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The BurmaNetNews, May 31, 1997
- Subject: The BurmaNetNews, May 31, 1997
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 20:04:00
------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------
The BurmaNet News: May 31, 1997
Issue #737
HEADLINES:
==========
SCMP: CONFLICTING SIGNALS REMAIN OVER BURMA
THE NATION: ASEAN TO PUSH BACK NEW ADMISSION
BURMA SOLIDARITY GROUP MALAYSIA: LETTER ON ASEAN
PRESS RELEASE: NEW YORK CITY MAYOR SIGNS SANCTIONS
THAILAND TIMES: SHAN REFUGEES FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES
MEDIA STATEMENT: LIM KIT SIANG ON YOKOTA'S COMMENTS
FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW: CAGED BUT DANGEROUS
THE NATION: PRADIT BACKS BRIBERY CLAIM
BKK POST: BORDER CONFUSION SETTLED
TT: MYANMAR TO FINE THAILAND IF YADANA GAS PIPELINE
BKK POST: SOUTH AFRICA IS THE EXAMPLE
INEB : PEACE WALK ALONG GAS PIPELINE ROUTE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SCMP: CONFLICTING SIGNALS REMAIN OVER BURMA'S ADMISSION
May 31 1997
Ian Stewart and Agencies in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok
Burma said yesterday it was confident Asean foreign ministers meeting in
Kuala Lumpur today would decide when to admit the country as a new member
without being swayed by outside opinion.
But senior members of the seven-member Association of Southeast Asian
Nations group continued to send conflicting signals over the country's
admission time-frame.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon said there was no consensus on
the timing of Rangoon's entry. And the influential head of the Philippines
Senate foreign relations committee, Blas Ople, said Burma should not be
allowed to join until its rulers ended their "brutal repression".
But Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said it was his country's
position that July "will be an acceptable date" for Burma, Cambodia and Laos
to join Asean.
Thai Foreign Minister Prachuab Chaiyasan said the countries' internal
politics "are an important factor to consider".
Mr Alatas said, however, that internal troubles in Cambodia - where the
political crisis has virtually shut down the Government and paralysed
Parliament - were no obstacle to its entry.
He said the three would join either in July, when Asean foreign ministers
hold their annual meeting, or in December when their heads of government
hold a summit. The admission date would be decided by consensus, he said.
Malaysia, this year's chairman, has been pressing for the induction to take
place in July.
The United States and the European Union have openly pressured Asean to
delay Burma's membership because of its human rights record.
An influential Malaysian Muslim group this week urged that Burma's
admission be deferred, and activists representing 22 Malaysian
non-governmental organisations protested outside the Foreign Ministry in
Kuala Lumpur yesterday, urging abandonment of Asean's "failed" policy of
constructive engagement with the Rangoon junta.
The military junta blocked roads and detained more than 300 opposition
party supporters to prevent a congress being held this week by Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. Clashes between Buddhists and
Muslims in March have also raised concern.
"It's very hard to read," one Western diplomat said. "My guess is that it
will still happen in July."
However, Cambodia's Parliament has not been able to ratify key documents
required for membership, and the diplomat said: "Cambodia could be the
smokescreen they hide behind if the decision is to delay. The ratification
issue isn't crucial [but] this is the land of fudge."
*****************************************
THE NATION: ASEAN TO PUSH BACK NEW ADMISSION TO DECEMBER
May 30, 1997
Kavi Chongkittavorn
When the Asean foreign ministers meet tomorrow in Kuala Lumpur, it will be
about a face-saving exercise to salvage one of the world's most famous
organisations.
Confronted with members' divergent views coupled with Washington's latest
tough stance, Asean leaders are expected to defer their decision to admit
Laos, Cambodia and Burma to the end of the year.
What is at stake is insurmountable: Asean will put at risk its
relations with the United States if the grouping goes ahead with its
decision to admit Burma tomorrow. Washington had made it clear to Asean
senior officials at last week's meeting of the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) on
Langkawi Island that the new US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright would
have to reconsider the US' participation in the ARF and post ministerial
conference this July in Kuala Lumpur.
It was Washington's strongest words ever on Burma toward Asean
since both sides had established a strong rapport and agreed to disagree on
Burma during the first Clinton administration. Asean has now realised with
Albright that it is a different ball game.
Since Burma was attending the ARF preparation meeting for the
first time after it was admitted last year, some ARF members would like to
hear about the situation in Burma from the horse's mouth. Representatives of
the US, Australia, Canada and the EU did raise two important issues
concerning the drafting of Burma's constitution and the national
reconciliation process which the Burmese government has pledged to do. But
the discussion on Burma was cut short due to time constraints when the US
representative, Aurelia Brazeal,deputy assistant secretary of state for Asia
and Pacific Affairs, wanted to engage further the Burmese chief delegate, U
Aye Lwin, director general of the Political Affairs Department. However,
they met outside the plenary session.
Brazeal was able to stress the US position on Burma and express
serious concern over the recent arrests of members and supporters of the
National League for Democracy by Slorc over the past weeks, while Lwin
explained Slorc's effort to complete the drafting of the constitution, which
is more than halfway finished, and other official lines.
The Langkawi meeting also provided the opportunity for Brazeal to
exchange views on Burma with senior Asean officials privately and to express
for the first time US views on the second Clinton Administration and
Albright's work so far.
The US message was very succinct: If Asean would like to admit
Burma this year, it should wait until December. The reason is quite simple:
it would make all the US efforts, especially the recent anti-Slorc measures,
look ridiculous, and consequently, it would force Albright to skip the
scheduled ARF and post Asean meeting. With a hostile Congress, she has a
very limited choice.
When Washington slapped a ban on all new US investment in Burma last month,
it was aimed at delivering a strong message to Burma
rather than influencing Asean's decision on admission. The US
administration wanted to demonstrate to Slorc that Washington was serious
about the-violation of human rights there.
Although the new investment ban was primarily aimed at pre-empting a more
powerful pending legislation in the Congress, it did provide a good reason
for Asean to further look into allowing Burma into the fold.
With Albright and her effort to revitalise US foreign policy,
especially in regards to engagement in Asia and the rest of Southeast Asia,
Burma is a litmus test for future US-Asean relations. When she holds her
maiden meetings with Asean foreign ministers in July, the latter will find
out that their first ever woman colleague at the post ministerial meeting
means business.
It is certainly more than Asean members would like to admit, but
Washington's strong insistence that the admission of Burma be delayed also
gives Asean some leeway. Given the current political crisis in Cambodia as
well as the growing repression in Burma, July's admission would be
detrimental to Asean's international image and cause irreparable damage to
the grouping's ties with the US.
When the Asean foreign ministers meet tomorrow, they would do
well to consider the information paper prepared by the Asean Secretariat
reviewing the technical preparations of all three prospective members. Of
all the three, Burma, ironically, will be given the highest marks for its
readiness to join Asean both in the technical and human resources areas. The
reason is that Laos and Cambodia lack sufficient officials to handle Asean
affairs. By the end of July, Laos will have a total of 300 officials who can
speak English to attend the average 245 Asean meetings annually. The Burmese
Foreign Ministry has recently set up the Asean Free Trade Area unit, which
has a staff of 30 or so officials.
As for Cambodia, its troubles extend to its political uncertainty, which
will become the main focus in providing Asean foreign ministers with the
justification to wait until July to assess that nation's readiness at the
grouping's formal meeting.
Since Asean heads of government decided at last November's meeting to
accept the three countries simultaneously, it is only natural that the
foreign ministers will make the recommendation that the applicants will be
ready and be blessed by the Asean summitteers in December.
Although Asean has been saying that the decision on admission will be based
on their technical readiness, it is still, and will always be, a
politically-driven one. All things considered, it is a win-win situation.
The US will be happy to see Burma's admission delayed until December, and
Asean will become Asean 10 this year. It is a case of you scratch my back,
I'll scratch yours.
**********************************************
BURMA SOLIDARITY GROUP MALAYSIA: LETTER ON ASEAN
May 30, 1997
30th May 1997
YB Datuk Abdullah Badawi
Minister for Foreign Affairs Malaysia.
Wisma Putra. Kuala Lumpur.
Yang Berhormat Datuk,
ASEAN Membership for the State Law & Order Restoration Council of Myanmar/=
Burma
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are writing to urge you once again to seriously reconsider your
Government's stand in support of ASEAN membership for Myanmar's State Law
and Order Restoration Council (SLORC).
By supporting the admission of Burma into ASEAN, the government is openly
condoning the Human Rights abuses by the SLORC regime.
We maintain that:
The SLORC military dictatorship is not the legitimate government of
Burma;
it is the illegal usurper of the authority of the representatives duly
elected by the people of Burma in the May 27, 1990 general elections;
ASEAN membership would provide the SLORC with a de facto license to
continue its attacks on the People of Burma; and,
The SLORC's activities are a direct contradiction to the aims and
objectives of the ASEAN as enunciated in the ASEAN Declaration of 1967
signed in Bangkok, and the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN as a Zone of
Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) of 1971.
Since SLORC was conferred observer status in ASEAN in July 1996, the
situation in Burma has not improved; on the contrary, unabated violations of
human rights, and the absence of peace, democracy, rule of law, and
development for all the ethnic nationalities of Burma are continuing.
As a matter of fact, over the last few days, the whole world has again
witnessed the mass arrest of hundreds of members of the National League for
Democracy (NLD) led by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi. The cruel
irony is that the NLD won more than 80 percent of seats in the May 1990
general elections.
As the Straits Times of Singapore pointed out correctly in its editorial on
May 23, 1997, the SLORC "has shown how little it thinks of ASEAN and wider
Asian opinion by resorting to detention instead of engaging the opposition
in a process of reconciliation."
As recently as February 1997, the SLORC was still killing and maiming
Burmese refugees along Thailand-Burma border.
In recent months, SLORC has masterminded anti-Muslim riots and burning
down of mosques and copies of the Holy Quran. Millions of Muslim Rohingyas
are still denied citizenship in Burma; they face daily repression and
harassment.
Burma under SLORC misrule continues to be the leading producer and
trafficker of illegal drugs in the world. For instance, Burma produced 2,560
metric tons of opium in 1996. SLORC's public relations exercises have in no
way reduced the threat of heroin to our region.
The above-mentioned SLORC activities with regard to refugees and illegal
drug abuse are contributing to serious social problems in the region. They
are contributory factors towards regional instability, especially when
coupled with the increased smuggling of arms and drugs, trafficking of
women, and the outflow of illegal immigrants.
Since ASEAN's "constructive engagement" policy was launched in 1991, there
has been absolutely no movement on the part of SLORC towards democracy by
way of handing power to the duly elected representatives of the Burmese
people. The conferment of observer status in ASEAN in July 1996 has not
helped at all in this respect.
Thus, it is clear that 'constructive engagement" has failed to convince the
SLORC military dictatorship that it must become responsive and accountable
to the needs, hopes and aspirations of the Burmese people.
Therefore, in the interests of long-term stability and prosperity in the
region in general, and the upliftment of the peoples of Burma in particular,
we call upon the member governments of ASEAN and the international community
to discard the policy of "constructive engagement" which has brought untold
injustice and suffering upon the peoples of Burma. We strongly urge the
member states of ASEAN and the international community to adopt the
Alternative ASEAN Policy which is supported by about 400 organisations,
academics and political leaders in the world which contains the following
principles:
Uphold the democratic will of the peoples of Burma;
Promote and defend the human and people's rights of the peoples of=
Burma;
Pursue the development agenda of the peoples of Burma, and
Establish people to people solidarity between the peoples of Burma and=
the peoples of ASEAN.
It is only by respecting the expressed wishes of the Burmese people that
there will be justice, peace, democracy, the rule of law and development for
the people of Burma.
We call on ASEAN governments to abandon its failed policy of "constructive
engagement", deny ASEAN membership to SLORC, and initiate a tripartite
dialogue among SLORC, the NLD and the minorities, to pave the way towards
national reconciliation in Burma.
Certified by:
Fan Yew Teng
Co-ordinator of the Memorandum.
Endorsed by:
Organisations:
1) Alaigal
2) Aliran
3) Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM)
4) Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC)=20
5) Community Development Center (CDC)
6) Consumers Association of Penang (CAP)
7) Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (DAPSY)
8) Democratic Action Party Women (DAP Women)
9) Federation of Consumers Association Malaysia (FOMCA)
10) Nadi Komunikasi
11) Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS)
12) Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM)
13) Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM)
14) Pusat Bara
15) Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat (KOMAS)
16) Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM)
17) Sahabat Wanita=20
18) Solidaritas Timor Timur =20
19) Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)
20) Suara Warga Pertiwi (SWP)
21) Tenaganita
22) Youth Section of Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall=20
**********************************
PRESS RELEASE: NEW YORK CITY MAYOR SIGNS BURMA SANCTIONS LAW
May 30, 1997
New York Burma Support Group
NEW YORK CITY MAYOR SIGNS BURMA SANCTIONS
--CITES "A SITUATION BEYOND WHAT THE HUMAN CONSCIENCE CAN TOLERATE"--
SANCTIONS LAWS SPREADING--CONNECTICUT BILL ALSO NOW PENDING
Saying "horrible and tragic" conditions in Burma were "a situation beyond
what the human conscience can tolerate," New York City Hall Mayor Rudolph
Giuliani today signed legislation barring companies doing business in Burma
from doing business with the City of New York. The measure, Bill
#647A, was passed by a unanimous 50 - 0 vote of the New York City Council
on May 14, and with the Mayor's signature, will take effect in thirty
days.
The Mayor challenged the business community, which claimed the measure
will damage New York City's economy, to support open economies and free
governments around the world, saying these will ultimately benefit the
people of New York most. "We want to see major changes in Burma," the
Mayor said during the Friday afternoon hearing in New York City Hall's
Blue Room, "Then we can have open exchange."
New York City has the fourth largest governmental budget in the US, after
the federal government and the states of California and New York.
The Mayor signed the act after hearing City Council Speaker Peter Vallone,
Council Members Mary Pinkett, Thomas Duane, and John Sabini and several
other speakers describe the Burmese military dictatorship's responsibility
for severe human rights abuses and ecological devastation in Burma, and
its links to heroin warlords who supply about 60% of the new wave of
heroin now plaguing New York City.
According to City Council Member Mary Pinkett of Brooklyn, the Mayor's
decision to sign the bill sent an important message that freedom belongs
to everyone. "We hope this will also push the US government to speak
louder and more clearly and to do more to press for democracy in Burma,"
she said.
May Pyong Maung, a Burmese exile representative of the Union of Burmese
Women, who also testified before the Mayor, said, "This will hurt the
dictatorship and encourage democratic forces in Burma who are under severe
pressure right now." Reports from Rangoon say 316 pro-democracy activists
have been arrested in Burma since mid-May by agents of the State Law and
Order Restoration Council (SLORC) army junta.
The state of Massachusetts and a dozen other US municipalities have
already passed selective purchasing laws. A similar measure is now pending
in Connecticut's State Legislature. US federal sanctions now bar any new
investment by American companies in Burma. The local laws may have more
immediate impact, however, by preventing companies doing any kind of
business in Burma from receiving local contracts. Apple Computer, Motorola
and Kodak are among companies that have pulled out of Burma in response to
selective purchasing laws enacted in the pat year.
UNOCAL, the California-based petrochemical giant partner to the SLORC
junta in a billion dollar gas pipeline project associated with serious
human rights abuses, has mounted a major lobbying campaign against Burma
sanctions. They have been represented in New York by the firm of Davidoff
and Malito.
Unocal and Texaco are today targets of consumer boycotts because of their
business in Burma. Other companies have already pulled out of Burma or
announced they will not do business there, including Pepsi-Cola, Heineken,
Columbia Sportswear, Macy's (Federated Dept. Stores), Amoco, Levi-Strauss,
Reebok, Eddie Bauer and Liz Claiborne.
For further information, please contact :
New York City: NYC Mayor's Office 212-788-2958
Burma UN Office 212-338-0048
New York City Council 212-788-6948
New York Burma Support Group
Thomas Lansner 212-787-3756
Connecticut: State Assembly Representative Jessie Stratton 860-240-0440
***************************************
THAILAND TIMES: SHAN REFUGEES FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES AS THAILAND PUSHES THEM
BACK TO BURMA
May 30, 1997
By Khachorn Boonpath
MAE HONG SON,: Thailand appeared to be resuming its forcible
repatriation program yesterday, sending 430 terrified Shans back to what
they described as certain death across the border, local officials said.
The refugees, most of them children and elderly, were pushed back
immediately as they arrived in the villages of Maikailuang, Maikai-on,
Pangyon and Luangchik in Pangmapha district. Fifty soldiers, led by refugee
camp supervisor Sivachai Saengchamnong, stood by to oversee the move.
Border officials said the Shans were driven back as far as Nam Kit, a Karen
village in Ho Mong township, which since being seized from Khun Sa's Mon Tai
Army, lies dangerously close to a Burmese base.
The forced repatriation came at the order of Mae Hong Son governor Pakdi
Chumpooming who made the decision to remove refugees from Thai soil during a
meeting with his subordinates on Monday, the official said.
One 68-year-old asylum seeker said she had little doubt of her fate once
back in Burma.
"I will certainly be killed by Burmese soldiers if I am repatriated," Puh
told Thai authorities. She said the Burmese troops had warned the group of
harsh penalties should they attempt to cross into Thailand.
Puh talked of a litany of human rights abuses at the hand of the
junta, saying that Burmese troops have massacred villagers and burnt down
their houses in their efforts to lay their hands on renegade forces.
A spokesman for the Volunteers for the Displaced Shans, who spoke
on condition of anonymity, condemned Thailand for tie 'move.
"Forced repatriation means sending them to their death since
Burma has adopted very strict measures against anyone who flees," he said.
The repatriation in March' of hundreds of Karen refugees by Thai
troops provoked ail international outcry.
*******************************************
MEDIA STATEMENT: LIM KIT SIANG ON YOKOTA'S COMMENTS May 29, 1997
DEMOCRATIC ACTION PARTY
Media Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General
and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, 29th May 1997:
======================================================
Former UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burma,
Professor Yozo Yokota, should make clear his stand whether he gives
unconditional support for the entry of Myanmar into ASEAN.
Bernama reported that in his lecture at the Institute of Strategic and
International Studies in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, Yokota said Myanmar's
imminent membership in Asean could be the starting point for improving the
human-rights situation in that country.
Yokota should explain what is the basis for his belief that Myanmr's
admission into Asean could be the starting point for improving the human
rights situation in that country.
Yokota's remarks have come as a shock to all in the region and even in the
world who are concerned about democratisation in Burma, for as UN special
rapporteur, he had been very critical of the military junta, State Law and
Order Restoration Council (SLORC), in refusing to comply with the most basic
norms of civilized behaviour in respecting the human rights of its people.
Yokota seems to have performed a "somersault" and is now a strong advocate
for Myanmar's entry into ASEAN - despite his past criticisms of SLORC's
abysmal human rights record and the new wave of repression and human rights
violations in Burma on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the 1990
general elections which was won by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy by a landslide.
Yokota's latest remarks on Burma is a dampener to efforts by Asean groups
and peoples who are fighting great odds against establishment opinions and
to urge ASEAN governments not to admit Myanmar into ASEAN this year and
give legitimacy to the violations of democratic freedoms and human rights of
the people of Burma by SLORC in the past seven years.
The ASEAN groups and peoples who want Burma's admission into ASEAN to be
deferred until SLORC co-operates with the ASEAN nations to make the ASEAN
"constructive engagement" policy show tangible positive results by way of
democratic reforms and national reconciliation with the ethnic minorities
feel greatly let-down by Yokota, as they had expected at least moral support
from him. Instead, they find Yokota's remarks being used to undermine their
campaign for democracy and human rights in Burma.
I do not know whether Yokota has been misquoted by Bernama, but he owes it
to himself and to his former fans who had admired his good work when he was
UN special rapporteur on human rights in Burma to fully explain and justify
his position on the question of Burma's entry into ASEAN at this time.
Lim Kit Siang
**************************************
FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW: CAGED BUT DANGEROUS
June 5, 1997
By Bertil Lintner with Rodney Tasker in Bangkok
Recaptured drug-runner stays quiet - for now
When Li Yun-chung, a suspected drug-trafficker, was flown back from Rangoon
to Bangkok on May 17, governments and law-enforcement agencies found reason
to congratulate each other.
Dressed in a bullet-proof straitjacket and surrounded by Thai commandos
sporting sunglasses and automatic weapons, Li looked downcast as he was
displayed to the press before being led away to a top-security prison
outside Bangkok.
Having jumped bail in Bangkok in early February, Li subsequently escaped to
Burma to avoid extradition to the United States. He has been indicted in the
U.S. in connection with a 486-kilogram heroin shipment seized in California
in 1991.
Now back in the hands of the law, the process of extraditing him can start
again. But the authorities are not looking forward to the prospect.
"The Thais have put themselves in the hot-seat by arranging for Li's return
from Burma," says a Thailand-based Western law-enforcement official. "If Li
is extradited to the U.S., a lot of dirty laundry will be aired. But if he
isn't, there will be an outcry in the local media and even internationally.
The Thais are damned if they do and damned if they don't.
What's making Bangkok uncomfortable is that Li has begun to reveal just how
he engineered his escape, passing the details on to police Lt-Gen Nopadol
Somboonsap, commander of the Thai Narcotics Suppression Bureau.
Bribery of officials is suspected, and Deputy Criminal Court Chief Somchai
Udomwong, who signed Li's bail request, is already being investigated for
his role in the affair. Li has threatened to go on record saying exactly how
he was granted bail, but according to local press reports he wants a "quick
passage to the U.S.," and only there would he feel safe enough to reveal the
rest. Li has reportedly waived his right to appeal his extradition.
The Bangkok daily, The Nation, quoted Nopadol as saying that Li "will never
yield to whom bribes were paid. He only says he paid the money through a
lawyer. I know there's a lot more things on his mind, he's just too afraid
to talk." The officer went on to say that the suspect has asked him: "Do you
think they can't kill me in prison?" Li stated that he would "cooperate
fully with United States officials once he arrives there."
But by even saying that much Li may have made a serious mistake. The
Bangkok Post reported on May 21 an allegation by sources close to the case
that more than 10 people were believed to have taken bribes from Li to help
arrange his escape. Li now denies vehemently that he ever bribed anybody.
It's not just the Thai establishment that Li's saga has sullied in the eyes
of the international community. The Burmese, who handed him over, have also
come under scrutiny for their role in the affair.
First, Rangoon denied that Li was in Burma and, when they eventuall y
arrested him, a statement asserted that Li first had been in hiding in
northern Thailand, crossed the border only in mid-April, and was arrested
after three days in Burma.
This version contradicts all other intelligence reports from the area,
according to which Li was spirited north by a relay of Mercedes cars on the
day of his release in February. He spent one night hiding in Mae Sai,
opposite Tachilek, and, disguised as a local trader, was driven across the
border bridge into Burma in the back of a pick-up truck.
The same reports say Li went on to Panghsang, a town in the Wa hills close
to Burma's frontier with China's Yunnan province. There, he was sheltered by
the United Wa State Army, a former insurgent group which has a cease-fire
agreement with Rangoon, and is now one of the country's major drug-producers.
There he apparently tried to link up with druglord Khun Sa, who surrendered
to the Burmese government in January last year and now lives in Rangoon.
"It's obvious that Li thought Khun Sa would be willing to arrange a similar
deal for him," a former close associate of Khun Sa says.
In mid-April, sources say, Burmese authorities summoned him to Tachilek
"for talks." Li evidently believed Khun Sa had arranged for him to come to
Rangoon. But immediately on his arrival in Tachilek, he was arrested, flown
to Rangoon - and handed over to Thai officers travelling with their prime
minister, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who had arrived there on an official visit
on May 16.
"Khun Sa had some old grudges against Li and decided against helping him,"
says the former associate of the warlord. Furthermore, diplomatic sources in
Rangoon say it was in the interest of both the Thais and the Burmese to make
Chavalit's visit to Rangoon "smell a bit better." The controversial trip
coincided with the introduction of U.S. sanctions against Burma for
violations of human rights and non-cooperation in the fight against narcotics.
American official see the Burmese move to cooperate with Thailand not only
as a way of pleasing Chavalit, a former general who has been criticized at
home and abroad for supporting Burma's ruling military junta, but also to
confirm Rangoon's credentials for its scheduled entry into Asean later this
year.
But whatever was behind the spectacular extradition, the initial euphoria
has turned into concern in some Thai judicial and government circles. Losing
Li in the first place was humiliating: If Li tells all in America, there
could be more embarrassment ahead. (FEER)
******************************************************
THE NATION: PRADIT BACKS BRIBERY CLAIM
May 30, 1997
A TOP judge yesterday said he believed bribes had been paid to certain
people to obtain the release on bail of alleged drug trafficker Li Yun-chung.
''From what I know, Li Yun-chung made payoffs, but I do not know in whose
hands the money ended up," Criminal Court Chief Justice Pradit Ekmanee said.
Li is wanted by US authorities on a charge of heroin smuggling. He was
granted bail by Judge Somchai Udomwong during extradition proceedings and
subsequently fled to Burma.
Burmese authorities handed him back during Prime Minister Chavalit
Yongchaiyudh's visit to Rangoon earlier this month.
Pradit denied reports that people with links to Judge Somchai, his deputy,
had approached him seeking leniency if Somchai was found to have acted
wrongly in granting bail.
''No one has come to me to secure a reduced sentence for Somchai, if he
should be found guilty of an offence," Pradit said.
Li initially confessed to making payoffs on his return to Thailand, but
later recanted. (TN)
******************************************************
BKK POST: BORDER CONFUSION SETTLED
May 30, 1997
Post reporters
Dredging allowed for opening of bridge
The prime minister and army chief allowed Burma to dredge the Moei River in
Tak in a deal in which Rangoon agreed to open the friendship bridge, it
emerged yesterday.
The standoff between Thai and Burmese forces at the dredging site, which
was settled yesterday, came about because field military officers were not
informed of the agreement.
Lt-Gen Thanom Watcharaphut, the Third Army commander, said Maj-Gen Khet
Sein, chief of Burma's southeastern command, told him in Mae Sot the
operation had been approved by Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and Gen Chettha
Tha-najaro.
Gen Chavalit and Gen Chettha gave the Burmese military the go-ahead in
Rangoon this month.
Workers and machinery were moved in because the Burmese military wanted the
work completed within 10 days of permission being given, he quoted Maj-Gen
Khet Sein as saying.
In Bangkok, Col Anusorn Kotcharat, the Third Army's director for civil
affairs, said the confrontation started because field units were not
informed of the deal.
It was decided at the top that Burma would be allowed to dredge the river
to restore the course but the exact location had yet to be determined, he said.
"The dredging operation is one of many agreements made at a higher level to
meet conditions for the opening of the friendship bridge," said Col Anusorn.
"Soldiers in the field were not aware of it."
The Thai military had asked Rangoon to suspend dredging until technical
teams led by Somboon Sangiambutr, director-general for treaties and legal
affairs at the Foreign Ministry, and Aye Lwin, his Burmese counterpart,
fixed the location.
The Moei changed course after a major flood two years ago and an islet
formed on Thai territory opposite Ban Tha Sai Luad, Mae Sot.
Col Anusorn said the two sides would need to examine aerial surveys from
1989, 1992 and 1994, and study a 1868 border agreement to find a mutually
acceptable solution.
The disputed area, he said, is at a bend of the river and had become Thai
territory after shallows formed.
Thais have laid claim to the land and have engaged in farming. Some 100
angry villagers rallied at the site, demanding the Burmese move out and take
their machinery with them.
Although Burma agreed to withdraw troops, it refused to pull out the
workers, reasoning they would return when dredging was allowed to resume.
In an earlier rally at the site, the villagers criticised Gen Chavalit and
Gen Chettha for agreeing to the dredging work.
Mr Somboon and U Aye Lwin led talks yesterday after the two sides agreed to
move their troops out of the area at Khok Chang Peuak.
The two countries will send officials to survey the land and the results
will be sent to the Thai government, said Prachuab Chaiyasarn, the foreign
minister.
Burma claimed it was dredging to restore its bank of the Moei, Mr Somboon
was quoted as saying.
The issue would be discussed by the Joint Border Committee, which Thailand
has proposed to host in Phuket from June 14-16, Mr Prachuab said.
Rangoon has yet to agree to the proposal but Pitak Intarawitthaya-nunt,
deputy foreign minister, and Nyunt Shwe, his Burmese counterpart, would
chair the talks, he added.(BP)
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THAILAND TIMES: MYANMAR TO FINE THAILAND IF YADANA GAS PIPELINE IS NOT
FINISHED ON TIME
May 30, 1997
BANGKOK: Korn Dabbaransi, the Industry Minister has revealed that if the gas
pipeline being laid from the Yadana and Yetakun sources cannot be completed
on time, Myanmar will fine Thailand Bt 862 million baht a year.
According to the contract signed in 1995, Thailand has to start
purchasing gas from Myanmar in 1999. If the installation of the gas pipeline
is not completed on time, then the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT)
will have to pay compensation .
The Office of Environmental Policy and Planning (OEPP) has
already granted approval for the PTT to lay the pipeline.
Meanwhile, the committee charged with overall responsibility for
the laying of the pipeline is considering the possible environmental damage
which the project could cause. This follows earlier protests by a number of
people who claimed that the laying of the pipeline would destroy about 6
kilometers of abundant forest.
However, an industry source said the Non-Government Organization
(NGO) was mistaken on the matter, because it did not understand the
information about the installation process.
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BKK POST: SOUTH AFRICA IS THE EXAMPLE IN DEALING WITH
BURMA
May 28, 1997
Dennis Bernstein and Leslie Kean
Burma's reigning generals have pulled out all the stops in their quest to
crush the country's still vibrant pro-democracy movement led by Nobel
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) may make the crucial
decision at its May 31 meeting whether to accept Burma as a member in its
powerful economic and political alliance.
In recognition of its own standing as a well-respected world body, Asean
should demand that Slorc open up negotiations with the National League for
Democracy and the ethnic nationalities in exchange for admission to the group.
Burma's unconditional acceptance would further legitimise the junta and
provide a shield for its continued brutalities and its expanding involvement
in the global heroin trade.
The Clinton administration has finally taken action in an attempt to
restrain the dictatorship by imposing sanctions on future investments in
Burma. While Mr Clinton's actions are a step in the right direction, they do
not prevent major investors such as Unocal, already established in Burma,
from continuing to prop up the regime through the influx of foreign
dollars.
At the current crackdown continues, many arrested are destined to join
more than 1,000 democracy activists now rotting in jails where they
routinely tortured, kept in solitary confinement or chained to military dog
cages.
The case of 67-year-old imprisoned journalist, translator and colleague of
Ms Suu Kyi, U Win Tin, offers a poignant example of how Slorc treats these
political prisoners and why the world community must respond
through further action. Mr Win Tin was imprisoned in 1989 for
influencing the thoughts of Ms Suu Kyi and calling for widespread civil
disobedience to resist imposed military rule.
In November 1995, while suffering from a heart ailment and other
debilitating medical conditions, Mr Win Tin was thrown into a military
dog-cell for two months and forced to sleep on cold concrete floors for
passing on a letter to the United Nations about the mistreatment of
prisoners in Burmese jails.
In March 1996, Mr Win Tin and 21 others were tried inside the prison in
military-controlled courtrooms, without access to legal counsel. They were
all given and additional seven years for writing poems, songs and letters -
often on shirts and plastic bags - that contained facts that were
unacceptable to the government, according to the trial judge Kyaw Htun.
Despite, such abuses, France, Singapore and Thailand are falling over each
other to expand investments in Burma and are busy lobbying for Burma's
acceptance into Asean.
The French oil giant Total has joined Unocal in a partnership with
Burma's military-controlled state oil company, Myanma Oil and Gas
Enterprise (MOGE), to build a $1.2 billion (31.2 billion baht) gas pipeline
in southern Burma.
Total and Unocal are facing two federal lawsuits alleging that they are
benefiting from forced labour and other human rights violations along the
pipeline route. An affidavit filed in April in support of the landmark case
states that MOGE "has been the main channel for money laundering" and
that foreign investments in MOGE provide a "big shield" for Burmese
military traffickers.
When asked what would prevent Burma's admission into Asean, Malaysian
Prime Minister Mahathir, host for the upcoming Asean meetings and a strong
supporter of the Slorc, said on April 30 if "something unusual
happens ... perhaps if the government slaughters five million people in
Burma".
While there is strong support among the Asean nations for Burma's entry
into the alliance, not all officials in the region are happy about the
prospect of accepting Burma.
M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, a well-respected Thai foreign policy analyst
and member of the Thai parliament, wrote in Bangkok Post recently new member
governments must meet a minimum standard of legitimacy and he felt the
Burmese junta had no legitimacy.
Unrestrained, Slorc will do whatever it takes to hold onto power. With
South Africa as an example, the larger world community must take swift
action against the narco-traffickers who rule Burma and who have heaped
terror on its people.
Dennis Bernstein and Leslie Kean have written on Burma for the "Boston
Globe", "The Nation" (US) and for Pacific News Service, where Dennis
Berstein is an associate editor. Leslie Kean co-authored the 1994
photographic book "Burma's Revolution of the Spirit".(BP)
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INEB : PEACE WALK ALONG GAS PIPELINE ROUTE
May 30, 1997
Invitation to a peace walk in the Western Forest of Thailand
June 3-4, 1997
Thong Pha Phoom District, Kanjanaburi Province
This is an excursion to visit the proposed Yadana gas pipeline pathway,
which cuts through the jungle. The trip includes an overnight stay in the
jungle, an overnight stay in a Kanchanaburi township, a seminar (with
speakers from Wildlife Fund Thailand, Friends of Elephants Foundation, Thai
Action Committee for Democracy in Burma), a peace walk, a Buddhist ceremony,
and discussions with locals.
The cost of the trip is 500 Baht per person. As some of the participants
are monks, nuns, or local people who can not afford to pay for the trip we
would appreciate any donations.
For further information please contact: Sem 950-6601- 3
TACDB 424-9173, pager 152 call 196-05
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