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Breaking News From The Rangoon Post (r)
- Subject: Breaking News From The Rangoon Post (r)
- From: RANGOONP@xxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 21:06:00
These news are searched and posted from The Rangoon Post. More questions, just
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The Washington Times
April 23, 1998, Thursday, Final Edition
SECTION: Part A; COMMENTARY; EDITORIALS; LETTERS; Pg. A22
LENGTH: 246 words
HEADLINE: Why is Burma a leading abuser of human rights?
Your April 19 travel article "The way things were - and still are" disturbed
me immensely. Your reporter feels that Burma is a safer place than
Washington. He is wrong.
In Rangoon and throughout Burma, hundreds of thousands of undercover
police - known as military intelligence agents - patrol 24 hours a day. That's
why your reporter didn't see many uniformed policemen.
No Burmese citizen talks about politics in public because such conduct
gets
one arrested by the secret police. That's why your reporter didn't hear much
talk about Burma's regime.
As a Burmese in exile, let me explain why Burma is singled out as a
human
rights abuser.
In 1988, after the State Law and Order Restoration Council seized power, I
fled from home to the jungles of the Thai-Burmese border. Before I left, my
12-year-old sister asked me to buy a Mickey Mouse watch to give to her when I
returned.
But because the government has stayed in power, I have never had a chance
to
come home. Eight years later, I got a message from Burma that my little
sister had been arrested by the regime in December 1996 when she took part in
student protests.
She is in jail, but I do not know her whereabouts. I wonder how long she
will wait in one of Burma's notorious prisons for her Mickey Mouse watch.
When my family reunites someday, I cannot imagine how many of my brothers
and sisters will be left. Pray and hope have become my daily business.
NYI NYI LWIN
Rockville
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: April 23, 1998
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Agence France Presse
April 23, 1998 Myanamr-arrest 12:39 GMT
SECTION: International news
HEADLINE: Exiled Myanmar government condemns junta over activist's arrest
DATELINE: BANGKOK, April 23
Myanmar's exiled government Thursday condemned a 25-year sentence given to
a former parliamentarian, calling it part of a systematic attempt by the
ruling
junta to intimidate opposition.
The Thailand-based National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma
said
in a statement that the arrest and sentencing of opposition figure San San was
an attempt to break up the National League for Democracy (NLD).
"This is one of the acts emerging from the systematic attempt ... (by the
military junta) to break up the National League for Democracy," the statement
said.
Myanmar democracy advocate and former parliamentarian San San was
sentenced
to 25 years in jail for giving an interview to a foreign media company, an
opposition student group said Tuesday.
The government-in-exile statement said the arrest of San San by the ruling
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) showed that the fundamental human
rights of the people of Myanmar (Burma) continued to be violated.
"Since a few months back, the SPDC military dictatorship has been
systematically harassing the members of parliament-elect of the NLD and the
party workers ... with arrest, obstruction and restrictions," it said.
The All Burma Students' Democratic Front Tuesday said San San was
arrested
in October last year and sentenced earlier this month under the 1923 Official
Secrets Act.
San San was sentenced to 20 years in prison for "high treason" in 1990 but
was released in 1992 under an amnesty, the students' front said. She was
dismissed from parliament after her first detention.
An official SPDC source said San San had been re-sentenced to 25 years
after
her amnesty for the original treason charge was revoked in October last year.
The senior official -- who did not specify the new charges on which San San
had been detained -- denied her imprisonment was the result of an interview
with
foreign media.
The NLD under Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi swept 1990 elections but the
junta, known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council until late last
year, has refused to recognise the result.
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Agence France Presse
April 21, 1998 14:24 GMT
SECTION: International news
HEADLINE: UN human rights body assails abuses in Myanmar
DATELINE: (ADDS report of fresh arrest in Myanmar)
GENEVA, April 21 (AFP) - The UN Human Rights Commission on Tuesday
unanimously adopted a resolution attacking widespread human rights abuses in
Myanmar.
The 53 member states expressed "deep concern" at continuing human rights
violations in Myanmar (Burma) , including "extrajudicial, summary or
arbitrary
executions."
The text of the resolution also referred to cases of torture, abuses of
women
and children by government agents, arbitrary seizures of land and property,
violations of freedom of movement and "the imposition of oppressive measures
directed in particular at ethnic and religious minorities."
A report presented to the commission said the people of Myanmar live in
fear while the military government has failed to take steps toward democracy
and
has refused to cooperate with the UN special rapporteur.
Rapporteur Rajsoomer Lallah of Mauritius reported welcome, but limited
improvement in restrictions on political parties, and the resolution urged
further efforts.
These would include ensuring the "safety and physical well-being of all
political leaders, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ... and to release
immediately and unconditionally those detained for political reasons."
In Bangkok Tuesday, a Myanmar opposition student group reported that
democracy advocate San San had been sentenced to 25 years' jail after giving
an
interview to the BBC.
An official source in Myanmar's ruling State Peace and Development
Council
said that San San, amnestied in 1992 on charges of high treason, had been
re-sentenced to 25 years "due to her fabrications and distribution of false
information domestically and internationally to create instability and unrest
in
the country."
The UN rapporteur spoke of documents, photographs and testimony on
instances
of torture and arbitrary executions, particularly in the government's military
push into regions dominated by ethnic minority groups.
He called for political detente in Myanmar and a general amnesty.
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Copyright 1998 U.P.I.
April 22, 1998, Wednesday, BC cycle
SECTION: International
HEADLINE: Canadian policies against Burma stay
DATELINE: OTTAWA, April 22
Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy says Canada has no plans to resume aid to
Burma soon because of human rights violations in the southeast Asian nation.
His remarks came after a report from Beijing quoted International Cooperation
Minister Diane Marleau as saying Canada may resume bilateral aid to Burma
''sooner rather than later.'' Marleau, now back in Ottawa after a two-week
trip
to Bangladesh, Thailand and China, says her statement was taken out of
context.
In a clarification today, Marleau says Canada has not changed its policy and
will not resume economic aid until Rangoon improves its human rights record.
She says Canada's trade restrictions on Burma also remain. Axworthy
announced the restrictions in August 1997 after several failed attempts to
begin
a dialogue on human rights with Burma's military rulers. Canada ended its
bilateral economic aid to Burma in 1988 after the military junta in Rangoon
massacred thousands of people in a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy
demonstrators. Among groups opposing resumption of aid to Rangoon is Canadian
Friends of Burma, an Ottawa-based non-government organization that monitors
human rights violations in that country. Spokeswoman Christine Harmston,
recently back from a trip to the Burmese border, told United Press
International
the military is still holding thousands of political activists in prison. She
says it is using women and children, among the thousands forced into slave
labor, to build roads and clear land mines in its fight against ethnic
uprisings
across the country. The junta has been holding Nobel Prize winner Aung San
Suu
Kyi under house arrest since her party, the National League for Democracy, won
a
sweeping election victory in 1990. ---
Copyright 1998 by United Press International. All rights reserved. ---
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Agence France Presse
April 22, 1998 12:54 GMT
SECTION: International news
HEADLINE: Myanmar junta says UN "duped" by rights workers
DATELINE: BANGKOK, April 22
Myanmar's military junta on Wednesday said a UN Human Rights Commission
resolution attacking it for widespread human rights abuses was part of an
international plot led by Amnesty International.
The 53 member states of the UN on Tuesday expressed "deep concern" at
continuing human rights violations in Myanmar, including "extrajudicial,
summary or arbitrary executions."
The resolution also mentioned cases of torture, abuses of women and
children
by government agents, arbitrary seizures of land and property, violations of
freedom of movement and "the imposition of oppressive measures directed in
particular at ethnic and religious minorities."
The resolution followed reports by Amnesty International last week which
said
hunderds of people had been tortured and killed among Myanmar's Shan ethnic
minority over the past two years.
But a senior Myanmar official dismissed the reports and said the UN had
been fooled by Amnesty's "deliberate fabrications".
"These anti- Myanmar government elements have been playing this game very
annoyingly and have managed to dupe almost everyone," the official told AFP.
"But if someone takes the time to really look into their strategy one can
realise the game they are playing."
He cited the example of a group of Karen ethnic rebels who defected from
their guerrilla movement earlier this month and signed a peace pact with
Yangon.
"If such allegations were true why did 99 percent of all the ethnic groups
that were fighting against the successive Myanmar governments renounce their
armed struggle and join the government's national unity and national
rebuilding
process?" the official said.
A report presented to the UN commission said the people of Myanmar lived
in
fear and noted the regime had refused to cooperate with the UN special
rapporteur Rajsoomer Lallah of Mauritius.
The resolution urged Myanmar to ensure the "safety and physical well-
being
of all political leaders, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ... and to release
immediately and unconditionally those detained for political reasons."
On Tuesday a Myanmar opposition student group reported that democracy
advocate San San had been sentenced to 25 years' jail after giving an
interview
to the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Myanmar's ruling State Peace and Development Council -- known as the
State
Law and Order Restoration Council until last year -- seized power in 1988
after
massive student uprisings and imposed a strict military rule.
It has refused to recognise the result of a 1990 election which was won in
a
landslide by the National League for Democracy led by Nobel prize winner Aung
San Suu Kyi.
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AP Worldstream
April 23, 1998; Thursday 10:55 Eastern Time
SECTION: International news
DISTRIBUTION: Asia;England;Europe;Britian;Scandinavia;Middle East;Africa;India
HEADLINE: Myanmar government expresses worries about food security
Myanmar -Food Shortage
DATELINE: YANGON, Myanmar
Myanmar's military government expressed worries Thursday over prospects
for all nations to ensure secure food supplies as the economic climate worsens
and foreign aid declines.
''Development aid has declined in the recent years. The present situation
looks no brighter. Without a favorable international climate, the cherished
goal
of food security for all will be unattainable and remain a dream,'' said Lt.
Gen. Khin Nyunt, a senior leader of the ruling junta.
Speaking at the opening of an Asian-Pacific ministerial-level meeting of
the
United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, Khin Nyunt said the
currency
turmoil facing the newly industrializing countries in the region will affect
trade and investment, and many of the developing countries suffer under a
heavy
external debt burden.
To achieve and maintain food security, he said, Myanmar and other
countries
in the region need a favorable economic environment, a respite from the debt
burden, remunerative prices for their agricultural products and greater
investment and aid for agriculture.
Delegates to the FAO meeting expressed concern over the El Nino weather
phenomenon and other natural disasters that affect food security in the
Asia-Pacific region.
They also worried about the wildfires ravaging forests in the region. They
asked the FAO to help minimize the damage and help develop effective
strategies and policies to ''prevent, combat and manage forest fires.''
The April 20-24 conference brings together 140 officials from 26 nations,
six
U.N. agencies and 11 private organizations. They include the prime minister of
Tonga, agriculture ministers and
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Business Times (Singapore)
April 22, 1998
SECTION: South-East Asia; Pg. 6
HEADLINE: 11 int'l courier firms obey Yangon order to shut down
BYLINE: Ronnie Lim
* SINGAPORE
ALL eleven international courier firms ordered by Myanmar to cease
operations in the country did so by Monday's deadline, sources said.
They were unable to get a reprieve from the authorities, leaving a joint
venture between DHL of the US and Myanmar Posts and "Some firms have tried
contacting the Ministry of Communications, Posts and Telegraphs (MCPT) which
issued the April 6 directive to them to shut down, but were told it was not
accepting appointments at this time," one company official told BT after
contacting his agent in Yangon.
He said his principal there is trying to appeal for a temporary extension,
pending a settlement which may require a similar arrangement like that secured
by DHL.
"In the meantime, most of the courier companies there, which have regional
offices in Bangkok or Singapore, will find Myanmar -bound packages stuck in
these two cities."
Another industry official said that the Conference of Asia-Pacific Express
Couriers (Capec) -which covers the big players like Federal Express, United
Parcel Service, TNT and also DHL -had discussed the Myanmar issue at
previous
meetings, "but no one expected them to just issue a directive like that, which
caught everyone by surprise".
The April 6 directive from the MCPT ordered the 11 companies -- which had
been there for the last five to six years -to stop operations within a
fortnight, as they had been operating "without official permission" though
they
had earlier got the nod from the Ministry of Trade.
The move is understood to have something to do with controls on the flow of
parcels in and out of the country. DHL, for instance, noted that the country's
postal policy listed courier services as a security service.
DHL itself negotiated for a joint venture with Myanmar Posts and
Telecommunications as far back as six years ago, and only managed to seal the
deal about two years back.
Another official said yesterday that there are no clear directions at this
time, until the courier companies get to speak to MCPT officials. "The
shutdown
has not been taken up at the Capec conference level yet."
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AFX News
April 22, 1998, Wednesday
SECTION: Company News; Joint Ventures; Markets; Stocks
LENGTH: 252 words
HEADLINE: Premier Oil marked higher on analysts trip, hopes of Singapore gas
deal
BODY:
LONDON (AFX) - Premier Oil PLC saw its shares marked steadily higher in
busy trade as upbeat rumours filtered back from a trip hosted by the company
for
leading analysts to its operations in Myanmar, dealers claimed.
One suggestion coming out of the trip, according to a leading analyst, is
that the company may be about to sign a deal to sell gas from its West Natuna
field in Myanmar to Singapore, for use in a new petrochemicals complex under
production. Without such a deal, gas from West Natuna would have no market and
such a contract would thus add output of around 17,000 barrels of oil
equivalent
per day to Premier's production from the year 2000 onwards.
However, the commentator suggested that the Premier analysts' trip might
in
part also be responsible for weakness in the share price of Cairn Energy PLC
since the visit may have reawakened concerns about the lack of sales outlets
for the Scottish explorer, should it add to its already sizeable reserves in
nearby
Bangladesh.
A Cairn spokesman today told AFX News that rumours of further delays to
the
current licensing round in Bangladesh were unfounded but the shares still
suffered in the face of further heavy selling by private investors.
At 11.19 AM Premier's shares were 1 pence better at 38-1/2 pence while
Cairn's stock dived 23 pence to 293-1/2 pence.
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AAP NEWSFEED
April 22, 1998, Wednesday
SECTION: Nationwide General News; Overseas News
LENGTH: 138 words
HEADLINE: TOKYO, April 22 Asia Pulse - Nichimen Corp. had contracted
TOKYO, April 22 Asia Pulse - Nichimen Corp. had contracted to provide an
asphalt-making facility to a petrochemical concern operated by Myanmar's
Ministry of Energy, and to supervise installation at a local oil refinery,
company sources said Wednesday.
Myanmar currently imports about 100,000 tons of asphalt a year for road
paving.
Producing half that amount domestically will save the cash-strapped
Southeast Asian nation considerable foreign exchange reserves.
Nichimen expects to install the facility this year and hand it over in
November 1999.
The trading house will provide 22 million marks (about 1.8 billion yen)
to
help purchase the facility from a German engineering company.
The Japanese government in March released some yen loans to Myanmar that
have been frozen since 1987.
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