Information Sheet No.B-1194 (I)

[OKKAR66129@xxxxxxx]

MYANMAR INFORMATION COMMITEE
YANGON

Information  Sheet
No.B-1194 (I)                 25th December, 1999

(1) Mayor Receives Vice-Chairman of International Body-building Federation

    Chairman of Yangon City Development Committee Mayor U
Ko Lay received Vice-Chairman of International
Body-Building Federation and General Secretary of Asia
Body-Building Federation Mr. Paul Chua and members,
currently in Yangon to discuss International Amateur
Body-Building Contest to be held in Yangon in year
2000, at his office on 24 December. Chairman of
Myanmar Body-Building Federation also presented gifts
to Vice-Chairman of International Body-Building
Federation Mr. Paul Chua and Secretary of Women's
Committee of Asia Body-Building Federation Ms.
Caristina Kam Yeung who participated in the promotion
of Myanma Body-Building level.

(2) Ambassador of India Donates Books to University of Culture

    Under the arrangement of bilateral culture exchange
programme, Ambassador of the Republic of India
presented kinds of books to University of Culture at
the Ministry of Culture on 24 December.

(3) Sixth Leg Myanmar London Golf Tour on 6-9 Jan 2000

    The Leg of Myanmar London Golf Tour to be organized
by Myanmar Golf Federation and Myanmar Professional
Golfers' Association will be held in Shwenattaung
Cantonament Golf Club in Mawlamyine Township, Mon
State from 6 to 9 January 2000. Professional and men's
amateur golfers may enlist at Shwenattaung Cantonment
Golf Club in Mawlamyine Township, not later than 3
January 2000 and contact PGA Myanmar Office, phones
543207 and 548310 with extension 210, for information.
 
(4) AWB Traveller's Cheques Available

    Asia Wealth Bank has tried to advance itself one step
ahead of others by introducing traveller's cheques in
Myanmar for the first time. Since 6 December, AWB is
selling three kinds of traveller's cheques--
10,000-Kyat, 50,000-Kyat and 100,000-Kyat
certificates-- at the head office and all the branches
nation wide. Buyers can purchase unlimited number and
amount of cheques which can be transferred into cash
at all AWB banks around the nation at five-Kyat per
certificate. The period of the cheques is also
unlimited. To ensure security and reliability, the
cheques are printed in Singapore.


Old Method Being Implemented Again By the  Breakaway
Faction of Mong Tai  Army Led By Ywet Sit

    On the 15th of  December there was a clash between
the Lahu Militia and men from Ywet Sit's  breakaway 
faction of Mong Tai Army  in the Eastern Shan State
near the 
Thai-Myanmar  border. The incident lasted about 40
minutes and no casualties were reported. On the
following day a  column of government troops cleared
the area and  met  with minor resistance from Ywet
Sit's  group who fled across the border. This incident
was reported  in the Bangkok Post of  December 21 in a
very different version which  described the  incident
as a raid by Shan State Army  of Ywet Sit on drug
plants of the Wa group. It was also mentioned by some 
news agencies that Ywet Sit seized 40,000
methamphetamine  tablets  in the raid and handed them 
over to the Thai authorities. In all the reports Ywet
Sit's  armed group was being referred as the Shan
State Army.  
    Actually, Shan State Army has made peace with the
Government since 1989 and its leader  is U Sai Htin
who is working together with the Government for the
development of the Special Region (3) of the Northern
Shan State. Ywet Sit was a battalion commander under
Khun Sa before Mong Tai Army surrendered in 1996. He
surrendered together  with Khun Sa.  Later  on Ywet
Sit broke away  from the MTA with about 200 men and
continued  his drug-business while recruiting men to
expand his army. At present he has  managed to
establish an armed group of over  2,000 men.
Obviously, SSA recognizes Ywet Sit not as a part of
their group but just a splinter of  Khun Sa's  MTA. He
left his main group (MTA) to go back into the
lucrative drug business.  Before his surrender to the
Government, Khun Sa took the advice of one former 
senior  U.S. government official in declaring the area
under his control to be an independent  Shan State and
himself as the President. He also tried to shed his
actual  image as a drug warlord and portrayed himself
as a freedom fighter. 
    Interestingly, Ywet Sit has adopted the name Shan
State Army for his  organization while fabricating a
story of seizing methamphetamine from others and
dutifully handing them over to the Thai authorities. 
It is indeed an issue which needs to be scrutinized
carefully since this method Ywet Sit is adopting today
seems to be a carbon copy of Khun Sa before his
surrender to the Myanmar Government.




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   "WE WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS"

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