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Burma activists arrested in Kuala L



Subject: Burma activists arrested in Kuala Lumpur

CONTENTS

1.      CALL TO ACTION
2.      Media Release of arrests
3.      List of those arrested
4.      Text of the memo they tried to deliver

___________________________________________________________
1.      CALL TO ACTION

The following informations is self-explanatory.  Please lodge a protest at
your nearest Malaysian diplomatic mission.  Please remember, if you are
doing this in an Asean member state, to be careful - Burmese activists will
be an easy target for the authorities.

You and your organisation may choose to just fax the closest Malaysian
diplomatic mission and the following contact:

Mr Mohd Arshad M. Hussain 
Under-Secretary, South-East Asia Region
Foreign Ministry of Malaysia
Wisma Putra
Kuala Lumpur

Fax no: ++ 603 2425125, 2424551
(if you're faxing from Thailand, replace 603 with 093)
____________________________________________________________
2.      Media Release of arrests

ALTSEAN-BURMA
A L T E R N A T I V E       A S E A N       N E T W O R K       O N       B
U R M A
tel: 66 2 275 1811, 66 2 693 4515       fax: 66 2 693 4515
<altsean@xxxxxxxxxx>
c/o FORUM-ASIA, 109 SUTHISARNWINICHAI RD, SAMSENNOK, HUAYKWANG, BANGKOK
10320, THAILAND

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	MAY 31, 1997
MEDIA RELEASE
BURMA: ACTIVISTS ARRESTED AT ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING

Bangkok, Saturday - Nine Malaysians were arrested this afternoon for
attempting to deliver a memorandum on Burma to the Asean Foreign Ministers
Meeting at the Regent Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

The activists were obeying police orders to leave the venue when they were
grabbed by police and bundled into a waiting Black Maria at about 12.45 p.m.
local time.
One of those arrested, Ms Elizabeth Wong said the police action stunned the
activists: "We don't understand how this can happen when we were obeying the
police.  Is this a sign that the rest of Asean is going to adopt the ways of
Burma's junta?" asked a perplexed Ms Wong.

Ms Wong explained that two people went to the hotel lobby and were able to
hand a copy of the memo to Singapore Foreign Minister Professor Jayakumar
while the others spoke to media in front of the hotel:"The police surrounded
us and ordered us to leave.  We immediately dispersed but they followed and
grabbed us."

The text of the memorandum signed by Burma Solidarity Group Malaysia
Coordinator Mr. Fan Yew Teng read:

"We hope Your Excellencies will consider the grave concerns of the people of
Asean member states and the international community about the Burma junta's
failure to uphold the rule of law, its role in the drastic increase of
heroin production, its role in perpetuating conditions of instability, its
pathetic economic management and its contempt for international standards of
behaviour including willful violations of national boundaries, as well as
the perpetration of widespread human rights violations against the peoples
of Burma and aggression against its neighbouring countries.

"We strongly support the request of NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi that Asean
engage with her party which won 82% of the seat in the last elections.
Dealing with a junta overwhelmingly rejected by the people of Burma and
isolating the their elected government is an unjust interference in the
internal affairs of that country.  The people of Burma have made their
decision and we respectfully plead with Asean not to crush their vote by
propping up a brutal and irresponsible regime.

"Therefore, we respectfully urge Asean not to reward the junta with Asean
membership but rather, delay membership until substantive dialogue commences
between the regime, the elected government led by the National League for
Democracy (NLD) and the ethnic nationalities of Burma." said the memorandum.

The activists also attempted to deliver the transcript of a video message
from Burma democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to Asean as well as a copy of
the Burma resolution adopted by the Inter-Parliamentary Council at its 160th
session.

It is believed that the activists will be detained until Monday June 2.

ENDS

For more information, contact
Bangkok (66 2) 693 4515 or 275 1881 <altsean@xxxxxxxxxx>
or Kuala Lumpur (603/093) 794 3525 <wkpeng@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

___________________________________________________________
 
3.      Those arrested were:

Mr. Fan Yew Teng, writer and peace activist
Mr. Raymond Chong, social activist
Mr. Sharaad Kuttan, human rights activist and journalist
Mr. Steven Chan, social activist
Mr. Tian Chua, labour activist and writer
Ms. Elizabeth Wong, Co-ordinator of SUARAM (human rights NGO) and writer
Ms. Lee Siew Hwa, human rights activist
Ms. Sieela Colandai, environmental activist
Ms. Teresa Kok, social activist
________________________________________________________

4.      Text of memorandum


BURMA SOLIDARITY GROUP MALAYSIA (BSGM)
Tel: 03 773 9985, 03 717 0920, 03 794 3525. Fax: 03 794 3525, 03 773 9985
Email: burma_m@xxxxxxxxxxx, teresa@xxxxxxxxxxxx

His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Brunei Darussalam

His Excellency Mr Ali Alatas
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Indonesia

His Excellency Datuk Abdullah Badawi Bin Haji Ahmad Badawi
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia

His Excellency Mr Domingo L. Siazon, Jr
Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines

His Excellency Professor S. Jayakumar
Minister for Law and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Republic of Singapore

His Excellency Mr Prachuab Chaiyasan
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand

His Excellency Mr Nguyen Manh Cam
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Socialist Republic of Vietnam


May 31, 1997


Your Excellencies,

PRESENTATION OF ALTERNATIVE ASEAN DECLARATION ON BURMA

On behalf of the Alternative Asean Network on Burma (ALTSEAN-BURMA) which is
comprised of more than 40 organisations in South-East Asia, we respectfully
present a copy of the Alternative Asean Declaration on Burma, which has been
endorsed by over 370 organisations, academics, Parliamentarians, and social
activists.  The list of endorsements continues to grow.

We hope Your Excellencies will consider the grave concerns of the people of
Asean member states and the international community about the Burma junta's
failure to uphold the rule of law, its role in the drastic increase of
heroin production, its role in perpetuating conditions of instability, its
pathetic economic management and its contempt for international standards of
behaviour including wilful violations of national boundaries, as well as the
perpetration of widespread human rights violations against the peoples of
Burma and aggression against its neighbouring countries.

We strongly support the request of NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi that Asean
engage with her party which won 82% of the seat in the last elections.
Dealing with a junta overwhelmingly rejected by the people of Burma and
isolating the their elected government is an unjust interference in the
internal affairs of that country.  The people of Burma have made their
decision and we respectfully plead with Asean not to crush their vote by
propping up a brutal and irresponsible regime.

Therefore, we respectfully urge Asean not to reward the junta with Asean
membership but rather, delay membership until substantive dialogue commences
between the regime, the elected government led by the National League for
Democracy (NLD) and the ethnic nationalities of Burma.

Also enclosed herewith is a transcript of Aung San Suu Kyi's video message
and the resolution adopted by the Inter-Parliamentary Council at its 160th
session.

Your kind consideration is deeply appreciated.

Yours in solidarity with the peoples of Burma,

(signed)
Mr Fan Yew Teng
Co-ordinator, BSGM
on behalf of ALTSEAN-BURMA