The BurmaNet News: November 19, 199

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Subject: The BurmaNet News: November 19, 1999

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The BurmaNet News: November 19, 1999
Issue #1405

HEADLINES:
==========
BKK POST: JUNTA DEMANDS RISE IN AIRSPACE FEE
IRRAWADDY: EAST TIMOR AND BURMESE DEMOCRACY
THE NATION: STUDENT CAMP WILL BE SEARCHED FOR ARMS
AFP: RESETTLEMENT OF STUDENTS TO RESUME IN DECEMBER
THE NATION: JUNTA MAY BE BEHIND UNREST AT MANEELOY
BKK POST: SOLDIERS WOUNDED
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THE BANGKOK POST: JUNTA DEMANDS RISE IN AIRSPACE FEE
18 November, 1999 by Nusara Thaitawat/Amornrat Mahitthirook

AVIATION DISPUTE SET TO CLOUD SURIN VISIT

Rangoon is demanding a bigger slice of the revenue from air travel between
Thailand and Burma, or a major reduction in the number of seats on offer, an
informed source said.

Burmese aviation authorities told Thai Airways International to hand over
12% of the revenue from its profitable Burma route.

If not, the number of seats available each week on the service, flown by
THAI and Myanmar Air, must be reduced by about 1,000 to 2,500, the source
said.

The ultimatum has been issued as Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan prepares to
leave on a visit to Burma tomorrow.

A delegation from the Civil Aviation Department, headed by its new
director-general, Sawat Sitthiwongse, is due in Rangoon today. Burmese
authorities have rejected a written "provisional understanding" between Thai
and Myanmar Air made two years ago which raised the number of seats per week
to 3,800.

They said that was 300 more seats a week than a formal agreement concluded
about four years ago between the civil aviation authorities of the two
countries. The number of seats was not a matter to be decided between
airlines, they said.

THAI currently operates 14 flights per week on the Burma route, using an
Orbs, and Myanmar Air two, using smaller planes.

THAI earns US$16 million a year from its Burma flights, of which it claims
only 5% is profit. The route is one of its most lucrative as there is no
competition from other airlines.

Rangoon's demand for 12% of THAI's revenue was in total disregard that there
are costs involved and only 5%, or $800,000, was net profit, the source
said.

Senior officials involved in the talks are playing down the issue, as any
comment could further sour the already deteriorated relations between the
two countries.

An informed source said THAI was expected to table a proposal to help find
passengers for Myanmar Air, and a more equitable profit sharing formula.

Talks have been ongoing since early this year. One source said Burmese
authorities have made it clear that the issue has to be settled without
further delay.

The delegation, which is due back in Bangkok on Saturday, is composed of
senior officials from THAI, the Civil Aviation Department of the Transport
Ministry, and the Economic Affairs Department of the Foreign Ministry.

Burma closed its land and maritime borders with Thailand in the aftermath of
the occupation of its embassy in Bangkok on Oct 1-2 by Burmese dissident
students.

Thailand gave the raiders safe passage to the border after they released
hostages. Burma has demanded their apprehension and trial.

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

THE IRRAWADDY: EAST TIMOR AND BURMESE DEMOCRACY
October, 1999 by Moe Gyo

After Indonesian's formal acceptance of East Timor's separation, East
Timorese independence leader Xanana Gusmao's made his triumphal return to
the burned out streets of its capital Dili, where he declared that "we are
independent now and forever" to a crowd gathered at the former governor's
mansion.

For the East Timorese, independence marks the end of twenty-five years of
fighting with Indonesia, but for other groups aspiring for independence and
freedom from repression, particularly those in Burma, the resolution
represents the successful exercise of the principle of self-determination
and political transition.

Representatives of Shan and Karenni ethnic minorities went to observe East
Timor's referendum. Both Sao Ood Kesi, Chief Foreign Affairs Officer of the
Shan State Arm (SSA) and Remon Htoo, General Secretary of the Karenni
National Progress Party, took a trip there to witness the eventful occasion.

Sao Ood Kesi commented, "It is quite suitable for the United Nations troops
to control the situation because of the torture by the Indonesian military."

The ties between these groups are rooted in their membership in the
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), known as the
Alternative UN, set up by the Dalai Lama of Tibet and the Baltic States
before the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Shan States, Karenni and Mon of
Burma are members, together with East Timorese and almost fifty other groups
across the globe, working to support the right of self-determination.

In a statement Sao Ood Kesi explained, "I felt proud to be there, because
one of our [UNPO] members, whose right of self-determination had been
recognized, was able to exercise the right."

The Shan and East Timorese share a tragic history: both were invaded by
neighboring countries and have suffered under their rule. In 1950, then PM U
Nu sent Burmese troops to the Shan States to counter invading Kuomintang
troops. Four decades later the Burmese army is still there.

According to a SSA press release, "Both [Shan and East Timorese] enjoy the
right of self determination being recognized, in the Shan States' case, by
Panglong Agreement and the union constitution, and in East Tmor's case, by
the international community."

But the key difference is that international support for the East Timorese
has enabled them to hold a referendum while, according to the SSA press
release, "the people of Shan States are still being denied of their
constitutional right to hold the long overdue plebiscite.  This situation
also applies to at least one other constituent state, the Karenni."

Identification with the East Timorese comes not only from ethnic groups, but
other Burmese opposed to the junta's oppression. "What has happened in Burma
is no different from what has happened in East Timor, only it has been
implemented in a rather different way so that it is less noticeable. So we
feel a great sense of empathy for the people of East Timor because we have
suffered the same kind of wrongs," said Burmese opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi.

Xanana Gusmao, predicted to be the future president of East Timor, has
expressed his support for the Burmese as well. In an interview with the
Nation newspaper he stated, "When we are free from the Indonesian military
dictatorship, we promise we will pay all attention to helping the Burmese
people. That is a moral obligation and solidarity with the Burmese people.
We will try to help Aung San Suu Kyi, whom we admire and who has inspired
us."

Just as the Nato-backed Kosovo intervention set a precedent that alarmed the
Burmese (and Chinese), so has the referendum and independence for East
Timor.  On the eve of the International Force for East Timor mission,
Burma's junta delivered a message of support for the Indonesians, "We fully
sympathize with our Indonesian brothers. Myanmar and Indonesia have always
enjoyed a special relationship dating back to the days of the struggle for
independence."

Burma has long modeled its regime after Suharto's Indonesia, which utilized
the military's principle of dwifungsi or dual function, to legitimate its
involvement in politics. With the end of Suharto's rule and the separation
of East Timor; the junta is second-guessing its model.

The junta's statement of sympathy for Indonesia is born out of fear that
they too may face the same international and domestic pressure to permit a
referendum whose results, unlike Burma's 1990 election, will be enforced by
UN troops.

The Burmese government has also tried to distance themselves from the
Indonesian situation. "To try draw too much comparison between the
situations in two countries lacks relevancy," said one junta spokesperson.

Also troubling for the Burmese government is China's contribution of a
twenty-member police force to be sent to East Timor. This is a break with
its past opposition to interference in the internal affairs of countries,
which was based on its concern over Tibet and Taiwan's interests in
autonomy. Both Tibet and Taiwan have lobbied for international support for
their autonomy from China. The junta has counted on the Chinese to oppose
interference in internal affairs of states, but no longer. One dissident
group, the National Council of the Union of Burma, issued a statement
commending China's allotment of police to the East Timor effort as "a
positive development ... we view it as a remarkable shift in the foreign
policy of the People's Republic of China." However, East Timor is not a
strategic interest of the Chinese whereas Burma, a neighbor, is.

East Timor's future in Asean is uncertain. While Asean members have
supported its membership, East Timorese leader Jose Ramos Horta sees his
country as more attuned to the South Pacific Forum and supports East Timor's
role in Asean as that of an observer. It may even become a dialogue partner.

UNPO's covenant, to which East Timor is a signatory, states that any nation
becoming a member of the UN, which East Timor is moving towards, has the
moral duty to remain a supporting member of the organization.

East Timor is both an inspirational victory as well as a new source of
support for the Burmese democracy movement. For the Rangoon junta, East
Timor may prove to be more than a pebble in its shoe.

[Moe Gyo (pseudonym) is a member of the Irrawaddy's editorial staff.]

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

THE NATION: STUDENT CAMP WILL BE SEARCHED FOR ARMS
19 November, 1999 by Pongsak Bai-Ngern

DEPUTY permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry Weerachai Naewboonnear
has given the green light to the police to conduct a thorough search of the
Burmese refugee camp in Ratchaburi for hidden weapons.

Weerachai said the move was to prevent any possible problem the Burmese
exiles may create for a ''neighbouring country''.

The Maneeloy holding centre was established seven years ago to house Burmese
exiles who have been granted refugee status by the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugee.

The UNHCR oversees the camp while the Ministry of Interior provides the
security. About 1,000 Burmese exiles are currently living at the Maneeloy
centre and 1,700 new refugees are expected to arrive soon from border camps.

Apart from the newcomers, National Security Council chief Khachadpai
Burusapatana said between 1,700 and 2,000 Burmese exiles are currently
living illegally in Bangkok. So far, only 750 have reported to authorities.

Khachadpai said he has given all Burmese exiles in Thailand until next
Sunday to report to the authorities or face charges of illegal entry and
possible jail sentences.

After the deadline, authorities will launch a crackdown on all exiles living
illegally outside the holding centre or border camps.

Somchai Hormlaor, secretary general of Forum-Asia, a network of human rights
groups, has criticised the move saying Burmese dissidents should be allowed
to explore their full potential by permitting them to continue their
studies.

''They should not be locked up in camps surrounded with barbed wire,'' he
said.

The Sunday ultimatum came amid growing tension between the Burmese student
dissidents living in the camp and the Thai security guards whom they accused
of using heavy-handed tactics to maintain order in the camp.

Last Tuesday, a fist-fight between security guard Sumit Boonthin and a
refugee broke out over a toy gun that the guard confiscated.

The incident attracted the attention of 100 refugees who immediately staged
a noisy protest. Local villagers, on the other hand, held one of their own
just metres away from the gate, resulting in a war of words between the two
sides.

During the protest, one inmate was injured in the leg by a .22 calibre
bullet. Pol Col Pornchai Benchathikul, chief of Pak Thor district, said
police could not determine who fired the shot.

Pornchai said it was likely that one of the villagers may have shot the
student.

Sumit eventually filed a complaint with the police against Minh Rouy, who
was arrested yesterday at a nearby district hospital where he sought
treatment for his injuries. He then filed counter charges against Sumit, as
well as two other guards Somsak Khungleung and Chai Boonlert.

Meanwhile, security guards have been putting barbed wire fencing around the
camp prompting the students inside to plan a protest.

Fearing more trouble, scores of security forces from nearby Petchaburi
province have been called to reinforce security but student leaders said the
presence of more armed guards will only provoke nervousness and hard
feelings among the camp residents.

Burmese Student Association's secretary general Meay Thee Ha said the group
will file a protest with the Interior Ministry over the fencing and accused
the authority of violating their human rights. The students also threatened
to post their protest on the Internet.

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

AFP: RESETTLEMENT OF EXILED MYANMAR STUDENTS TO RESUME IN DECEMBER
18 November, 1999

BANGKOK, Nov 18 (AFP) - Thailand said on Thursday that a first group of 100
Myanmar exiles now staying in a tense border camp would be resettled in the
United States next month.

The exiles, the vast majority of whom fled Myanmar's military rule, would
leave under a program launched by officials after relations with Yangon
deteriorated sharply when dissident gunmen from Myanmar raided Yangon's
embassy in Bangkok in October.

"Resettlement for these exiled students in a third country will take place
in December when 100 of them are due to leave for the US," National Security
Council (NSC) chief Khachadpai Burusapatana told reporters.

He said latest United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates
showed there were between 1,700 to 2,000 students exiled from Myanmar in
Bangkok.

Only 750 have reported to the agency so far, ahead of a Thai deadline for
registration for resettlement of November 21, he said.

"Both the NSC and immigration police will get tough with those who fail to
report to the UNHCR before November 21," he said.

Another 900 students in the Maneeloy border camp, where clashes broke out
between police and students Tuesday, have said they are ready to go abroad,
he added. Six hundred were keen to go to the US.

Authorities say the pace of resettlement will speed up next year and
Thailand expects 3,000 exiles to be leave for third countries by the end of
2000.

Khachadpai said the UNHCR had expressed concern at reports of unrest in the
camp.

Students claimed one of them was shot in the leg by police during a clash on
Tuesday. Thailand says the student was injured in an unrelated incident, not
by security officials, but admits the camp is tense.

Thailand ordered the resettlement after five gunmen, some former camp
residents, seized the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok along with 38 hostages last
month.

The incident sent Bangkok's relations with Yangon into a nosedive after Thai
officials allowed the gunmen to escape to the Myanmar border in a helicopter
in a deal which ended the 24-hour siege.

Maneeloy camp has been tense for weeks. In one incident last month students
locked up UN refugee workers in a dispute over allowances.

Thailand warned camp residents after that episode that they should not abuse
its hospitality after fleeing the jurisdiction of Myanmar's military
government.

The UNHCR has stressed resettlement is voluntary and that it has already
helped to 2,000 refugees from Myanmar move abroad.

Thailand's resettlement operation is taking place alongside one to
repatriate some of the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from
Myanmar.

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

THE NATION: JUNTA MAY BE BEHIND UNREST AT MANEELOY
18 November, 1999

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

FROM KAI, MANEELOY BURMESE STUDENTS CENTRE, RATCHABURI

After the Burmese dissidents seized the Burmese Embassy, the Thai government
and the media focused on all residents at
Maneeloy Burmese Students Centre.

The Burmese military junta noticed this and jumped at the opportunities it
presented.

I would like to ask all Burmese students at the centre to control themselves
and think before you decide to do something because it affects not only you
but all students here.

As all students know, there are Burmese military intelligence people at
Maneeloy. I wonder, after their embassy was seized, whether they got orders
from Rangoon to create problems at the centre to make the Thai government
and the Thai people think the students are problem-makers.

The junta will do everything to make the Thai government and the Thai people
force the students out of Thailand. Do not forget the junta is very foxy.

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

THE BANGKOK POST: SOLDIERS WOUNDED
18 November, 1999

Two soldiers were seriously wounded yesterday in an explosion while clearing
mines along the border with Burma.

Mst-Sgt Charoen Kaewthum, 42, lost his right leg and Sgt Suksan Butkham, 36,
suffered multiple wounds when they set off the mine near tambon Na Pu Pom,
Pang Ma Pha district. More than 20 villagers and soldiers have been killed
or wounded by mines believed planted by Burmese soldiers, Third Army
officers said.

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