Recent Burma News

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RECENT BURMA NEWS


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MTA FORCES OF KHUN SA PREPARE FOR MAJOR BATTLE
1 May 1994
A major battle between the Muang Tai Army and Burmese forces is looming on
the Thai-Burmese border. Khun Sa sent more troops to rein force MTA
fighters confronting Burmese soldiers on the banks of the Salween River
earlier this week. The Burmese army has mobilised troops near the area
occupied by Khun Sa since last month. The opium warlord said the battle was
expected in the second week of May.He said they were the well-trained. "The
Shan State has been encircled by the Burmese forces for four months. There
was occasional fighting with 300 soldiers killed and a large number of
injuries on both sides and we have to send more troops." Khun Sa
acknowledged that he had a 20,000 strong army. "The MTA has no other choice
but to fight till the end. If we don't defend ourselves, the Burmese forces
will intrude on our territory. We have to push them back" An American
dressed in a military uniform was seen during the ceremony. Peter Bond, as
identified by Khun Sa, was a former consultant of the US Drug Enforcement
Agency (DEA) who retired from the service. "At one time, he treated me as 
drug kingpin. Now he just comes and has some meals with me," Khun Sa said.
He refused to elaborate.(BP)


25 BURMESE CHARGED AS ILLEGALS
May 1, 1994
IMMIGRATION police yesterday charged 25 Burmese with illegal entry in Mae
Sot district. A Thai woman, Mrs Matinyun Doksaithong, 60, was also arrested
on charges of giving shelter to the illegal immigrants. Police said all but
one of those arrested were women, aged 20-30. They were caught during a
raid on two houses in Tambon Tha Sai Luad. One of the houses belonged to
Mrs Matinyun. The owner of the other house, Din boonnoy, 36, was not home
at the time. Pol Lt-Col Sanit Komolwanich, deputy chief of the provincial
immigration police, said the move was part of a nationwide crackdown on
illegal immigrants which began on March 10. More than 1,000 illegal
immigrants had been arrested, he said. Most of them fled economic hardship
and recruitment to be porters for military forces. (BP)




KHUN SA SAYS THAILAND SHOULD ANNEX SHAN STATE
2 May 1994
REPUTED drug kingpin Khun Sa says he wants his Shan State to become a
province of Thailand under Their Majesties the King and Queen.Shan State
has more to offer Thailand than Burma's central government in terms of a
developing market, natural resources and cheap labour, he told The
Nation."We the Shan State wish to become a province of Thailand. All Shan
people have full respect for the Thai monarch and the Royal Family. Also we
would like to have bilateral trade, the way the European Union countries
trade among themselves."Khun Sa is widely reported to be funding his state
by trading in heroin, which is produced from opium poppies grown throughout
the area. Khernsai Jaiyene, a close aide to Khun Sa, said the MTA has sent
a letter to the King seeking his help in settling the problems of minority
groups in Burma."So far, it seems to us that this [the King's help] is the
only way to end the fighting by the Burmese people struggling for
independence from the government," said Khernsai. Khun Sa also expressed
concern over the planned transportation network linking Thailand, Burma,
China and Laos. He said it would adversely affect his people and his
state."The network has been pushed purely for economic gain, without taking
into consideration the wants of the people and without good management. The
Shan State, which covers one third of Burmese territory, would be badly
affected," he said.According to Khun Sa, the Burmese government wants a
leading role in the project because it would be an opportunity to eliminate
the minority ethnic grouping."The only way the Burmese government will use
the project is to tackle its domestic political conflicts, and that means
more suppression of the minorities," he said.(TN)

POWER PLANTS FOR THAI-BURMA BORDER
May 2, 1994
THE Provincial Electricity Authority is planning for construction of two
power projects at the Thai-Burmese border costing about Bt4 billion, its
governor said over the weekend.The first project involves hydro electricity
with an investment of Bt2 billion. The other is an underground thermal
project in Chiang Tuang, Burma, with an investment of Bt2 billion. New
Zealand will participate in the letter project.According to Chulapongs
Chullakesa, governor of the Provincial Electricity Authority, the Thai
authority recently agreed with Brig Gen Kyaw Win, representing the Burmese
side, to jointly invest in a hydro electricity plant at Mae Sai River
costing Bt2 billion, 70 per cent of which will come from the Thai side.
Chulapongs said that the Burmese side will provide labour and construction
materials. He added that the Thai government does not need funding from
Asian Development Bank as private investment should be enough to fund the
project.The Mae Sai power project is one of seven projects looked at by the
Thai-Burmese border committee. The other six are the Klong Kra project,
North Salween project, South Salween project, Moei projects I, II and
III.(TN)

BURMA TO OPEN GEM TRADING CENTRES
May 2, 1994
BURMA is to open its first gem trading centres today in the capital and
five other cities thought to have strong tourism potential. Aggressively
advertised by the Mines Ministry for the past week, the centres should
provide an additional boon to the country's fledgling tourism industry,
officials hope. Apart from Rangoon, the ancient Burmese capital of Mandalay
and the southern city of Taungyi will see centers opening, as will the
border towns of Muse, Tachilek and Kawthaung. The Burmese government
already holds occasional gem emporiums in Rangoon to auction off precious
stones produced at various mines, but the new centres will allow private
merchants to use the facilities and foreign currencies will be accepted.
Earnings from the centres are likely to be substantial: Burma is the only
country known to produce Imperial Jade, and its rubies are reputed to be
the best in the world. Quantities of both, in polished and uncut from,
continue to find their way to foreign markets through smuggling, despite
the large rewards offered by the authorities for information leading to the
arrest of those involved in the trade. As of today, gems, jewellery and
jade figurines valued under US$ 30,000 will be sold freely.(BP&TN&TT)



OPIUM KING GUERRILLAS MULL ALLIANCE
3 May 1994
SEVERAL of Burma's embattled ethnic minority guerrilla groups have held
discussions with notorious opium warlord Khun Sa on the possibility of
forming an alliance to oppose the Rangoon junta, Burmese guerrilla sources
said yesterday. The sources, including dissident Burmese students, said
representatives of the autonomy-seeking Karen National Union (KNU) had
travelled to Khun Sa's headquarters in Shan state last month for talks on
cooperation. A close aide of Khun Sa confirmed the talks between the
strictly anti-narcotic KNU and Golden Triangle kingpin Khun Sa. The Karen
representatives had discussed the possibility of forming a guerrilla
alliance with Khun Sa to oppose Rangoon, he said. The Karen guerrilla army
is led by strict Christians and they have long taken a tough stand against
narcotics, including the death penalty for drug smugglers. In the past, the
KNU has condemned Khun Sa for his involvement in the opium business.(TN)

1996 PLANNED AS "VISIT BURMA YEAR"

THE Burma government recently formed a high level management committee for
tourism promotion and planned 1996 as "visit Burma year," the state-owned
daily New Light of Myanmar reported yesterday.The first meeting of the
committee, chaired by Lt Gen Khin Nyunt, secretary of the Slorc, was held
in Rangoon on Sunday. Various subcommittees led by respective ministers and
deputy ministers were formed to improve various infrastructures needed for
the industry.Both local and foreign entrepreneurs have responded by
constructing hotels, motels and inns. The respective subcommittees must
strive to improve and provide the necessary infrastructures to attract
tourists, Gen Khin Nyunt said. Lt Gen Kyaw Ba, the committee's deputy
chairman, explained the improtant role of the tourism industry in
neighboring countries and the prospects for the promotion of tourism in
Burma. Burma expects 100,000 tourists this fiscal year starting in April
and hopes to attract at least 500,000 in three years. Tourist visas for
Burma were recently been extended from 14 to 28 days. (BP&TN)

POLICE TO ARREST CARTER'S FORMER DRUG ADVISER

POLICE said yesterday they plan to arrest a former drug adviser to ex-US
President Jimmy Carter who was photographed in Burma wearing the uniform of
opium warlord Khun Sa's hill tribe army. Lt-Colonel Supachai Sirisap,
deputy head of the Foreign Affairs Division of the Royal Thai Police said:
"It is our intention to arrest him when we see him. He appears to have
crossed the Burmese border illegally from Thailand." The statement came
after a spokesman for the United States embassy said that Peter Bourne,
former adviser on narcotics to the Carter administration, was indeed the
man photographed and identified in the Bangkok Post on Sunday as "Peter
Bond". A United States embassy spokesman said: "He is not in Burma on any
official business of the United States Government." "As far as we are
concerned Khun Sa is the single biggest heroin dealer in Burma_and we have
warrants out for his arrest," the US embassy spokesman said. The United
States has refused to deal with him despite previous visits by Congressman
Lester Wolf. Peter Bourne, aged 60, however was rumoured to have re-entered
Thailand and departed on a US bound flight on Sunday night. (BP)

SALWEEN SCHEME WON'T BREACH TREATY WITH BURMA_SAVIT

THE planned Salween water diversion scheme does not violate the bilateral
pact between Thailand and Burma, according to Savit Bhotivihok of the prime
Minister's office. The minister said yesterday the Thai-Burmese Border
Treaty of 1868, which was promulgated when Britain ruled Burma, had the
river banks as the border between the two countries. "This watercourse of
the river is therefore common property which each country has the right to
reap the benefit from as long as it doesn't adversely affect the other. His
thinking appears contrary to that of Thai Ambassador to Rangoon Wirasakdi
Futrakul, who told a seminar in March in Chiang Mai that Thailand should
ask for Burma's consent before it diverted water from the river, even
though Thailand had the right to do so under international law. The
ambassador said that to implement the water diversion scheme with Burma's
consent meant long-term benefits for Thailand. The water diversion scheme
can be divided into three parts, he said. "Firstly, the project that the
Thai Government can proceed with, without consulting with Burma. "Secondly,
the project that needs consultation between the two countries and, finally,
the project that the Burmese government can implement by itself." Mr Savit
plans to visit Burma from May 5-8 to hold talks with Burmese ministers
responsible for electricity, natural gas and tourism. "There will be no
signing of any agreements," he said. (BP)



US OFFICIAL SAYS ASEAN MUST ENSURE BURMA'S PROGRESS TOWARDS OPENNESS
4 May 1994
A senior US official yesterday called on the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations to work out a set of concrete criteria in its engagement with Burma
to ensure progress towards a free and open country. Winston Lord, the US
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, also
reiterated that arms should not be sent to the Burmese regime, which is
under threat of economic sanctions by Western countries. "I just hope that
in engaging Burma, Asean tries to set forward some concrete criteria for
progress as part of its engagement strategy," he told press representatives
from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand through the Worldnet
programme, via a satellite hook -up from Washington. He declined to
elaborate on the possible criteria, saying it is up to Asean to devise its
own policy and strategy in handling the country. The United State he said,
is reviewing its policy on Burma,and brief Asean when the two sides meet
under the US-Asean Dialogue scheduled on May 9-10 in Washington. The
situation in Burma and Cambodia would be high on the agenda of their
meeting on regional issues. "Whatever changes may or may not have taken
place there, Lord warned "we do not think they are very profound yet with
respect to the openness of that system." There are still human rights,
refugees and drug problems. He also expressed support for the proposed
dialogue between opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese junta
leaders and called for her release. "We believe she should not be in jail.
She should be out of jail but at the beginning there ought to be a dialogue
between her and the government," he said.(TN&BP)

CYCLONE CLAIMS AT LEAST 127 LIVES IN BANGLADESH

AT least 127 people were killed and more than 5,000 injured in a powerful
cyclone that battered southeastern Bangladesh, aid workers and police said.
eighty-five of the dead were Burmese Muslim Rohingya refugees living in
camps which bore the brunt of the storm that slammed the region Monday,
they said in this resort town. Forty-two local residents were also killed
the aid volunteers and police officers said. The fishing district of
Teknaf, bordering Burma, suffered the worst, with 36 refugees reported
dead. Meanwhile, in Geneva the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) said at least one of the 18 camps sheltering around 200.000 Burmese
refugees was apparently devastated by the cyclone.(BP&TN)