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The BurmaNet News: October 6, 1999



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The BurmaNet News: October 6, 1999
Issue #1373

Noted in Passing: "The Thai Government's response to terrorism, or the
Bangkok Solution as it is called, is one which seems to invite many kinds of
violence, and no matter how much the Thai leaders may be congratulating each
other Thailand is an easy target suitable for committing crimes of all
sorts." - SPDC (see MIC: PRESS CONFERENCE)

HEADLINES:
==========
THE NATION: CONFUSION SHROUDS RAIDERS' IDENTITIES
THE NATION: NSC ADMITS EARLY WARNING FAILURE
MIC: PRESS CONFERENCE
THE NATION: THANK YOU, ALL THAI AUTHORITIES
REUTERS: UN OFFICE TO VISIT MYANMAR NEXT WEEK
THE PROGRESSIVE: STORYTELLER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
*****************************************************

THE NATION: CONFUSION SHROUDS RAIDERS' IDENTITIES
6 October, 1999

PM Told Both 1989 Hijackers Were Involved

Thailand was still struggling yesterday to identify the five heavily-armed
Burmese militants who attacked Burma's embassy and took 89 hostages on
Friday, with intelligence and security agencies giving conflicting reports
on who they were.

Police said they will be issuing warrants soon for their arrest on charges
including violent detention, possession of unregistered weapons, discharging
firearms and armed robbery.

But at the same time, police admitted they are struggling to identify the
gunmen who were flown by helicopter to safety by the Thai government in
return for the release of all hostages.

Various government and armed forces agencies yesterday came up with a list
of names of the gunmen, but were still carrying out checks to establish
their identities.

According to one intelligence agency's list submitted to Prime Minister
Chuan Leekpai, the armed group which called itself the Vigorous Burmese
Student Warriors included Gyaw Ni or ''Johnny'' and Ye Thi Ha or ''Preeda'',
the two radical Burmese students who hijacked a domestic flight in Burma and
forced it to fly to Thailand in October 1989.

The three others were ethnic Karen, named Kyi Kyi, Pye Kha and Saw Bai. Gyaw
Ni, 30, and Ye Thi Ha were housed at the Maneeloy holding centre for Burmese
asylum-seekers in western Ratchaburi province after their release from jail
for the hijacking in August 1992.

After leaving the holding centre, they earned a living singing at various
cafes in Bangkok. They used their guitar cases to smuggle their AK-47
weapons in the embassy on Friday. The police yesterday were still
questioning Thai and foreign hostages for clues to the identification and
the arrest of their captors.

A group of seven Asian and Western hostages at the same time were cleared of
suspicion that they were ''collaborators'' of the gunmen, after the junta in
Rangoon claimed some of the foreign hostages of collaboration.

The seven were seen waving and shouting support as the armed group was about
to be flown by helicopter from the Armed Forces Academy's Preparatory School
in Bangkok to the Thai-Burmese border in Ratchaburi.

''Investigations revealed that some foreigners who were present at the visa
section when the armed terrorists seized the embassy, were there in guise of
visa applicants, with the prior arrangements with the terrorists,'' said an
official statement published in Burma's state-controlled newspapers. It did
not specify which foreigners.

No independent evidence has emerged to support the Burmese government's
assertion. Thai authorities are still trying to where the gunmen went after
being dropped off near Kamaplaw in Burma, which is opposite Ratchaburi's
Suan Phung district. Two small armed groups -- the God Army and the Karen
National Union Youth Group -- are active in the area.

Intelligence officers were still trying to determine whether the two groups
were connected to the raid on the embassy or the gunmen.

A report given to Chuan from an emergency meeting of the National Security
Council yesterday said there were initially six militants, but one, Aung
Aung, had changed his mind before the raid.

He was arrested in front of the embassy and the police found a shoulder bag
and a handbag containing press statements from the group.

The police also found a large number of red head bands.

The security council meeting was attended by senior representatives of
various civil and military agencies and intelligence units, and the
16-member team which had been negotiating with the assailants.

Among the negotiating team were Chaiyapreuk, an NSC analyst Ekaphong
Rimcharoen, and Monreudee Ketuphant, an airport authority official who is a
close friend of both Gyaw Ni and Ye Thi Ha.

The team described the atmosphere of the negotiations as ''friendly'' but
that Gyaw Ni had turned ''very upset and aggressive'' after talking to
foreign and Thai journalists via embassy phones. He also cursed Aung Aung
for being a ''coward''.

The team noted that the hostage-takers, who declared their readiness ''to
die in action'', had never raised their original demands that the Burmese
junta release all political prisoners, hold talks with pro-democracy
politicians and convene the elected Burmese parliament. Instead, they only
asked for a helicopter flight and food.

Armed with AK-47, M-16 assault rifles and hand grenades, the attackers
wanted to seize the Burmese Ambassador U Hla Maung, but he was not in the
embassy at the time, negotiators said.

The group's invasion of the embassy at 11.45 am on Friday in broad daylight
and in the downtown area of Bangkok shocked the Thai government.

The government believed the group had plan the embassy siege for some time
and in collaboration with either Burmese or foreign political and financial
backers. It was also trying to establish how the group came into possession
of their assault weapons. Chuan will call a meeting tomorrow to review
national security strategy and the country's anti-terrorism measures.
Although major exiled Burmese student groups have issued statements
condemning the siege, Thai authorities plan to launch a broad crackdown on
exiled Burmese dissidents' anti-government activities.

The junta's statement yesterday also hinted that foreign diplomats in
Thailand may also have played a role in supporting the hostage seizure.

It said ''senior foreign diplomats'' had met a number of anti-government
groups in Bangkok and at the Maneeloy centre.
''It is learned that the terrorists had connived beforehand with some of the
foreigners who had come for visas on that day,'' an official report in the
Burmese-language Mirror daily said. The newspaper did not elaborate on how
the Westerners assisted the gunmen.

It also said the five attackers had stolen cash and documents from the
embassy offices. The junta on Monday reserved special venom for Interior
Minister Sanan

[...]

The junta, meanwhile, beefed up security around foreign embassies in
Rangoon.

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

THE NATION: NSC ADMITS EARLY WARNING FAILURE
6 October, 1999

The National Security Council yesterday prepared an intelligence assessment
on the Burmese embassy siege, acknowledging their failure to give an early
warning.

The assessment also insisted that the incident was an isolated case meant to
grab world attention and called for tighter supervision of Burmese students
in the Maneeloy holding centre at Ratchaburi.

Supreme Commander Gen Mongkol Ampornpisit revealed that Prime Minister Chuan
Leekpai had reprimanded the intelligence community for failing to detect the
preparations of the Burmese students.

The National Security Council will forward this report, intended as a basis
to review measures dealing with future terrorist incidents, to the National
Committee on Anti-international Terrorism. The committee is to convene a
meeting tomorrow which will be chaired by the prime minister.

According to the council report, the Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors
group, which stormed into the embassy and took hostages on Friday, was a
splinter faction of the Burmese opposition. The hostage-takers, possibly
grouped together on an ad hoc basis, had a single mission -- to win
international attention to the domestic political dispute in Burma.

Thai intelligence authorities early on detected that the group was not
predisposed to the violent treatment of the hostages as they were focused
mainly on getting their messages out to the media.

The report went on to note that although the increased security at the
embassy had helped to defuse protest activities planned for Sept 9, known as
the 9.9.99 action plan, there was no early warning for the embassy
occupation.

Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Surayud Chulanont commented that although the
country had sheltered fleeing Burmese students and dissidents on
humanitarian grounds, these people had no right to abuse the host country
with their political activities. Surayud said the military had stood ready
to assist in resolving the embassy siege but the police and the Interior
Ministry had the situation under control.

He voiced regret that there were no warnings even though the Burmese
students had hauled a large amount of war weapons into Bangkok.

He also noted that the Interior Ministry was responsible for intelligence
gathering related to the activities of Burmese students in the holding
centre.

The Army chief reasoned that the closure of border checkpoints by the
Burmese might have been aimed at preventing opposition members from crossing
into the country. Gen Thammarak Issarangkul na Ayutthaya, former commander
of the Armed Forces Security Centre, warned that the embassy occupation
indicated a lapse of security.

Thammarak said the incident had ended well with the safety of all hostages,
though the handling of the incident was quite confusing and failed to follow
accepted procedures. The country has a permanent body to resolve
international terrorist incidents but this body was not activated to tackle
the hostage situation in the Burmese embassy, he noted.

Special Branch deputy commissioner Yothin Mattayomchan revealed that his
office will review security measures provided for foreign embassies.

Yothin, conceding possible security flaws, argued that police guarding the
Burmese embassy had to balance between security concerns and the ready
access for visitors into the compound.

''The Burmese diplomats had never requested strict security screening [of
visitors] so we focused on guarding without obstructing the access,'' he
said.

The deputy commissioner stated that police intelligence would increase
coverage on the activities of Burmese students. Mae Sai district chief
Thavorn Cherdphan said the border crossing opposite Burma's Tachilek
remained closed yesterday, voicing concern about the impact on border trade.

Kanchanaburi governor Jadet Insawang speculated that border contacts with
Burma would resume after Burmese authorities came to terms with the
situation.

Jadet said he had instructed all border districts to step up security
measures to prevent the infiltration of Burmese rebels to stage their
activities like the embassy occupation.

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

MYANMAR INFORMATION COMMITTEE: PRESS CONFERENCE
5 October, 1999

[BurmaNet Editor's note: To view the entire press conference statement go
to: http://www.myanmar.com/press/press991005.htm]

Deputy Ministers, responsible officials and news correspondents present on
the occasion of this press conference.

Today's press conference has been called to brief representatives of the
news media, with the salient facts of the seizure of the Myanmar Embassy in
Bangkok, Thailand by a group of armed terrorists on 1st October 1999. It is
also to afford correspondents present to raise any questions they wish to,
on the matter.

The international news media has already given news reports of the events
that took place that day, so today's briefing will be confined to the
experience recounted by the embassy staff who were the hostages in that
siege.

[...]

The terrorist group seemed to have had a pre-arrangement with certain news
agencies, because during the siege they held question and answer sessions
with them by telephone. Furthermore, they allowed some of the hostages to
participate in interviews with the news agencies.

The next day at 8 a.m. Johnny, the leader of the terrorists asked for two
helicopters to land in the Embassy grounds to take them as well as some of
the hostages to the Thai-Myanmar border. They also gave an ultimatum,
threatening that if the helicopter failed to arrive at 8 a.m., one hostage
would be killed at half-hour intervals. But this was just a propaganda stunt
to gain focus on their group.

[...]

By a very strange coincidence, just before the occurrence of this event, the
ambassador of a western Embassy in Bangkok, met Myanmar dissident groups on
17th and 18th September by way of giving moral support. According
to reports, the Military Attache visited the Maneeloy Refugee Camp on 20th
September to meet with members of the National Solidarity League (NSL) and
Robert Zan of the Kayin Solidarity Organization (KSO).
[...]

On 23rd November 1993 Ye Thiha (a) San Naing, Mya Zaw, Than Htay and Maung
Maung Lay, met at a building on Soi Tar Hpan , off Rojprarob Road to hatch a
conspiracy to enter Myanmar and assassinate State Leaders and also to
bomb the Myanmar Embassy and Military Attache's Office in Bangkok. But
Myanmar security affairs received information about their plots and were
thus able to inform the Thai Police. The Thai Police conducted a search at
the said building and the conspirators were caught red-handed together with
explosives and weapons. On 26th October, Ye Yint was also apprehended. But
the Thai Police pressed charges only against San Naing and convicted him.
But he was released in February 1998. The person manipulating and
controlling these terrorist activities was Than Lwin of the Da-Nya-Ta and
Maung Maung (a) Pyi Thit Nyunt Wai of the Federation of Trade Unions Burma
(FTUB).

On 10th November 1990, other members of the Alliance for Democratic
Solidarity, Union of Burma (Da-Nya-Ta) Soe Myint (a) Ye Mahn and Htin Kyaw
(a) Ye Htin Kyaw hijacked a Thai Airways airliner, TG -305 on its flight
from Bangkok to Yangon and forced it to land in Calcutta, India. The Indian
Government, instead of taking action against these two hijackers gave them
political asylum. I have given brief accounts of these incidents so that you
may recall that the acts perpetrated by these terrorists all originated from
Thailand as their base of operations.

At the Thai-Myanmar border can be found a total of 24 camps officially
recognized as refugee camps. But these camps have a history linked with acts
of terrorism. The ABSDF insurgents, and the KNU, Da-Nya-Ta and a variety of
others, use these camps for military training, training in explosives and
other terrorist tactics. Insurgents based on the border in
collaboration with foreign mercenaries gave training to the others. The
incidents I have recounted bear evidence to this.

[...]

A review of all these events lead to only one unavoidable and irrefutable
conclusion. We have nothing to say against the Thai Government giving its
support to democratic forces. But the fact that these armed terrorist
groups, under the mask of democracy, are using armed force and violence
which no government in the world can accept or tolerate, and are launching
their operations from places inaccessible to the Myanmar Government, should
be made clearly known to the world. Thailand and Myanmar have a long
established friendship and close relations of many years. Thai leaders and
Myanmar leaders over the years have exchanged visits and held many
discussions. But the recent siege of the Myanmar Embassy at Bangkok is the
second major lawless and untoward incident to have occurred. So it is time
for Thailand, which has to shoulder the responsibility, to stop and think
that this could very well lead to some adverse effects on bilateral
relations between Thailand and Myanmar.

[...]

There is also the incident when 18 foreigners presumably from an
organization called the International Organization for Democracy in Burma
scattered anti-government leaflets from a hired vehicle in a busy downtown
area in Yangon on 9th August, 1998 to incite the people. There are thus many
who are trying to destabilize the country and disrupt the peace from their
bases in Thailand. Another aim of these terrorists is to create discord
among ASEAN nations. Foreigners are thus frequently used as tools to realize
these ulterior motives and their operations are always launched from bases
in Thailand.

The latest of these long series of incidents deliberately intended to hurt
Myanmar. But the siege of the Myanmar Embassy, if seriously considered,
raises a whole lot of questions. From which base did these armed terrorists
enter Bangkok? Where did they obtain so many assault rifles and how did they
bring them in? Where did the Police helicopter take them? Was it to a no
man's land where there is no law and order? What action, if any, would a
nation where law and order prevail, take against people who commit such
unlawful acts?

I think many such questions will occur to correspondents present today. We
can also raise the question as to whether we too have responsibility for the
security of the embassy. But to quote a rule, "In actual fact, the
responsibility for the security of a diplomatic mission lies squarely with
the host country". There is even a Myanmar proverb. If a word begins with
"Thann" (i.e. a diplomat) one would not aim even a pin towards him". On our
part we strictly adhere to the diplomatic tradition and practice that no
diplomat shall bear arms, so we have faith enough to put the safety of our
diplomats and families in the hands of the host country.

But, what I wish to stress today is that it is now time, and even beyond to
exert some control over the so-called refugee camps, like ManeeLoy, "where
individuals so utterly devoted to the establishment of democracy have been
settled". From what we can see and speaking from past experience, most of
these camps are simply providing shelter to a variety of armed insurgents
and their families. Those who always cross over the border to attack us,
come from nowhere else, but these camps. A hold up for hostages in downtown
Bangkok in broad daylight is also perpetrated by people from these camps.

Demonstrators holding anti-governments protest for days in front of the
Embassy also come from these camps.

If you should consider my news briefing superficially, it might sound as
though I am laying all the blame on the Thai Government. That is not the
case. My intention is to bring to the attention of other Embassies in
Bangkok the events that took place at the Myanmar Embassy in relation,
especially to the safety of diplomats and their families. It is also
intended to make the Myanmar people see clearly and distinctly, the policy
adhered to by Thailand with regard to violence and terrorism and to bring to
their notice how it tackles and deals with terrorism. I want them to
understand what conclusions they arrive at after security has been breached
and to wait and see what the finale will be. This is my message by courtesy
of the correspondents present here today. I should also like to thank
Thailand's Prime Minister H. E Mr. Chuan Leekpai, H. E. Mr Vichai Ratanakul
and responsible officials concerned, for watching over the safety of our
embassy staff members and their families .

This press conference has focussed entirely on security matters because
recent events posed a threat to state security and the security of Myanmar
diplomats and their families abroad. But I would like to quote excerpts from
Thai newspapers concerning diplomatic affairs and the recent incident at the
Myanmar Embassy, because I think it is highly relevant and
pertinent. According to a Reuters news agency report in the 3rd October
issue of the Nation newspaper, the Thai Interior Minister Mr. Sanan
Kachornprasart is alleged to have stated that, in spite of the fact that the
entire Embassy was under siege by gunmen, it was not an act of terrorism but
a fight for democracy.

"They are not terrorists, they are students who fight for democracy."  "We
have given them safe passage to their own country. We don't consider them to
be terrorists. They are students activists."

When the entire international community has condemned the recent event as a
terrorist act, such a comment by the Thai Interior Minister Mr. Sanan can
only create misunderstanding between two neighbouring countries. Even the
State Department of the United State of America, a country which puts a high
priority on democracy issued a statement saying -  "We strongly condemn this
terrorist attack on a diplomatic establishment and the taking of hostages,
regardless of the perpetrator's motives or demands. This is simply no
justification for terrorism under any circumstances. Having said that,
however, we condemn the use of terrorism for any purpose."

But it would seem, that the armed terrorists whom Mr. Sanan called "students
fighting for democracy" had the time to take away Embassy funds in various
currency notes and official papers and documents. If they were genuine
students acting in the cause of democracy it would be impossible for them to
commit such acts.

Prime Minister Chuan said according to the 3rd October issue of the Nation:
"It is necessary to keep a stricter and closer watch on the opposition
activities of expatriate Myanmar students against the Myanmar Government".

This is a positive remark that can help promote friendship between the two
countries. But we still need to watch and see if this will materialize or
whether those in authority can implement it or not.

Again, in the 3rd October issue of the Nation, a correspondent in making an
analysis of the situation stated that a review of the entire affair
beginning with the way the Thai authorities handled the terrorist incident,
would show that the moves made by the Thai Police were wrong if measured by
international criteria. There were many newsmen at the side of the embassy
and they were going in and out of the command headquarters at will. Motor
vehicles were parked tightly in the space next to the Embassy compound and
the terrorists were in contact with news agencies holding question and
answer sessions. It was difficult to tell who was actually in charge. He
said that it was indeed a very fortunate day for Interior Minister Sanan
that the siege of the Myanmar Embassy ended without bloodshed. The Thai
Government's response to terrorism or the Bangkok Solution as it is called,
is one which seems to invite many kinds of violence, and no matter how much
the Thai leaders may be congratulating each other Thailand is an easy target
suitable for committing crimes of all sorts.

As I said earlier, this press briefing is not intended to lay blame on
Thailand. I have spoken so directly and frankly for the safety not only of
our own diplomats but also for the safety of all foreign diplomats in
Bangkok. I have no wish to hurt any one. But I do want to focus attention to
the need for security and to defend ourselves against such ugly incidents in
the future. Looking at the series of events from beginning to end, I think
correspondents present today will realize like many of us, that it is like
watching a play whose outcome you already know. The majority of the Myanmar
people would find such an outcome unsatisfactory and unacceptable. If every
act of terrorism should come to be dealt with as it was done in this case,
as the critic in the Bangkok newspaper commented, Thailand could very well
become a haven for terrorists, where violence can be committed with
impunity. So in conclusion may I say, that everything should be done not to
let this incident set a precedent for future crimes.

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

THE NATION: THANK YOU, ALL THAI AUTHORITIES
5 October, 1999

Letters to the Editor

We offer our heartiest congratulations to the Thai authorities for the
speedy and non-violent resolution of the Burmese embassy hostage crisis. We
are all very relieved that the hostages were released without injury or
difficulty. Further, that MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra and Chaiyapruek
Sawaengcharoen returned safely. Their heroic actions to ensure a safe ending
to this episode is greatly appreciated.


The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proved
their
ability to handle crises using sophisticated, non-violent and creative
approaches. The Thai authorities were able to use their crisis management
skills and diplomacy to satisfactorily resolve a hostage situation within 24
hours. We urge them to also apply these skills with determination to resolve
the problems in Burma.

The handling of the crisis by the problems in Burma are resolved peacefully
and politically, the danger of similar hostage crises will still exist.
Therefore, we urge the Thai government, as the chairperson of Asean, to
immediately initiate a diplomatic offensive to push for positive reforms in
Burma. Asean should explore all possible non-military approaches to solve
this problem, before it worsens. Asean should also seriously work with its
dialogue artners at ensuring a coordinated and firm approach.

Finally, we applaud the priority set by Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai that
there was to be no bloodshed in the handling of this situation. The efforts
of all officers, personnel and civilian staff to resolve this incident
deserves the highest praise.

We also urge local authorities not to embark on a security backlash against
exiled organisations that have been actively pursuing non-violent means to
achieve human rights and democracy in Burma.

Hunting down such organisations will only diminish the voices and abilities
of
non-violent groups.

We should be supporting the increased capacity of non-violent groups in
their work to promote democracy and human rights in other to reduce the
potential for such incidents to recur.

Forum-Asia (Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development)
Foreign Affairs Committee, National Council of the Union of Burma
CCHROT (Coordinating Committee of Human Rights Organisations in Thailand)
Student Federation of Thailand
TACDB (Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma)
Union for Civil Liberty
Altsean-Burma (Alternative Asean Network on Burma)

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

REUTERS: UN OFFICIAL TO VISIT MYANMAR NEXT WEEK
5 October, 1999

UNITED NATIONS, OCT 5 (REUTERS) - A SENIOR U.N. OFFICIAL HEADS TO MYANMAR
NEXT week in another attempt to promote a dialogue between the country's
military government and the opposition, U.N. officials said.

Alvaro de Soto, an assistant secretary-general for political affairs, who
has visited the country about five times, said on Monday he was still
working out precise dates for the trip as an emissary of Secretary-General
Kofi Annan.

The U.N. General Assembly has asked Annan to try and end the country's
isolation by persuading the government to negotiate with the opposition
National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung
San Suu Kyi.

The General Assembly has condemned Myanmar, formerly Burma, for severe human
rights violations ranging from forced labour to torture of prisoners, mainly
students, professionals and academics.

The government earlier this year postponed a visit by De Soto but gave no
reasons for it. New arrangements were worked out last month when Myanmar's
foreign minister, Win Aung, attended the annual General Assembly debate,
U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said.

De Soto last visited Myanmar a year ago at which time he raised the
possibility of World Bank development aid if the government initiated a
dialogue with the opposition.

So far the military junta has refused to negotiate with Suu Kyi's party
unless she disbands a committee designed to represent parliament, a
challenge to its rule.

The NLD won the country's last election in 1990 but the military ignored the
results and has since tried to silence the party through arrests and
intimidation.

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

THE PROGRESSIVE: "STORYTELLER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS"
September, 1999

For eleven years, villagers in Burma braved malaria and persecution to tell
their stories to Ka Hsaw Wa. The man they met secretly in the jungle is an
ethnic Karen native who was collecting narratives of forced labor and
assault from thousands of victims of the notorious Burmese military regime,
the State Peace and Development Council (formerly called the SLORC).

When he was eighteen years old, Ka Hsaw Wa was tortured by SLORC officers.
He watched a close friend die as the two fled Rangoon in the wake of student
protests in 1988. He found mutilated bodies on the side of the road and
heard many mothers describe the deaths of their children. Because of these
experiences, Ka Hsaw Wa began to memorize the narratives people told
him-those who were mourning loved ones and abandoning the smoking remains of
their homes. He recorded important details in the margins of his
Burmese-English dictationary.

In 1995, Ka Hsaw Wa and two lawyers founded EarthRights International, a
nonprofit organization that focuses on protecting human rights and the
environment. Ka Hsaw Wa's interviews have contributed to the organization's
Burma Project, which records the actions of the military regime.

As part of the project, Ka Hsaw Wa began doing more interviews in the thin
southern strip of Burma where a natural gas pipeline was being constructed,
funded in part by the U.S. petroleum company, Unocal. The villagers he met
described massive relocation, forced labor, and beatings by the military.
They said the soldiers who attacked them and forced them to work were
associated with the pipeline project. EarthRights International used the
testimony in a class action suit filed in 1996 with the Center for
Constitutional Rights against Unocal. The suit is still in its early stages.

Barry Lane, a spokesman for Unocal, denies that the company was involved in
human rights abuses. "We do not have control over the military and we are
not responsible for the military", he says. The pipeline has offered "direct
socioeconomic benefits to people along the route, " including employment
opportunities, medical care and education.

Telling the outside world about conditions in Burma can be fatal. Ka Hsaw Wa
heard a story about a villager the military accused of sending information
out of the country. "They tied him up on a tree, and they gathered all the
villagers together," says Ka Hsaw Wa. "They said, 'If you're against us,
you're going to die like this.' " Then the soldiers killed him.

Ka Hsaw Wa has won several awards for his work, including the Goldman
Environmental Prize, given to six "environmental heroes" each year to
further their causes. At the moment, however, he is taking a break from his
field work. "It's dangerous for me," he says. "I don't want to jeopardize
the whole situation."

Instead, he plans to visit universities in the United States to seek support
for the Free Burma movement. He is also working to pass legislation called
"selective purchasing" laws, that would prevent major public contracts from
being given to Burma. Laws in twenty-three U.S. communities already prohibit
trade with Burma because of the repressive military government there. Ka
Hsaw Wa will also continue teaching at the EarthRights School in Thailand,
which trains students from indigenous groups in international law,
nonviolence, and the documentation of human rights abuses.

Documentation "is the only way we can hold accountable any violators,
especially transnational corporations," says Ka Hsaw Wa.

For more information, contact EarthRights International, 2012 Massachusetts
Aveneu, NW, Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20036. Or, phone (202) 466-5188.
EarthrRights International can also be reached at www.earthrights.org
*****************************************************