The BurmaNet News: December 28, 199

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Subject: The BurmaNet News: December 28, 1998

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 "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: December 28, 1998
Issue #1167

Noted in Passing: "A citizen shall not lose his citizenship merely by
marriage to a foreigner." - Burmese Citizenship Law #4 - 15(a), 1982 (see
WORKING PEOPLE'S DAILY: CITIZENSHIP LAW)

HEADLINES:
==========
AP: PRO-DEMOCRACY LEADER WON'T LET GOVT DEPORT HER 
BKKPOST: DEPORTATION RUMORS JUST A PUBLICITY STUNT 
WORKING PEOPLE'S DAILY: CITIZENSHIP LAW 
AFP: ASSK WARNS OF "EXPLOSION" IF NLD BANNED 
CNN: OPIUM TRADE INTEGRAL PART OF MYANMAR CIVIL WAR 
BKK POST: MP WANTS BURMESE DEPORTED 
ANNC: UDHR IN BURMESE 
ANNC: INTERVIEW WITH ASSK BY JAPANESE UNIVERSITY 
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ASSOCIATED PRESS: PRO-DEMOCRACY LEADER WON'T LET GOVERNMENT DEPORT HER
26 December, 1998 

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- Nobel Peace Prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi has told
members of her pro-democracy party that she will not allow Myanmar's
military regime to deport her. 

The opposition National League for Democracy said in a statement obtained
today that Suu Kyi told members last week not to worry about rumors that
she would be deported after the new year. 

"Party members should not be worried of my deportation," Suu Kyi said. "I
am not a citizen of other countries, and I have no intention of leaving
this country." 

Suu Kyi is married to a British academic, Michael Aris. The government
often refers to her as a spy and puppet of foreign nations, particularly
former colonial ruler Britain and the United States. 

"I am not a British citizen, and my conscience is clear," Suu Kyi said.
"How can a government deport its citizen if there is no country to accept
him or her?" 

The ruling State Peace and Development Council has recently organized mass
rallies demanding Suu Kyi be deported, a call echoed by commentaries in
official newspapers. 

Suu Kyi, daughter of independence hero Aung San, has spent most of the past
decade under house arrest or had her movements restricted in a struggle for
more democracy with the military rulers of Myanmar, known also as Burma. 

Though she was under house arrest at the time, her party won parliamentary
elections allowed by the military in 1990. The ruling council of generals
never allowed the parliament to meet. Suu Kyi won the Nobel prize in 1991. 

The National League for Democracy launched a campaign earlier this year to
convene the parliament unilaterally, triggering a roundup of hundreds of
members. Only those promising to quit her party have been freed. 

[From Reuters, 25 December, 1998]

Political analysts said rumors had circulated in Yangon this week that Suu
Kyi might be deported on Jan. 3.

The NLD statement quoted Suu Kyi as saying that the government, the State
Peace and Development Council (SPDC), would probably need to bribe a
foreign totalitarian state in order to induce it to accept her.

``The only way for the ruling government to deport me is to make a
give-and-take with a totalitarian state, by giving them a certain number of
tons of rice or so...they don't have a rocket to send me to the moon
either,'' she said.

[from AFP, 26 December, 1998]

Analysts say it is unlikely any other country will accept Aung San Suu Kyi
against her will, making it very difficult for the government to deport her.

Others point out that she may be able to do more damage to the junta from
outside the country with access to foreign media organisations, than in her
strictly monitored compound in Yangon.

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

THE BANGKOK POST: DEPORTATION RUMOURS JUST A PUBLICITY STUNT
23 January, 1998

Malaysian MP Fears Stain on Asean's Image

Burma's military government yesterday dismissed rumours that it might
deport opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, saying they represented attempts
by her party to create news headlines.

A Burmese government statement said Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy
(NLD) should join the ruling military and other countries in finding ways
of riding out the Asian economic crisis, rather than trying to seek publicity.

"We hope the NLD will contribute in a positive and meaningful way to
achieve a better, fuller life ... and take a more responsible, constructive
cooperation rather than resorting to whimsical and symbolic gestures
designed merely to attract attention and create seasonal sensational
headlines," it said.

[ ... ]

Semi-government organisations have in the past two months organised
anti-NLD rallies in which they called for Mrs Suu Kyi's deportation and
dissolution of her party.

State-owned media have also made similar demands since mid-September when
the NLD launched its Committee Representing People's Parliament.

The government statement yesterday said it was not an appropriate time for
Mrs Suu Kyi and the NLD to engage in sensational politics while most Asian
countries still struggle to recover from the economic turmoil.

"The Government of Myanmar is working hard to develop Myanmar and guide it
through the current regional economic crisis. Much work remains ahead of
us. The regional economic crisis is not improving and this is no time for
playing politics," it said.

[ ... ]

Burma would face international criticism if it deports Mrs Suu Kyi, a
Malaysian opposition figure said yesterday.

Lim Kit Siang, the secretary general of the Democratic Action Party, urged
the Asean regional trading group to urge Burma not to deport the opposition
or dissolve the NLD.  Mr Lim said reports circulating in Rangoon said that
Mrs Suu Kyi might be deported on January 3.

The opposition leader said it was regrettable that Rangoon's recent
admission into the nine-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations had
not led to progress in democratisation in Burma, but to reverse. Mr Lim
called on Asean governments to demand an assurance from Burma's military
government that it would not use coercive action to deport Mrs Suu Kyi or
break up her party. He said that such an action would not only be a further
stain on Burma's image, but also a mark on Asean's international reputation
and standing. 

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WORKING PEOPLE'S DAILY: CITIZENSHIP LAW
16 October, 1982 from <darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx> 

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

Burma Citizenship Law (Pyithu Hluttaw Law No. 4 of 1982) ........

[Just a reminder of the relevant Burmese law, in view of the reappearance
of the perennial rumours that the junta plans to deport Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi, who has never had a British passport. See, in particular, paras 15, 16
and 17. -- David Arnott]

3.  Nationals such as the Kachin, Kayah, Karen, Chin, Burman, Mon, Rakhine
or Shan and ethnic groups as have settled in any of the territories
included within the State as their permanent home from a period prior to
1185 B.E., 1823 A.D. are Burma citizens. .....

7.  The following persons born in or outside the State are also citizens:-

     (a) persons born of parents, both of whom are citizens;

     (b) persons born of parents, one of whom is a citizen and the other an
associate citizen;

     (c) persons born of parents, one of whom is a citizen and  the other a
naturalized citizen; .....

10.     In respect of a citizen born outside the State, the parent or
guardian shall have his birth registered in the prescribed manner, within
one year from the date of birth at the Burmese Embassy or Consulate or
organization prescribed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

     Proviso.  If registration is not possible within one year from the
date of birth, application may be made by the parent or guardian,
furnishing sufficient reasons to the central body through the Burmese
Embassy or Consulate or organization prescribed by the Ministry of Home
Affairs. .....

15. (a) A citizen shall not lose his citizenship merely by marriage to a
foreigner; ...... 

16. A citizen who leaves the State permanently, or who acquired the
citizenship of or registers himself as the citizen of another country, or
who takes out a passport or a similar certificate of another country ceases
to be a citizen.

17.  The citizenship of a citizen by birth shall not be revoked, except in
the case of cessation of citizenship under section 16. 

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

AFP: AUNG SAN SUU KYI WARNS GOVERNMENT OF "EXPLOSION" IF NLD BANNED
26 December, 1998 

YANGON, Dec 26 (AFP) - Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has
warned the military government that her National League for Democracy (NLD)
will continue to operate even if it is eventually banned.

In a transcript of an NLD meeting this week released here, Aung San Suu Kyi
warned of the consequences if the government ends its current campaign
against the party by slapping a total ban on operations.

"If officialdom bans the NLD or deregisters the NLD we will continue to
work from this very same office," said Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace
prize winner.

"We have been trying to prevent an explosion, we are not trying to bring up
an explosion," she said.

"For this purpose the NLD chairman has been writing letters to the chairman
of the SPDC (government)."

The statement came amid rumours circulating here that the government may
deport Aung San Suu Kyi early next year, possibly just before the 52nd
anniversary of independence on January 4.

[ ... ]

Myanmar's junta has in recent months detained hundreds of NLD activists,
many of whom have left the party immediately on their release, proof the
NLD says of coercion by military intelligence.

The party disputes government announcements over the number of activists
leaving the party, saying many of those purportedly resigning were not NLD
members in the first place.

The NLD won a landslide victory in elections in Myanmar in 1990 but the
military has refused to hand over power.

Diplomats in Yangon say the government campaign against the NLD is an
attempt to crush the party's ability to function as an effective opposition.

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

CNN: OPIUM TRADE INTEGRAL PART OF MYANMAR CIVIL WAR
26 December, 1998 by Riz Khan

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY
BE UPDATED.

MARINA KOLBE, CNN ANCHOR: Western drug experts estimate 70 percent of the
world's heroin comes from the so-called Golden Triangle. That is an area
which includes parts of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, the country formerly
known as Burma.

CNN's Riz Khan takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIZ KHAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The mountainous territory on the
Thai-Myanmar border, one of the sides of the infamous Golden Triangle. What
seems to be harmless vegetation here is actually a deadly crop; poppy
plants are the source of opium, the raw material used in the production of
heroin. The effort to destroy the crop can be challenging, given that the
area is also fertile ground for rebel groups fighting the Myanmar
government. The Shan State Army is one of a handful of armed insurgent
groups that has not signed a cease-fire pact with the military
administration in Yangon.

>From his jungle hideout, the commander of the SSA spoke recently about the
drugs problem. Colonel Yod Suk says the Shan people and other ethnic
minorities have been forced into opium cultivation by the actions of the
Myanmar military.

COL. YOD SUK, SHAN STATE ARMY (through translator): They need permanent
plots of land to grow rice and other crops, and they don't have them.
People in the Shan state have turned to growing poppy because it takes a
short time, or a few months to harvest, and they can shift the location of
opium fields in the jungles.

KHAN: Yod Suk was a close aide of the former drug warlord Khun Sa, who's
now surrendered to the Myanmar government and is living in Yangon. The
rebel leader says Shan state has produced more than 2,000 tons of heroin in
1998. That's enough to make about 200,000 kilograms of pure heroin. The
United States is leading the fight against drugs.

WILLIAM SIMPSON, U.S. DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY: Our intelligence here in
Southeast Asia indicate that there is a large amount of heroin leaving
Southeast Asia. Now where is it going? That's what we're here working on.
We know that heroin comes through Thailand, and it goes -- from Thailand it
could go to Laos, into Vietnam, and then either into Europe, or from Europe
into the United States. 

KHAN: The Americans have pumped in millions of dollars to assist the
drug-fighting efforts of the Thai and Myanmar militaries. For rebels like
Yod Suk, this represents a wasted effort. He's calling on the U.S.
government to cooperate with his rebels to stamp out the trade. There's no
evidence Washington is willing to take up that offer.

Riz Khan, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

THE BANGKOK POST: MP WANTS BURMESE DEPORTED
26 December, 1998 by Cheewin Sattha 

An MP for Mae Hong Son has urged the repatriation of more than 30,000
Burmese refugees to Burma to ease grievances of Thai people living along
the border.

Democrat MP Panya Jinakham said he will soon invite the chairman of the
House defence committee to inspect refugee camps in Mae Hong Son so that
the MP will know about problems caused by Karen war refugees here and push
for talks between Bangkok and Rangoon for the repatriation of these refugees.

He said many refugees in this northern province frequently steal
agricultural produce of Thai villagers and also cause damage to  forests
and streams.

Meanwhile, an informed source said the province's plan to move some 11,000
Karen refugees in Ban Mai Nai Soi to Pang Khwai Shelter in Muang District
must be delayed due to the lack of money as the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has refused to fund the five-million-baht
relocation.

Each year, it costs the government more than ten million baht to buy food
for more than 33,000 war refugees at all four shelters in Mae Hong Son.

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

ANNOUNCEMENT: UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN BURMESE
27 December, 1998 from <darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx> 

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is on the UN Human Rights Website
as a pdf (acrobat) document on:

http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/bms.pdf

I'm sure someone will find ways of spreading it around; by radio, for
instance.

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

ANNOUNCEMENT: INTERVIEW WITH AUNG SAN SUU KYI BY JAPANESE UNIVERSITY
27 December, 1998 from <kotetu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 

Kyoto Seika University, situated in Kyoto, Japan, recently released Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi's speech recorded on July, 1998, on the internet with text
and Realaudio. Its text is available in both English and Japanese.

Though the Japanese version is not complete translation of the English
original, it presents her main message clearly enough so that Japanese
people will understand why she demands for Japanese government and
companies to refrain their investment and business in Burma.

Please spread the news to your friends, in particular those who use
Japanese as their first language.

You can find the document at:
 o Japanese version:   http://www.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/freedom/suukyi/suukyi.html
 o English version:
http://www.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/freedom/freedom-eng/suukyi/suukyi-eng.html

--

Tetsu Hakoda (Kobe, Japan)
http://www.jca.ax.apc.org/~kotetu/burma/

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