The BurmaNet News: October 23, 1998

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The BurmaNet News: October 23, 1998
Issue #1124

HEADLINES:
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THE NATION: JUNTA FREES TEN MORE NLD MEMBERS
S.H.A.N.: SHAN DISSIDENTS DENY MASS DEMONSTRATIONS 
REUTERS: OVER 100 INJURED IN CLASHES AT REFUGEE CAMP 
THE NATION: REGISTRATION OF BURMESE IN CAMPS BEGINS 
AFP: EU BACKS AWAY FROM TOUGHER SANCTIONS ON MYANMAR 
BKK POST: FRENCH MINISTER NOT KEEN ON SANCTIONS
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THE NATION: JUNTA FREES TEN MORE NLD DETAINEES
22 October, 1998 

AFP

RANGOON - The Burmese junta said yesterday that it had released 10 members
of the main pro-democracy opposition party last week after detaining them
for an "exchange of views".

The 10 are National League for Democracy (NLD) members of parliament,
elected in 1990 polls which the military refused to recognise.

"The government hopes, with the cooperation and goodwill of the NLD
leadership, more of the view exchanges [will] conclude in coming weeks, and
for more NLD members to return home," the junta said in a statement.

The junta had said the NLD members were "invited" for a political
discussion. It said earlier they were at "government guest houses" and had
not been arrested.

The junta last week also said it had released 10 opposition figures.
The NLD says 967 of its members have been detained in recent months,
including 203 members of parliament elected in the polls that the NLD-led
opposition won by a landslide.

The military refused to hand over power and has rejected repeated demands
that the 1990 parliament be convened.

The NLD, led by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, earlier set the end
of September as a deadline for when it would unilaterally convene parliament.

Following the detention of many of its members, the NLD set up a 10-member
committee to act in place of parliament. 

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S.H.A.N.: SHAN DISSIDENTS DENY MASS DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST AUNG SAN SUU KYI
21 October, 1998 from <shan@xxxxxxxxxxxx> 

Questioned about Shan support for the ruling junta as expressed by mass
demonstrations being held in Shan cities, Shan dissidents have flatly
rejected as being true.

"People, as in other Burmese cities, have been forced into joining the
so-called Union Solidarity and Development Association at gun point.
Someone in your family is going to suffer if you refuse to go. There is
nobody there to help you. What else could you do except to comply with? "
said Sai Herng, an executive member of the Shan Democratic Union.

"If one would like to believe in these mass rallies, one should be free to
visit them and ask the people how they really feel. How could one permit
oneself to believe them when independent observers are even being denied
entry into this country?" said he.

He also said some took part in the rallies in order to gain favors with the
junta, but most were threatened with dire punishments like confiscation of
their homes and properties.

"Please believe them as true only when you are free to visit, travel and
seek information from the people", he added.

The Shan Democratic Union is the organization formed by Shan expatriates in
1996 "with the support from the people", according to the information sheet
supplied by the SDU. It is led by His Royal Highness Sao Hsohom, Prince of
Mongpawn, who reportedly drew the Federal Amendment Proposal in 1961 for
which he went to prison for five years in Rangoon.

-- S.H.A.N. (Shan Herald Agency for News) 

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REUTERS: OVER 100 INJURED IN CLASHES AT MYANMAR REFUGEE CAMP 
21 October, 1998 

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Oct 21 (Reuters) - More than 100 people were
injured in clashes between rival groups at a Myanmar refugee camp in
southeastern Bangladesh on Wednesday, police said.

They said the injured included 11 government officials and several policemen.

"The clash erupted at the Nayapara camp as the rival factions of the
refugees tried to establish (control over the camps)," one police officer
said.

Authorities rushed in police reinforcements to try to quell the fighting
inmates, who used spears, axes, knives and stones.

Police fired blank rounds to bring the situation under control and arrested
some 25 refugees.

The refugees have kept officials, police and even representatives of the
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) virtually out of the camp for
over a year, police said.

Refugees collect food and medicine at camp gates and distribute them
themselves.

Police said some 21,000 Myanmar Moslem refugees, known as Rohingyas, have
refused to return home for fear of military persecution in west Myanmar's
Arakan province, which they fled in early 1992.

These refugees live at Nayapara and nearby Kutupalong camps along the
border and have resisted moves to send them back, although over 225,000
other Rohingyas had been repatriated under UNHCR supervision since
September 1992.

Bangladesh said it had hoped to complete the repatriation by mid-1997 but
failed as the remaining 21,000 refugees became restive. 

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THE NATION: REGISTRATION OF BURMESE IN BORDER CAMPS BEGINS
22 October, 1998 by Marisa Chmprabha 

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) began registration this week
of Burmese in Thai border camps under a mutual agreement which will see the
UN agency playing a greater role in overseeing the camps, a well informed
source said yesterday.

The week-long trip of UNHCR and Interior Ministry officials commenced on
Monday to the camps in Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces.

"The UNHCR will help the Thai authorities register the Burmese so that we
know how many of them there are, their original place of birth and their
family background," the source said.

The Burmese will also be required to inform the UNHCR about births or
deaths in their families, so that the number of Burmese in Thailand can be
updated.

The agreement, which was endorsed by Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai earlier
this year, heralds a change in the long-time policy of Thai authorities who
have till now kept foreign agencies from observing the Burmese camps.

However, Thailand decided to permit the UNHCR to step in mainly because the
country has been hit hard by the economic crisis, making it difficult to
single handedly look after the 100,000 Burmese in 12 camps along the border.

These camps were set up for Burmese who fled inland fighting. Some camps
were moved deeper into Thai territory because of cross-border invasions by
Burmese troops.

The UNHCR will set up an office in each province where the camps are
located, and mobile units will oversee them.

"Under the agreement, the UNHCR will be provided with free and early access
to the camps, contrary to the past when they were not permitted to work
there. Previously, they had to notify the camp authorities in advance if
they wanted to travel to the camps," the source said.

By having the UNHCR monitor the camps, the Thai government believes that
the agency would be its witness in countering allegations that the Burmese
refugees are being deported against their will. Thai soldiers and officials
have also been accused several times of raping Burmese women.

The UNHCR will provide money for constructing buildings and procure the
items necessary to administer the camps.

The source, however, said the UNHCR and the Thai authorities have not yet
reached a conclusion on the money to be provided, but both sides have
agreed that they should start the work at the earliest.

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AFP: EU BACKS AWAY FROM TOUGHER SANCTIONS ON MYANMAR 
22 October, 1998 

BRUSSELS, Oct 22 (AFP) - The European Union has backed down on a threat to
toughen its sanctions on Myanmar in response to the military regime's
crackdown on the democratic opposition, officials said Thursday.

The EU warned earlier this month that it was "actively considering" new
measures to put pressure on the ruling junta to lift its restrictions on
the movement of opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and take steps
towards a dialogue with her National League for Democracy.

But discussions on a strengthening of existing sanctions have failed to
produce the required consensus, with France in particular holding out
against more action, according to diplomats here.

The bloc's foreign ministers will agree at talks on Monday to continue the
EU existing sanctions package.

This includes a ban on the issuing of visas to senior officials in the
regime, an embargo of arms sales and the suspension of non-humanitarian aid
and development projects.

But haggling over extra measures is now likely to drag on into next year.

"This looks like being a debate that will run on for some months," said one
EU diplomat.

Britain, backed strongly by the Netherlands and the EU's Scandinavian
countries, is pushing for an extension of the visa ban and for the EU to
formally adopt its policy of actively discouraging tourism to Myanmar.

"Given the deteriorating human rights situation in Burma, we think we
should now go further," a senior British official said.

French Cooperation Minister Charles Josselin said in Bangkok on Wednesday
that Paris would oppose any proposal for the EU to impose economic
sanctions on Myanmar, arguing their impact would fall hardest on the
poorest sections of the community.

The United States banned all new investment in Myanmar in April last year
while a number of US states have enacted legislation which allows them to
boycott companies that do business with the South East Asian country.

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THE BANGKOK POST: FRENCH MINISTER NOT KEEN ON SANCTIONS ON BURMA 
22 October, 1998 

VISITING DIPLOMAT OFF TO LAOS FOR TALKS

France yesterday reiterated its concerns over talk of imposing economic
sanctions against Burma, saying such measures tended to victimise the
"weakest" people without achieving the intended political objective.

Charles Josselin, deputy minister in charge of Cooperation and Francophony,
said he touched on the Burma issue during a courtesy call on foreign
minister Surin Pitsuwan yesterday.

Remarking on the "tense political landscape" in Burma, Mr Josselin told
reporters after the meeting: "We know the pressures that certain states are
applying in favour of an embargo."

But France "has always expressed a position of reserve vis-a-vis embargoes
 ... on the observation it is almost always the civilian population, the
weakest people, who are the first victims of such economic sanctions,
without their attaining the political objective".

But France's reserve on economic sanctions does not mean it is to dispense
with applying continuing pressures for Burmese authorities to allow
democracy and bring improvements to the well-being of Burmese people, he
added.

Mr Josselin, came to Bangkok after attending the conference in Japan on aid
for Africa. He headed for Laos late yesterday afternoon.

During a two-day visit to the landlocked Indochinese state, Mr Josselin is
due to meet President Khamtay Siphandone and other politicians.

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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: URGENT ACTION - ARRESTS 
21 October, 1998 

PUBLIC    AI Index: ASA 16/28/98

Further information on UA 237/98 (ASA 16/26/98, 8 September 1998)- Mass
Arbitrary Arrests / Prisoners of Conscience New concerns: Fear of torture
and ill-treatment / Fear for safety / Health concern

MYANMAR   

Over 200 members of the NLD opposition political party, including Thakin
Khin Nyunt, aged 84 (released)

New name: Dr. U Saw Mra Aung, aged 80, and 54 people, including 23 NLD members

Thakin Khin Nyunt was released on 14 September 1998, and 32 others also
arrested by Myanmar's military authorities since 6 September 1998 have also
since been released. However, there are serious concerns for 54 people who
were recently arrested in a related case, some of whom were reportedly
severely beaten during interrogation. Hundreds of other prisoners of
conscience who are still detained remain in danger of torture or
ill-treatment.

Dr. U Saw Mra Aung, an 80-year-old medical doctor and an elected member of
parliament, was arrested on 6 September. In view of his age, Amnesty
International is particularly concerned about his health while in
detention. In mid-September he was appointed as Head of the symbolic
People's Parliament by the few National League for Democracy (NLD) leaders
who are not currently in detention. The NLD is Myanmar's leading opposition
party, led by Nobel prize laureate, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

In a press conference on 7 October, the State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC, Myanmar's military government) announced that 54 people, including
23 NLD members, had been arrested in connection with a "conspiracy" to
"incite unrest" by NLD members and students allied with foreign
organizations. Amnesty International could find no evidence in the SPDC
statement that any of those arrested had engaged in anything other than
peaceful civil disobedience in Myanmar. Amnesty International is also
concerned by reports that some of those detained before the press
conference were severely beaten during interrogation, and that they may not
be receiving the medical care they could need as a result.

SPDC officials have stated that NLD members are being held in government
guesthouses and treated well. The SPDC also claims that detainees are
participating in discussions about the future of the country with
government officials. However, other reports indicate that NLD members are
being intimidated into resigning from the party, and that most of them are
held in detention facilities around the country, including Insein Prison in
Yangon, where hundreds of political prisoners are held.

According to the NLD, over 900 of its members have been arrested since May,
including some 200 elected members of parliament. Student activist sources
also claim that hundreds of their colleagues have been arrested during the
same period.  Because of the lack of access to Myanmar by journalists and
independent human rights monitors, it is impossible to confirm these
numbers.  However, Amnesty International believes that hundreds of
opposition activists have been arrested in the last five months, many of
them for their peaceful political activities, including holding
demonstrations and distributing leaflets, calling on the SPDC to convene
the parliament elected in 1990, and attempting to meet with colleagues
around the country.

FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/faxes/express/
airmail letters in English or in your own language:
- welcoming the release of Thakin Khin Nyunt and 32 others arrested by
Myanmar's military authorities since 6 September 1998;
- expressing deep concern at the recent arrests of 54 people in a related
case, and at reports that some were severely beaten during interrogation
and may not be receiving medical attention;
- urging the SPDC to release all those arrested in the last five months for
their peaceful political activities, including Dr. U Saw Mra Aung;
- urging the SPDC not to ill-treat or torture anyone currently in detention;
- calling on the SPDC to make public a list of all those detained, their
whereabouts, and any charges brought against them;
- reminding the government of Myanmar of its commitment to the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, in particular Article 20 (1): "Everyone has
the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association."

APPEALS TO:

Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt, Secretary 1
State Peace and Development Council
c/o Director of Defence Services Intelligence (DDSI)
Ministry of Defence, Signal Pagoda Road
Dagon Post Office
Yangon
Union of Myanmar
Telegrams:     General Khin Nyunt, Yangon, Myanmar
Telexes:  21316
Faxes:    + 95 1 229 50
Salutation:    Dear General

Senior General Than Shwe, Chairman
State Peace and Development Council
c/o Director of Defence Services Intelligence (DDSI)
Ministry of Defence, Signal Pagoda Road
Dagon Post Office
Yangon
Union of Myanmar
Telegrams:     General Than Shwe, Yangon, Myanmar
Telexes:  21316
Salutation:    Dear General

COPIES TO: Diplomatic representatives of Myanmar accredited to your country.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat,
or your section office, if sending appeals after 8 December 1998.

"Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association."
Article 20 (1), Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Visit: Amnesty International UDHR campaign website on
http://www.amnesty.excite.com

Amnesty International Coordinating group Burma on
http://www.angelfire.com/al/homepageas/index.html

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