FRANCE INFO: French mainstream med

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Subject: FRANCE INFO:  French mainstream media articles in june 97

 French mainstream media articles in june 97


>From "Nouvel Observateur" (june 5/11) special envoy in BURMA, Rene Backmann

NARCODICTATORS IN RANGOON

Military who confiscated democratic opposition's victory 7 years ago grow
rich with drugs trafficking and use terror to carry on with shown support of
a few countries, including France.

Here is the house, a hundred meters from a « no entry » road sign in the
middle of the street and a handful of  olive green dressed soldiers who
chatter in the shade of a mango tree. From afar, only a few faded white
stucco spots can be seen through foliage. The red flags with a golden
peacock, the symbol of National League of Democracy (NLD) are the only sign
that it isn't an ordinary Burmese notable's home but Aung San Suu Kyi's,
Nobel Price winner in1991 and figurehead of the Burmese's struggle against
dictatorship
There, in this old colonial building, 54 University Avenue, on Inya lake
shore, she has been living in custody for almost 10 years. Officially she is
free. SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council), military junta in
power since September 1988,who had placed her under house arrest in 1989,
set her free in July 1995.
As a matter of fact it's impossible to her to get out without her soldiers
and policemen's escort. SLORC's spokesmen say security forces only « protect
» her, which didn't prevent « an unknown persons' group » from attacking her
car with iron bars. « I met her just after the aggression, a foreign
diplomat says, She was ghastly. She really thought she'd get killed. It all
has obviously been planned by the military ».
In the past the tourists were amazed by Shwedagon « golden mystery » as
Kipling's dream one century ago. Today's emotion is quite different. The
glittering stupa of the old pagoda stay there, on the hill in the middle of
the town. Burmese legendary faith and the loving worship they have for their
orange dressed monks (they are 400.000 in Burma) are still vivid. But what
impresses you first is fear. Those « despoiled princes », whose natural
elegance, in spite they were in destitute, would upset the few foreigners
allowed in Burma, have become terrorised individuals. In town, the helmeted
soldiers' holding guns with bayonet, the barbed wire nets, the machine guns
in stand-by,  the  sand bags all around strategic buildings, the tanks
gathered in the centre of town, the cautious talks : everything contributes
in giving the strange feeling that Burma is an occupied country. Occupied by
its own army. Hard to fancy that each and every one belongs to the same
people when you are faced to soldiers brutality, to palpable fear of
passers-by in front of uniforms.
Really, in ten years, Rangoon has changed. Business buildings and a handful
of deluxe hotels for businessmen and tourists appeared, excessive, among
colonial »pastries » hastily made up in pastel colours to face a « tourism
year » that has been lasting 18 months because of a lack of clients.
Japanese and Korean cars get mixed with trishaws, Chinese trucks and old
Ford half-a-century-old buses. At « Lon Ma Lay », the big Chinese restaurant
near Kandawgyi lake, close to the statue of General Aung San (The  National
independence hero and Aung San Suu Kyi's father), the new Burmese
capitalists come to celebrate their contracts with « foreign friends »
driving Mercedes cars and carrying a cellular phone.
 ..
Even if he is still counselling his SLORC successors, old General Ne Win and
« Burma way to socialism » based on self sufficiency and isolationism, era
is closed. As soon as they came in power, the new Burma's rulers said in
October 1988 that state monopoly on international trade was abolished and
that foreign investments were welcomed. Nine years later, the truth is to be
said, the new « Burmese way » which combines ultra liberalism and
dictatorship, is almost as disastrous as the previous one. More adventurers
and speculators than true investors have been attracted by the giving up of
references to socialism , a plentiful cheap manpower and a political and
social stability guaranteed by the army. The company of Burmese junta is so
dubious that some of the foreign companies chose to hide behind phoney local
branches, while several MNC - Heineken, Carlsberg, Pepsi Cola, Levi Strauss,
Apple - withdrew under human rights organisations pressure, disgusted by
SLORC's methods. » It's true that this country is very badly managed » an
European diplomat says, but he doesn't go so far as persuading his country's
enterprises not to invest in Burma.
Whatever the sources - World Bank, foreign embassies, IMF, Asian Development
Bank, Burmese economic indicators are globally disastrous. The budget
deficit has been multiplied by 8 in 7 years, the trade gap by 6. The public
debt reaches $ 6 billions  . Inflation, since 1988, has been roaming between
25 and 40%. When the official rate for 1 dollar is 6 kyats, one can get till
170 on black market. More than half the state budget is given to Defence
Department.
Schools, hospitals are neglected. Corruption, example of which is shown by
the authority, is endemic . Gasoline is rationed, except for the army There
is not a lack of rice, vegetables, salted or fermented fish, chickens, but
prices  are rocketting. Food needs almost a whole civil servant's salary.
People who can only have the rice cooking water are more and more numerous. 
SLORC generals are holding all the powers in Burma, and they are reducing
the last active guerrillas by means of shells and bombs. In 9 years, the
army increased from 185.000 to 350.000 men. A brand new modern , mostly
Chinese, arsenal has been put in place of the ancient ill-matched obsolete
equipment . SLORC, according to military sources in Bangkok, would have
bought, in 3 years, for more than $ 2 billions dollars weapons. With what
money ?Burma is one of the poorest countries in the world. All the profits
of teak, precious stones, tourism and fishing licence selling which don't
even cover external debt interests hardly represent 10% of these weapons
buying. 
The answer is very simple : Burma is today « a plain narco dictatorship »
OGD (Geopolitical Drugwatch) said. It's confirmed by an HEC (French top
businessschool) Eurasia Institute 's report in November 1996 : «  the
country keeps going only with drugs money ». In the other 2 golden triangle
countries, Laos and Thailand, for ten years the opium producing has been
lowering or becoming stable, but in Burma it increased threefold since SLORC
came in power, this country is now the first producer in the world. It was
as if the more they were reducing highlands guerrillas which make a living
on drug trade and smuggling, the more the Burmese soldiers instead of
destroying poppies fields and opium refineries offered their protection to
heroin, sponsoring to develop their trade for SLORC's sake.
In July 1992, Total, one of the most important  French oil companies,
entered into a $1 billion   contract with this narco-dictatorship. Yadana
project is planning to build a 400 km pipeline in order to bring natural gas
from a submarine gasfield 70 km off Burmese shore to Ratchaburi Thai power
station. The onshore part of the pipeline now set down, goes through Mon and
Karen territories where there are active guerrilla groups and where the
Burmese army , in charge with security of the work field deployed almost
100.000 men 
In charge of the project, Total invested 31,24% of raised capital. Its
partners are the American company UNOCAL (28,26%), Thai oil company
PTT-EP(25,50%) and Burma state company MOGE (15%).
 To Aung San Suu Kyi and democratic opposition who call for the boycott of
the 2 great western companies, this collaboration is a true stab in the
back. « Total has become now  the main support to junta » leaders of NLD say
« If we didn't, other ones would have worked on this field » Total managers
answer. They turn a deaf ear to human rights defenders' accusations and
denounce behind their campaign a revenge of supplanted competitors.
Built up by the Total counsellors in »economic intelligence », this
convenient theory doesn't yet exonerate the oil company of its
responsibilities. Even if SLORC isn't the only regime guilty of universal
suffrage despising and human rights violations, even if it's due to foreign
trade, even if the « pragmatism attitude «  comes from high level as shown
by a French presidential tour in Peking, the Total's questionable Burmese
adventure can be criticised.
For the French group, not only brings an international warrant to SLORC,
what Aung San Suu Kyi denounces. By giving licit money to junta's takings,
Total who gave Rangoon $ 15 millions   to obtain technical data on gas
field, does participate, in his way, to heroin 
money laundering.
For example, Burmese military negotiated in Portuguese mortars end Polish
helicopters bargain by saying they had « clean » French currency. Two
contracts that went far beyond $ 15 millions
This mixture of narco dollars and honest capitals doesn't seem to discourage
nor Total managers nor French government ? it seems to be at the origin of
American Burmese policy U-turn 
as well as human rights upholders mobilisation, or Aung San Suu Kyi
charisma, it is said it is the conspicuous SLORC's transmutation in a «
Rangoon Cartel » that led Washington to decide a month ago to ban American
investments in Burma.
It's still a long way to international sanctions asked by Aung San Suu Kyi,
but after E U  has, in March abolished the tariff advantages granted to
Rangoon, this U S motion gives to NLD militants «  the feeling they have
been listened to, that they are less lonely » as a doctor confides.
In this « jail like «  country, the major concern of Burmese democrats is
now isolation and carelessness in South East Asia which is practising «
constructive engagement » with SLORC before their admittance in ASEAN. 
Perhaps because she is a pious Buddhist, a fan of Gandhi and Martin Luther
King, Aung San Suu Kyi, who shares this fear, seems to face her recluse fate
and dictatorship daily nightmare with dignity and serenity and incredible
sense of humour reserves that make her visitor admire her.
Only by standing there, behind the blue fence in 54 University Avenue she
keeps up a thin hope for a fearless tomorrow , convinced that «  Truth is a
powerful weapon » and « it's (her) duty to say what must be said ».
RB 
________________________________________________________________________

TOTAL, military junta's French friend

« We didn't wonder whether we'd go or not in Burma » Joseph Daniel manager
in institutional relations of Total said. " The only question we asked to
ourselves was : how should we behave in such a country ? It was out of our
mind  for example to allow forced labour or villages deportations ".

Advertised in a 20 pages colour leaflet, Total's strategy lays in principle
on a direct dialogue with local populations, high wages policy and an
assistance plan to the field's neighbourhood villages, school buildings,
farming centres doctors recruitment. « A 2 million dollar a month program »
Joseph Daniel specifies. 
Unfortunately, it's impossible to check up in the field the carrying out of
this plan. The access to the field area has been forbidden by the army
except for the travels organised by Total and to which « Le Nouvel
Observateur » has not been invited. Refugees' testimonies, defence of human
rights inquiries and the report written in November 1996 by FIDH (
International Federation of Human Rights) incite at being at least cautious.
Unlike what Total says, thousands of people who live in the area have been
deported from their villages «  for reasons of security » by the army.
Rapes, sacks, summary executions come, there as everywhere else, with
expulsions. It seems, in fact that forced labour is not used on the field
where Total would have imposed to its subcontractors essential rules. But
50.000 « volunteer workers » would have been mobilised around the pipeline
to build a railroad and draw the tracks which allow the army to watch works.
That's not all : Total helicopters would regularly carry Burmese officers
when there is operations in pipeline area, and  « security counsellors » (
it means mercenaries) recruited by Total to ensure close protection of its
Kanbauk base work in close connexion with SLORC miltary.
___________________________________________________________________________

NOTE/ Nouvel Observateur is the first -by circulation- of the French weekly
news. More on French-Slorc collaboration should be published there in the
coming weeks.
Translation from French <gyeff@xxxxxxxxxxx>
*****************************************************************************

NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR, june 19, 2 boxes:

CHIRAC THE BURMESE

Washington, who just decided a ban on new U.S investment in Burma, is doing
is best -in vain for the moment- to mobilize his asian allies to delay
Rangoon's admission in ASEAN. At this same moment, Chirac does not hesitate,
in an interview with the Far Eastern Economic Review, to express his support
for the immediate admission of the Burmese dictatorship in the regional
grouping. "I am confident -said Chirac- that the integration of these 3
countries -Cambodia, Laos and Burma- in Asean will lead to indispensable
political and economic reforms at home, especially in Burma."
__________________________________________________________________________

OUR AGENTS IN RANGOON

Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, charismatic figure of the Burmese democratic
opposition, recieved, beginning of may, a six points report, written by a
team of researchers based in France and US, focusing on relations between
the French government and SLORC, the military junta in power in Rangoon.
According to this report, 3 former members of the French Secret Service
DGSE, to day officially recycled in other businesses, are playing a key role
in these networks. Among other actions, they would have organized the very
discreet visit in Paris, end of April, Of a SLORC's delegation.
____________________________________________________________________________

  

LE NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR, june 19

letter from Mr  Michel Delaborde, chief Public Relations, TOTAL.

The article by Rene Backmann (NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR N°1700, june 5) gravely
implicating TOTAL ,for its role in Burma is truly shocking, whatever opinion
one may have on the regime of this country. It is irresponsible, to say  "
TOTAL helicopters regularly transport Burmese military officers  involved in
military operations in the areas slated for the pipeline."
To take up this yarn which is spun by the FIDH in the form of a very biased
document against TOTAL, presenting our group (TOTAL) as supporters of the
Burmese army in it's fight against guerillas, is like pointing the finger at
TOTAL as collaborators of the SLORC, thus exposing TOTAL as a potential
target for the ethnic guerillas".
It is absurd to write  "TOTAL,  in it's own way, participates in the
laundering of drug money (heroin.)"  It is like... not wanting to comprehend
that, the only method of developement, notably a project similar to that
practiced by TOTAL, could permit a poor country like BURMA to escape from
the drug economy.
It is true that the Burmese authorities have recieved something like 20
million dollars from it's project partners. But why hide the fact that they
(the Burmese partner) have invested in the same project 150 million dollars,
on which they will not have any benefits for several years to come.?
___________________________________________________________________________

Rene' Backmann's postscript...........
[M.Delaborde has judged "shocking" our report on Burma. It is his right  and
maybe it's even an obligation on his part. But from our point of view, what
is really shocking  is the support and maintenance of power and authority
for a regime, like the military dictatorship in Burma, and the collaboration
of TOTAL with this regime. As for the rest, we stand on all our informations
TOTAL's letter deserves nevertheless precisions to the following two points: 

1. That, it is not the" yarns " spun by the FIDH and echoed by the  "Nouvel
Observateur" which have put the lives of the collaborators (TOTAL personnel)
in" peril ",but it is  in fact "the decision" by TOTAL to start operations
in a country torn by war with its ethnic minority.
2. M.Delaborde's denials and his impartiality would have merit more credit
if there had been no interdiction for journalists to visit the work sites on
the pipe line.  R.B. ]

slightly abridged and unofficial translation by Htaw Me Par.