posted message from scb (7)

[OKKAR66129@xxxxxxx]

Subject:	Detainees in 'good spirits'
>From:	soba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Myanmar No O Tomotashitashi)
Date:	Fri, 14 Aug 1998 04:36:25 GMT



Excerpts from CNN Homepage
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9808/13/myanmar.standoff.02/

Myanmar government moves U.S. detainees to new location

August 13, 1998
Web posted at: 7:10 p.m. EDT (2310 GMT) 

YANGON, Myanmar (CNN) -- Six American students detained in
Myanmar have been moved to a new, more comfortable location, and still
have not been charged with any crime, the U.S. State Department said
Thursday. 

The Americans are among 18 non-Myanmar activists arrested Sunday for
passing out anti-government leaflets. Three Indonesians, three
Malaysians, three Thais, two Filipinos and an Australian also are in
custody. 

Meanwhile, a roadside standoff that began Wednesday was continuing
southwest of the capital between opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
and government security guards. 

Myanmar's military government was blocking a fresh attempt by Suu Kyi
to travel to Pathein township, outside the capital, to meet with
members of her political party. The government claimed the journey was
"unsafe." 

A similar incident in late July led to a six-day standoff that was
forcibly ended by government security men. This time, Suu Kyi
reportedly has enough food and water for an extended stay. 

Official denunciations of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy
(NLD) were broadcast on state television Thursday night, an indication
that Myanmar's military regime may be concerned about her latest
political challenge. 

Detainees in 'good spirits'

Myanmar officials contend that the detainees, who belong to groups
opposed to the government, have not cooperated with investigations
into their leaflet campaign, thus prolonging their detention. 

U.S. Embassy officials have been  permitted to visit the American
detainees and have described them as being in "good spirits." For a
second  night Thursday, official state TV showed footage of all the
detainees, looking relaxed as they met with representatives from their
countries. 

The leafleting followed the 10th anniversary of a nationwide uprising
against military rule that was eventually crushed by troops, causing
the deaths of an estimated 3,000 people. 

The leaflets urged people to remember the anniversary and not give up.
It came two weeks before an August 21 deadline set by Suu Kyi for the
government to finally convene a parliament that was elected in 1990. 

The military, which has ruled the country since 1962, refused to honor
the result, and the parliament has never met. 

'A medical team is on standby'

Suu Kyi's supporters expressed concern for her safety Thursday after
her van was moved Wednesday to a small wooden bridge near the
blockade. 

"It is the responsibility of the government if the bridge breaks under
the heavy weight of the van," the NLD said in a statement. "The
prevention ... amounts to restricting the organization
activities of the party." 

The van apparently was moved to clear traffic, which was backed up for
several miles in the rural area. The bridge, however, is built to
carry farmer ox-carts. 

A government statement faxed to The Associated Press said Suu Kyi
remains inside the van with the windows rolled up and has not spoken
to authorities. 

"A medical team is on standby should she need one, and an appropriate
number of security personnel has been provided in case she and her
companions choose to stay on the roadside," the statement said. 

State TV has not covered the standoff, but has broadcast official
condemnations by government officials of Suu Kyi's party. 

Deputy Home Minister Myint Maung accused the NLD of disrupting the
peace and not understanding the "true situation." 

He said the party had taken on a more confrontational role since Suu
Kyi was released from house arrest in 1995, and accused the activists
of working with "neo colonialists and Western media to throw the
country into chaos." 

Government rejects U.N. request to send envoy

Meanwhile, Myanmar Prime Minister Gen. Than Shwe rejected a request by
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to send a special envoy to
investigate the human rights situation in Myanmar. 

In a letter last week, Annan asked that Razali Ismail of Malaysia,
former president of the U.N. General Assembly, be allowed to visit
Myanmar this week. 

"The response from the prime minister was polite, but stated that
there was no reason for such a rush to visit," said U.N. spokesman
Juan Carlos Brandt. "The secretary-general is disappointed by the
response." 

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------

Suu Kyi still marooned in van


Letter to the editor which appeared in the Nation newspaper of Bangkok
dated 13 August by David Oldfield.

Activists Are Not Above The Law

The outcry against the recent arrest of 18 foreign activists in Burma
has once again demonstrated how easily we forget that citizens and
foreigners alike are subject to the laws of whichever country they are
in.

Those people condemning the arrests are allowing their moral
righteousness to blind them from a simple fact.  The state of Burma is
sovereign within its territorial boundaries and can make
whatever laws it deems appropriate ?Citizens and foreigners must abide
by the laws of that particular country, regardless of whether or not
the laws are in line with our moral standards.

By engaging in what the activists knew would be considered subversive,
they should be willing to accept the consequences no matter how severe
the punishment may be. Calls for releasing them simply because they
are foreigners are not justified.  I am not above the laws of Thailand
based on my American citizenship and thus the case of the Alternative
Asean Network is no different.

Despite proclamations that distributing the leaflets intended to be a
?goodwill gesture? the purpose of their activities was to encourage
Burmese citizens to struggle against the regime. Your editorial on
August 11 sympathises with the activists by claiming that they ?were
merely engaging in peaceful activities...? Granted the activists were
merely distributing leaflets but it is the intent that matters not the
manner in which it is done.

The 18 detained members of Alternative Asean network went to Burma on
tourist visas, which do not entitle them to engage in subversive
activities.  A tourist visa grants foreigners the privilege of
experiencing another country; it does not give them a
?blank cheque? to do whatever they please.  How would Thai citizens
react to a group of radical Islamic fundamentalists arriving
in Thailand to stir up anti-government sentiment among the Muslim
population in the South?

I am not condoning the Burmese regime?s record on human rights but
merely trying to point out that this is not a case of arbitrary
internment of foreign pro-democracy activists.

They violated Burma?s laws and interfered in domestic affairs and
therefore are subject to penalties deemed appropriate by the
government.

David Oldfield
Managing Director
INDOCHINA STUDIES CENTER
BURAPHA UNIVERSITY
CHONBURI

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----

Letter to the editor which appeared in the Nation newspaper of Bangkok
dated 13 August by David Oldfield.

Activists Are Not Above The Law

The outcry against the recent arrest of 18 foreign activists in Burma
has once again demonstrated how easily we forget that citizens and
foreigners alike are subject to the laws of whichever country they are
in.

Those people condemning the arrests are allowing their moral
righteousness to blind them from a simple fact.  The state of Burma is
sovereign within its territorial boundaries and can make
whatever laws it deems appropriate ?Citizens and foreigners must abide
by the laws of that particular country, regardless of whether or not
the laws are in line with our moral standards. By engaging in what the
activists knew would be considered subversive, they should be willing
to accept the consequences no matter how severe the punishment may be.
Calls for releasing them simply because they are foreigners are not
justified.  I am not above the laws of Thailand based on my American
citizenship and thus the case of the Alternative Asean Network is no
different.

Despite proclamations that distributing the leaflets intended to be a
?goodwill gesture? the purpose of their activities was to encourage
Burmese citizens to struggle against the regime. Your editorial on
August 11 sympathises with the activists by claiming that they ?were
merely engaging in peaceful activities...? Granted the activists were
merely distributing leaflets but it is the intent that matters not the
manner in which it is done.

The 18 detained members of Alternative Asean network went to Burma on
tourist visas, which do not entitle them to engage in subversive
activities.  A tourist visa grants foreigners the privilege of
experiencing another country; it does not give them a
?blank cheque? to do whatever they please.  How would Thai citizens
react to a group of radical Islamic fundamentalists arriving
in Thailand to stir up anti-government sentiment among the Muslim
population in the South?

I am not condoning the Burmese regime?s record on human rights but
merely trying to point out that this is not a case of arbitrary
internment of foreign pro-democracy activists.

They violated Burma?s laws and interfered in domestic affairs and
therefore are subject to penalties deemed appropriate by the
government.

David Oldfield
Managing Director
INDOCHINA STUDIES CENTER
BURAPHA UNIVERSITY
CHONBURI

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
RELATED NEWS


>Newsgroups: soc.culture.asean,soc.culture.burma
>Subject: US Dept of State Press Briefing
>Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 02:04:16 GMT
>Organization: IntelAsia
>Message-ID: <6qthfh$jl$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Julien Moe) wrote:

>U.S. Department of State
>Daily Press Briefing
>August 10 & 11, 1998
>Briefer: James B. Foley

>Aug. 10 ---------
>QUESTION: Can we go to Burma? It's been reported that 18 students were
>arrested for handing out leaflets, and it's also rumored that four of
>them
>were American University students. Can you confirm that? 

>MR. FOLEY: Six Americans and 12 foreigners were detained August 9 in
>Burma
>for allegedly distributing pamphlets that the Burmese Government
>claims
>were intended to incite unrest. We have requested consular access to
>the
>arrested Americans and still await a response. We have not been
>formally
>informed of the specific allegations against the Americans that lead
>to
>their arrest. We understand that they are detained under suspicion of
>distributing pamphlets. If this is the case, the government's response
>seems to be consistent with its suppression of all forms of freedom of
>expression by the Burmese population at large. 

>Unfortunately, I can't release any more information at this time
>because we
>don't have Privacy Act waivers from the detained. 

>QUESTION: What was this group doing in Burma? Who were these people -
>without giving any names? 

>MR. FOLEY:I don't have information as to what specifically they were
>doing.
>I am only aware of  the fact that the Burmese Government has said that
>they
>were distributing pamphlets, and claims that they were there with an
>intention to incite unrest. But the fact of the matter, under the
>relevant
>diplomatic conventions - governments are obligated to provide consular
>notification and access within 24 hours -- and so we eagerly await the
>Burmese authorities meeting their responsibilities. 

>Aug. 11 -------------
>QUESTION: What is going on with the Americans who have been detained
>in
>Burma? Are you taking any action? 

>MR. FOLEY: Yesterday I noted the lack of consular access and so
>there's one
>bit of relatively good news: the fact that our embassy officials were
>able
>to meet with all six American detainees at 3:00 p.m. local time today
>in
>Burma. All six Americans were in good health; they had no complaint
>about
>their treatment and appear to have been treated humanely. Their
>families
>have been notified about the consular visit. I can tell you the US
>Embassy
>in Rangoon - has made this case its top priority, and embassy
>officials
>have been in contact with relatives of the detainees in order to keep
>them
>informed. Our consular officer will request another visit tomorrow,
>August
>12, and intends to visit them regularly as long as they are in
>custody. But
>I can repeat what I said yesterday, which is that we seek their
>immediate
>release from detention. 

>QUESTION: Have they been charged with anything? 

>MR. FOLEY: To my knowledge they have not been charged. We have no
>information on possible charges. Again, we continue to urge the
>Burmese
>Government to release the detainees promptly. 

>QUESTION: Just to go over that - you said six Americans, I believe? 

>MR. FOLEY: Yes. 

>QUESTION: Are they part of a larger group of other foreign students,
>as well? 

>MR. FOLEY: I'm not sure, to be honest, the status of any Privacy Act
>waiver
>we have, so I'm limited in terms of how much detail I can give. I
>believe
>that a total of 18 were detained, of whom six were American; and
>according
>to press reports, the Americans are members of a group called ALTSEAN
>--
>you've probably seen that in press reports - which refers to something
>called Alternative ASEAN Network. But we don't really have complete
>information about their activities or purpose in traveling there; and
>again, given the uncertain state of the Privacy Act waiver, I can't
>really
>venture too much. 

>We're really concerned about getting them out, and we've made that
>very
>clear to the Burmese authorities. We're thankful that we had consular
>access. We're going to seek consular access regularly and we hope that
>they'll be released promptly. 

>---end.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------

18 ACTIVISTS HELD IN YANGON 

Forwarded  from New Light of Myanmar
http://www.myanmar.com/press.htm

--------------------------------------------------------------

Agents-saboteur caught in the cat of inciting social unrest
Identities, nationalities and action plans reveal those behind
perpetrators

YANGON, 10 Aug Rome foreigners yesterday morning distributed small
instigative leaflets and dropped them from cars at busy public places
in Yangon to incite unrest in commemoration of the four eights
(8-8-88) but the public nearby seized them and sent them to the
authorities

In this connection, General Staff Officer (Grade I) Lt-Col Hla Min of
the Office of the Strategic Studies and officials of the Information
Committee met the local and foreign journalists and briefe them at No
2 Tatmadaw Guest House at 1 pm today.

It was attended by personnel of the News and Periodicals Enterprise of
the Ministry of Information and correspondents of foreign news
agencies such as Kyodo, Nikkei, Xinhua, AFP, TBS, AP, NHK, Youmiuri,
Mainichi, Fuji TV, Reuters, NTV, Tokyo, Asahi, Nihon Keizai and TV
Asahi.

They explained that some foreigners took taxis and then scattered the
four eights commemorative small red instigative leaflets measuring
3.6"x2" on which "Goodwill Message" was printed in yellow both in
English and Myanmar bearing a fighting peacock at busy centres such as
Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, in front of Kaba Aye Pagoda, Bogyoke Aung San
Market, at the junction of the Bogyoke Aung San Street and Shwebontha
Street, at the junction of Sule Pagoda Road and Maha Bandoola Street,
at the junction of Anawrawhta Street and Sule Pagoda Road, at the
junction of Maha Bandoola Street and Shwedagon Pagoda Road and in the
vicinity of Shwedagon Pagoda yesterday morning. Some of them
distributed the small leaflets. The public wishing to live in peace
could not stand the acts of those foreigners and seized the motor
vehicles and the foreigners on board, finally sending them to the
nearest police stations.

The foreigners seized by the public were two American men, four
American women, two Thai men, one Thai woman, two Malaysian men and
one Malaysian woman. Moreover, three Indonesian men, one Filippino
woman and one Australian woman who arrived in Myanmar together with
those seized were also exposed
at the airport and they are being held for interrogation.

After investigating the foreigners who distributed the leaflets, it
was found that they were sent by the International Organization for
Democracy in Burma in the US using the democracy and human rights
groups in Thailand, that the 18 foreigners were organized into six
groups, from "An to "F", each comprising three members, that they had
been instructed time and places to distribute the leaflets in Yangon,
that each group was to distribute the leaflets at two places, that
with systematic arrangements each group was given the telephone
numbers and addresses of the US Embassy, Thai Embassy, Australian
Embassy, Indonesian Embassy, the Philippine Embassy, British Embassy
and Malaysian Embassy to be able to contact in times of emergency and
the map of Yangon.

Out of the foreigners, American citizen Mr Green Joel Edwards arrived
in Thailand on 8 July and while there he was organized by Ms Debbie
Stothard of the Alternative Asean organization to assist in the cause
of democracy and human rights in Myanmar. Similarly, other American
citizens Miss Chhatpan Sapna and Miss
Hamliton were also organized by Ms Stothard. They therefore arrived in
Myanmar to perpetrate the acts. They admitted that the T-shirts
bearing instigative words in commemoration of the four eights and
leaflets were issued to them by Ms Stothard.

American citizens Mr Tyler Richard, Miss Michele Lynn and Miss Nisha
Marie arrived in Myanmar as they were sent by Myanmar expatriates in
US who told them that there would be public unrest in August in
Myanmar and asked them to take part in the riots. Myanmar expatriates
were said to have issued the T-shirts and leaflets to them.

Thai citizen Mr Jaran is vice-chairman of the Union for Civil Liberty
in Thailand and adviser to Parliament of Human Right which was
contacted by the US based International Organization for Democracy in
Burma. He was informed that the tenth anniversary of the four eights
would be held in Yangon and expenses would be
sent to him if he would like to attend the anniversary. Mr Jaran of
the Union for Civil Liberty, his assistant Miss Chanaka and a .farmer
Mr Sawat were then selected to be sent to Yangon. T-shirts and
leaflets were given to the three at the airport and they were sent to
Yangon. Indonesian   Mr Sulaiman Haikal and group arrived in Yangon
after being organized by Mr Rachada of Bangkok-based Alternative Asean
Network on Burma which gave the group T-shirts and leaflets on arrival
in Thailand.

All those foreigners were organized by various groups acting to incite
unrest in Myanmar and destabilize the country on the pretext of
democracy. They revealed that the International Organization for
Democracy in Burma stood.for their expenses tour and arranged the
plot. The Naga International Travel Service initiated the
package for them and they arrived in Myanmar on 7 August and checked
in together at the Kandawgyi Palace Hotel and planned to leave on 9
August. If the distribution of leaflets was successful they planned to
hand over the rubber block to the hardcores inside the country for
continued distribution of the leaflets.

RFA has been broadcasting daily the so-called appeal of Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi in anticipation of the four-eights anniversary. Radio stations
such as VOA and BBC, too, were playing up the tenth four-eights
anniversary to incite unrest in Myamnar. The so-called tape appeal to
the public of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi" was smuggled out of the country by
Alternative Asean group and sent to the VOA and RFA which have
been,broadcasting it. BBC TV has also been featuring the four eight
special features daily. The Democratic Myanma Athan based in Notway is
also said to be broadcasting tenth four-eights anniversary in
citements. At the same time, other opposition  groups outside the
country were trying to incite riots in stable and peaceful Myanmar and
cause public concem and they are interfering in the Internal affairs
by using foreigners.

Anti-government groups in foreign countries are thus trying to
destabilize the country and cause public concern and anguish in
collusion with the internal destructive group working on the pretext
of democracy and human rights. Organizations in some big nations are
supporting such acts and they are paying the Myanmar
expatriates and teaching them to oppose and destroy Myanmar. Those
groups in collusion with internal axe-handles are found to be carrying
out synchronized activities, to incite unrest in the country.

The aliens who entered Myanmar and broke the existing laws have been
seized by the public. These foreigners smuggled in the instigative
leaflets in the soles of slippers and Ovaltine cartoons and hidden in
their clothes. Their premeditated acts to the detriment of Myanmar and
its people are evident. Authorities are planning
to take necessary action against them.

The incident proves that Myanmar people cannot stand the attempts of
internal axe-handles and foreigners to destabilize and destroy the
nation and as such they seized the foreigners distributing the
leaflets. Foreign news agencies and anti-government groups in foreign
countries believing the false reports of internal destructive
group active on the pretexts of democracy and human rights planned to
carry -out a synchronized acts. However, the four-eights anniversary
incidents, which they expected to occur, did not materialize anywhere
in Myanmar. The People, as usual, are living in peace undisturbed,
said the spokesman, in his statement.

Officials replied to queries of the correspondents.

To view with photos please visit URL at
http://www.myanmar.com/nlm/aug11.html
---------------------------------------------------------------