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Bangkok Post & The Nation (7-9-99)



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<font size=7><b>Burma halts tourist visas temporarily<br>
</font><font size=5>T</font></b><font size=3>he Burmese embassy in
Bangkok has stopped issuing tourist visas to independent foreign
travellers ahead of Sept 9, the date reportedly set by opponents of the
military regime for a popular uprising.<br>
Nyan Lynn, an official at the Burmese embassy, said the ban, which
applies to applicants of all nationalities, came into effect last week as
a &quot;temporary measure&quot; which would be in force &quot;until
further notice&quot;.<br>
&quot;It only applies to the Free Independent Traveller category. We are
still issuing visas for group tours, business visas and diplomatic
visas,&quot; Mr Nyan Lynn said.<br>
The ban was apparently motivated by fears that foreign activists or
journalists posing as tourists would try to sneak into the country in
anticipation of any street demonstrations on &quot;9-9-99&quot;.<br>
This date is viewed as auspicious by dissident exiles from the
numerology-obsessed country. Mass protests that began on
&quot;8-8-88&quot; or August 8, 1988 nearly brought down the military
regime.<br>
Last week, a British activist, James Mawdsley, 26, was sentenced to 17
years in prison, after his arrest in a border town inside northeastern
Burma for passing out anti-government leaflets.<br>
No reason was given for the visa ban, enforced by a directive issued from
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rangoon, effective from Sept
2.-AP<br>
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<br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4>Burmese magic number
sparks new attempt at uprising <br>
Despite all the preparations for an uprising and raised hopes among
dissident groups, some <br>
</font><font size=4><b>Burma analysts point out that going by the
experience of the past decate, the 9-9-99 movement could <br>
end up as a non-event, writes Boonthan Sakand of the Inter Press Service.
<br>
</font></b><font size=3>For decades, the number nine has been considered
the most auspicious of all numerals by the hated Burmesedictator General
Ne Win and his coterie of proteges in the military junta. <br>
But now, Bunnese pro-democracy campaigners are hoping that they can turn
the magical date of 9-9-99 into one of national uprising against the
military regime. <br>
<br>
Though there is evidence that the anti- government campaign has gathered
some momentum inside Burma, many analysts believe that they are not
likely to have more than a symbolic impact on the country's harsh
political realities. <br>
<br>
What the campaign, whether successful or not, could spark off, however,
is a serious rethinking of strategy among pro- democracy groups
frustrated all these years in their attempts to topple the military
regime. <br>
&quot;Nobody can be certain about what the outcome will be but the 9-9-99
campaign has certainly caught the imagination of students and the general
population inside Burma,&quot; says Moe Thee Zun, a leader of <br>
the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF), one of the main
dissident bodies calling for an uprising. <br>
<br>
Dissident groups are hoping for a nation wide general strike against the
regime along with mass demonstrations in major towns and cities on Sept
9. <br>
Apart from their already long list of political grievances against the
government in recent years, the public has had to bear the brunt of
Burma's crumbling economy. Inflation <b>is </b>running at 40 percent with
the price of rice - Burma's staple diet - jumping 60 per cent every year.
Among the activities by underground dissident activists inside Burma is
the secret distribution of anti-government pamphlets calling for a
'9-9-99 uprising&quot; and with slogans like '8-8-88 was the beginning of
the battle, 9-9-99 will be the end of it&quot;, 'We don't want military
junta&quot;, and &quot;Let's revolt on 9-9-99&quot;. Dissident groups are
also using the novel method of circulating currency notes with writings
of '9-9-99&quot; on them to bring the signifiemee of the date to the
attention of people. <br>
</font><font size=4>According to the ABSDF, more than 120 people have
been arrested so far by the Burmese regime for organising activities
related to the campaign. <br>
</font><font size=3>Students in Rangoon and other towns in Burma, it
said, had held protest demonstrations during the past few weeks,
including one at a school outside the capital city in the presence of
Khin Win Shwe, the wife of Burma's powerful intelligence chief Lt Gen
Khin Nyunt. The Burmese military has confirmed arrests of 32 people for
&quot;instigating an uprising&quot; but charges that the ABSDF's claims
of public demonstrations taking place inside Burma are a
&quot;fabrication to attract media attention&quot;. <br>
</font><font size=4>But reports from inside Burma indicate that the
government is taking no chances and has beefed up security in schools,
govenunent offices and deployed police at key street corners in most
towns and cities ahead of the 9-9-99 campaign date. <br>
</font><font size=3>In a bid to appease government servants and army
personnel the regime is<b> </b>also reported to have given them a month's
salary and ration advance for the month of
September.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<br>
</font><font size=4>Reports also say that some sections of the population
have already begun hoarding food and essential items ahead of the
approaching campaign date apprehending widespread disturbances. As a
result, the prices of various basic goods have gone up. <br>
</font><font size=3>Though Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi
has not given a formal call to the National League for Democracy to join
the 9-9-99 campaign, she has lent it tacit support. <br>
'Ihis is not a campaign that we started but our policy has always been
very clear on such things - we will never disown any of our allies, who
have fought for democracy,'Aung San Suu Kyi was quoted as saying by a
dissident Burmese publication. Despite all the preparations for an
uprising and raised hopes among dissident groups, some Bunna analysts
point out that going by the experience of the past decade, the 9-9-99
movement could end up as a non- event. <br>
'The military's grip on the country's institutions and its intelligence
gathering apparatus has only strengthened during'the '90s. Repeating the
8-8-88 uprising is going to be extremely difficult if not
impossible,&quot; says an Asian diplomat in Rangoon. Within the
pro-demouacy camp itself not everyone is sure that the campaign, using
traditional methods of pamphleteering and calls for street protests, will
really be successful. <br>
&quot;We have to re-invent the Burmese pro-democracy campaign to make it
more creative, imaginative and come up with genuinely revolutionary ideas
to inspire the Burmese people,&quot; confesses a senior dissident leader.
<br>
He says the movement should try out new methods of protest in which the
masses can participate easily and not expect people to come out on the
streets every time, braving military bullets. <br>
Some dissident activists point out that despite the regime's willingness
to use extreme violence against dissidents, given its unpopularity - in
and outside the country - overthrowing the junta should have been much
easier for any sophisticated political movement. <br>
The fact that this has not happened, they say, indicates<b> </b>that
either the anti-junta movement lacks competence or has slipped into
inertia and complacency. <br>
The hope now is that even if the 9-9-99 campaign is unsuccessful, it
could at least lead to the positive result of sparking off serious debate
among activist groups on radically new strategies against the Burmese
regime. <br>
<br>
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