The BurmaNet News: April 13, 1999

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The BurmaNet News: April 13, 1999
Issue #1249

Noted in Passing: " Burma does not have a sex industry."  - SPDC Statement
(see THE NATION: BURMA REJECTS UN FEARS OF AIDS EPIDEMIC)

HEADLINES:
==========
NLD: AUNG SAN SUU KYI SPEECH 
BBC: SUSPECTED ARSON ATTACK ON BURMESE PAGODA 
THE NATION: BURMA REJECTS UN FEARS 
THE NATION: BURMESE JUNTA SHOULD HOLD DIALOGUE 
THE NATION: PM SEEKS JUNTA'S HELP TO END VIOLENCE 
ANNC: BURMESE CRISIS POLITICS - WEBSITE CORRECTION 
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NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY:  AUNG SAN SUU KYI SPEECH 
6 April, 1999 

National League for Democracy 
No:(97/B), West Shwegondine Road 
Bahan Township, Bahan

Extracts from address by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, General Secretary of the
National League for Democracy, on 29-1-99

xxxxx Now, the military authorities are claiming that they are working
towards democracy- this must be a fantasy.   xxxxx How can authorities who
are so afraid to grant basic democratic rights to people build or construct
democracy? The fact is that the present military authorities are in great
fear of people power. Their minds seem to be set on the idea that only by
keeping the people crushed and subjugated they can exist. Such people can
never construct democracy.   xxxxx   If they had the guts, instead of
saying that they are constructing democracy they would be saying " we will
never give you democracy'".

In one of his speeches, my father said that people who claim that they have
taken over power for love of their people and love of their country will
earn no respect. They would gain some respect if they just said outright
that it was for love of power. The National League for Democracy has never
claimed that we are motivated by love of country or love for our people. We
are motivated by our desire for human rights and democracy. Why do we want
democracy and human rights?  Because we want the people to reach a human
standard that is equal to international norms. We don't go about flaunting
the idea of love for country or love for our people.   xxxxx

Realistically, what we need is how many of our countrymen and women are
starving. How many children are suffering from diseases due to
malnutrition? How many mothers and babies have died at time of delivery?
How many children have been denied primary education? How many have been
denied access to any education? How many people have died because our
hospitals have no medicines? We do not want to know about beautifying the
landscape or the condition of the jungles, the rivers etc.

xxxxx   There is no need to think that saying certain things will create
good impressions. xxxxx   Our country will not prosper through constructing
an imaginary world.   xxxxx  There is much criticism about the democratic
forces and our National League for Democracy. If I have to give an example,
it is said that I am destructive and causing ruin to the country. These
utterances give the authorities such a bad reputation. Do they not
understand this? Can they not overthrow our "destructive activities" with
their "righteous operations"? The ones who wield authority are in control
of the entire administrative machinery, all the weaponry, all the country's
resources and treasurers. How can this mighty group with so much power in
their hands defend a country if they are still threatening to destroy and
decimate a defenceless organisation that they have been everlastingly
crushing and persecuting?


xxxxx    Acting as if they believe in democracy and treating this country
like a plaything, building a fantasy world is the cause of all our
problems. We can not continue in this way. That is why I am constantly
reminding you that our problems will not be automatically solved once
democracy is restored. Don't imagine this. Once democracy is restored we
will still struggling for the preservation of democracy. We must build a
strong and enduring foundation. After laying a foundation to build a house,
manpower, money and expertise are required. A house built without
architectural knowledge is not the same as that built with architectural
knowledge and expertise. In addition, it is essential that we be honest and
compassionate among ourselves.

xxxxx   We must all lay this foundation correctly. Then we must build that
house with a continuous flow of material which involves many many things.
As I have stated earlier, we will need money. Without money, materials
cannot be purchased. We need to be able to evaluate the goods. Having money
only will not do. We need to know their value. Therefore knowledge of such
things is essential. We must have friends who can advise us about these
values. We cannot be isolated and stand alone in this world. We need good
friends. Even with good friends, money, human and material resources and
knowledge, this generation cannot erect and complete this building. Our
children and their children have to keep on building for a strong and
durable structure.

xxxx   We cannot obtain a strong and durable structure easily. We can not
drift along in any imaginary world. There will have to be great sacrifices,
tremendous hard work and effort.   xxxxx   We will have to wrestle with all
our might to catch up with those countries that are ahead of us.   xxxxx
Look at the two countries that lost the war - Germany and Japan. How they
suffered and sacrificed the war. We have read about the hardship they went
through. Because they made those sacrifices, they are the two leading
countries in the world today. Similarly we will have to go through the same
process. If you can suffer, you can gain. What is valuable cannot be
obtained without effort. Don't depend on assistance (without strings
attached) from here to there. There is no such thing as "without strings
attached". Strings get attached automatically. We, believers in Buddhism,
know well all about this. Every circumstance has a reason and an effect and
one's deed predetermines one's future.   xxxxx   Don't take everything that
you can get or everything that is given to you. Benefit will only be
derived if you use everything you get honestly. Our country will suffer if
we spend easily what is easily got. The giving will not continue.   xxxxx

This is why we cannot go on living in a fantasy world. For the members of
the NLD, there is no time for dwelling in fantasies. What with having to
run, and struggle and getting prison visitation permits, and obtaining
information about who has been arrested -- there is no time for fantasy.
Later on when democracy is granted, there will be no time to drifting into
the fantasy world. Drifting will not benefit our country. But there is one
thing and that is we must always have hope. There is a difference between
having hope and dreaming. It is not wrong to have hope but you have to work
towards achieving that hope. Just sitting down and dreaming will not do.
Have one vision and struggle to achieve it. Our vision is that we will have
genuine and a full measure of democracy and the full measure of human
rights for which we will struggle on. A fantasy world is not what we want
and that is not what we are building.   xxxxx


Rangoon

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BBC: SUSPECTED ARSON ATTACK ON BURMESE PAGODA
12 April, 1999 

Reports from Burma say there's been a suspected arson attack on the
recently-renovated Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon.

An official newspaper said the fire was extinguished within fifteen minutes
of being spotted last Saturday.

It caused slight damage to the ornamental ceiling above a staircase leading
to the pagoda.

Firelighting materials were found near the scene of the blaze and the
Burmese authorities say they are investigating its cause.

Huge crowds attended a lavish ceremony last week marking the restoration of
the pagoda, which is Burma's most venerated Buddhist shrine.

But correspondents say there was some discontent over the way in which
Burma's military government handled the renovation.
 
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THE NATION: BURMA REJECTS UN FEARS OF AIDS EPIDEMIC 
12 April, 1999 

AFP

Burma said yesterday that it had no "sex industry" and Aids was under
control, despite UN fears the epidemic could explode in the military-run
state.

The junta said it had taken great steps to control the epidemic since 1985
and denied unspecified reports that Burma was spreading Aids to neighbors
such as Thailand and India.

"Burma does not have a sex industry and the number of drug users compared
to other countries is very much less," it said in a detailed statement
issued in response to recent reports on the Aids situation there.

"It is very difficult to understand how the HIV/Aids epidemic could spread
from Burma to neighboring countries as alleged by certain quarters," it added.

United Nations officials earlier this month warned of a growing HIV/Aids
epidemic in Burma and said the junta was largely ignoring it.

Peter Picot, executive director of the United Nations' Aids programme, said
at a recent conference here that the world body was focusing on Burma as
one of the danger zones in the region.

The big challenge is recognition of the problem by the government as there
is no way you can tackle the problem if you don't fully recognize it, Picot
added.

He said Burma had an estimated 440,000 people with HI/Aids, out of a
population of about 48 million.

"We need to concentrate our efforts on Burma, convince the government this
is a matter not only involving the people but of national security," he said.

The junta said yesterday that it began researching HIV/Aids in 1986, three
years before the first reported death from the syndrome there.

It said that in 1990 "HIV/Aids was designated as one of the priority
diseases and was identified as the national concern".

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the precursor to the acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

South and Southeast Asia are regions of great concern for organizations
working to stem the worldwide epidemic.

About 1.2 million new infections were recorded in the regions in 1998
alone, of which 700,000 were people aged under 25, according to the UN.

Experts say the regional economic crisis is likely to deepen the HIV crisis
as education and health spending is cut and more women turn to prostitution
to support themselves.


South and Southeast Asia have the largest concentration of people with
HI/Aids outside sub-Saharan Africa, the UN says. 

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THE NATION:  BURMESE JUNTA SHOULD HOLD THREE-WAY DIALOGUE 
12 April, 1999 

Letter to the Editor

The Forum of Democratic Leaders in the Asia-Pacific (FDA-AP) expresses
great regret that Michael Airs, husband of Burmese democratic leader Aung
San Suu Kyi, died without having realized his dying wish to see his wife,
because of the refusal of the Burmese government to grant him an entry visa
to Burma. We send our deepest sympathy to Aug San Sub Ky.

The Burmese government, by turning a deaf ear to the repeated international
calls to allow Michael Airs a visa to meet Aung San Suu Kyi, deeply
disappointed the international community which has urged the restoration of
human rights and democracy in Burma. The FDA-AP strongly condemns the
Burmese government's inhumanitarian act against Suu Kyi and her family.

The FDA-AP calls for the Burmese government to immediately hold a
"tripartite dialogue" with the representatives of the National League for
Democracy including Aung San Suu Kyi and the ethnic nationalities to
facilitate a peaceful transition to democracy in Burma.

FORUM OF DEMOCRATIC LEADERS IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC (BANGKOK)

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THE NATION: PM SEEKS JUNTA'S HELP TO END BORDER VIOLENCE 
12 April, 1999 

PRIME Minister Chuan Leekpai yesterday called on Burma's military junta to
help put to rest a spree of violent incidents along Thailand's
drug-infested northern border with that country.

The overlapping area between Chiang Mai province and Burma's Shan State is
vulnerable to a number of illegal activities and both countries have to
jointly tackle the problem, said Chuan.

The statement came only a day after one Thai police officer and two ethnic
Lahu men were shot dead during a 30 minute gunfight between drug smugglers
and authorities in Vieng Pa Po district of Chiang Rai.

According to Pol-Col Danai Lekhavikit, the two Lahu men had come to demand
payment from people who had purchased drugs from them.

Only hours before the incident in Vieng Pa Pao, Thai soldiers had a brief
gun-fight with three armed soldiers who crossed from Burma into Thailand
near Fang district of Chiang Mai.  One of the armed intruders - an
unidentified man believed to be an ethnic Wa was shot dead in the gun battle.

In both shoot-outs, the surviving culprits fled back over the Burmese border.

Fang district was the scene of the gruesome murders of nine Thai villagers
only 10 days ago. The victims were reportedly beaten to death, allegedly by
troops of the United Wa State Army (UWSA).

The UWSA is one of the world's largest armed narcotics trafficking groups
which operates out of Burma's Shan State along the China-Burma and
Thailand-Burma borders.

Chuan said yesterday that the Thai army and police were jointly
investigating the slaying of the nine Thai villagers.

However, the premier did not rule out the possibility that the nine
villagers were drug dealers who had been killed by colleagues.


Currently, more than 1,000 Thai nationals are building everything from
schools and hospitals to roads and a medium-sized dam in Mong Yawn, only 20
kilometers from the border with Shan State - in a UWSA-controlled area.

Twice weekly, hundreds of merchants queue up at a temporary border check
point just north of Chiang Mai's Mae Ai to be inspected by immigration and
customs officials. Narcotics officers and drug-sniffing dogs have been
deployed in the area in a bid to prevent illicit drugs from entering the
Kingdom.

Construction of infrastructure in the area is financed by profits from the
Wa's heroin trafficking, say Thai border officials.

Related government agencies are expected to meet after the Songkran
Festival to reassess the border situation and whether some temporary
checkpoints should be closed.

Thai and foreign narcotics agencies say the 20,000-strong UWSA is becoming
the dominant heroin-trafficking army in the Golden Triangle, replacing
Burma's former opium warlord Khun Sa who surrendered to the Burmese junta
three years ago in return for amnesty.

Some 17,000 tones of opium were produced in the Golden Triangle last year,
and the Wa were said to be responsible for about 40 per cent of the total
amount.

Other narcotics trafficking groups operating in Shan State include ethnic
Chinese, Lahu, Hmong, and former soldiers of Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army. The
groups reportedly bribe Burmese government troops to turn a blind eye to
their trafficking activities.

Large quantities of heroin are transported through Thailand and southern
China on the way to markets abroad. In the past year, millions of
methamphetamine tablets -- known locally as "yaa bah" and originating from
the Wa-controlled area -- have flooded into Thailand. Thai authorities,
however, have been hard-pressed to take action against the group.

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ANNOUNCEMENT: MENTAL CULTURE IN BURMESE CRISIS POLITICS - WEBSITE CORRECTION 
12 April, 1999 from GHoutman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

CORRECTION

Gustaaf Houtman, Mental Culture in Burmese Crisis Politics: Aung San Suu
Kyi and the National League for Democracy. Study of Languages and Cultures
of Asia and Africa Monograph Series No. 33. Tokyo University of Foreign
Studies, Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and
Africa, 1999, 400 pp.

The above book is now available in PDF format from a different site to what
was originally announced, namely: http://homepages.tesco.net/~ghoutman

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