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The BurmaNet News: April 7, 1998



------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------   
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"   
--------------------------------------------------------------
 
The BurmaNet News:  April 7, 1998
Issue # 977

Noted in Passing: 

HEADLINES:
===========
ASSK:  LETTER FROM BURMA
BKK POST:  THE SOLE SURVIVOR
THE NATION:  SANCTIONS NOOSE IS TIGHTENING 
BKK POST:  NEW DRIVE TO PROMOTE REGIONAL TRADE LINKS
BKK POST:  EXPORTS OF GOODS TO BURMA BANNED
BUSINESS WEEK: RENDEZVOUS IN RANGOON
BKK POST:  SINGAPORE FIRM INVESTS $40M IN BURMA
BKK POST:  CRITICS DECRY "HUMAN ZOO" OF TRIBESWOMEN
ANNOUNCEMENT:  WOMEN PUBLIC CHAT SESSION ON THURSDAY

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

MAINICHI DAILY NEWS:  LETTER FROM BURMA
Aung San Suu Kyi
6 April, 1998

Japan's Aid to Military Junta Fuels Oppression:  Progress?

Last month I mentioned in my letter that U Thein Tin, a writer and one of
the regular comers to the first NLD reading circles, had been imprisoned
without trial since 1996 and that he was seriously ill.  U Thein Tin died
on Feb. 18 at the Rangoon General Hospital.  He was officially "released"
less than 48 hours before his death, that is to say, when it was obvious
that his last moments were fast approaching.  He had been suffering from
cancer of the liver and the physicians who examined him must have known for
some months that he did not have long to live.  Why was it not possible for
the authorities to release him earlier so that his family might have had
the solace of caring for him during his final days?  Death in custody is
nothing new to the NLD, but one does not become accustomed to gratuitous
cruelty.

In the meantime, U Kyaw Min, the architect whom also I mentioned in
connection with the reading circle, has been hospitalized (as a prisoner)
with various ailments.  The rapid deterioration in the health of prisoners
is of constant concern to their families and friends.  The International
Red Cross Association is not allowed to inspect prisons in Burma, but even
without such inspections we can confidently conclude that political and
other prisoners in Burma are not accorded basic humane care.

Arrests and arbitrary trials, like deaths in custody, are nothing new to
us.  But recently there has been a slight variation on an old theme.  Feb.
12 was Union Day, which celebrates the coming together of the various
ethnic nationalities of Burma in the cause of independence.  We celebrate
it with appropriate statements, speeches, and an entertainment program
centered on the idea of unity and mutual understanding.  We also set up
stalls where ethnic handicrafts and textiles illustrating the diversity of
cultures within our nation are sold.  One of our women members of
Parliament, Nan Khin Htwe Myint, started out for Rangoon from her home in
the Karen State on Feb. 9.  On the way, her baggage, which included goods
to sell at our Union Day celebration, was searched.  (It is quite usual for
the authorities to search the baggage of people traveling from one part of
Burma to another. The ostensible reason is to ascertain that there is no
flow of contraband goods throughout the country, but there are privileged
groups whose cars bear special number plates which guarantee immunity from
any kind of search.)  After the authorities had gone through her
belongings, Nan Khin Htwe Myint discovered that some things were missing.
She spoke about this to the officers who had conducted the search and an
argument ensued.  She was then arrested on the grounds that she had
obstructed officers in the process of discharging their duties.  Within two
days she had been tried and sentenced to two years imprisonment.  Her
family knew nothing of what had happened until they heard that she was in
prison.  Soon after her arrest, the party signboard was forcibly removed
from her home where the NLD office was located.

On Union Day itself, some members of the NLD in the delta town of Bassein
decided to commemorate the occasion by holding a small reading circle in
the party office.  They were prevented from doing so by the authorities,
three party members were arrested and four charges, including that of
obstructing officers in the process of discharging their duties, were moved
against them.  Within a week they were tried, without presence of counsel,
and each of the accused was sentenced to four and half years in prison.
Speedy trials and heavy sentences for the "crime" of questioning official
action seems to have replaced the old process of charging our members under
the notorious section 5(j) and dragging out the trials for months.  In
addition, the authorities in Bassein took advantage of the vulnerable
position of the widowed and financially distressed landlady of the NLD
office to pressure her to take legal action to evict the party from the
premises.  The court case was as usual conducted in a way that had little
to do with accepted norms of justice, and of course the decision went
against the NLD.

Last month, a number of people, estimated at around 40, were arrested in
connection with what the authorities viewed as a form of samizdat
publication.  A couple of octogenarians were among those arrested.  They
are known to have been taken to Insein Jail, but of course they have not
been allowed access to their families or to counsel.  The government
newspapers have published an article to the effect that because there has
been such an international outcry on behalf of U Ohn Myint, one of the
octogenarians, his chances of release were slim.  Such are the petty
considerations that thwart the course of justice in Burma.

Under these circumstances it is difficult to understand how it can be
thought that there has been an improvement in the human rights record of
the military regime.  I understand that there are elements within the
Japanese official worlds who maintain that there has been enough progress
in Burma in recent months to justify the resumption of limited aid.  As
evidence of progress, mention has been made of the step "toward dialogue"
taken by the authorities last November.  This is a reference to the
occasion when the deputy minister for home affairs summoned members of the
Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the NLD to a meeting with less than 24
hours notice.

The meeting started off with the deputy minister declaring that his
government was a military government and that they have as yet no intention
of giving democracy to the country.  He then proceeded to berate the
members of the CEC for statements issued by the NLD.  These statements, he
said, were detrimental to the government and should be stopped forthwith.
He added that action could be taken if more statements continued to be
issued.  He went on to speak about the NLD "propaganda" which, he claimed,
had resulted in economics sanctions and a deterioration in the relations of
the government with the international community.  How is it possible to
view an occasion when our senior members were summoned like criminals and
scolded like juvenile delinquents as progress of any kind toward dialogue?

The Japanese government has now decided to provide a substantial sum of
money toward repairs to the international airport at Rangoon.  It was
explained that this sum is a mere fraction of the original amount earmarked
for Burma before the troubles of 1988 and that the intended repairs were
essential for the maintenance of basic safety for landing aircraft.
However, I understand that ICAO is of the opinion that the safety features
for which the Japanese money will be used are not essential.  This makes
the decision of the Japanese government difficult to understand.  Aid to
Burma was stopped after 1988 on the grounds that the military regime had
violated human rights.  The resumption of aid in any form will doubtless be
used by those with vested interests to claim that there has been an
improvement in the human rights record in Burma.  In view of the recent
wave of arrests, the continuing inhumane treatment of prisoners, the
unrelenting repression of political activities and the plight of our
refugees and internally displaced persons, the decision of the Japanese
government is deeply disappointing.  It is a decision that belittles human
rights in this year that commemorates the golden anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations.
	
****************************************************************

BANGKOK POST:  THE SOLE SURVIVOR:  HOW HAS BURMA BEEN ABLE TO AVOID THE
ASIAN FLU?
5 April, 1998
Mya Maung

Unlike other Asian countries, Burma has not been covered extensively in the
international news media, which suggests that it has been able to insulate
itself from the ongoing Asian economic crisis. Burma seems to have
successfully averted the speculative attacks on financial markets and the
currency crisis which have affected a number of Asian economies.

Unlike the Thai baht, the Indonesian rupiah and the Malaysian ringgit, the
accelerated rate of depreciation in the Burmese currency which occurred
toward the end of 1997 seems to have been arrested in 1998 by the Burmese
military regime's monetary authorities. The unofficial/parallel market
price of the US dollar that climbed to the panic level of 380 kyats per
dollar has been brought down and has stabilised at around 240 kyats as of
January 1998.

The apparent success of Burma in avoiding the contagion of the Asian
financial debacle stems from the nature and function of the Burmese
economy, on one hand, and the policies of financial repression adopted and
enforced by the government on the other.

Unlike other rapidly developing Asean economies, the so-called "open-door,
market-oriented" economy of Burma is neither truly open nor
market-oriented. State control of foreign trade and a monopoly on exports
and enterprises with foreign exchange earning power, such as those dealing
in rice, teak, gems, oil and natural gas, is more or less absolute. A
foreign exchange regime has been relentlessly maintained with an
unrealistic official exchange rate of 6 kyat to the dollar, 20 to 30 times
the unofficial market price.

Burma has virtually no modern private financial markets, financial
institutions or banking system that are directly linked to the regional
financial markets and financial system. The entire financial system is
centralised and tightly controlled, regulated, and managed by the state
with respect to free convertability between domestic and foreign
currencies. The consequence has been the development of foreign exchange
black markets.

To avoid the impact of the Asian currency crisis on the unofficial market
price of the US dollar and the parallel foreign exchange certificate (FEC),
or "Burmese dollar", the Burmese military government halted cross-border
trade with Thailand and instituted a crackdown on official and unofficial
trading of both the US dollar and the FEC.

As in the past, whenever the black market price of the US dollar and the
FEC rose to a crisis level, authorities began arresting traders and
revoking the licences of FEC traders.

By halting imports, reducing the demand for foreign exchange, arresting
unofficial foreign exchange dealers and rationing the amount of FEC trading
at legal trading counters in Rangoon, the government was able to stabilise
the unofficial foreign exchange rate of the kyat.

However, this stopgap measure, avoiding the Asian financial crisis by
isolating Burma from the outside world, will not solve the deep-seated
economic problems of pervasive poverty, escalating inflation due to
shortages of basic necessities such as rice, dwindling foreign exchange and
massive unemployment.

Many economists believe that the underlying cause of the unexpected Asian
financial debacle lies in the non-transparency of information and crony
capitalism of authoritarian states with unmonitored and corrupt regulators
of financial institutions compromising their fiduciary responsibilities.
Burma exemplifies the classic case of non-transparency of information and
crony capitalism of an authoritarian state controlled and managed by
powerful military 
ministers.

The recent dissolution of the Slorc and ousting of 14 military commanders
charged with corruption and replaced by a new 19-member junta is a
political manoeuvre to improve the image of Burma's military rulers. It
does not constitute a genuine cleansing of the economy that seethes with
corruption from top to bottom.

In addition, two incidents occurred that will lead to an economic crisis
for Burma, one hidden from the public by the Burmese government: the worst
flood to hit the region in 30 years, during August and September 1997, and
the ensuing shortage of rice for both domestic consumption and exports.

According to the UN and foreign reporters, the flood has affected nine out
of Burma's 14 states, inundating hundreds of thousands of paddy fields,
destroying roads and bridges with some 100,000 farmers losing their homes
and livestock.

The United States Department of Agriculture reported that in the first 10
months of fiscal 1997/1998 rice exports declined from an average level of
300,000 tons a year in the mid-1990s to a mere 15,000 tons, with foreign
exchange earnings from rice exports plunging downward from an average of
$400 million a year to a mere $3 million. It is more than likely that rice
exports will not exceed 20,000 metric tons for the entire fiscal year 1997/98.

Like its predecessor the Slorc, the newly formed military junta, the State
Peace and Development Council (SPDC), has been counting heavily on real and
potential incremental foreign direct investments into Burma to initiate and
sustain economic growth.

However, the Asian financial debacle seems to have shattered the
possibility of this. The reality of the Asian financial debacle is that the
largest investors in Burma, other Asean nations, with their own financial
and economic crises, will not be able to finance their investment projects
in Burma, let alone to make new investments.

In addition to no new investments by US firms due to sanctions imposed in
April 1997, there is a strong possibility of divestment by US oil
companies. Cases in point are Texaco's withdrawal from the Yadagun natural
gas project in 1997 and Arco's revelation of its intention to liquidate its
newly acquired natural gas project in the Bay of Martaban.

The controversial billion-dollar Yadana natural gas project, the largest
joint venture between Unocal (US), Total (France), the PTT and the Myanmar
Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), also seems to be in trouble, with legal
disputes and a sit-in protest by conservationists in Thailand against the
PTT's pipeline project.

In addition, border conflicts between Burma and Thailand due to changes in
the SPDC's trade policy led to the stoppage of cross-border trade. The
ongoing economic and financial crisis in the region has also led to a
massive deportation of illegal Burmese workers that will certainly deepen
the economic and financial crisis of Burma.

The two countries from which Burma can hope to secure funds to remain
afloat are Japan, historically the largest creditor nation of Burma's
military regime, and China, Burma's greatest ally since 1988.

Two-thirds of Burma's outstanding external debt of over $6 billion is owed
to Japan. The recent news of Japan's intention to resume its Overseas
Development Assistance (ODA) loans to Burma is an example of Japanese
vested economic interests in Burma.

China, on the other hand, has provided economic and military aid and
concessional loans far greater in value than that of Japan to finance 
Burma's infrastructure projects, especially the construction of new roads
and bridges and the refurbishment of old ones that link the two countries.
China's vested political interest in providing aid to Burma since 1988 has
been to expand its naval power and presence in the Indian Ocean via Burmese
lands and waters.

Thus, the Burmese junta's safety net of aid from Japan and China seems to
be in place. It must be emphasised, however, that the real safety net of
the Burmese junta lies not in the inflow of legal foreign exchange from
foreign investments and bilateral aid, but in the inflow of illegal drug
money and money laundering with impunity by infamous drug kingpins in
complicity with corrupt generals. 

*Mya Maung is a professor of finance at the Wallace E. Carroll School of
Management, Boston College, USA. 

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

THE NATION:  SANCTIONS NOOSE IS TIGHTENING AROUND RANGOON
4 April, 1998
Myint Thein, Dallas, Texas

In the "Letters to the Editor" section of the Washington Post (March 12,
1998), the Slorc ambassador to America wrote that "a more appropriate
United States response would be to assist in [Burma's] transformation to a
multi-party democracy."

This may reflect a major change in Slorc/SPDC's policy since the Burmese
generals are for the first time publicly inviting the American government
to get involved in the "internal affairs of Burma."

The Slorc ambassador also stated that "the limitations of sanctions are
greater than their accomplishments and that unilateral sanctions have
always fallen short of their stated goals."

If the sanctions have been ineffective why has Slorc/SPDC hired very
expensive Washington lobbyists? The Washington Post (Feb 24, 1998)
disclosed that nearly $600,000 was paid to Ann Wrobleski, a former
assistant secretary of state for narcotics control, and $262,000 was paid
to Bain & Associates by Zay Kabar & Co Ltd.

Zay (Market) Kabar (World) and Co. Ltd has eight telephone numbers in
Rangoon. One of the telephone numbers is for their construction/engineering
affiliate. Two lines are dedicated to their travel subsidiary. An
investigative reporter will find out who really owns Zay Kabar & Co Ltd.
The Burmese resistance has completed our campaign to impose worldwide
economic sanctions against Slorc/SPDC. Recently Newt Gingrich, speaker of
the US
Congress, called for on economic boycott of the military regime in Burma.
The only hold-out has been the Asean countries. But the economic crisis in
Asia acted as the functional equivalent of economic sanctions since
investors cannot afford to invest in Burma and finance the military
occupation of the country.

To be successful, sanctions must be worldwide. Sanctions were successful
in South Africa. They were not successful in Cuba because no one supported
the American position. The Burmese resistance has a better understanding of
the use and effectiveness of economic sanctions than the Slorc/SPDC generals.

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

BANGKOK POST:  NEW DRIVE TO PROMOTE REGIONAL TRADE LINKS 
5 April, 1998
Preecha Srisathan, Kanchanaburi

(excerpts)

Opening Checkpoints "May Spread Diseases"

Thailand has been pushing for the opening of more permanent checkpoints to
promote economic links with Burma and South Asian countries under the
western seaboard development project.

However, there are concerns that the planned opening of the checkpoints
would pose a threat to national security.

Some state agencies expressed fears the opening of the checkpoints would
encourage the influx of Karen and Burmese immigrants into Thailand and
these aliens might bring with them contagious diseases such as
tuberculosis, elephantiasis, syphilis, malaria, and leprosy.
     
Despite fears of these problems, six provinces in the upper western part of
Thailand-Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Samut Songkhram, Prachuap
Khiri Khan, and Chumphon-have thrown their full support behind the opening
of the checkpoints in their provinces.
     
A recent seminar on the development of the upper west agreed in principle
that Thailand open more checkpoints to boost trade and businesses with
Burma and other neighbouring countries.
     
At present, only three border checkpoints Tachilek-Mae Sai, Myawaddy-Mae
Sot and  Kawttaung-Ranong  have been opened to facilitate cross-border
trading between the two countries.

The seminar, attended by representatives from the Office of the Economic
and Social Development Board, the Commerce Ministry, the Interior Ministry,
the Public Health Ministry and local authorities, saw the potential of four
western provinces of Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi Prachuap Khiri Khan and
Ranong to become an economic hub of the upper western part.

Under the plan, these four provinces will have to open their border
checkpoints to expand their trade and business with Burma.

Suthep Pinprasert, the palad changvad of Ranong province, said political
instability in Burma has hampered Thailand's efforts to expand trade and
businesses- with Rangoon.

Burma's negative attitude towards Thailand in housing Karen refugees who
are supporters of Karen rebels was also another main factor that delayed
the western seaboard development plan. 
     
Unless these problems and obstacles are solved, the plan to turn the
western border areas into an economic hub would not be successful, noted Mr
Suthep.

Meanwhile, Dr Saravut Suwannathappa, representative from the Public Health
Ministry, warned that the planned opening of checkpoints would encourage
the influx of alien workers into the country.

Communicable diseases spawned by these workers would pose serious threats
to the health of Thai people.

He quoted last year's official report as showing that 1,200 out of 24,637
Burmese immigrants had suffered from communicable diseases such as
tuberculosis, elephantiasis, syphilis, malaria and leprosy.

These diseases, particularly elephantiasis, will widely spread among Thais
if there is no preventive measures to cope with them, said Dr Saravut.

PM's Office Minister Savit Bhotivihok, who chaired the seminar on the
'development of the upper west, said he would bring their views and other
observations in the planned opening' of the checkpoints to be considered in
the government-level meeting.

However, he expressed confidence that the opening of the checkpoints and
the potential of all border provinces would make the development of the
western seaboard possible.

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

BANGKOK POST:  EXPORTS OF GOODS TO BURMA BANNED DUE TO FRONTIER CLASHES
4 April, 1998
Supamart Kasem, Tak

Officials Cite Security Problems for Closure

Exports of goods to Burma through border checkpoints in four districts of
Tak would be temporarily suspended starting from Sunday to prevent security
problems caused by fighting in Burma.

Border officials in Tak yesterday requested customs and security officials
to ban the exports of goods to Burma via border passes in Tha Song Yang,
Mae Ramat, Phop Phra and Umphang districts starting from April 6.

The measure will not cover Mae Sot district. Six border checkpoints in this
district will remain open to cross border trade from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Yesterday, copies of an announcement on the measure signed by Fourth
Infantry Regiment Task Force commander Col Chatchapat Yamngarmriab were
sent to customs and immigration officials, district chiefs and other
concerned agencies.

Security forces were reportedly dispatched to border areas of the four
districts to ensure that there would be no deliveries of goods within three
kilometres of the border.

Col Chatchapat said the current border situation was not good for
cross-border trade due to fighting which pits Burmese troops and their
allies, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, against Karen National Union
guerrillas in Burma.

The measure would be enforced temporarily until the situation improves and
the safety of Thai exporters and customs officials could be ensured in the
four districts, he added.

But many local businessmen said yesterday that the move may not prove to be
a wise one as it could intensify cross-border trade problems already
suffering from Burma's ban on imports of Thai products through many border
checkpoints since late last year. 

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

BANGKOK POST:  SINGAPORE FIRM INVESTS $40M IN BURMA
4 April, 1998

Resort hotel to be built in the south

A Singaporean company signed an agreement with the Myanmar government
yesterday to build a $40million resort hotel on an island in southern Burma
opposite the Thai city of Ranong. 
     
Singapore's Victoria Entertainment Resort Club Ltd. will develop Pulo Jitan
and Pulo Nyor, two small islands near  Kawthong, building a 250-room
international-standard resort hotel on one island and entertainment
facilities on the other.

The agreement was signed by Khin Maung Gyi, managing director of the
government's  Hotels and Tourism Department, and Drake Poh Teong Kang,
managing director of Victoria Entertainment Resort Club Ltd.

Those present at the signing ceremony at the Sedona Hotel included Lt Gen
Khin Nyunt, Secretary of Burma's ruling junta; Maj Gen Saw Lwin, Minister
for Hotels and Tourism; and Singapore Ambassador Brig Gen Patrick Choy
Choong Tow.

The project is the 10th investment by Singaporean companies in the hotel
sector in Burma, which is also called Myanmar. Previous Singaporean
investments in the hotel sector totaled $520 million, Saw Lwin said in a
speech at the signing ceremony.

He added that Thailand has invested $200 million in eight hotel projects,
Japan, $100 million in five hotel projects and Hong Kong, $50 million in
two hotel projects.

Victoria Entertainment Resort Club Ltd will cover all investment costs in
the new project, which will be carried out on a build-operate transfer
basis. It will operate the project for 30 years before transferring it to
the Burma government at no cost.

Singapore, with $1.5 billion in investments, ranks first among 23 countries
with investments in Burma.

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

BANGKOK POST: CRITICIS DECRY 'HUMAN ZOO' OF TRIBESWOMEN
6 April, 1998

Thai Entrepreneur  "Holds Them Prisoner"

Critics called it a zoo, stocked not by animals but 32 long-necked "giraffe
women" for tourists to gawk at and take pictures.

Before a recent police raid, there had been charges the exotic
tribes-people on show were being held virtual prisoners by a Thai
entrepreneur who allegedly abducted them from neighbouring Burma.

Adorning their necks with brass coils, the women of the Padaung tribe have
proved a major tourist attraction since they began fleeing Burma more than
a decade ago.

Custom prescribes that girls before puberty begin to wear coils that are
augmented until they weigh as much as five kilogrammes. The coils force the
chin upward while pressing down the collar bones and ribs, elongating the
neck.

Various origins of the custom are cited, ranging from protection against
tiger attacks to symbols of wealth and status. One myth tells of a
beautiful dragon with a long neck that was impregnated by the wind to
produce the first Padaung people.

Most of the Padaung are in three border camps in the north-western province
of Mae Hong Son. An estimated 10,000 Thais and foreigners visit these camps
each year, paying an entrance fee that allows them to photograph and mingle
with the smiling, colourfully attired long-necked women and girls.

Economically it is a virtually perfect arrangement. Everyone gets a cut --
the once impoverished Padaung, Thai businessmen and government tax
collectors, even a rebel group that uses the money to finance its war with
the military regime in Burma.

While some critics have long decried the "human zoo" aspect, long-necked
tourism took a darker turn last year when news reports said a Thai
businessman had lured a Padaung group out of Burma's Kayah state with
promises of setting them up with their kin in Mae Hong Son.

It was alleged that the businessman, Dhana Nakluang, deceived the Padaung
by bringing them instead to Tha Ton in Chiang Mai province, hiring guards
to prevent escape and mistreating those who protested.

With Dhana facing charges, police raided the camp in February and took the
women to a social welfare centre.

Dhana denied he had forced them to stay at his Thanabamrungkit Farm.

"I assure you that they have a happy life here. They look healthier than
when they first arrived, especially the children," he said before the raid.

"Mae Hong Son provincial authorities are upset that I have some Padaung
here in Chiang Mai. They made up the story to condemn me as they want to be
the only province where Padaung can be found," he charged.

Indeed, the long-necked women have become Mae Hong Son province's
unofficial symbol, a come-on for tourists to a region where many other
tribal groups now wear jeans and ride motorcycles.

In Mae Hong Son, officials, guides and others like to call the Padaung "our
long-necks," like those living at the village of Nai Soi astride the Burma
border.

Ma Nang, a 43-year-old with 24 coils around her neck, says she is perfectly
happy at Nai Soi, earning a relatively good monthly income of 3,000 baht.
That involves selling handicrafts and her take from entrance fees, 250 baht
for each foreigner and a cheaper "photographic fee" for Thais.

She and others interviewed said they aren't bothered by having to strike
poses when visitors point their cameras and video-recorders.

"We had nothing in Burma. I had to work relentlessly in the rice fields,"
said Ma Nang, who left Burma nine years ago. "We miss our homes, but we
don't want to go back."

Technically refugees, the Padaung at Mae Hong Son are better off  -- thanks
to their elongated necks than tens of thousands of other people who have
fled Burma.

Nai Soi is under partial control of the Karenni National Progressive Party,
one of several ethnic minority groups fighting Burma's military government
from bases along the Thai border.

Aung Sun Myint, a spokesman for the group, said the party needed money for
its cause and to help refugees and those displaced by brutal military
campaigns inside Burma.

"We didn't want to get involved in this long-necked business. But the
situation demands it. We have no money," he said.

While the Padaung focus on day-to-day livelihood, outside observers argue
about exploitation and distortion of tradition.

Given their tourist potential, the Padaung in Thailand no longer practice
agriculture and the men are mostly idle.

Traditionally, only Padaung girls, born on a Wednesday of a full moon were
destined to have their necks fitted with the coils, but now other
youngsters are enlisted to meet the tourist demand.

Only initial discomfort is reported after the coils are set and as the
distance from ear lobe to collar bone lengthens to as much as 25
centimetres (10 inches), more than double the average.

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

ANNOUNCEMENT:  WOMEN PUBLIC CHAT SESSION ON THURSDAY
2 April, 1998

Public Chat Session
Thursday April 9th

Everyone with fingers is welcome to join in a public discussion via
internet "chat room" on Thursday, April 9th at 9:PM EST (6:PM PST, 9:AM
April 10th in Thailand).

The topic of discussion will be women of Burma.  We will discuss about how
Burmese women usually spend their free time? Do they do anything for their
families during their free time or do they do something for themselves?
Let's think about our grandmothers, mothers and other relatives in our
families.   
  
To join in, just enter the Burma.net chatroom.  There are two ways to enter:

1. Go to http://burma.net/chat with netscape or internet explorer (faster
if you get the ichat plugin from www.ichat.com)    OR

2. Use Telnet to connect to "burma.net" on port "4000".  (Run the command
"telnet burma.net 4000")

Once you're in, you can read what everyone else is typing, and they can all
read what you type!

The chatroom is free and open 24hrs/day.  So you might want to try it out
once before Monday so you're familiar with the program.

If you have any questions contact sysop@xxxxxxxxxx

Hope to "see" you there!
women-moderator@xxxxxxxxx