use of forced labour to the whole of Burma and
crushed the minorities. Of all the countries in the European
Union, France can least afford to remain indifferent to human
rights violations, unless it wishes to lose one of its main
advantages in the international arena. Yet, against the wishes
of Aung San Suu Kyi, Total is continuing with the construction
of a pipeline which crosses a part of Burma from which the
ethnic minorities who lived there have been cleared out by the
SLORC. France also publicises "Visit Myanmar Year", whose
principal beneficiary is the SLORC. It is precisely because of
our economic presence in Burma that our indignation must be
expressed through urgent and firm measures. The SLORC is a
disgrace on account of its denial of democracy and its major
role in narcotics trafficking. By placing ourselves
unambiguously on the side of Aung San Suu Kyi, we would
restore a degree of credibility to the reputation of France.
S.H.
Stefane Hessel is ambassadeur de France and a writer.
(unofficial translation by dawn star <cd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
*****************************************************
THAILAND TIMES: KIDNEY TRANSPLANT PERFORMED IN
BURMA
May 10, 1997
Associated Press
RANGOON : The first successful kidney transplant in Burma was
performed on a 41 year old woman by doctors at Rangoon General
Hospital, the state -run New Light of Myanmar reported yesterday.
Surgeons led by kidney specialist Dr Than Aye conducted the four
hour operation on Thursday. It was shown live on closed -circuit
television to doctors, medical students and government health
officials.
Civil servant Zin Myan Mu, who suffered from chronic kidney
problems, received the organ from her younger sister Yin Mya
Swe.
The two are in stable condition, the newspaper said.
Burmese hospitals are generally poorly-equipped and years behind
from other countries in terms of staff training and technology.
************************************************************
ANNOUNCEMENT: BURMESE REFUGEE CARE PROJECT WEB
PAGE
May 9, 1997
Please take a moment to visit the new web page of the Burmese Refugee
Care Project. The purpose of the site is to tell readers about the work
of Dr. Cynthia Maung, a Burmese physician who has become a "Mother
Theresa" for many of the refugees on the Thai-Burma border. Photos
illustrate some of the public health threats that the refugees face, and
the programs that Dr. Cynthia has created to combat them. A page of links
to other Free Burma and Thai-Burma border web sites is also featured.
Send comments and feedback to Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, MD at
kwangett@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The URL is http://weber.u.washington.edu/~kwangett/burma/
http://www2.gol.com/users/brelief/Index.htm
****************************************************
ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW ENGLAND BURMA ROUNDTABLE
May 9, 1997
Dear Friends and Supporters:
If this is your first mailing from us, welcome! And if you are a regular
receiver, thank you for continuing to support the restoration of democracy
in Burma. We will prevail.
1. May Roundtable Meeting: Tuesday, May 13, 7pm
2. News from New England and Elsewhere
3. T-shirt Sales
4. Burmese Water Festival
5. New York City Poised to Enact Burma Law - Progress in Texas, North
Carolina
6. Action Alert for May
1. May Roundtable Meeting: Tuesday, May 13, 7pm
We will meet at the offices of Franklin Research and Development
Corporation, 4th floor, 711 Atlantic Avenue, Boston (South Station
Redline T stop). Don't give up because of the Central Artery
construction...the building is open. Since parking is almost non-existent,
use public transportation.
Speaker: Shalini Nataraj from the Unitarian Universalist Service
Committee has just returned from visiting the Burma/Thai border and
Burma itself. She'll have lots to tell us about her observations.
2. News from New England and Elsewhere
Connecticut: The state legislature reported its Burma selective purchasing
legislation (HB 6354) out of the Government, Administration and
Elections Committee with a favorable recommendation on March 27. The
legislature ends its 1997 session on Wednesday, June 4. We need all the
help we can get...so if you know anyone in Connecticut, please mail the
enclosed leaflet to them. And feel free to write your own letters of support
to Connecticut legislators and Governor Rowland. Our own Governor
Weld heard from "outsiders" and we know it helped influence him
positively. Call Ann Stewart at Franklin Research at 617-292-8026,
extension 246 to keep abreast of Connecticut happenings.
Quincy (Massachusetts) activists are working on a selective purchasing
ordinance for their city. Please contact Helen Poland at 617-773-0261 or
hpoland@xxxxxxx to offer your services.
3. T-shirt Sales
Burmese students in Massachusetts are selling t-shirts (2 different designs)
to benefit the Democratic Burmese Students Organization (DBSO). T-
shirts are 100% cotton and available in M, L and XL for $12 (plus
mailing). Call Ko Lay or Nima Lay at 617-388-0038 for sales and
information.
4. Burmese Water Festival
The Burmese Water Festival is Saturday, July 19. Mark your calendars
now!
5. New York City Poised to Enact Burma Law - Progress in Texas, North
Carolina
New York City: it's expected that the city council will approve a Burma
selective sanctions ordinance (647A) on Wednesday, May 14 and send it
on to Mayor Rudy Giuliani for his signature. NYC activists are gearing up
to persuade the Mayor to enact the ordinance...The Texas legislature heard
testimony about a proposed Burma selective purchasing bill late last
month. Stay turned for more progress from the south...Colorado's state
senate passed a resolution last week against SLORC...Send us your news
and we'll print it here for all to admire and emulate!
6. Action Alert for May
Write Governor Weld (State House, Boston 02133) and ask him to stand
firm in support of the Massachusetts Burma selective purchasing law
which he signed into law in 1996. Ask him not to cave into European,
Japanese or multinational corporate and government pressure to water
down the bill. He'll be around for several more months before he goes to
Mexico, so please keep writing to him.
Write Attorney General Scott Harshbarger (One Ashburton Place, Boston
02108) and ask him to withstand efforts to amend or repeal the
Massachusetts Burma law.
Please Note
The Massachusetts Burma Roundtable is growing, hence the name change
to New England. If you'd like to participate in the "growing" of your
organization, please call 617-292-8026, extension 246.
Thanks!
To the Burmese community. Your participation (and your delicious
cooking) at the MIT April 26 "No to Dictators" conference continues to
sustain all of us.
Ann Stewart
* for the New England Burma Roundtable*
c/o Franklin Research & Development
711 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 292-8026 x246
(617) 482-6179 fax
interns@xxxxxxxx
****************************************