The BurmaNet News: January 28, 1999

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"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: January 28, 1999
Issue #1195

Noted in Passing: "Quite aside from the human rights concerns that are at
the forefront of our concerns, it does seem to me that the United States
would send a wholly inappropriate message by participating in a conference
on heroin in Yangon'" - Aryeh Neier (see OSI: LETTER REGARDING DRUG
CONFERENCE IN MYANMAR)

HEADLINES:
==========
ABSDF: MILITARY FORCES PEOPLE TO SIGN DOCUMENT 
AFP: DENMARK TO BOYCOTT DRUG CONFERENCE 
OSI: LETTER REGARDING DRUG CONFERENCE IN MYANMAR 
BKK POST: RIGHTS TALKS LINKED TO BURMA
REUTERS: BURMESE REBELS BLAST JUNTA OVER DAM 
XINHUA: FIRST PRIVATIZATION COMMISSION MEETING 
REUTERS: TELECOM EXCHANGE WITH CHINA
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ABSDF: BURMESE MILITARY FORCES PEOPLE TO SIGN NO-CONFIDENCE DOCUMENT
AGAINST NLD MP
25 January, 1999 

Media Release 

Burmese Military Forces People to Sign No-Confidence Document Against NLD MP

The Burmese military junta forced the people in a town in central Burma to
sign papers withdrawing support for and expressing no-confidence in a
prominent Member of Parliament (MP) from the National League For Democracy
(NLD), creating confusion and disbelief among the people over the new tactic.

The new tactic, perceived to be a means to increase pressure on the NLD and
its MPs, was introduced by the regime on December 15. During three rallies,
military authorities forced more than 50,000 people in Taungtha, Mandalay
Division to sign documents expressing a lack of confidence in U Than Tun,
the NLD MP elected to Parliament from Taungtha-2 Constituency. The papers
were then handed over to the Township Election Commission.

More than a month later, on January 22, military authorities, citing a
report from the Election Commission, announced that U Than Tun was no
longer supported by the people. The declaration did not mention whether U
Than Tun remains an MP.

U Than Tun won 47.79% of the votes cast in the electorate in the 1990
election. However the military announcement stated that his election win
has been rejected by 89.78% of the electorate. Local people are confused
over the announcement, particularly the inconsistent statistics. They
believe that U Than Tun is being targeted in this manner because of his
role within the NLD and the Committee to Represent the People's Parliament
(CRPP).

U Than Tun, 77, is a member of the CRPP formed and led by the NLD in its
effort to convene Parliament. He is also the chief organiser of the NLD for
Upper Burma, head of the party's workers committee, and was a prominent
labour activist and Parliamentarian during Prime Minister U Nu's Government
in 1958.

Foreign Affairs Secretary for the All Burma Students' Democratic Front
(ABSDF), Aung Naing Oo, said that the new tactic of using the people
against prominent NLD officials will continue. "There are seven MPs in the
CRPP and it's highly likely that the remaining six will be subjected to
similar abuse by the military regime."


Legal sources have stated that the regime's latest move is not permitted
under any legislation in Burma.

Today's state-run Burmese newspapers denounced U Than Tun for remaining as
an MP "despite withdrawal of support from the people". The papers called
for his resignation from Parliament.

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AFP: DENMARK TO BOYCOTT DRUG CONFERENCE OVER MYANMAR RIGHTS RECORD
26 January, 1999 

COPENHAGEN, Jan 26 (AFP) - Denmark is to boycott international talks on the
fight against drugs to be held in Myanmar next month over the host
country's human rights record, the justice ministry announced here Tuesday.

The conference, from February 23 to 26 in Yangon, is being organised by the
international police cooperation organisation Interpol.

Danish Justice Minister Frank Jensen said holding the conference in Myanmar
would send the wrong signals to the country's military leaders.

Denmark's centre-left government is one of the most critical of Myanmar's
military regime, backing international sanctions against Yangon until it
restores democracy.

Jensen has asked Interpol to "take into account the political context" when
choosing the venue for future conferences.

Danish experts say Myanmar is the world's biggest producer of opium,
supplying around 2,560 tonnes a year, including to the United States and
Europe. They also implicate Myanmar's military leaders in drug trafficking.

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OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE: LETTER TO JANET RENO REGARDING DRUG CONFERENCE IN
MYANMAR 
15 January, 1999 from Aryeh Neier President, Open Society Institute

Hon. Janet Reno 
Attorney General of the United States 
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 4545
Washington, DC 20530-0001

Dear Madam Attorney General:

I am startled to discover that Interpol has scheduled its 4th Intentional
Heroin Conference for Yangon, Myanmar February 23 to 26. In light of the
United States concerns about Burma's role as a producer and exporter of
heroin, its brutal suppression of the country's democratic movement and its
systematic gross violations of human rights, this seems a particularly
inappropriate venue for a meeting at which representatives of the US would
have an important role.

Accordingly, I write to call on you to see that the venue of the meeting is
shifted. If Interpol persists in holding the meeting in Yangon, I believe
that United States Officials should not attend.

Quite aside from the human rights concerns that are at the forefront of our
concerns, it does seem to me that the United States would send a wholly
inappropriate message by participating in a conference on heroin in Yangon.
It is in the same category as holding a convention on weapons of mass
destruction in Baghdad on women's rights in Kabul or on terrorism in Tripoli.

I look forward to hearing what action is being taken on this matter.

Best regards.

Sincerely,

Aryeh Neier 

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BANGKOK POST: RIGHTS TALKS LINKED TO BURMA'S PARTICIPATION
28 January, 1999 by Bhanravee Tansubhapol


Germany will try to find a way for Burma to take part in an Asean-European
Union meeting in Berlin if it agrees to talk about human rights, Permanent
Secretary for Foreign Affairs Saroj Chavanaviraj said yesterday.

According to Mr Saroj, the Burmese side was coming round to the idea after
Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan telephoned his Burmese counterpart Win Aung
last week.

But a ministry source believed the EU foreign ministers' decision on Monday
to uphold a visa ban against Burmese leaders could affect Rangoon's
position on the matter.

Britain and Denmark were reported to be among EU members against lifting
the ban on travel to EU member countries by Burmese government ministers,
members of the military junta, and their families that has been in effect
since 1996.

Mr Saroj described as discriminatory a suggestion attributed to British
Foreign Secretary Robin Cook that a deputy Burmese foreign minister might
be allowed to attend the ministerial meeting scheduled for March 30. Other
member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are to be
represented by full-fledged ministers but no invitations have yet been
issued, ministry sources noted.

Mr Saroj will raise the question of Burma's participation in this meeting
as well as in the Asean-EU Joint Cooperation Committee, which has not met
since Asean admitted Burma in July 1997, at talks opening in Berlin today.

Continuing through tomorrow, these talks are scheduled to prepare for the
second ministerial conference of the Asia-Europe Meeting, a forum made up
of 10 Asian and 15 European countries that was launched in Bangkok in 1996.

Also on the agenda are the future course of the Asem process, including a
report of the Asia-Europe Vision group, the Asia-Europe Cooperation
Framework and draft work programme till the year 2000, and Asem membership,
said a ministry source.

Germany currently chairs the EU's rotating presidency, and Thailand is
coordinator for the Asean side in the Asean-EU forum, and for the Asian
side in the Asem framework.

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REUTERS: BURMESE REBELS BLAST JUNTA OVER DAM
27 January, 1999 

ONE of Burma's ethnic rebel groups yesterday blasted the country's military
government for pushing ahead with a plan to build a hydroelectric dam in
the minority's area while overlooking the possible social and environmental
impact.

"They are looking to carry out this project without taking into
consideration the high human cost," said Seng Suk, a senior member of the
Shan Democratic Union, a rebel group fighting the military government of
Burma, for autonomy. He said many people could be displaced from their homes.

An industry source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said such criticism
was premature, because the project was still in the planning stage. Whether
it materialises will depend on the social costs, environmental factors and
political stability in the area, he said.

Seng Suk's criticism came after a team of experts entered the area recently
for a survey before conducting a feasibility study for the dam's construction.


"The surveyors, assisted by Burmese army engineers have reportedly begun
dynamiting and drilling a number of deep holes into the rocks at the base
of the gorge and along the river," Seng Suk said.

The proposed dam is in Ta Sang in southern Shan State, where more than
300,000 Shan villagers so far have been forced out of their homes under a
three-year-old government campaign to put Shan villagers into holding
centres, he charged.

He added that there has been combat between the government and rebels in
the area.

The military government of Burma denies it carries out forced mass
relocations.

Rebel leaders and Thai Army officers monitoring the situation said they
believe the dam project is part of a scheme to cut off all possible
civilian support for armed ethnic groups fighting the government.

Seng Suk said the dam would produce an estimated 3,700 megawatts of
electricity.

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XINHUA: MYANMAR HOLDS FIRST PRIVATIZATION COMMISSION MEETING
26 January, 1999 

YANGON (Jan. 26) XINHUA - Myanmar held the first meeting in 1999 of the
Privatization Commission here Monday to review its undertakings since
January 1995 when it announced the first phase of the privatization scheme.

Addressing the meeting, Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, first secretary of
the Myanmar State Peace and Development Council, told departmental
officials to transfer the undertakings to national private entrepreneurs
who are financially strong and can deal with foreign counterparts, if they
can not run the undertakings effectively.

"National private entrepreneurs are able to think and decide freely and
carry out works effectively," said Khin Nyunt, who is also chairman of the
commission.

He stressed that the move will serve the interests of the state, urging
departments concerned to boldly decide for the transfer.

Myanmar has, since January 1995, been implementing a privatization plan for
its state economic enterprises (SEE), aimed at transforming them into
effective business organizations.

The first phase of the scheme covers 51 SEEs including processing and
manufacturing factories, livestock breeding farms and cinemas, and is being
implemented in various forms -- auctioning and leasing out the enterprises
or establishing joint ventures with local and foreign investors.

In the privatization process, the government is striving to ensure that in
transferring to the private business people, local Myanmar citizens take
precedence over foreigners.

According to official statistics, a total of 134 state-owned cinemas and
more than two dozen saw mills have been privatized in Myanmar. Some 42
factories and two livestock breeding farms have also been designated to be
sold through competitive bidding.

In a significant move to accelerate the privatization of heavy industries,
Myanmar transferred Ywama Steel Mill, the biggest state-run enterprise
leased out since the privatization plan began, to local private
entrepreneurs last September for continuous operation.

It is reported that the first-phase privatization of all small-scale SEEs
has been completed and the second phase which deals with about 1, 760
medium- and larger-scale SEEs is underway.


The official statistics also showed Myanmar's gross domestic product in
the 1997-98 fiscal year grew by 4.6 percent with the private sector
contributing 75.4 percent.

The private sector investment accounted for 53 percent of the total,
rocketing from 5.6 billion kyats (18.6 million U.S. dollars) in 1989-90 to
75.9 billion kyats (253 million dollars) in 1997-98.

According to official data, there is a total of 53,338 manufacturing
enterprises in the country in 1997, of which 51,101 are private run and
1,600 state-owned.

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REUTERS: MYANMAR INAUGURATES TELECOM EXCHANGE FROM CHINA
26 January, 1999 

YANGON, Myanmar (Reuters) - Telephone communication became a bit easier in
military-ruled Myanmar Tuesday, a nation with one of the world's lowest
numbers of telephones per head, with the inauguration of a 3,000-line
exchange donated by China.

Managing director of Posts and Telecommunications Col. Maung Maung Tin said
at a ceremony that the new automatic exchange was manufactured by China's
Shanghai Bell Company.

He said there were currently 225,164 telephones in Myanmar working through
523 exchanges against 66,707 in 1988. Of the total, 99,396 were in the
capital Yangon.

The phone density in Yangon remained very low at just 0.44 per 100 people,
compared to 49 per 100 in Japan and 52.61 per 100 in Singapore.

The density for the country as a whole is one phone for every 208 citizens.

The colonel said arrangements were underway to install 20,000 Code Division
Multiple Access cordless phone lines in Yangon in the near future.

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