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Burma News Update No. 80 (r)
Burma Project
Open Society Institute
Burma News Update No. 80
24 March 1999
UN: Human Rights Worsen
A United Nations special investigator announced that respect for
human rights in Burma "is worsening and the repression of civil
and political rights continues unabated." The Special Rapporteur
on human rights in Burma, former Mauritius chief justice Rajsoomer
Lallah, reported violations to the U.N. Human Rights Commission
including summary executions, arbitrary detentions and forced labour.
Lallah's latest report, issued 15 March, stated that the military regime
"continues to intimidate its citizens and prevents them from exercising
their fundamental rights to freedom of association and expression by
prosecuting persons for criminal and treason-related offences."
Geneva, "Reuters,:" 15 March
Suu Kyi's Ailing Husband Barred
Burmese military authorities have barred the ailing husband of
democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from visiting Burma,
despite repeated requests for a visa. Dr. Michael Aris is terminally
ill in England with advanced prostate cancer. Requests by several
Asian and Western governments to permit Dr. Aris to visit Rangoon
have been rejected by the junta, which said in an official statement
that Dr. Aris's visit could overburden Burma's limited medical facilities a
nd suggested that Daw Suu Kyi travel to England to see her husband.
Burma's state-run media has repeatedly called for the deportation of
Daw Suu Kyi, and democracy movement leaders believe that she
will be denied re-entry to Burma if she leaves.
"Myanmar National Homepage," 21 March; and wire reports
Landmine Toll Rises
Bangladesh has demanded that Burma's military junta remove landmines
planted along its border, which have taken a heavy toll on civilians and
wildlife and are a "flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention." More than
50 people have been killed and over 100 injured, many of them crippled
permanently, since Burmese troops began laying landmines along the
border in 1993. Victims include villagers, loggers and security forces,
as well as 22 wild elephants. A survey by the paramilitary Bangladesh
Rifles found that Burmese troops have mined a 34 mile stretch of the
countries' common frontier. Hundreds of thousands of Burmese
Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since 1992 to escape
Burmese army attacks, and many remain in refugee camps there.
Dhaka, "South China Morning Post," 16 March
Pipeline Protection
France's Total oil company has employed Western mercenaries and directly
paid Burmese army commanders to ensure security of a pipeline project
across southern Burma, a correspondent inside Burma reports. Total's
partners are Burma's military regime and the American UNOCAL oil company.
People interviewed said that the construction route is marked by destroyed
villages, displaced populations, and village women forced into prostitution
by
soldiers. A Thai official reports that Total and UNOCAL have supplied money,
fuel and vehicles to junta forces to assist offensives against guerrillas of
the
Karen National Union, charges the oil companies deny. [Agence France
Presse adds from Bangkok on 16 March that a member of a French
parliamentary delegation that just visited the pipeline area and also met
with
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon said that Daw Suu Kyi has
restated her opposition to the pipeline project and foreign investment in
Burma
at this time.]
"Le Nouvel Observateur (Paris)" 18-24 March
Power Price Hike
Large increases in consumer electricity prices are expected soon as
residents of Burma's capital, Rangoon, and other cities face daily
power cuts that often last from midday until late evening. The military
regime can no longer afford heavy power rate subsidies as the country's
economic crisis worsens, affected by Asia's financial turmoil and
Western sanctions due to the junta's poor human rights record.
Rangoon, "Agence France Presse," 22 March
Jilted Lobbyists Jump Ship
Two Washington lobbying firms have dropped efforts to polish the
international image of Burma's army junta after their bills went
unpaid. Jefferson Waterman International said it had stopped working
on Burma because of "non-payment," and Bain and Associates
also said Burma is no longer a client. Jefferson Waterman's efforts
under a $500,000 contract were led by former US assistant secretary
of state for narcotics, Ann Wrobleski. Bain & Associates, headed
by former TV reporter Jackson Bain, signed up for $250,000. The
lobbyists offered journalists trips to Burma and reportedly help draft
junta correspondence, including rebuttals to charges of human rights
violations.
Bangkok, "South China Morning Post," 17 March