[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index
][Thread Index
]
[theburmanetnews] BurmaNet News: Se
Reply-To: theburmanetnews-owner@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [theburmanetnews] BurmaNet News: September 6, 2000
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
Special Offer-Earn 300 Points from MyPoints.com for trying @Backup
Get automatic protection and access to your important computer files.
Install today:
http://click.egroups.com/1/6347/7/_/713843/_/968345795/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
An on-line newspaper covering Burma
_________September 6, 2000 Issue # 1614__________
NOTED IN PASSING:
INSIDE BURMA _______
*South China Morning Post: Burma--'Scores murdered in army rampages'
*SHAN: Army wiping out population in the flood area of the dam
project, say villagers
*AFP: Thailand's sex industry importing Myanmar virgins: report
*Reuters: Myanmar keeps Suu Kyi hidden but says she's safe
*DVB: NLD Demands End to Occupation of Party Headquarters
REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*President Clinton: "We face another test today in Burma" --Speech at
Millennium Summit
*Madeleine Albright: Remarks at UN Summit on Burma
*Sydney Morning Herald: Burma: Downer--One Small Step Can Lead To
Great Strides
*Sydney Morning Herald: Seminars a 'smokescreen' for Burma
*The Philippine Daily Inquirer: Burmese opposition gets Roco backing
*The Korea Herald: Gov't regrets Myanmar's crackdown on pro-democracy
movement
*AFP: Philippine envoy to visit Myanmar opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi
*SHAN: Khun Sa cronies sentenced by US court
OPINION/EDITORIALS _______
*The Hindustan Times (New Delhi): Long night of terror
*SPDC: Government Of Myanmar Regrets The Unproductive And Negative
Media Campaigns Waged Against Her By Certain Quarters
The BurmaNet News is viewable online at:
http://theburmanetnews.editthispage.com
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________
South China Morning Post: Burma--'Scores murdered in army rampages'
Wednesday, September 6, 2000
BURMA
WILLIAM BARNES in Bangkok
Marauding Burmese troops have massacred scores of men, women and
children in the Shan state in recent months, reports from the area
say. Former Shan rebels who have signed a ceasefire deal with the
military Government in Rangoon have issued a rare statement
expressing great alarm over what they said was "genocide".
Such strong words are unusual for a group that is trying to co-exist
with the military junta and further confirmation that something ugly
has happened. "I have no doubt that something very nasty has taken
place. We are certain that at least one big massacre of civilians has
happened," one refugee worker said.
Informed observers speculate the killings may be a reprisal for an
ambush carried out by Shan rebels in early May that killed several
soldiers and the daughter of an army major.
The Shan State Joint Action Committee, an umbrella group consisting
of an ethnic army which has signed a ceasefire and a legal Shan
political party, said soldiers had killed 24 farmers near the town of
Kunhing on May 17.
A few days later, on the 20th, another battalion had murdered 59
civilians at another village.
Earlier, the Shan Human Rights Foundation, which interviews Shan
fleeing into Thailand, said a column of soldiers rounded up "without
warning" several families working on land outside Kunhing on May 23,
and shot 64 people, including children.
Relief workers on the border also say that recent arrivals are
talking of a massacre of 60 or more Shan who were surprised by
soldiers while camping at the confluence of the Salween and Pang
rivers several weeks ago.
The Burmese army has been fighting a brutal war against another group
of Shan guerillas, under commander Yawd Serk, which is seeking a
measure of political autonomy. It has tried to undercut
this "southern faction" of the Shan State Army by clearing a huge
swathe of territory in the centre of the state of much of its rural
civilian population - perhaps 300,000 people or more - in recent
years.
Cleared land often appears to be treated as a free-fire zone. There
are frequently reports of killings of relocated subsistence farmers
trying to fend off starvation by returning to work their old land,
even when they have written permission from local commanders.
The Shan Human Rights Foundation has reported that in January, 19
relocated villagers were shot after trying to work their old land,
even though they had passes.
In February, 20 people who had been hiding out in the jungle were
caught and killed on a trip to the shrine of their village god, the
foundation said.
Piecing together the fate of farmers in isolated, often forbidden,
places is painstaking work. Some of the above reports may refer to
the same incidents.
This is why the unusual entreaty by well-informed ex-rebels and
members of the legal Shan National League for Democracy raised fears
that killing in the region has reached levels not seen for two years.
The league won 23 seats in the 1990 election that the military
ignored.
The umbrella committee said 73 "innocent nationals", including women
and children, had been killed for no reason. "It is a tragedy that
such things that could lead to genocide could happen at a time when
peace, tranquility and development are being built in the
country . . . at a time when national unity is being focused on," the
statement said.
"We urge the State Peace and Development Council [the Government] to
take appropriate action against the perpetrators."
____________________________________________________
SHAN: Army wiping out population in the flood area of the dam
project, say villagers
6 September 2000
No: 9-4
The Burma Army is wiping out the population of areas to be flooded by
the Salween dam project, say villagers in southern Shan State.
Villagers in southern Shan State, in a letter to S.H.A.N., have
accused Rangoon of exterminating the population in the flood areas
of the projected dam on the Salween.
The letter, written on 10 July, that took more than a month to reach
S.H.A.N, said: Since 1997, villages in Kunhing Township, along the
banks of the Salween and its tributary, Nampang, have been
depopulated and relocated. And since 9 May, when the Shan State
Army "South" of Yawdserk and the SPDC army clashed between Kali and
Hpanglang (east of Kunhing), the offensive launched by the LID 99
has not let up.
Altogether 12 tracts consisting of 175 villages, 4,018 houreholds and
3,312 acres of fields in Kunhing township alone are in fear of
inundation when the dam is being built, According to the list
provided, they are Hsaimong, Wanhpai, Wantong, Kenglom, Wianghpui,
Hoyarn, Kengkham, Nawngkham, Mongkhong, Pakuey, Takaw and Hsenmawng.
Altogether, 11 townships are reported to be in the flood area,
namely, Kunhing, Monghsu (Gemland), Mongpan, Tangyan, Mongyai and
Hsenwi on the west bank, and Kunlong, Manhpang, Pangyang, Mongpiang
and Mongton on the east bank.
The damsite is in Tasang, north of the newly inaugurated Tasang
Bridge, between Mongton and Mongton and Mongpan townships. "Final
studies" are being conducted by the GMS Power, a Thai company
____________________________________________________
AFP: Thailand's sex industry importing Myanmar virgins: report
BANGKOK, Sept 6 (AFP) - Thailand's sex industry has begun importing
Burmese and ethnic minority virgins from Myanmar to serve foreign
customers in Thai cities, a report said Wednesday. "The
transnational trafficking of women and girls between Myanmar and
Thailand ... is not a new development. What's novel ... is that these
women must be virgins," said a paper presented by David Kyle, a
sociologist, at a UN conference on migration here.
"Virgins -- particularly Burmese or ethnic Shan virgins -- command
top dollar in many areas of Thailand. Most of the demand seems to be
coming from Chinese tourists and businessmen." "Virgins are highly
valued not only for the reduced risk of their having HIV, but also
because in some cultures, deflowering a virgin is considered to
bestow upon the perpetrator youthful potency." "Burmese and Shan
girls are exoticized as special virgins, in part due to the relative
isolation of Myanmar for several decades." In some cases, the
brothel owners will "re-virginize" girls surgically by reattaching
their hymens in order to make them more desirable after they have had
sex, his paper said. Kyle further charged that Thai and Myanmar
authorities are tacitly encouraging the shipment of virgins.
"Men and women from Myanmar concentrated in Thai refugee camps along
the border have reported ... that local Thai officials forced them
upon threat of being repatriated to serve as recruiters for organised
human smuggling groups," his paper said. And brothel owners in
Thailand pay Thai and Myanmar police to ignore the importation of
young girls, he said. The virgin girls are rarely aware of the kind
of work they will be doing in Thailand. "While some girls are
vaguely aware of the nature of the work they will doing, they are not
aware of the working conditions," the paper said. A United Nations
report due to be released in late September will reveal that sexual
exploitation of children is increasing significantly throughout Asia,
UN sources previously said.
The financial crisis forced more children onto the margins of
society, pushing down the price for a child and encouraging foreign
paedophiles to stream into the region, they said. In many cases,
child molesters go free even after they have been tracked down and
arrested, child sex tourism expert Muireenn O'Briain had said. More
than 20 countries have laws which enable nationals who abuse children
overseas to be tried at home, but these statutes are difficult to
implement. In order to be prosecuted in America, for example,
authorities must prove that US citizens trav
____________________________________________________
Reuters: Myanmar keeps Suu Kyi hidden but says she's safe
By Aung Hla Tun
YANGON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Myanmar's ruling military insisted on
Wednesday that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was safe and sound,
but she remained padlocked inside her Yangon residence and cut off
from the world despite mounting international protests. A
government spokesman said Suu Kyi was in her residential compound
along with 12 members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) who
accompanied her during a nine-day roadside protest forcibly ended by
the authorities on Saturday.
``They are all fine,'' the spokesman said, adding that relatives of
some of the NLD members in Suu Kyi's compound had been allowed to
visit them. But diplomats in Yangon said they remained barred from
visiting or contacting Suu Kyi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1991 for her struggle for democracy in Myanmar. Myanmar told
Britain on Tuesday it might allow diplomatic access to Suu Kyi within
two weeks. Suu Kyi and senior NLD members have been confined in
their homes since Saturday, when the authorities brought Suu Kyi back
to Yangon and launched a crackdown on her party. The Myanmar
government has denied Suu Kyi and her senior colleagues are under
house arrest, but has said they have been asked to stay at home while
it investigates reports that some NLD members had been involved in
``terrorist activity.''
Myanmar's treatment of Suu Kyi has sparked a war of words between the
government and its international critics, particularly Britain and
the United States. State-run newspapers on Tuesday quoted Myanmar's
powerful head of military intelligence, Lieutenant-General Khin
Nyunt, as saying ``two big western countries'' were meddling in
Myanmar's affairs. The government also attacked Britain's
ambassador in Yangon, John Jenkins, after he tried to visit Suu
Kyi.
John Battle, a junior British Foreign Office minister, summoned
Myanmar's London ambassador Kyaw Win on Monday to protest at the
crackdown and demand information about Suu Kyi. He said the
ambassador told him diplomatic access to Suu Kyi may be allowed
within two weeks. Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has
expressed ``grave concern'' for the safety of Suu Kyi and other NLD
leaders. (With additional reporting by Andrew Marshall in Bangkok)
2000-09-06 Wed 02:39
____________________________________________________
DVB: NLD Demands End to Occupation of Party Headquarters
Democratic Voice of Burma radio
OSLO, Sep 4 (DVB) -- Reliable sources have reported that NLD members
from Rangoon Division have collectively signed and sent a letter to
SPDC Chairman Sr Gen Than Shwe this morning.
The letter demanded the immediate wthdrawal of SPDC riot police from
the occupied NLD headquarters and the mmediate release of NLD leaders
from house arrest.
At the same time, the letter strongly condemned the SPDC's use of
force on
a legally standing political party. The letter also called on the
authorities not to interfere in the political party's routine
activities and to allow freedom of
movement to NLD party members.
It has been reported that over 30 SPDC riot police are still
occupying the
NLD headquarters and Military Intelligence personnel are said to be
still searching for documents and other evidence. Furthermore, NLD
members from various states and divisions are also prevented from
going to Rangoon.
____________________________________________________
___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
President Clinton: "We face another test today in Burma" --Speech at
Millennium Summit
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
IN ADDRESS TO THE MILLENNIUM SUMMIT
OF THE UNITED NATIONS
General Assembly Hall
United Nations
New York City, New York
9:55 A.M. EDT
Madam President, Mr. Secretary General, my fellow
leaders,let me begin by saying it is a great honor to have this
unprecedented
gathering of world leaders in the United States.
We come together not just at a remarkable moment on the
calendar, but at the dawn of a new era in human affairs, when
globalization and the revolution in information technology have
brought us closer
together than ever before. To an extent unimaginable just a few
years ago, we
reach across geographical and cultural divides. We know what is
going on in
each other's countries. We share experiences, triumphs, tragedies,
aspirations.
Our growing interdependence includes the opportunity to
explore and reap the benefits of the far frontiers of science and the
increasingly interconnected economy. And as the Secretary General
just reminded us,it also includes shared responsibilities to free
humanity from poverty,
disease, environmental destruction and war. That responsibility, in
turn, requires us to make sure the United Nations is up for the job.
Fifty-five years ago, the U.N. was formed to save succeeding
generations from the scourge of war. Today there are more people in
this room with the power to achieve that goal than have ever been
gathered in one place. We find today fewer wars between nations, but
more wars within them. Such internal conflicts, often driven by
ethnic and religious differences, took five million lives in the last
decade, most of them completely innocent victims.
These conflicts present us with a stark challenge-are they
part of the scourge the U.N. was established to prevent? If so, we
must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity, but still find a
way to protect people as well as borders.
The last century taught us that there are times when the
international community must take a side, not merely stand between
the sides or on the sidelines. We faced such a test and met it when
Mr. Milosevic tried to close the last century with the final chapter
of ethnic cleansing and slaughter. We have faced such a test for 10
years in Iraq, where the U.N. has approved a fair blueprint spelling
out what must be done. It is consistent with our resolutions and our
values, and it must be enforced.
We face another test today in Burma, where a brave and
popular leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, once again has been confined-with
her supporters in prisons and her country in distress-in defiance of
repeated U.N. resolutions.
But most conflicts and disputes are not so clear-cut.
Legitimate grievances and aspirations pile high on both sides. Here
there is no alternative to principled compromise, in giving up old
grudges in order to get on life. Right now, from the Middle East to
Burundi to the Congo to South Asia, leaders are facing this kind of
choice, between confrontation and compromise.
Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister Barak are with us
here today. They have promised to resolve the final differences
between them this year, finally completing the Oslo process embodied
in the Declaration of Principles signed seven years ago this month at
the White House.
To those who have supported the right of Israel to live
in security and peace; to those who have championed the Palestinian
cause these many years: let me say to all of you, they need your
support now, more than ever, to take the hard risks for peace. They
have the chance to do it. But like all life's chances, it is fleeting
and about to pass. There is not a moment to lose.
When leaders do seize this chance for peace, we must
help them. Increasingly, the United Nations has been called into
situations where brave people seek reconciliation, but where the
enemies of peace seek to undermine it. In East Timor, had the United
Nations not engaged, the people would have lost the chance to control
their future.
Today I was deeply saddened to learn of the brutal
murder of the three U.N. relief workers there by the militia in West
Timor, and I urge the Indonesian authorities to put a stop to these
abuses.
In Sierra Leone, had the United Nations not engaged,
countless children now living would be dead. But in both cases, the
U.N. did not have the tools to finish the job. We must provide those
tools-with peacekeepers that can be rapidly deployed with the right
training and equipment, missions well-defined and well-led, with the
necessary civilian police.
And we must work, as well, to prevent conflict; to get
more children in school; to relieve more debt in developing
countries; to do more to fight malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS, which
cause a quarter of all the deaths in the world; to do more to provoke
prevention and to stimulate the development and affordable access to
drugs and vaccines; to do more to curb the trade in items which
generate money that make conflict more profitable than peace-whether
diamonds in Africa or drugs in Colombia.
All these things come with a price tag. And all
nations, including the United States, must pay it. These prices must
be fairly apportioned, and the U.N. structure of finances must be
fairly reformed so the organization can do its job. But those in my
country or elsewhere who believe we can do without the U.N., or
impose our will upon it, misread history and misunderstand the future.
Let me say to all of you, this is the last opportunity I
will have as President to address this General Assembly. It is the
most august gathering we have ever had, because so many of you have
come from so far away. If I have learned anything in these last
eight years, it is, whether we like it or not, we are growing more
interdependent. We must look for more solutions in which all sides
can claim a measure of victory and move away from choices in which
someone is required to accept complete defeat. That will require us
to develop greater sensitivity to our diverse political, cultural and
religious claims. But it will require us to develop even greater
respect for our common humanity.
The leaders here assembled can rewrite human history in
the new millennium. If we have learned the lessons of the past, we
can leave a very different legacy for our children. But we must
believe the simple things-that everywhere in every land, people in
every station matter. Everyone counts, everyone has a role to play,
and we all do better when we help each other.
Thank you, and God bless you all.
____________________________________________________
Madeleine Albright: Remarks at UN Summit on Burma
Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright
Remarks by At UN Millennium Women's Summit, United Nations
New York, New York, September 5, 2000
As released by the Office of the Spokesman
U.S. Department of State
[Abridged]
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: I just wanted to express my solidarity and
support for your efforts. This is a good way to kick off the
Millennium Summit.
It is certainly a sign of progress. If a similar gathering of women
heads of state and international organizations had been held in 1900,
it would have consisted of Queen Victoria talking to herself...
I congratulate you all for the great work you are doing. I remember
in 1993, when I first came to the UN, I was told the General Assembly
would never agree to establishing a High Commissioner on Human
Rights. Then I was told they'd never appoint anyone with the guts to
ruffle feathers.
But then, if the conventional wisdom were always right, none of us
would be here.
The Women's Millennium Summit has an agenda as comprehensive as the
UN itself, ranging from the role of women in peacekeeping operations,
to the importance of women in development, to the protection of human
rights, to the special challenges faced by female refugee...
I am proud of the U.S. record, under the Clinton-Gore Administration,
in bringing women's issues into the foreign policy mainstream. We
have been especially active on trafficking, putting more emphasis now
on AIDS, making progress on children's issues. We are still
struggling with Congress over matters such as family planning and the
Convention to Eliminate Discrimination Against Women.
I am personally proud of the collaboration with Hillary Rodham
Clinton and the Beijing process. It is not just a position I've
taken; it's a commitment to women and girls I expect to pursue as
long as I live.
Before closing, I want to note that the Beijing Conference began with
a video from Burma's Nobel prizewinner Aung San Suu Kyi expressing
solidarity with the women's movement worldwide. She needs our
solidarity now.
Burma's democratic forces are under increasing siege. Aung San Suu
Kyi is being held incommunicado; her party subject to extreme
harassment and intimidation. Efforts are being made by military
authorities to smear her.
The truth is that Aung San Suu Kyi and her party have followed a path
of nonviolent support for democracy. The authorities should not be
allowed to get away with Iron-Boot, Big Lie techniques. Aung San Suu
Kyi is being prevented from having her voice heard. We must speak for
her. And I hope we will all speak out as publicly, urgently and
effectively as we can in support of Aung San Suu Kyi and democratic
change in Burma.
It's good to have allies. You're my role models. Thanks again for the
chance to come, participate and listen.
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Sydney Morning Herald: Burma: Downer--One Small Step Can Lead To
Great Strides
September 6, 2000, p.16
Alexander Downer
Alexander Downer Is Minister For Foreign Affairs.
Australia has taken a human rights initiative with Rangoon because a
sanctions-based policy has so far failed, writes Alexander Downer.
THAT there has been so much discussion recently on human rights in
Burma is a very good thing. I am disappointed, though, that there
appear to be some misconceptions about what Australia is doing and
what we are trying to achieve. There can be no argument about the
extent of human rights abuses in Burma. The events over the past 10
days have reinforced the need for democratic reform and respect for
human rights.
The challenge facing the international community is what we should do
about it.
Over 10 long miserable years for the Burmese people, isolationist and
sanctions-based approaches have led to no change whatsoever in the
political situation, neither have they contributed to any improvement
in the very grim human rights picture that is Burma today.
For precisely this reason, fresh, innovative approaches to Burma are
needed. The Australian Government's human rights initiative aims in a
small, incremental way, to try a different approach to help improve
human rights in Burma.
In July 1998 I suggested to the then Burmese Foreign Minister, U Ohn
Gyaw, that Burma should consider setting up an independent human
rights institution. This approach held out the promise of a path for
Burma to work to guarantee human rights within its own jurisdiction.
An obvious model that we considered would be acceptable to the
Burmese was that of Komnas HAM the State-funded but independent
national commission on human rights which was set up in Indonesia
under President Suharto's rule.
The Australian Government was not alone in this thinking. Australia's
then Commissioner for Human Rights, Chris Sidoti, saw merit in the
initiative. His visit to Burma in August 1999 identified, as an
initial step, the potential for human rights training. Through co-
operation at government level, the first two workshops in July this
year provided an introduction to human rights for middle-level
Burmese civil servants. A third workshop is planned for October.
This approach is consistent with the practical measures we have
adopted with many other states in the region, including those which
have established, or are in the process of establishing, national
institutions of their own. It is also consistent with the Asia
Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions.
As in China and Vietnam, training is an important first stage in
building an environment of greater understanding and respect for
human rights. The Burmese Government also announced at the New
Zealand meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights
Institutions on August 10 that it was moving to set up a Human Rights
Commission of its own. Naturally, we will follow very closely how the
Burmese do this.
These are the only positive developments in human rights in Burma
over the past decade.
Judgments by some commentators that recent events in Rangoon are
evidence of the failure of the Australian Government's approach are
premature and simplistic.
In the light of a decade of failed approaches to bring about change
in Burma, to suggest that our small-scale efforts to provide human
rights training have failed soon after it started is either very
naive or highly disingenuous.
Our approach has also been falsely characterised as turning a blind
eye to the abuses of the Burmese Government. We do not tolerate human
rights abuses. Our approach is not appeasement or ``cosying up'' to
the Burmese Government. We have never
hesitated to criticise human rights abuses in Burma as we have done
in relation to current events in Rangoon.
We have always strongly supported United Nations' efforts to
influence change in Burma. Our human rights initiative complements UN
processes, such as the efforts of the Secretary-General's Special
Representative for Burma. We work with other like-minded countries in
multilateral forums such as the United Nations General Assembly and
the Commission on Human Rights to produce tough consensus resolutions
on Burma. On June 14 this year Australia voted in favour of a strong
resolution on forced labour at the International Labour Conference in
Geneva.
Assertions that Australia is the only country engaging with Burma are
pure myth. Burma is now a member of ASEAN, and as a member, Burma
talks with the United States, with the EU, and with Australia, all
ASEAN dialogue partners.
Nor should we pretend that Australia is the only developed country
engaging Burma through education programs. A number of countries,
such as Japan and some major European nations, are engaged with Burma
through the provision of scholarships and training, including for
Burmese government officials.
Australia's policy is not an endorsement of the Burmese regime. We
are in total agreement with the United States, European Union and
many in Asia in our campaign to see significant political reform and
an improvement in the human rights situation in Burma. Significantly,
we have chosen to engage the Burmese Government on the specific issue
of human rights.
That said, we know our human rights initiative is a very small first
step. We also know that it will not be an easy process, and most of
all we know that results will take a considerable time. The choice
before us is to do something, or to do nothing.
____________________________________________________
Sydney Morning Herald: Seminars a 'smokescreen' for Burma
Sept 6
By CRAIG SKEHAN, Herald Correspondent in Bangkok
Academics and lawyers involved in Australia's controversial human
rights seminars for officials of the Burmese military regime are
under fire from people who would usually be their allies.
"I know that I am going to be accused of supping with Satan," said
senior law lecturer Professor David Kinley. "The Burmese may be
acting cynically, but I think there is at least a possibility of
change.
He said the Australian human rights lecturers might not be willing to
go to
Burma if the security situation in which soldiers had cordoned off
the headquarters of Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy did
not improve.
Ms Janelle Suffin, a Labor Member of the NSW Upper House and an
activist on
Burma issues, said the Australian Government had distanced itself
from Ms Suu Kyi to strengthen diplomatic links with the military
regime. "These human rights seminars should be scrapped immediately,"
she said.
"The Australian taxpayers' money being used would be better spent
supporting
the democracy movement if we want to effect change in Burma.
____________________________________________________
The Korea Herald: Gov't regrets Myanmar's crackdown on pro-democracy
movement
September 6, 2000
The government yesterday expressed regret over the Myanmar
government's crackdown on the pro-democracy movement led by
opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
"It is an act in violation of the order of democratic politics that
the Myanmar government restricted her political activities and shut
down the headquarters of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy (NLD)," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lee Nam-soo said in a
statement.
He also said South Korea hopes the Myanmar government will retract
its closing of the NLD headquarters and promote dialogue with
opposition leaders, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, for the sake of
reconciliation.
In its latest act of oppression against the opposition camp, the
Myanmar government Monday kept Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her pro-democracy efforts, isolated at
her home in the capital of Yangon. (SYB)
____________________________________________________
The Philippine Daily Inquirer: Burmese opposition gets Roco backing
September 6, 2000, p.3
SEN. Raul Roco yesterday filed a resolution expressing the support of
the Philippine Senate to Burma's opposition symbol Aung San Suu Kyi
in her latest ordeal with Burmese authorities.
Roco, himself an opposition leader, filed Senate Resolution No. 859
after Suu Kyi was placed anew under house arrest on Sept. 3 and
prevented from receiving visitors in her Rangoon compound.
"This latest wave of repression makes it imperative for the Senate of
the Republic of the Philippines in behalf of the Filipino people to
reiterate its support for Suu Kyi and the National League of
Democracy in their struggle for democracy in Burma," Roco said in his
resolution.
Burmese police reportedly stopped Suu Kyi from proceeding to
Kungyangon on Aug. 24 where she was to meet with NLD leaders. After a
three-day standoff, Suu Kyi and her followers were reportedly
forcibly brought back to her house in Rangoon and placed under severe
house arrest.
____________________________________________________
SHAN: Khun Sa cronies sentenced by US court
6 September 2000
3 people arrested in November, 1994, by a joint Thai-US operation,
were sentenced by a court in New York on 18 July, said a letter from
the United States.
They were
Chang Yuenlong, 6 years;
Li Jiajeng 5 years; and,
Chao Yu-an aka Zai Long 5 years.
As for Asafa, who was released earlier, "he has not arrived home
yet," said the source.
____________________________________________________
AFP: Philippine envoy to visit Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi
September 6, 2000
MANILA, Sept 6 (AFP) - The Philippine ambassador to Myanmar will
visit opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in her home where she is
under house arrest, a senior foreign department official here said
Wednesday.
Ambassador Phoebe Gomez's visit will complete her assessment of the
stand-off between the opposition leader and Myanmar security forces
in a Yangon suburb two weeks ago, the official, who asked not to be
identified, said.
The timetable for the visit was not disclosed.
Last month, Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters were stopped by
Myanmar forces while travelling by car on their way out of the
capital to meet with allies in the countryside.
The opposition group set up a makeshift camp around their vehicles
before they were forcibly sent back to the capital.
The Philippines, which joins Myanmar in membership of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), did not comment on the issue at
the time except to say it was an "internal matter." Earlier this
week, Yangon lashed out at the West for allegedly interfering in the
country's internal affairs, citing an attempt by the British
ambassador to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi.
Although Aung San Suu Kyi has received support from some legislators
in the Philippines, Manila has kept its distance from the issue in
line with the ASEAN principle of non-interference in other members'
internal affairs.
____________________________________________________
_________________OPINION/EDITORIALS________________
The Hindustan Times (New Delhi): Long night of terror
September 6, 2000
PERHAPS NO autocratic regime in the world today is more brutal than
the military Government in Myanmar. In 1986, the 'People Power'
movement toppled the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship in the
Philippines. In 1998, a vigorous student movement in Indonesia led to
the collapse of another tyrant of South-East Asia. African and Latin
American countries have vied with each other in recent years in
shedding autocracies and embracing democracy. However, Myanmar's
military regime has defied the global trend and continues to maintain
itself ruthlessly in power. Only Aung San Suu Kyi has kept the flame
of freedom burning. The recent crackdown on the leaders of the
National League for Democracy (NLD) and the reported house arrest of
Ms Suu Kyi have evoked sharp reaction from the West.
Neither economic sanctions nor a policy of constructive engagement
pursued by Myanmar's ASEAN neighbours has had an impact on the junta.
With the might of the armed forces ranged against her, the odds are
stacked against the Burmese Opposition leader. Her political
organisation has been worn down by years of repression. However, she
has the force of her moral authority, which no other modern leader
except Nelson Mandela enjoys. The only prisoner of conscience in
today's world, Ms Suu Kyi is a symbol of courage against tyranny. She
has shown remarkable resilience despite long years of repression, the
death of her husband and separation from her children. The military
regime knows only too well how popular the pro-democracy leader is.
The junta's objective has been to weaken Ms Suu Kyi and to erode her
support base. Unfortunately, the regime's pariah status too is fading
and it is all set to join the region's economic grouping. The only
way to deal with Myanmar is for the regional and Western powers to
insist on the restoration of democracy. India can play a leading role
in this regard. Only then will Myanmar's long night of repression end.
____________________________________________________
SPDC: Government Of Myanmar Regrets The Unproductive And Negative
Media Campaigns Waged Against Her By Certain Quarters
MYANMAR INFORMATION COMMITTEE
YANGON
Infromation Sheet
No.B-1519 ( I ) 6th September, 2000
It is to our amazement to read in The Times newspaper of 4th
September claiming that the British Ambassador to Yangon was
manhandled as he tried to get into U Tin Oo's house by a Myanmar
plain-clothes security official standing in front of the entrance
gate.The Ambassador was in no way manhandled but requested by the
security official to turn back and the entrance was blocked to
prevent the diplomat from forcing his way in.
Secondly, it is difficult to understand why a foreign ambassador was
so adamant to intrude into the internal affairs of an independent
and sovereign nation.
Logically, the incident that has recently taken place in Yangon is
utterly between the Government of Myanmar and one of its political
parties. The people who are involved are purely Myanmar citizens and
not British at all. Obviously, the British diplomat has overstepped
the universal diplomatic norms. It is interesting to know how U.K.
will handle such an incident if the role is reversed and a foreign
diplomat attempts to interfere in Britain's internal affairs.
In the Times newspaper of 5th September, an NLD Source was quoted
saying that Daw Su Kyi was safe and well. But in the Sun newspaper
of 6th September, the Amnesty International came out with a
statement claiming''The Myanmar Government should immediately reveal
the whereabouts of Su Kyi and her colleagues, .......increasing
fears for their welfare''.
In reality,U Hla Pe, one of the NLD's Senior Members, who has been
requested to stay at home during the course of investigation went to
see an ophthalmologist in downtown Yangon on 5 September at 4:30 pm
while the relatives are also visiting the other Senior NLD members
at their repective residences.The parents of the NLD youth members
who are staying in Daw Su Kyi's compound are also visiting their
sons there and one of the attendants of Daw Su Kyi manages the daily
shopping while her personal physician Dr. Myo Aung is staying with
her to ensure her maximun comfort and welfare.
Special Feature
Interesting Photographs of People In Action at-
http://www.myanmar-information.net/infosheet/2000/000906.htm
____________________________________________________
________________
The BurmaNet News is an Internet newspaper providing comprehensive
coverage of news and opinion on Burma (Myanmar) from around the
world. If you see something on Burma, you can bring it to our
attention by emailing it to strider@xxxxxxx
For a subscription to Burma's only free daily newspaper, write to:
strider@xxxxxxx
You can also contact BurmaNet by phone or fax:
Voice mail or fax (US) +1(202) 318-1261
You will be prompted to press 1 for a voice message or 2 to send a
fax. If you do neither, a fax tone will begin automatically.
Fax (Japan) +81 (3) 4512-8143
________________
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
theburmanetnews-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxx