Burma News Update #49

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BURMA NEWS UPDATE
Burma Project, Open Society Institute
No. 49; 23 January 1998

-UN Presses Burma Reconciliation
-Gingrich Calls for "All-Out Embargo"
-Burma Now "Narco-State"?
-Refugees Fight Repatriation

UN Presses Burma for Reconciliation
Assistant United Nations Secretary-General Alvaro De Soto met in Rangoon with
generals of Burma's ruling junta and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, head of the National
League for Democracy (NLD), during a three day visit aimed at breaking Burma's
political deadlock and paving the way for a democratic transition in the
country. De Soto was sent to Burma as a special envoy of Secretary General Kofi
Annan, who in December met the chief of Burma's junta, General Than Shwe, in
Malaysia. The UN is said to be pressing for a tripartite dialogue involving the
junta, the NLD, and ethnic groups opposed to the current regime. 
(Rangoon, Reuters, 19 January; Agence France-Presse, 21 January)

Gingrich Calls For "All-Out Embargo"
United States House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich told an audience of
Hollywood "movers and shakers" that "There are good reasons to have sanctions
against Burma" and that such sanctions should be expanded to an all-out economic
embargo. Gingrich had been questioned regarding a trip he had recently taken to
London that was paid for by the Los Angeles-based ARCO petroleum corporation,
which is one of the largest American investors in Burma.
(Beverly Hills, Reuters, 15 January)

Burma Now a "Narco-State"?
In an article detailing links among top figures in Burma's 
narcotics trade, the ruling army junta, and the country's economic and financial
institutions, Asiaweek warned that Burma may be the first Asian country to earn
the dubious distinction of a 
"narco-state." The article stated: "Many of the shadowy figures long associated
with the drug trade have insinuated themselves into the political and business
fabric of the nation. Heroin 
production is close to an all-time high, while narco-profits flood the economy.
Given the power and connections these 
people wield, Myanmar seems well on its way to becoming a narco-state - a
country where officialdom, if not directly involved in trafficking, is certainly
providing drug lords tacit sanction."
(Asiaweek, 23 January)

Burmese Junta Accused Of Inaction On Drugs
A senior Thai drug control official harshly criticized Burma's army junta for
not keeping pledges to fight drug trafficking, the Thai language Siam Rath
newspaper reported. Director of the Northern Region's Narcotics Suppression
Center, Banphot Piamdi, was quoted as saying that the son of surrendered heroin
warlord Khun Sa had "received permission from Rangoon to produce narcotics in
the areas along the Thai-Burmese border" and that massive amounts of
amphetamines were also being produced in Burma.
(Bangkok, Siam Rath, 6 January)

Refugees Fight Repatriation
Refugees from Burma's southwestern Arakan State have forcibly taken control of
their camp near the southern Bangladesh town of Cox's Bazar to avoid being sent
back to Burma, according to UN officials quoted in a Dhaka newspaper. There are
about 21,000 Burmese refugees in camps in Bangladesh, mostly Rohingya Muslims
who charge persecution by Burma's military junta. The refugees are reportedly
armed and are supported by Bangladeshi Muslim groups.
(Dhaka, Agence France-Presse, 21 January)

Junta Media on Suu Kyi
The Burmese language Kyemon newspaper renewed attacks on democracy leader Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi, describing her as "the famous, unrivaled democracy princess
[who] is being advertised as Myanmar's democratic leader and manipulated by
international imperialist bloc." The article accuses Suu Kyi of aiding
insurgents and subversion and not understanding human rights. The article
rejects international calls for greater respect for fundamental freedoms in
Burma, adding: "[I]t amounts to the hegemony of neocolonialists. Now, would the
advocates of human rights and a group of deranged fools like to respond to this?
To state clearly, the people of Myanmar accept the disciplined democracy
prescribed by the [army junta] State Peace and Development Council. . . ."
(Rangoon, Kyemon, 1 January)

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