INFORMATION SHEET N0.A-0581(I)

[OKKAR66129@xxxxxxx]

                          MYANMAR INFORMATION COMMITTEE
                                             YANGON
              
                                       INFORMATION SHEET
		
                        N0.A-0581(I)                            27th  August
1998
 	
Chinese Archers Arrive

		The 16-member national archery team of the People?s Republic of China
arrived Yangon by air on 26 August to take part in 1998 World Ranking Asian
Archery Circuit First Round Competition.

                                 OFFICE CALLS IN YANGON ON 26 AUGUST

(A)		Chairman of Myanmar Investment Commission received Managing Director Mr
Takazumi Kanai and party of Mitsui Marine & Fire Insurance Co Ltd of Japan at
his office. They discussed propect of cooperation in insurance and investment.

(B)		Minister for Industry-1 received Chairman Mr Lin Fai You of Yunan
Machinery & Equipment Import and Export Corporation and Vice-Chairman Mr Huang
Wei Feng and party of China Perfect Machinery Industry Corporation Ltd of the
People?s Republic of China at his office.

(C)		Minister for Livestock and  Fisheries received Chairman Mr Bernard Forey
and party of CFA Investments Pte Ltd of Singapore at his office.
(D)		Minister for Information  received  a seven-member journalist delegation
of the People?s Republic of China led by Vice-Chairman of Guangzhou Daily Mr
Lai Nanchi  at Myanma Radio and Television on Pyay Road.

		This office is presenting ?Myanmar Monitor? dated 25th August, 1998 for your
reading pleasure.

                                       The Myanmar Monitor

A Time of Change

Recent news and events surrounding Myanmar indicate change is both internally
as reflected in the meetings between the ruling and opposition parties, and
externally, as the international community reassesses its options. The level
of international media attention and debate on Myanmar and its political
situation, already significant, has risen even higher. The following provides
an overview of recent political and economic activities promoting or resulting
in change for Myanmar.

SPDC-NLD MEMBERS MEET

After almost a year without direct dialogue, key member of the ruling
government and the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) met on
August 19. Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Lt-
General Khin Nyint and NLD Chairman U Aung Show gathered at a government guest
house in Yangon for a ?frank and cordial ?discussion. SPDC Secretary-3 Lt-
General Win Myint, Chief Justice U Aung Toe and Attorney General U Tha Tun
were also present.

Although details of the meeting were not reported, Secretry-1 Khin Nyunt
stated ?We have had a fruitful meeting and we have also appreciated the NLD?s
acceptance of our offer of a meeting.? He expressed hope that the meeting will
be?  the first in series of confidence-building takes between the government
and the NLD? NLD vice-Chairman Tin Oo, however, said the informational meeting
cannot be considered dialogue since Aung San Suu Kyi was not a participant.
?The NLD stated clearly and decided by a democratic vote that no dialogue
could take place without Aung San Suu Kyi being present,? he said. At the time
of the meeting, Ms. Suu Kyi was in a literal stand-off with the government
approximately twenty miles outside of Yangon. Citing security reasons, the
SPDC has restricted the opposition leader from travelling outside of the
capital and on August 11 stopped her van from proceeding on route to meet NLD
members. After thirteen day in her van, Ms. Suu Kyi ended the stand-off and
returned to Yangon.

 Another meeting between the SPDC and NLD was held on August 24 with Minister
for Home Affairs Colonel Tin Hlaing and two NLD central executive committee
official. Details of the meeting were again unavailable, however the officials
News Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that ?The minister told them to avoid
acts which will undermine stability and peace and the rule of law in the
country.?

INTERNATIONAL REACTION

Despite a lack of tangible results from the SPDC-NLD meetings, international
reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. The Japanese foreign ministry
announced that  their nation ?strongly hopes that meeting will become the
first step along the road to significant dialogue between the Government of
Myanmar and the NLD including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi?. Japan had beenMyanmar?s
largest aid donor prior to 1998 when it joined western nations in their
official lending freeze. Thailand also welcome the negotiations and expressed
hope that Ms. Suu Kyi would be included in future discussions.? Thailand wants
to see national reconciliation between all political sides and races in
Myanmar, including the minority groups.. This will lead to the end of conflict
and political tension, and give peace and stability to Myanmar and the
Southeast Asian region,? the Thai foreign  ministry reported.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon remarked that an ?internal
domestic process? is the only way to solve recent tensions within Myanmar, and
between Myanmar and the international community. ?This time it?s a different
phase of the game....we want to be involved in a serious attempt to bring
national reconciliation not in political posturing exercises,? said Siazon.

He also stated that ?economic sanctions do not work? and constant dialogue is
essential for improved relations, as witnessed by the release of 18 foreign
activists arrested in Yangon. The accused were charged by the Myanmar
government with distributing instigative leaflets with the intention of
disrupting the peace and tranquility of Myanmar and creating civil unrest in
contravention of Section 5(e) of the 1950 Emergency Provisions Act. The court
sentenced them to five years imprisonment and hard labor, but immediately
commuted the sentences and deported the individuals. According to Secretary
Siazon, ?If Myanmar had not been a member of ASEAN today, you would still have
18 people serving five years of hard labor there, I guarantee you that.?

The United States continues to condemn Myanmar?s leadership, particularly in
light of Ms. Suu Kyi?s travel restrictions and the foreign activist arrests,
six of whom were American. The US State Department issued a press release on
August 20 stating ?we are deeply concerned by reports that Aung San Suu Kyi?s
health is deteriorating... We call on the Burmese government to take all
possible steps to resolve this situation peacefully and quickly.? As for the
release of the six students, the government said ?while we are pleased that
these American citizens will be returning to the United States, we think this
ought to serve as a reminder that there is an absence of protection of basic
human rights in Burma.?

In response to worldwide criticism, the Myanmar government released the
following statement on August 21st. ?For a country like Myanmar which has
achieved national reconciliation with its different national races fighting
against the previous successive governments, the Myanmar Government , as most
developing countries in the East, has been prioritizing community rights at
this stage of her development rather than giving priority to individual rights
like the developed countries at present are going through. One of Myanmar?s
top priorities in her basic human rights is to provide her citizens with
security. Myanmar believes that her citizens must enjoy the essential basic
rights such as security and safety of their lives and properties, a decent job
which will help put enough food on the table for their families and also a
decent place for them to live.?

Myanmar Activists Return Home

Signaling change on another level, two leaders from the Burmese Association in
Japan (BAIJ) surrendered their refugee status in Japan to return to Myanmar
stating they have witnessed a ?positive and constructive change? in the
current political situation. BAIJ Chairperson Dr. Mya Mya Win (53) and BAIJ
General Secretary Dr. Win Naing (39) were granted refugee status in 1992 ---
two of the first Myanmar nationals in Japan to be granted asylum by the
Justice Ministry -- and have since then led the efforts in Japan to promote
development and progress in their homeland, often in confrontation with the
current government. Encouraged by the leadership?s ?adherence to a more
flexible policy?? the two activists will continue their efforts to improve
education, health, and welfare from within Myanmar.

Multilateral Communication Urged

A leading international organization in the fight for human rights, Human
Rights Watch (HRW), called for a change in policy regarding Myanmar ---focused
on multilateral communication and coordination --- in order to improve the
human rights situation. The August 6th HRW announcement stated that current
international strategies, namely ASEAN?s engagement policy and the U.S. and
Europe?s isolation policy, have failed to produce substantive improvement. Key
to a new policy, according to HRW, is recognition and communication with ?the
primary actors for future negotiation,? namely the army (Tatmadaw); the ethnic
minority organizations; and the democratic opposition led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

In addition, HRW believes Western donors, Japan, the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN), and China must recognize and establish a ?common
ground? in policy strategy toward Myanmar. HRW supports a ?real effort? at
multilateralism. Finally, HRW urges the development of ?a road map by which
specific steps toward verifiable human rights improvements on all fronts would
gradually lead to incremental restoration of normal economic and diplomatic
relations with the international community.?

Business Activity

 Myanmar has also been the focus of renewed activity and discussion in the
corporate sector. The Atlantic Richfield company (ARCO) announced on August 11
it will not renew its remaining exploration lease offshore Myanmar when it
expires in October. ARCO Executive Vice President Ken Thompson cited new
investment priorities, not pressure from international human rights campaigns,
as the basic for their decision. Other companies doing business in Myanmar
reinforced their commitment to remain engaged in the region. The Dutch
shipbuilding and engineering group IHC Caland said it ?will not budge? on its
operations in Myanmar, and the U.S. oil group UNOCAL also plans to stay.
?Engagement is the answer, not isolation. I?m very proud that we?re in
Myanmar. We?ve done a lot of good work there and they?ve learned a lot from
us,? said UNOCAL Chairman and CEO Roger Beach at an August 20 Asia Society
meeting in Houston.

In other recent news, City of Los Angeles Council member Nate Holden pledge
support for the proposed ?Free Burma? law aimed at prohibiting any corporation
doing business in Myanmar from receiving LA city contracts. On the same day,
the Japan Times reported that Japan will soon ask the World Trade Organization
to set up a panel to settle disputes with the U.S. over the ?Free Burma? law
in Massachusetts. Japan and the European Union are currently filing a
complaint against the WTO stating the law violates a WTO agreement on
government procurement practices.

Universities Hold Exams

On August 18, Yangon schools offered final examinations for the first time
since their facilities were shut down in 1996. Over 96,000 university and
college students participated in taking the tests. No incidents of trouble
were reported.

$250 Million for Hydroelectric Plant

The official China Daily reported on August 18 that Myanmar has signed a
contract to import $250 million worth equipment, construction machinery and
technology from China to help construct the nation?s largest hydroelectric
plant. Its intended capacity of 280 megawatts is expected to increase
Myanmar?s total generating capacity by 30 percent. China has reportedly
extended an export buyers? credit carrying a ten-year term plus five-year
grace period. The Myan Man Power Company of Myanmar and Yunan Machinery Import
and Export Corporation of China signed the contract during an Export
Commodities fair held in Kunming, China.

Myanmar and Thailand Celebrate 50 Years

Thailand?s Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra arrived in Myanmar on
August 23 for a three day official visit to celebrate the 50th anniversary of
bilateral diplomatic relations on August 24. Minister Paribatra is the first
foreign government official to travel to Myanmar since the arrest of the 18
activists. ?The Thai government is giving moral support to all factions ---
both to the Myanmar government and the NLD and we are continuously supporting
efforts for dialogue without preconditions,? he said. One of the issues to be
discussed during the bilateral meeting are a ?Regional Surveillance System? to
allow ASEAN member nations to monitor each other?s affairs, although Myanmar
rejected Thailand?s call for a ?flexible engagement? policy at the July ASEAN
Ministerial Meeting. Foreign Minister Paribatra also plans to place a
foundation stone for a new outpatient building at a Yangon hospital
specializing in tuberculosis.

Smithsonian Hosts Food & Forum on Myanmar

On September 19, Washington DC?s Smithsonian Institution will offer an all-day
culinary arts seminar and buffet luncheon featuring ?The Road to Shangrila:
The Cuisine of Burma,? an exploration into this ?distinctive, sophisticated
cuisine?. The program begins with Understanding Burmese Cooking hosted by
Copeland Marks, author of the Burmese Kitchen, on how geography, natural
resources, tropical climate, agricultural practices, trade routes, diverse
population, and history have contributed to the cuisine. Following various
special tasting and lunch, the forum will continue with Regional Foods of
Burma by Irene Khin Wong and cooking Burmese Food in the US hosted by all the
seminar contributors. 10:00 am -3:30pm. Program fee: $86 general admission;
$65 resident members.
Please contact 202-357-3030 for more information.
-----------------------------------------------
The Myanmar Monitor is published by Jefferson Waterman International on behalf
of Myanmar Resources Development, Ltd. Information is availlable at the
Department of Justice, Washington DC, or by calling 202-216-2249.