The BurmaNet News, August 13, 1997

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"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"     
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The BurmaNet News: August 13, 1997        
Issue #796

HEADLINES:        
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BKK POST: SUU KYI TOOK $80,000 GIFT, SAYS SLORC
REUTER: BURMA REOPENS SCHOOLS, BUT NOT ALL 
BKK POST: RICE PRICES SOAR AS KYAT PLUMMETS
HONG KONG AFP: NLD APPEALS FOR DIALOGUE WITH JUNTA 
ABSDF PRESS RELEASE: PRIORITIZE DEMOCRACY, RIGHTS
HINDUSTAN TIMES: MYANMAR FOR ASIAN HIGHWAY 
THE NATION: BURMA TESTS ASIAN VALUES
THE NATION: LETTER - REPRESSION CONTINUES
FBC STATEMENT : AUGUST 8, 1997
KYO: KAREN NATIONAL MARTYRS' DAY
ABSDF BOOK LAUNCH: LETTERS TO A DICTATOR
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BKK POST: SUU KYI TOOK $80,000 GIFT, SAYS SLORC
August 12, 1997
Rangoon, DPA

Burma's government-controlled press hinted yesterday that opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, who heads the National League for Democracy (NLD), was
heading for her downfall as a politician.

"It is certain to foretell that she will perish after her raft has dashed
against the consolidated rock of national politics," said the second
installment of a lengthy diatribe against Ms Suu Kyi that appeared in all
government-controlled dailies.

Yesterday's article, entitled "From Washington to University Avenue,"
accused Ms Suu Kyi of accepting a cash donation of 80,000 dollars from
American citizen John Vincent Osolnick Jr who visited Rangoon on January 24
to 26. Ms Suu Kyi's house is located on University Avenue in Rangoon.

Under Burmese law it is illegal for a political party or politician to
accept donations from abroad.

The State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), Burma's military junta,
claims to have evidence that Ms Suu Kyi accepted a cash donation from Mr
Osolnick and is reportedly building a case to have the popular politician
deported or arrested.

*******************************************************

REUTER: BURMA REOPENS SCHOOLS, BUT NOT ALL UNIVERSITIES
August 12, 1997

RANGOON, Aug 12 (Reuter) - Burma reopened nearly 39,000 schools two months
late on Tuesday, but kept closed some 30 universities and colleges suspected
of being linked to student unrest.

Tuesday's reopening involved 38,808 schools and more than seven million
children. The schools had been closed since March and had been due to reopen
in June.

Rangoon-based analysts said the ruling State Law and Order Restoration
Council (SLORC) was afraid of protests before its admission to the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) last month.

"They did not want to lose face until their smooth entry into ASEAN," one
analyst said.

About 20 of the universities and colleges still closed, including cradles of
last year's unrest Yangon (Rangoon) University and Yangon Institute of
Technology, have been shut since December 1996.

Students have been at the forefront of sporadic anti- government protests
since the abortive uprising of 1988.

The SLORC has declined to say when the universities will be reopened. An
education ministry official contacted by  Reuters on Tuesday said: "The time
for opening the universities is getting closer than before."

*************************************

BKK POST: RICE PRICES SOAR AS KYAT PLUMMETS
August 12, 1997
Achara Ashayagachat.

Heavy floods destroy crops and dikes in Irrawaddy food basin

Burma is experiencing a second consecutive year of heavy damage to its rice
crop due to the current flooding in the Irrawaddy basin, according to
sources in Rangoon.

Prices of rice for local consumption are rising, and exports will be limited
to amounts far below the military government's ambitious targets.

The floods have destroyed dikes along the Irrawaddy and some parts of the
rail system, the most serious damage since the State Law and Order
Restoration Council (Slorc) took over the country in 1988, foreign sources said.

"People on the street have felt the shortages of rice and some other
necessities since late last year," said one observer who asked not to be named.

The shortage is not acute yet, but the real problem has been price
increases, he added.

The government has stocked rice and will release some to the market if the
situation gets worse, but the industry and the public do not know how much
rice is under state management.

A 50-kilogramme bag of good quality rice is now being sold for 3,120 kyat,
compared with between 2,000 and 2,200 kyat last year.

"The price hike is not due totally to rice missing from the market, but to
the eroded value of the local currency, as well as last year's higher world
market prices for rice, resulting in nearly two million tons of rice being
exported [over two years]," an industry source said.

But during the 1996 calendar year, he said, exports fell to about 265,000 tons.

Exchange-rate fluctuations have has also dampened the foreign investment
climate in Burma. The market rate of the kyat, which had been relatively
steady at about 160 to the US dollar for several months, plunged as low as
260 in recent weeks and is now at about 205. The official rate of six to the
dollar is virtually ignored.

The real estimate of loss and how quickly the situation will recover will
not be known until the harvest starts from mid-October to December, and
until replanting of rice takes place later this year, the source said.

Flooding will also create some build-up of silt which will be good for rice
planting, he added.

So far this calendar year, only some very small shipments of about 160 tons
of normal rice and 5,000 tons of parboiled rice have been exported.

"No big shipments have been seen since last September as the Burmese
[government] wanted to ensure the food supply for domestic consumption,
despite the bad need for hard currency," a source said.

Although he believed the Slorc had made a strong commitment to control the
situation, he said this year was a very bad one for everyone.

"Social relief will be delivered to affected farmers, but not all farmers
have planted rice as planned by the government. The general population will
be affected from the rice situation," he said.

Burma has long been self-sufficient: rice production totals 14 million tons
a year.

Smuggling has been ruled-out as the reason for the shortage.

"There may be some smuggling from Arakan state near Bangladesh and from Shan
state to China, but the amount is not substantial as access to China is
still in bad condition."

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HONG KONG AFP: NLD APPEALS FOR DIALOGUE WITH RULING MILITARY JUNTA 
August 8, 1997

RANGOON, Aug 8 (AFP) -- Burma's opposition National League for
Democracy (NLD) appealed Friday for dialogue with the ruling junta, saying
this was "the only solution" to the country's problems.
An NLD statement said the military authorities must acknowledge that
the NLD won the 1990 general elections and that the current constitutional
convention was not likely to bring about national reconciliation.
"Since the SLORC claims to have a similar objective of bringing
democracy to the nation as the NLD, ... this indicates that a dialogue is
possible," the 18-page statement said.
SLORC refers to the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC),
the official name of the junta.
Signed by NLD chairman Aung Shwe, the statement's release coincided
with the anniversary of the August 8, 1988, general strike which crippled
the previous socialist government.
The statement attacked "continued repression" of NLD members, the
"forcible resignations" of elected NLD candidates and the junta's refusal
to return party documents seized since in October 1991 as problems to be
tackled.
In addition, "the still unresolved case" of who attacked a motorcade
carrying NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi last year and "the unremoved barriers
in front of her residence" were all "clear signs that Burma was still
undergoing a national crisis," the statement said.
"The only solution to all this is a dialogue," it added.

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ABSDF PRESS RELEASE: PRIORITIZE RESTORATION OF DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS
August 12, 1997

Press Release
Date: August 12, 1997

ABSDF CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEETING DECIDES TO PRIORITIZE POLITICAL WORK TO
RESTORE DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

At a recently completed ABSDF Central Committee meeting a resolution was
made to alter the organization's strategy to make non-violent political
defiance tactics and international lobbying the main weapons in our struggle
to end the brutal military dictatorship in Burma. The 40 student leaders
from different regions, who attended the meeting spent 10 days analyzing the
effectiveness of the tactics that have been used in the past, and discussing
the most appropriate course to follow in the future. 

The ABSDF believes that Burma now faces an even more critical situation than
it did at the beginning of the civil war immediately after independence from
Britain. 

The SLORC's continued refusal to acknowledge the genuine desires of the
Burmese people, and it's unwillingness to tackle political problems, in
particular democratic, ethnic and human rights issues, in a just and
dignified way by political means, is the primary cause of the economic
crisis that the country now faces. Furthermore, Burma's hopes of achieving
development and peace in the future have been almost shattered by the
SLORC's complete failure to address the urgent need for investment in 
human resources, and by their rampant depletion of our natural
resources for the purchase of arms.

The ABSDF believes that the only way out of the abyss lies in the hands of
the Burmese themselves. All of us must actively participate in the struggle,
and fight for the freedom and rights that we have been deprived of for over
three decades.

With the ever-increasing repression of political dissent, the worsening
economic situation in the country, and growing dissatisfaction among the
rank and file of the Burmese army, the ABSDF believes that in the
foreseeable future the people will be driven to a level which they can no
longer tolerate, from which they will once again rise up against the
dictatorship as they did in 1988, and risk life and limb to demonstrate their
desperation.

After extensive consideration of these circumstances, the ABSDF has decided
to adapt our political strategy to give a greater focus to non-violent means
of struggle.

Central Committee
All Burma Students Democratic Front

For more information please contact 01-9231687, 01-654 4984
  
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HINDUSTAN TIMES: MYANMAR FOR ASIAN HIGHWAY THROUGH INDIA
August 12, 1997

Dhaka
The Hindustan Times, Lucknow Edition (12/8/97).

Myanmar wants the proposed Asian highway linking South and Southeast
Asia to enter its territory from north-eastern India and not from
Bangladesh, an official of the UN Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said.

Myanmar wants the highway to enter it at Tamu from Imphal in India and
not from Teknaf, the tip of south-eastern Bangladesh, according to Dr M
Rahmatullah, Director of the Transportation, Communication and Tourism, at
Bangkok-based ESCAP which is co-ordinating the transportation project.

Dr Rahmatullah, who was in Dhaka to attend a seminar, said that even the
Bangladesh government had accepted the Imphal-Tamu route. Myanmar does not
favour the Teknaf route because it is not economically profitable.
The mid-stream of the Naf river at Teknaf is the boundary between
Bangladesh and Myanmar, with Arakan on the other side.

While Bangladesh has a good road to Teknaf, there is no road of the
needed quality linking Yangon to Teknaf. Each country through which the
highway would run, has to build its part of the road itself.

India and Myanmar agree that the highway should pass through Imphal in
India on to Tamu in Myanmar Dr Rahmatullah said.

An international conference which would try to solve problems linked
with the Bangladesh section of the highway would be held in Dhaka in
December where Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar would
he represented.

According to the ESCAP official, the Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand section
of the Asian highway had already been built. A bridge linking Thailand
and Myanmar would open to traffic on August 15.  Thailand is helping
build a part of the highway in eastern Myanmar while India is assisting
on a section in western Myanmar.

The Bangladesh government has not so far proposed any changes in routing the
Asian highway from Tamabil in northeastern Sylhet in Bangladesh, he added.
The Bangladesh government had discussed changes in the highway route with
the ESCAP in May this year.

Although Dr Rahmatullah did not say what was discussed then, there are
indications that the Bangladesh government would like the Asian highway
to be routed through its Sylhet-Austragram section. In case that happens,
observers say, it would be a defeat for the former BNP government of
Bangladesh because it had opposed the Sythet-Austragram route.

Quoting from a letter sent by the BNP government to the ESCAP two years
ago, Dr Rahmatullah said that Dhaka had then proposed routing the
highway through Sylhet-Tamabil in Bangladesh to move on to Imphal in
India and Tamu in Myanmar, although it would mean a detour of an extra
360 kilometres.

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THE NATION: BURMA TESTS ASIAN VALUES
August 12, 1997
Chao-Tzang Yawnghwe.

If Asian values are about encouraging a harmonious relationship between the
state and society, then Asean leaders have their work cut out in Burma,
comments Chao-Tzang Yawnghwe.

Now that Burma is a member of Asean, it would not be illogical to assume
that Asean will now take some responsibility for the well-being of that
unfortunate country - which is now an economic, political and social "basket
case" in the regional forum.

It is not presumptuous to presume that Aung San Suu Kyi is, like Lt Gen Khin
Nyunt and Slorc generals, now regarded as part of the Asean community.
Perhaps, Asean leaders will cease treating her as a political persona
non-grata. It is also hoped that Asean leaders, who are presumably sincere
about Confucian and "Asian" values, will be true to their convictions and
help restore state-society harmony in Burma.

A cardinal component of Confucianism is "harmony" - that is, harmony between
the head of the family and its members, and by extension, harmony within a
state between rulers and the ruled (or state and civil society).

Burma is precisely a place where this "harmony" is lacking. Strife between
the state and civil society has been the norm since 1962. This stems from
those entrusted with the country's defence betraying that trust. They
usurped - in 1962 and in 1988 - by force of arms the power to govern, and
have monopolised all forms of power at gunpoint. With their guns, they have
"anointed" themselves the guardian-rulers of the country in perpetuity.

What the people of Burma want, as articulated by their chosen champion, Suu
Kyi, is the restoration of harmony between that part of the population which
exercises power and the rest of society, over whom power is exercised.

GIVE AND TAKE

In Burma, "democracy" is but a metaphor of the desire of the people for the
restoration of harmony - a functional relation based on give-and take
between those who wield power and those who do not, not only in politics but
in every sphere of life. It is not that the people and their champion, Suu
Kyi, want to transplant, wholesale, "Western" values into Burma.

The message she brings is one that is based on Buddhist compassion, and on
harmony between the state and society that results from a compassionate
relationship between people in general, and between rulers and the ruled in
particular. Is there anything more Asian than this?

It is therefore incomprehensible why powerful Asean leaders - who ascribe to
things Asian with great pride - are so set against a frail woman who would
probably have, under different circumstances, looked upon them as esteemed
elder statesmen and mentors. One wonders if male chauvinism is not a factor?

These powerful men could have gone down in history as "great Asians".
Regretfully, it now appears - because of their indefensible defence of
military rule of the most brutal kind - that they will be remembered,
perhaps unfairly, as petulant, unreasonable and uncompassionate mini-tyrants.

At any rate, there are, at an analytical level, many problems with the
assault on democracy (and human rights) on the premise that democracy is
"Western". It is certain that good men serving Asean governments, many with
doctorates from good universities (incidentally, in the West), also have
problems with the ideological formulations of their political "masters"
(those who butter their bread). It is a pity that Asians who are otherwise
enlightened have chosen to, as a Burmese saying goes, "hold water in their
mouths".

What are the "Western" values, one may ask, that Asean leaders are so
staunchly against?

In its bare bones, what we call "Western" culture is a culture and a set of
values that put man - man as an autonomous, free entity - at the heart of
politics and economy. It is a culture based on the questioning of the
"givens", that is, given knowledge, wisdom, truths, even faith, and beliefs
and notions that are encrusted with mystifications.

"Western" culture and values encompass a way of life where the "superior"
status of any person - and the wielding of power - is regarded as functional
and instrumental, and thus conditional superior status and possession of
power are not viewed as mandated by an abstract power that transcends man,
such as the "nation", "community", winged inhabitants from up above, and so
on. It is from this way of seeing and comprehending power and human
relations, that there arose the notion of democratic accountability, human
rights, and other liberties.

In the above connection, those who are familiar with the "teachings" of the
Buddha will find that "Western" culture and values are not all that
"Western", after all. At the heart of Buddhism is the appreciation of a
clear mind (a mental state) that always questions "reality" and "truths",
even the words of the great teacher himself.

HUMAN CONSTRUCT

The fact that Buddhism, which is as Asian as any philosophy can be, is at
one, so to speak, with "Western" culture and values, raises a quite awkward
question for those who insist that democracy (and human rights) is "Western"
and alien to Asian ways.

Confucius notwithstanding - whose words, like those of Karl Marx, Mao
Zedong, Max Weber and other philosophers, have been utilised to justify many
things, the good along with the bad - "Asian values" does not refer to an
absolute, monolithic body of values. As established thus far by the social
sciences, "culture" (and its system of values) is a human construct. Often,
culture is constructed by elites from elements carefully selected from a
host of values and imposed on society in many ways and by various means -
for example, through the school system controlled or directed by governments.

Hence, analytically speaking, a given culture of any given society is
"artificial" or man-made, and definitely political. It is constructed,
established, maintained, and perpetuated to shore up a certain
social-political-economic status quo. Culture is a means by which those who
benefit most from a given socio-political arrangement maintain the status
quo and/or neutralise and marginalise the values and world-views of those
who wish to change a given social order or desire a different arrangement.

Therefore, to argue that "Asian" culture is a natural phenomenon, a DNA-like
phenomenon that is biologically inherent in all and every Asian person since
birth, is a quite mind-blowing. To believe that this is the case would
require one to make a leap back in time to perhaps, Germany of the
post-Weimar years.

The explicit accusation made by Slorc generals, and implicitly, by Asean
leaders that the aspiration for democracy (and human rights) in Burma is
anti-Asian and inspired by the West - by Soros, in particular - is patently
misplaced. It is certainly not Western inspired, nor is it anti-Asian in
orientation, because it is rooted in Buddhism. More importantly, it is the
result of bitter, painful experience of life of over 30 years under military
atrocities and mis-rule.

Why is this quite natural, Asian impulse of a people who have suffered so
much for so long, so difficult for powerful leaders like Mahathir Mohamad
and other Asean leaders to understand? Surely, these leaders are every bit
as Asian as the people of Burma are?

Of course, every Burmese prays every night, and has done so for many years,
to be blessed with an "enlightened" authoritarian ruler like Lee Kuan Yew
(now senior minister). whom they once greatly admired. Unfortunately, their
prayers have not been answered.

HARMONY AND ORDER

Now that Burma is a member of Asean, one might hope that Asean leaders will
he able to help put in place a system that satisfies their notion of "Asian"
harmony and order, but which precludes rule at gunpoint and "law and order"
maintained by military atrocities.

Surely, the desire to do away with military rule does not contravene any
"Asian" values, or contradict any Asean principles. Seeing that most Asean
countries are with the exception of Indonesia - ruled by civilians, it is
hoped that the principle of civilian supremacy over the military will be
respected, or that this basic principle accepted by almost all Asean
governments and leaders will not be dishonoured. Now that Asean leaders have
shown the West that they are masters of their turf by admitting Burma - or
rather, the illegitimate Slorc junta - into the club, it is hoped that they
will now proceed to "constructively engage" with leaders who represent the
people of Burma, and the person chosen by them as their champion - Suu Kyi.

If Asean leaders can "constructively engage" with those who hold power at
gunpoint and continue to commit atrocities, there is no reason for them not
to deal with leaders who have won an election or are popularly acclaimed as
legitimate leaders.

After all, the popular struggle in Burma is not directed against Asian
values, nor is it aimed at discrediting a variety of political arrangements
set up by Asean leaders in their respective countries. It is a struggle
against rule at gunpoint by a handful of generals who represent, at best,
only a small segment of the military.

The struggle of Burma is, in other words, a struggle by the people for
civilian rule based on the consent of the ruled. This is the kind of
governance which no Asean leaders have directly and openly repudiated,
notwithstanding their defence of "Asian" values. Further, it is the kind of
governance - and principle - which most of them more or less adhere to in
the countries they respectively govern.

CHAO-TZANG YAWNGHWE is a son of the late Sao Shwe Thaike, Burma's first
independent president, from 1948 to 1952. Sao Shwe Thaike also known as the
respected Sawbwa of Yawnghwe - died in military custody shortly after the
coup in 1962 by Gen Ne Win. This article was contributed to The Nation.

*******************************************************

THE NATION: LETTER - REPRESSION CONTINUES
August 12, 1997
Letter to the Editor

We are Burmese students born under the repressive military dictatorship of
Burma. Though we, like most others, were born with all of our human senses
and intellect, the most basic human rights are denied us by one of the most
brutal military regimes in the world.

On March 2, 1962, the Burmese army led by Gen Ne Win staged a bloodless coup
to overthrow the government. Ignoring the resentment of the Burmese people,
Ne Win established total control over the country through a socialistic
regime. The Burmese people were denied their democratic rights and freedom
of expression and voices of dissent were repressed.

On August 8, 1988, Burmese from all walks of life participated in a
nation-wide demonstration to demand the reinstitution of democracy, an end
to the repressive military dictatorship and the establishment of an interim
government to pave the way for the beginnings of a democratic system of
governance. This forced Ne Win to step down from the leadership of Burma.

Nevertheless, the military regime has remained in power and continues to
rule the country, oppressing the people. The people's lives have been filled
with pain and suffering. Our struggle to end military rule and reinstate
basic human rights in Burma continues.

Kyi Htay
Chairman of Overseas National Students' Organisation of Burma

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FBC STATEMENT : AUGUST 8, 1997
August 8, 1997

ASEAN: ASSERT HUMAN RIGHTS FOR BURMA
      Commemorative statement on the 30th anniversary of the
   founding of ASEAN and the 9th anniversary of the Burma uprising

Today, August 8, 1997, ASEAN is 30 years old. Since its first founding it
professed to be  the center  of cooperation, peace and stability in the
region. It's various declarations, accords and treaties emanate of ideals
that clearly reflect human rights standards. It has vowed "to promote
regional peace and stabilty through abiding respect for justice and the rule
of law" (ASEAN (Bangkok) Declaration 1967, Treaty of Amity and Cooperation
in Southeast Asia 1976), "to achieve social justice, freedom, peace, social
progress, prosperity, welfare, cultural development and raise living
standards of peoples of member states" (Declaration of ASEAN Accord, 1976,
ASEAN Bangkok Declaration 1967, Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast
Asia 1976); and "to foster cooperation in furtherance  of the cause of
peace, harmony and stability in the region" (Treaty of Amity and Cooperation
in Southeast Asia 1976).

But thirty years of ASEAN has meant thirty yeras of hunger and hardship for
member states in Southeast Asia. A large population of this region have been
subjected to the world's most appalling state abuses, ecologicak  ruin and
economis deprivation. Less of an explanation therefore is needed to express
how deeply disappointed we are  with ASEAN's record. Southeast Asian peoples
remain one of the most abused and exploited members of the global community.

It is also today that we remeber Burma's uprising, and subsequent sacrifices
of it's martyrs. The failure of ASEAN to facilitate satisfactory solutions
to Southeast Asia's problems has been doubly compounded with its accepatnce
of an illegitimate  government into it's ranks. Embracing Burma's military
dictatorship into the fold of supposedly free and soverweign states, merely
because economic opportunities therein, is a direct affront to the ideals of
ASEAN, and an insult to the constituents of ASEAN member states.

Yet ASEAN took it upon itself to exercise responsibility over its new
member, hoping that the acceptance may introduce reforms into the country.
To do this genuinely, ASEAN needs to immediately facilitate the dialogue
between the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), and the
National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma as well as National
League for Democracy. It has also establish formal monitoring mechanisms
into the country's political situation, and to provide immediate assistance
to the victims of violence in the coutry. Adoption of the Alternative ASEAN
policy of democratization, dialogue and demilitarization must be implemented
if ASEAN is to help at all.

We, freedom loving citizens and peace advoates of Southeast Asia therefore
challenge the ASEAN to mobilize member states toward these
ends. ASEAN has no choice but to hear the voice of Burma peoples. ASEAN, if
it is to be faithful  to its avowed principles, has no option but to
facilitate the realization of freedom and democracy in Burma-- now.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
FREE BURMA COALITION - Initiatives for Internationl Dialogue*
Philippine Alliance for Human Rights Advocates* Amnesty
International-Pilipinas* Alliance of Progressive Labor* Philippine Railway
Workers Union-International Transport Workers Federation* ALTSEAN-BURMA*
FORUM-ASIA* Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma* Campaign for
Popular Democracy* Amnesty International-Thailand

Free Burma Coalition- Philippines c/o Initiatives for International
Dialogue (IID)/ Unit D-15, 2nd Floor CASAL Building, #15 Anonas
Street, Project 3, Quirino District, 1102, Quezon City

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KYO: KAREN NATIONAL MARTYRS' DAY
August 12, 1997

OUR BELIEFS AND DETERMINATION
IN COMMEMORATION OF KAREN NATIONAL MARTYRS' DAY
AUGUST 12, 1997

        To us, the "independence" Burma gained in 1948 is but a domination
over all other nationalities in Burma by the Burman.  The taking up of arms
by almost all the nationalities against the ruling Burmese government is
sufficient proof that though Burma got its independence, only the Burman
have really enjoyed independence and they have subjected the other
nationalities.  The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) headed
by Gen. Than Shwe will never and can never solve the crisis in the country.

        The Karen revolution is more than just a struggle for survival
against national oppression, subjugation, exploitation and domination of
the Karen people by the Burmese rulers.  It has the aim of a genuine union
comprised of all the states of the nationalities on the basis of equality
and self-determination.  In our march towards our objectives we shall
uphold the four principles laid down by our beloved leader, the late Saw Ba
U Gyi, which are:

1.  For  us surrender is out of the question.
2.  The recognition of the Karen State must be completed
3.  We shall retain our arms.
4.  We shall decide our own political destiny.

Signed:
        Karen Youth Organization  ( Australia )
        Karen Youth Organization  ( Canada )
        Karen Youth Organization  ( France)
        Karen Youth Organization  (Japan)
        Karen Youth Organization  (Kaw Thoo Lei)
        Karen Youth Organization  ( India )
        Karen Youth Organization  ( United States Of America )

****************************************************

ABSDF BOOK LAUNCH: LETTERS TO A DICTATOR
August 10, 1997

Dear friends,

The ABSDF's latest publication 'Letters to a Dictator' can be ordered at
this email address or at P.O Box 151, Klong Chan P.O,
Bangkapi, Bangkok 10240. 

Overseas orders..................US$ 5.00
Orders in Thailand...............US$ 2.00

All Burma Students' Democratic Front 

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