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BurmaNet News: 1st Week of Dec. 199
- Subject: BurmaNet News: 1st Week of Dec. 199
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 06 Dec 1994 08:09:00
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Date: Tue, 6 Dec 1994 08:09:36 -0800
Subject: BurmaNet News: 1st Week of Dec. 1994
************************** BurmaNet **************************
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
**************************************************************
BurmaNet News: First week of December, 1994
Issue #75
**************************************************************
Contents:
Due to technical problems, the BurmaNet News has been delayed
over the past week. All of the Burma news for the previous week
will be distrubuted so readers won't miss anything.
1 BURMANET: BURMA WEBSITE ONLINE
2 BURMANET: INFORMATION REQUEST
3 BURMANET: LETTER CONCERNING FONTS
4 BKK POST: AMERICA WANTS ALLEGED KHUN SA TRAFFICKERS
5 BKK POST: FORUM TO PRESS FOR DEMOC. IN ASIA, BURMA HUMAN RIGHTS
6 NATION [LETTER]: REFUGEES AT RISK
7 NATION [LETTER]: RELEASE CALL
8 BKK POST: DAIWA SECURITIES TO HELP BURMA SET UP STOCK MART
9 NATION: SINGAPORE TRADE MISSION TO VISIT BURMA
10 NATION:SUU KYI MUST BE FREED TO END POLITICAL WOES, SAYS CHUAN
11 BKK POST: JUNTA PLANS MORE DIALOGUE WITH AUNG SAN SUU KYI
12 BKK POST: THAILAND SEEKS DEEPER TRAVEL INSIDE BURMA
13 BKK POST: BURMA PROMISES FOREIGN INVESTORS FAIR, JUST DEAL
14 NATION: INDOCHINA FUND MODELLED AFTER JAPANESE AID PLAN
15 NATION: MASS MIGRATION INCREASES AS PEOPLE SEEK A BETTER LIFE
16 NATION: DAM BUILDER DEFENDS LAOS POLICY OF EXPORTING POWER
17 VOA: AUNG SAN SUU KYI SPEAKS OUT ON DEMOCRACY
18 NATION: KAREN BLAME SLORC FOR PEACE TALKS IMPASSE NATION:
19 INDOCHINESE AID COOPERATION PROJECTS SAID TO BE ON TARGET
20 NATION (LETTER): PEPSI IN BURMA
21 MAJE: SOUNDBITES FROM THE APOCALYPSE II
22 BKK POST: BURMA JUNTA REJECTS FORCED LABOUR CHARGE
23 NATION: BURMAS PAIN CONTINUES
24 NATION: SUU KYI SPEAKS OUT
25 BKK POST:BURMESE DEMOCRATS DISCUSS FEDERALISM,CONDEMN SLORC NC
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covering Burma. Articles * Iti *
from newspapers, magazines, * snotpo *
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original material. * ingpowercor *
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BURMANET: BURMA WEBSITE ONLINE
Free Burma, a WorldWideWebsite is now online. Point your browser
to http://199.172.178.200. In the near future, it will also be
accessable at the following address:
http:/www.interactivist.virtualvegas.com.
*****************************************************************
BURMANET: INFORMATION REQUEST
BurmaNet has had a request for information about Burmese
expatriate organizations in the mid-western United States. If
you know of organizations in the area, please let me know and
I'll pass it on. Also, if anyone knows where to get the Burmese
true-type font SUUKYI.TTF, please drop a note to BurmaNet.
*****************************************************************
BURMANET: LETTER CONCERNING FONTS
SXCST10@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mon Nov 28 20:14:49 1994
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 1994 23:14:16 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Font Info
To:strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
Dear Friends of the Burmanet: I have some address for you that
may be helpful. There are 2 places in Burma you can get Burmese
font for Windows.
1. Myanmar Computer
#317 Maha Bandoola ST.
Botataung, Yangon.
Tel: 01-94724, 01-94728 Fax:95-1-94728
2. Win Fonts for Windows :
SMMSINC.
# 146, 33rd. st.
Kyanktada, Yangon.
Tel: 01-78548.
I don't know about the program for dos.
I believe you can find the Burmese font type in some companies in
Thailand too. If I have more information I will send it to you.
By the way, Do you know address of Prof. John Okell? Take Care,
Kay sxcst10@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
*****************************************************************
BKK POST: AMERICA WANTS ALLEGED KHUN SA TRAFFICKERS
Saturday, December 3, 1994
THE CHIEF of the US Drug Enforcement Administration yesterday
confirmed 10 alleged drug traffickers of Khun Sas Shan United
Army arrested at the weekend were wanted in the United States.
We definitely think so, if not we could not have continued with
the arrest, DEA administrator Thomas Constantine told a press
conference at Don Muang Airport last evening.
He said the arrest of 10 major figures of the Shan United Army
were extremely important in the continued US-Thai cooperation
against drug trafficking from the Golden Triangle.
Mr Constantine said a combined US-Thai force from various
agencies had been working on the case for two years, after the
seizure of 300 kilogrammes of heroin in Chinatown of New York
City in 1992.
The force came up with evidence for the indictment from the
Eastern District Court in New York City and the information
leading to the arrest.
For the US, Khun Sa is the kingpin, mafia drug lord most
important in the entire globe. Mr Constantine also said Burma was
the source of 60-70 per cent of the worlds heroin and the main
source of the US.
He said in major US cities, the heroin purity was 10 times what
it was two decades ago, but the price had dropped to half what it
was.
Mr Constantine said there were limitations in the US cooperation
with Rangoon to fight against Khun Sa given the human rights
records of the military junta. The US maintains a small and low
profile liaison office in the Burmese capital, mainly to gather
information.
He said the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) had
made a phenomenal contribution in fighting Khun Sa.
They are facing two heavily armed and well trained groups, its
our understanding that there have been some armed conflicts with
the Burmese military, and in at least one of the cases,
casualties may have been as much as 600 killed on each side, that
seems to me to be a phenomenal contribution, they're willing to
put the life of their young people to do something about it,
Mr Constantine said.
He said the forces of Khun Sa were beyond the capability of any
police department and their suppression would have to be a
military operation.
At the past ASEAN ministerial meeting in Burma's, the US
reiterated its position of isolation of Burma, while a number of
other western countries have moved away to critical dialogue. Gen
Chavalit Yodmanee, secretary-general of the Narcotics Suppression
Board, who was also at the press conference, confirmed the arrest
was made at the request of the US.
He said the US had requested a total of 20 alleged
drugtraffickers in connection to the 1992 seizure of 300
kilogrammes of heroin in Chinatown, New York.
Its the first time the US has asked for such a large group of
people to be extradited.
He said that in the past Thailand had extradited one or two
suspects in each case.
Lt-Gen Somchai Minrintharangkul, the Narcotics Suppression Chief,
said the US had submitted its request months ago but the
investigation only recently led to the arrest of 10 of the 20
persons wanted.Gen Chavalit said the 10 men, arrested in separate
raids at the weekend in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son,
would be interrogated and brought to court for a ruling on their
extradition.
*****************************************************************
BKK POST: FORUM TO PRESS FOR DEMOCRACY IN ASIA, BURMA HUMAN
RIGHTS
Saturday, December 3, 1994
Seoul, Reuters
A FORUM trying to promote democracy in the Asia-Pacific region
resolved yesterday to press for human rights and the release of
political prisoners in army-run Burma.
The Forum of Democratic Leaders in the Asia-Pacific ended
aninaugural two-day meeting, saying it would join the world in
calling on Burma's military rulers to release opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi and restore full democracy.
At its meeting in the South Korean capital Seoul, it also
resolved to support the efforts of all Asians to achieve
democracy through dialogue anddebate while avoiding interference
in any nations internal affairs.
Suu Kyi herself, in a paper written under house arrest inRangoon,
criticized Asian authoritarian governments which argue that
democracy is a Western concept alien to indigenous values and
that political rights should give way to economic
development.While there could not be a single form of Asian
democracy the basic requirement of a genuine democracy is that
the people should be sufficiently empowered to be able to
participate significantly in the governance of their
country, the 1991 Nobel peace prize winner said in the paper,
brought out by her husband after a visit to her.
The forum was attended by several hundred people from South
Korea, the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Delegates included
former Philippine president Corazon Aquino, who read out Suu Kyis
paper, and Oscar Sanchez Arias, the Nobel prize-winning former
president of Costa Rica.
It concentrated on human rights in Burma, where the military
ignored the results of a 1990 general election won by Suu Kyis
National League for Democracy (NLD) and instead arrested most of
the partys leaders. Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since
1989.
Prime Minister Sein Win of the National Coalition Government of
the Union of Burma, the NLD government in exile, told the forum
that world leaders had a responsibility to help persuade the
military to change their ways.
Rushing in to trade or invest in Burma will only convince the
generals that they can continue as before with impunity. The only
way to convince the generals to change is if they are given
deadlines and told what the consequences will be if they do not
comply.
Sein Win and other delegates said pressing for human rights and
democracy in another country did not amount to interference in
internal affairs.The people want the military out of government.
Supporting the military against the wishes of the Burmese people
is interference in Burma's internal affairs.
Sein Win said although military leaders had met Aung San Suu Kyi
recently, there was no evidence that the dialogue she had called
for had actually started. He charged that the generals had used
the meetings in an attempt to influence the US government and the
UN General Assembly, both of which have condemned human rights
abuses in Burma.
*****************************************************************
NATION [LETTER]: REFUGEES AT RISK
Saturday, December 3, 1994
I AM writing to you as a supporter of Amnesty International, the
independence worldwide movement working impartially for the
promotion of human rights.
I appreciate that during 40 years Thailand has generously
provided refuge for hundreds of thousands of refugees from
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar [Burma] and Vietnam, forced to leave
their countries because of political repression and/or war.
However, since the crackdown on illegal immigrants was announced
in 1993, asylum-seekers have been treated increasingly harshly.
In particular those from Myanmar, who now form the largest single
group of refugees in the country, are at risk of lengthy
detention.
In August, several hundred Burmese were forcibly returned to the
Halockhani refugee camp on the Thai border, which has been
declared safe by the Thai authorities. Yet on July 21 about 360
Myanmar soldiers attacked the Myanmar side of the camp, torching
part of it and taking at least 16 men prisoner. As a result, some
2,000 refugees fled back over the border to Thailand.
To improve the treatment of asylum-seekers in Thailand I would
like to make the following recommendations to the Thai
government:
Stop the forcible return to Myanmar of Burmese asylum-seekers and
refugees, a practice which contravenes the principle of
non-refoulement, which is international customary law binding on
all states;
Accede to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees
and to its 1967 Protocol to ensure the better protection of
asylum-seekers and refugees in Thailand, and to enable UNHCR to
carry out its full protection advice;
Establishment a fair and satisfactory procedure for all
asylum-seekers in Thailand to present their reasons for seeking
asylum and ensure effective access to that procedure;
Do not force refugees fleeing human rights violations to return
to Cambodia
and Myanmar;
In the case of voluntary repatriation of refugees, make
arrangements in consultation with UNHCR and the refugees
themselves to ensure return in safety and dignity;
As, according to international standards, illegal immigration is
not a legitimate ground for detention of refugees and
asylum-seekers, I urge you to stop the practice of detaining
asylum-seekers and refugees unless it is absolutely necessary for
one of the reasons stated in Conclusion 44 of the Executive
Committee of the UNHCR;
If asylum-seekers are detained they should be held in conditions
which are humane and conform to international standards.
Finally, I would like to recommend the Thai government to set up
independent inquiries into allegations of ill-treatment at the
Bangkok IDC, the Kanchanaburi IDC and other places of detention,
to make public the findings and bring justice to those
responsible.
Anne-Marie Kamphuis
The Netherlands
*****************************************************************
NATION [LETTER]: RELEASE CALL
Saturday, December 3, 1994
I WRITE to you as chairman of my Amnesty International group in
Ghent. Amnesty International is, as you know, an independent
organization created in 1961 to work for:
1. The unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience;
2. Prompt fair trials for all political prisoners;
3. An end to the torture, disappearance and extrajudicial
execution of
detainees.
My group is extremely concerned for the health and safety of Dr
Aung Khin Sint and Mr Than Min. On Oct 15, 1993, both were
sentenced by the authorities in Burma to 20 years imprisonment,
and yet, one year later, despite the continuous expression of our
concerns to the government of Burma, no further details of their
trials have been published. Accordingly, we have urged and shall
continue to urge their unconditional release.
I ask you, and through your colleagues, to publicise the case of
these two unfortunate men in your journals so that public opinion
may be awakened.
The military leaders in Burma can become much more sensitive to
the worlds
expectations for human rights when they are persuaded that
despite the interest shown in the spectacular growth of their
regions economic prospects, other nations remain sensitive to
their exercise of undemocratic power. WE believe that political
change can be achieved peacefully, but economic improvement in
Burma will not be achieved until human rights are re-established
and then the trade boycott lifted.
I am a Belgian lawyer appointed to notarial office in Belgium by
the King. I enclose with this letter selected extracts from the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
J Vander Eecken
Ghent, Belgium
*****************************************************************
BKK POST: DAIWA SECURITIES TO HELP BURMA SET UP STOCK MART
Saturday, December 3, 1994
by Fumiko Fujisaki
Tokyo, Reuters
A UNIT of Japans Daiwa Securities Co Ltd signed an undertaking
earlier this week to help Burma set up a stock market, privatise
state-owned companies and develop a capital market, a Daiwa
official said yesterday.
Zenichi Ishikawa, Director of Daiwa Institute of Research Ltd
(DIR), told Reuters his firm had signed a memorandum of
understanding with the Rangoon government but added it was likely
to take a long time to achieve those goals.
It is still difficult to make a detailed programme and take
action to achieve the targets for now, taking account of the
situation in the country ... It will take more than one or two
years to improve the infrastructure of Burma's financial sector,
said Ishikawa.
Daiwa is Japans second biggest securities house.
State-run Myanmar television reported in Rangoon on Wednesday
that National Planning and Economic Development Minister Brig-Gen
David Abel had signed the pact with Daiwa.
Ishikawa stressed that the memorandum of understanding was an
advisory agreement and was different from a business agreement on
a commercial basis.
The Burmese government must legislate a securities and exchange
act before starting its stock market, he said, adding that DIR
will take a step-by-step approach in helping Burma establish its
stock and capital markets.
Training people and supplying various materials and date related
to securities business will be the first step DIR will take,
Ishikawa said.
Burma, which officially switched to a market economy six years
ago, announced an ambitious policy of privatisation in October
after experimenting for more than 25 years with a locally adapted
form of socialism but gave no details.
Military intelligence chief Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, a senior member of
Burma's ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council, was
quoted by official media as assuring foreign business executives
on Wednesday of fair treatment, saying that foreign investment
stands at $1.3 billion.
On our part, we assure all our friends that whatever you do in
our country you will get a fair and just deal, Khin Nyunt told
representatives of more
than 60 companies from 14 countries at the opening of a medical
and
pharmaceutical exhibition.
To cope with Burma's plan to create securities and capital
markets and to
privatise state companies, DIR and the government jointly held a
seminar in
Rangoon on October 24-25.
*****************************************************************
NATION: SINGAPORE TRADE MISSION TO VISIT BURMA
Saturday, December 3, 1994
Singapore, UPI
SINGAPORES Trade Development Board will lead a construction and
investment development mission to Burma next Monday.
The TDB said in a statement yesterday that the 30-member mission
will visit the cities of Rangoon and Mandalay. It is being
jointly organized by the Singapore Contractors Association and
the Real Estate Developers Association of Singapore, with
support from TDB.
Burmas construction market has experienced double-digit growth
over the last few years, said Tan BenG tee, the TDBs deputy
director of the trade services division.
The [Burmese] government's emphasis on economic liberalization
has resulted in an inflow of foreign investments and there are
vast opportunities for Singapore businessmen in the development
and construction sectors, she said.
The aims of the eight-day mission are to cultivate and develop
official and business contacts in Burma to explore areas for
joint cooperation and investments and to focus on specific
development and construction projects requiring Singapores
participation, said the TDB.
The mission members include management representatives from real
estate development, construction, consultancy, engineering,
services, property management, law, building supplies, and
education and training.
They will meet with senior officials from the Ministries of
National Planning and Economic Development, Construction, Hotel
and Tourism, Transport, Trade, Energy, Finance and Cooperatives.
Singapore is currently the largest foreign investor in Burma with
about $500 million worth of investments. About 60 per cent of
these investments are in hotel development projects.
Currently, 1.7 per cent of Burma's total workforce, or 288,000
workers, are employed in the construction sector.
According to figures released by Burma's Ministry of National
Planning and Economic Development, Singapore was Burma's second
largest trading partner after Japan in 1993.
Bilateral trade from January to September this year peaked at
about d395 million, a 7 per cent increase over the same period
last year. This was largely fuelled by a 14.8 per cent and 4.7
per cent increase in imports and exports respectively.
*****************************************************************
********** NATION: SUU KYI MUST BE FREED TO END POLITICAL WOES,
SAYS CHUAN Friday, December 2, 1994 -- Hit <RETURN> for more --
Mail? 47
Message 47 (650 lines) From david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Fri Dec 2
14:45:38 1994 Date: Sat, 3 Dec 1994 05:39:03 +0700 From:
david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (David Foster) To: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx,
temp7@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
PERSPECTIVES: PRIVATISATION FOR LONG-TERM NATIONAL INTEREST
After sustained efforts for over six years, we can witness
tangible results in many aspects. The economy is taking off.
This is due largely to market economic system being practised
today attracting foreign investment and promoting privatisation.
Today, foreign firms are actively engaged in production and
services in joint venture undertakings with the Government or
private entrepreneurs.
The Government has already decontrolled many business
undertakings with appropriate assistance duly provided to the
private sector. Still, there remain certain aspects of business
that should be transferred.
At a recent coordination meeting on privatisation, the
Secretary-1 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council
Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt spoke -- Hit <RETURN> for more -- Mail? 48
Message 48 (514 lines) From david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Fri Dec 2
14:46:27 1994 Date: Sat, 3 Dec 1994 05:40:02 +0700 From:
david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (David Foster) To: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx,
temp7@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
NATION: SUU KYI MUST BE FREED TO END POLITICAL WOES, SAYS CHUAN
BKK POST: JUNTA PLANS MORE DIALOGUE WITH AUNG SAN SUU KYI BKK
POST: THAILAND SEEKS DEEPER TRAVEL INSIDE BURMA BKK POST: BURMA
PROMISES FOREIGN INVESTORS FAIR, JUST DEAL NATION: INDOCHINA FUND
MODELLED AFTER JAPANESE AID PLAN NATION: MASS MIGRATION INCREASES
AS PEOPLE SEEK A BETTER LIFE NATION: DAM BUILDER DEFENDS LAOS
POLICY OF EXPORTING POWER
*****************************************************************
********** NATION: SUU KYI MUST BE FREED TO END POLITICAL WOES,
SAYS CHUAN Friday, December 2, 1994 -- Hit <RETURN> for more --
Mail? ,cp Now in capture mode; type 'c' to switch back, 'r' to
re-read whole message.
Mail: (i)ndex (u)nread (w)rite (c)apture (d)elete (s)ave (h)elp
(q)uit: 47 8
Message 48 (514 lines) From david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Fri Dec 2
14:46:27 1994 Date: Sat, 3 Dec 1994 05:40:02 +0700 From:
david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (David Foster) To: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx,
temp7@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
NATION: SUU KYI MUST BE FREED TO END POLITICAL WOES, SAYS CHUAN
BKK POST: JUNTA PLANS MORE DIALOGUE WITH AUNG SAN SUU KYI BKK
POST: THAILAND SEEKS DEEPER TRAVEL INSIDE BURMA BKK POST: BURMA
PROMISES FOREIGN INVESTORS FAIR, JUST DEAL NATION: INDOCHINA FUND
MODELLED AFTER JAPANESE AID PLAN NATION: MASS MIGRATION INCREASES
AS PEOPLE SEEK A BETTER LIFE NATION: DAM BUILDER DEFENDS LAOS
POLICY OF EXPORTING POWER
*****************************************************************
********** NATION: SUU KYI MUST BE FREED TO END POLITICAL WOES,
SAYS CHUAN Friday, December 2, 1994 by Yindee Lertcharoenchok
PRIME Minister Chuan Leekpai yesterday reiterated his desire for
the release of Burmese opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
saying that her freedom would help resolve other political
problems in Burma.
During a 45-minute meeting with visiting Burmese Foreign Minister
Ohn Gyaw, Chuan also showed his interest in the political,
economic, ethnic and human rights situation in Burma, asking
several questions including about the progress of the drafting
of a new constitution, dialogue between Aung San Suu Kyi, and
junta leaders, Burmese political prisoners and peace talks with
armed ethnic groups.
It is the second time that the premier has directly raised these
issues with senior Burmese authorities. He expressed similar
opinions when Ohn Gyaw was here in July to attend the annual
meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers.
Government officials said Chuan had smoothly and diplomatically
raised the issues during the 45-minute meeting yesterday with Ohn
Gyaw, citing the international communitys concern to legitimize
his questions.
The premier told U Ohn Gyaw that Thailand has often been asked
[these questions] by the international community and that he
wanted to learn from the Burmese minister directly so that he
could reply to them, a senior government official said.
The premier said that if the ruling State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC) could resolve the issue of Suu Kyi,
now in her sixth year of house arrest, then other political
problems would become a minor agenda, the official said.
Chuan spoke through an interpreter.
Ohn Gyaw had replied that the talks so far between Suu Kyi and
SLORC leaders Gen Than Shwe and Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, in September
and October, took place in a very amicable, father-daughter and
brother-sister atmosphere, the official said.
The Burmese minister fell short of saying when Suu Kyi, the 1991
Nobel Peace Prize laureate, would be released, saying only that
there would be further dialogue.
Another senior government official said Chuan had asked if the
new Burmese constitution will resemble that of Indonesia, which
endorses the militarys role in national administration. The
Burmese minister replied that it is not exactly identical, said
the official, who asked not to be identified.
Ohn Gyaw explained that four out of 15 chapters of the new
charter, including the election and qualification of the
president, were completed and that the drafting process was
making good progress.
Chuan asked the Burmese minister about Burmese policy towards
ethnic minorities and Burmese refugees sheltering along the
border in Thailand. He said Thailand had been criticized for its
refugee policy by private aid agencies. The refugees problem
could create a misunderstanding between Burma and Thailand, he
said.
Ohn Gyaw had expressed his understanding of Thailand's situation,
but said SLORC has halted its military offensives along the
border since 1992 so there should not be any reason for those
Burmese to flee into Thailand, the official said.
SLORC, according to Ohn Gyaw, was giving priority to economic
development. Latest figures showing rice exports had risen to one
million tonnes for the first time in 15 years were an indication
of its success.
Chuan accepted an open invitation to visit Burma and said he
would work out an appropriate time for the trip, according to
the official, who oversees Thai-Burmese affairs and policy.
U Ohn Gyaw and Thai Foreign Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday
opened and closed the first meeting of the Thai-Burmese Joint
Commission. Topics discussed included ways to enhance economic
cooperation in the fields of energy, transportation and
communications, forestry and fisheries, tourism and cultural
activities, banking, and trade and investment.
The meeting agreed to make the three temporary border checkpoints
- - Mae Sai-Tachilek, Mae Sot-Myawaddy, and Ranong-Kawthaung --
permanent, and that a joint working group will meet in January to
synchronize and regulate immigration and customs procedures.
U Maung Aung, director-general of the Burmese Immigration
Department, said the checkpoints would soon operate as permanent
crossings, allowing entry to Thais and foreigners.
Visas could be obtainable at the border and foreign tourists
would be permitted to travel into Burma as part of a campaign to
promote the 1996 Visit Burma Year.
The joint commission also agreed to regulate border trade through
a bilateral agreement to be signed by the relevant ministers
after details had been worked out. Cross border trade accounts
for 75 per cent of Thai business with Burma.
*****************************************************************
********** BKK POST: JUNTA PLANS MORE DIALOGUE WITH AUNG SAN SUU
KYI Friday, December 2, 1994
Burmese Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw yesterday indicated that there
will be further talks between the Rangoon military junta and pro-
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to a Government
House press release.
Mr Ohn Gyaw said recent talks between Aung San Suu Kyi and
Burmese leaders have created a confidence of understanding
between the two sides, the press statement said.
There are good signs that more meetings will take place, the
statement quoted the Burmese minister as saying.
Mr Ohn Gyaw made the remarks during a meeting at Government
House yesterday morning with Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai. He
came to Bangkok to co-chair, with Foreign Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra, the second meeting of the Thai-Burmese Joint
Commission.
Aung San Suu Kyi has met with Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt and other key men
of the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC)
twice since the United Nations General Assembly opened its
annual session in late September.
Prime Minister Chuan asked the Burmese foreign minister about the
drafting of Burma's new constitution. Mr Ohn Gyaw reported
progress in the procedure as well as in Rangoons negotiations
with ethnic minorities, Mr Chuan told reporters.
Burmese dissidents have dismissed the drafting of the
constitution as a farce, carried out largely by people
hand-picked by the SLORC.
The 600 so-called national representatives engaged in the work
are charged with ensuring that the military junta continues to
play a leading role.
The Karen, Mon, and a small group of Karennni continue to hold
out against any pact with SLORC.
Prime Minister Chuan said he emphasised the problems Thailand
faces as a result of lingering instability inside Burma.
Citing the problems of minorities, the prime minister said
Thailand stands to be accused by Rangoon of supporting dissent
if it gives good treatment to those who flee across the border.
But if Thailand does not look after these refugees, it will be
condemned by international organisations, he said.
Mr Ohn Gyaw said he understands Thailands position. But he said
Burmese minorities should not fear any danger or flee into
Thailand because SLORC stopped carrying out military operations
in 1992.
Foreign Minister Thaksin also attended the talks between Prime
Minister Chuan and Mr Ohn Gyaw. Mr Thaksin said they covered
economic development in Burma.
According to the Government House press release, Mr Ohn Gyaw said
Burma is now able to export one million tons of rice a year.
*****************************************************************
********** BKK POST: THAILAND SEEKS DEEPER TRAVEL INSIDE BURMA
Friday, December 2, 1994
[Photo caption: Burmese Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw meets Prime
Minister Chuan Leekpai at the Government House. The Burmese
minister is here to attend a meeting of the Thai-Burmese Joint
Commission.]
THAILAND has urged Burma to upgrade border checkpoints and allow
deeper penetration into Burma from its border with Thailand, a
senior official said yesterday.
Deputy National Security Council Secretary-General Kajadpai
Burutpat said Thailand would like an agreement on the matter as
soon as possible because smuggling across the Thai-Burmese border
is a major problem for the two countries.
The disclosure came after the conclusion of the second meeting of
the Thai-Burmese Joint Commission which was chaired by Foreign
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his Burmese counterpart Ohn Gyaw.
Thailand would like to upgrade three existing border checkpoints
-- Kentung-Chiang Rai, Myawaddy-Mae Sot, and Kawthaung-Ranong --
and obtain permission for Thais to travel deeper inside Burma
from these checkpoints than the current five-kilometre limit.
According to a Thai official, Thailand and Burma set up a working
group on the question when Deputy Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan
visited Rangoon last month.
But Burma has given various reasons for why it is not ready to
agree to the idea, including problems with its customs and
immigration facilities and its roads.
In an opening address to the Joint Commission meeting yesterday,
Mr Thaksin said Thai-Burmese relations were developing in a very
satisfactory manner.
But he stressed that the two countries had to look beyond their
immediate borders if they were to enjoy peace and prosperity.
We see Myanmars presence at the 27th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting
not only as a prelude to closer relations between Myanmar and
ASEAN, but also as an important first step towards a truly
cohesive and all-encompassing Southeast Asian community, Mr
Thaksin said.
Mr Ohn Gyaw for his part emphasised that one can choose friends,
but not neighbours. Since our two countries have been determined
by geography as neighbours, Myanmar takes great care that we
both remain good friends as well.
We will contribute our full share of cooperation amongst the
countries in the region leading towards a new era of peace and
prosperity in Southeast Asia.
The meeting discussed Thai proposals for the two countries to
sign agreements on investment protection, exemption of double
taxation and cooperation between investment boards.
Burma wants time to consider the proposals for an investment
protection agreement because it would be the first of its kind
that it would sign with a member state of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the source noted.
Yesterdays discussions, which ended sooner than expected, also
covered cooperation in forestry, fishery, narcotics suppression
and border demarcation.
They did not however cover construction of the Salween Dam, which
Thailand is keen to push forward as a source of electricity.
The Burmese side said it would forward a construction plan
proposed by Thailand to the energy ministry in Rangoon.
On forestry, Burma reiterated its ban on the export of logs and
permission for export of processed wood.
It reiterated its willingness to consider granting fishing
concessions to private companies provided they invested in three
out of five related industries, namely cold storage, ice making,
fishmeal, tinned fish and shrimp farming.
The two sides agreed on the need to continue cooperation in
narcotics suppression.
*****************************************************************
********** BKK POST: BURMA PROMISES FOREIGN INVESTORS FAIR, JUST
DEAL Friday, December 2, 1994 Rangoon, Reuters
A SENIOR member of Burma's ruling State Law and Order Restoration
Council has assured overseas businessmen of fair treatment,
saying that foreign investment in Burma stands at $1.3 billion.
Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, military intelligence chief, was quoted by
official media yesterday as giving his assurance at the opening
on Wednesday of a medical and pharmaceutical exhibition in
Rangoon.
On our part, we assure all our friends that whatever you do in
our country you will get a fair and just deal, Khin Nyunt told
representatives of more than 60 companies from 14 countries.
In a review of foreign investment in Burma, Khin Nyunt said: Up
to date we have 17 countries investing with 113 direct
investments amounting to US$1.3 billion.
Our rich potential in agriculture, forestry, marine products,
manufacturing, mining and services sector is attracting many
foreign investments, he added.
On October 29, 1988, the State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC) declared a policy of moving towards a market economy,
after experimenting for more than 15 years with a locally adapted
form of socialism.
Six years later the SLORC has announced a broad-ranging policy to
privatise state enterprises, and on Tuesday the government signed
an outline pact with a Japanese securities house for help in
establishing a stock market.
But economists say the artificially high exchange rate of the
kyat against the dollar, and vestiges of the former command
economy, still hamper Burma's economic progress.
In addition, some western diplomats have urged caution for
companies eyeing the Burma market, saying the legal and physical
infrastructure is not yet fully in place.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Lt-Gen Myint Aung said Burma will
produce about 19.5 million tons of paddy from 6.5 hectares in
1994/95.
The minister, who spoke at a meeting of the international network
for Genetic Evaluation of Rice (INGER), on Wednesday, said rice
production had increased steadily from 13 million tons in 1991/92
to around 17 million tons in 1993/94.
Myint Aung said the successful adoption of a summer paddy
programme was mainly responsible for the increase.
Burma's main rice crop on irrigated or flooded plains runs
November to April, while the summer programme taking advantage
of the wet season is from May until October.
The INGER meeting, attended by 17 nations, will continue until
December 3.
*****************************************************************
********** NATION: INDOCHINA FUND MODELLED AFTER JAPANESE AID
PLAN Friday, December 2, 1994 by Vatchara Charoonsantikul
THE Finance Ministry has said for the first time that Thailand's
Indochina Fund will be a copy of Japans Overseas Economic
Cooperation Fund (OECF) and will make US-dollar loans to three
Indochinese countries and Burma only.
Somchai Ruchuphand, director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office,
told The Nation that by following the model of Japans OECF fund,
Thailand's Indochina Fund will grant soft loans for Vietnam,
Laos, Cambodia and Burma, mostly to finance much-needed
infrastructure projects.
The fund itself will mobilize its international reserves which
currently stand as high as US$30 billion; and the government
budget.
By using the countrys international reserves, the fund will be
operated openly under public scrutiny. It is also subject to
parliamentary debate when part of its funds are in the form of a
governmental budget, Somchai said.
The move to establish the Indochina Fund reflects a vivid attempt
by both the Finance Ministry and the Bank of Thailand to turn
Thailand into a financial centre.
Somchai said five authorities will supervise the soon-to-be
established Indochina Fund. Aside from the Finance Ministry and
the Bank of Thailand, the other three are the ministry of
Foreign Affairs, National Economic and Social Development Board
and the Budget Bureau.
They will make sure that the Indochina Fund lends money in
proportion to the government's financial status, Somchai said.
Ruengchai Marakanond, Bank of Thailand's deputy governor, said
the central bank is poised to support out-out lending under the
Bangkok International Banking Facility (BIBF) to channel loans
borrowed overseas to the four countries via the Indochina Fund.
This way, BIBF could be more active in more out-out lending, or
funds borrowed abroad for lending overseas. As of September 1994,
BIBF outstanding loans reached Bt480 billion, of which more than
80 per cent are out-in loans, or those borrowed overseas to be
lent locally. About 42 Thai commercial banks, branches of
foreign banks and new foreign banks are actively lending under
the BIBF.
If this works, we may consider opening BIBF licences for a second
time, Ruengchai said.
In the latest attempt to enhance prudential banking under BIBF,
the Bank of Thailand last month also issued a new rule to
control BIBF banks foreign exchange lending, Ruengchai said.
Coming at a time when lending, particularly from the foreign
exchange side, is growing sharply beyond the official target, the
rule requires banks to cut, from their asset side on the balance
sheet, any foreign exchange loans which fail to produce
repayments after seven days and re-book them as liabilities
instead.
According to Ruengchai, the new rule would not much affect
foreign bank branches and new foreign banks under the BIBF. But
the rule will hard hit Thai commercial banks which are
accustomed to cutting foreign exchange loans from their assets
much later after customers fail to pay, he said.
To let Thai commercial banks, which normally cut foreign exchange
loans from their assets every 21 days, live comfortably amid the
new rule which requires faster action after seven days,
Ruengchai said the central bank has agreed to give a grace
period for the banks to adjust.
*****************************************************************
********** NATION: MASS MIGRATION INCREASES AS PEOPLE SEEK A
BETTER LIFE Friday, December 2, 1994 by Rita Patiyasevi
MASS migration, both legal and illegal, is on the rise in the
Asian Pacific region, as people from less developed or
politically restricted countries move to more industrialized or
liberal ones, according to Labour and Social Welfare Minister
Paitoon Kaewthong.
Addressing a two-day seminar opening yesterday at Chulalongkorn
University on the International Conference on Transnational
Migration in the Asia-Pacific Region: Problems and Prospects, he
said national boundaries could no longer prevent movements of
people seeking a better and more secure environment.
Economic marginalization, political violence in the form of war,
ethnic conflicts, insurgency and repression, secessionist
attempts and forms of ethnic violence drive people to move to a
better and safer place in spite of border control, he said.
Thailand must currently handle over 300,000 illegal Burmese
workers and smaller numbers of illegal workers from the
sub-continent. Figures recorded during the last few years by the
National Security Council showed 283,500 Burmese illegal workers
and political dissidents in Thailand.
The regional forum was organized by three academic and research
institutes within Chulalongkorn University: the Indochina Refugee
Information Centre (IRIC), the Institute of Asian Studies, and
Research Division Office of the President.
The forum had participants from Singapore, Malaysia, the United
States, Germany, and Thailand who were academics, policy makers,
representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees, the International Organizations of Migration and the
International Labour Organization.
According to the organizers, the information and discussion on
migration will provide a guideline for regional governments
policy formulation.
Director of the Institute of Asian Studies Withaya
Sucharithanarugse said migration has increased in volume and
magnitude, catching many governments off guard with a range of
migrants including political refugees, labourers, victims of
ethnic suppression and human trafficking, and escapees of
environmentally degraded areas.
One topic discussed yesterday was the causes and consequences of
new Asian migrations, presented by the Director of the Centre for
Multi-Cultural Studies of Wollongong University Stephen Castles.
Other papers discussed included Political Refugees: Cambodia by
Court Robinson of IRIC; Human Trafficking which looked at the
manifestations and patterns of trafficking, by Siriporn
Skrobanets; The Ethnic Diversity Union of Myanmar by Amanda Raja
from the National University of Singapore; and Worker Migrants
Asia-Pacific by Amara Pongsapitch.
*****************************************************************
NATION: DAM BUILDER DEFENDS LAOS POLICY OF EXPORTING POWER
Friday, December 2, 1994 Reuters
The project director of a hydroelectric dam in Laos has defended
the countrys policy of exporting power to neighbouring Thailand
against criticism on environmental grounds.
Carl-Erik Norlander, project director of the Theun Hinboun dam in
the Nam Thuen basin of central Laos, told foreign correspondents
on Wednesday night the 210-megawatt plant was scheduled for
completion by end-1997.
I think this is one of the best uses of resources at present, the
export of power, Norlander said.
The Theun Hinboun dam is being built at an estimated cost of $290
million to $300 million and is owned 60 percent by Thai power
company EGAT and 20 percent by Thai real estate group MDX Ltd.
Chrapol Sintunawa, head of Mahidol Universitys department of
resources and environment, said dam projects in Laos might be
good revenue earners in the short term, but they did not take
into account the cost to the environment.
Chrapol, an adviser to the Thai parliament on energy
conservation, said environmental protection laws in Laos were at
present insufficient.
I am scared we are building a new power plant for the inefficient
user in Thailand, he said, adding: The power from such plants is
unnaturally cheap because the environmental cost is not included.
Norlander, a Swedish executive of Nordic Hydropower which is
jointly owned by Norwegian and Swedish interests, said he
understood the Lao government had signed altogether 18
memoranda of understanding.
*****************************************************************
VOA: AUNG SAN SUU KYI SPEAKS OUT ON DEMOCRACY
CONTENT=THIS IS THE ONLY EDITORIAL BEING RELEASED FOR BROADCAST
DECEMBER 2, 1994.
ANNCR: THE VOICE OF AMERICA PRESENTS DIFFERING POINTS OF VIEW ON
A WIDE VARIETY OF ISSUES. NEXT, AN EDITORIAL EXPRESSING THE
POLICIES OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.
VOICE:
BURMESE OPPOSITION LEADER AUNG SAN SUU KYI HAS BEEN UNDER
HOUSE ARREST SINCE JULY 1989. BUT THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
WINNER CONTINUES TO SPEAK OUT FOR FREEDOM. SHE RECENTLY
ISSUED A STATEMENT ON THE LINK BETWEEN DEMOCRACY AND
DEVELOPMENT. THE STATEMENT WAS READ AT A UNITED
NATIONS-SPONSORED MEETING IN MANILA BY FORMER PHILIPPINES
PRESIDENT CORAZON AQUINO.
IN HER STATEMENT, AUNG SAN SUU KYI SAID THAT
AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENTS OFTEN CLAIM THAT DEMOCRACY MUST BE
SUBORDINATED TO DEVELOPMENT. BUT SHE STRESSED THAT, "IF
MATERIAL BETTERMENT. . .IS SOUGHT IN WAYS THAT WOUND THE
HUMAN SPIRIT, IT CAN IN THE LONG RUN ONLY LEAD TO GREATER
HUMAN SUFFERING. THE VAST POSSIBILITIES THAT A MARKET
ECONOMY CAN OPEN UP TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES CAN BE REALIZED
ONLY IF ECONOMIC REFORMS ARE UNDERTAKEN WITHIN A FRAMEWORK
THAT RECOGNIZES HUMAN NEEDS. . . . THE TRUE DEVELOPMENT OF
HUMAN BEINGS INVOLVES MUCH MORE THAN MERE ECONOMIC GROWTH,"
SAID AUNG SAN SUU KYI. "DEVELOPMENT REQUIRES DEMOCRACY, THE
GENUINE EMPOWERMENT OF THE PEOPLE."
AUNG SAN SUU KYI SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE NOTION THAT
DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS ARE WESTERN CONCEPTS THAT ARE NOT
APPROPRIATE FOR PEOPLE IN ASIA AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.
"IN FACT," SHE SAID, "THE VALUES THAT DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN
RIGHTS SEEK TO PROMOTE CAN BE FOUND IN MANY CULTURES. HUMAN
BEINGS THE WORLD OVER NEED FREEDOM AND SECURITY THAT THEY MAY
BE ABLE TO REALIZE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL."
AS PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON SAID DURING A VISIT TO JAPAN
LAST YEAR, "IT IS NOT WESTERN URGING OR WESTERN IMPERIALISM,
BUT THE ASPIRATIONS OF ASIAN PEOPLES THEMSELVES THAT EXPLAIN
THE GROWING NUMBER OF DEMOCRACIES AND DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENTS IN
THIS REGION. AND IT IS AN INSULT TO THE SPIRIT AND HOPES AND
DREAMS OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE [IN ASIA] TO ASSERT THAT
ANYTHING ELSE IS TRUE."
ANNCR:
THAT WAS AN EDITORIAL EXPRESSING THE POLICIES OF THE
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE HEARD ON
THIS ISSUE, PLEASE WRITE TO EDITORIALS, VOICE OF AMERICA,
WASHINGTON, D-C, 20547, U-S-A. YOU MAY ALSO SEND US A FAX AT
(202) 619-1043. YOUR COMMENTS MAY BE USED ON THE AIR.
01-Dec-94 2:57 PM EST (1957 UTC) NNNN
Source: Voice of America
***************************************************** NATION:
KAREN BLAME SLORC FOR PEACE TALKS IMPASSE Saturday, November 26,
1994 by Yindee Lertcharoenchok
ARMED ethnic Karen guerrillas have blamed the Burmese junta for
the failure to get bilateral peace negotiations off the ground,
accusing the junta of rejectin g talks in Rangoon with UN
authorities as witnesses.
Instead, the ruling Burmese State Law and Order Restoration
Council (SLORC) pro posed that talks take place in Moulmein,
capital of the Mon State, between a Ka ren delegation and Burmese
Southeastern Commander Maj Gen Ket Sein.
The armed group has called for an attitude of openness, honesty
and equanimity. It said consultations between top leaders of
both sides are necessary as the e stablishment of genuine peace
is a political question concerning the whole coun try.
The KNU is in no way responsible for the failure of advance
delegations of both sides to meet, said a statement issued by
the group on Wednesday.
The KNU is in no way responsible for the failure of advance
delegations of both sides to meet, said a statement isused by
the gorup on Wednesday.
nal observers.
The ethnic group said earlier arrangements were made with Burmese
Military Atta che to Thailand Col Thein Swe for a meeting at the
Burmese Embassy in Bangkok, but the SLORC, after an initial
appearance of assent, rejected the plan.
In subsequent discussion between KNU and Thein Swe, peace talks
in Rangoon in t he presence of UN representatives serving as
witnesses were also rejected, it s aid.
Rangoon, said the statement.
e efforts over the past year withthe Karen, Karenni and Mon
forces have not yet been successful.
*****************************************************
NATION:INDOCHINESE AID COOPERATION PROJECTS SAID TO BE ON TARGET
Saturday, November 26, 1994
THAILAND, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam have declared at a meeting
that their sub- regional cooperation programmes are on target and
will possibly include China a nd Burma in future programmes
concerning AIDS and drug control
l aviation safety, bio-diversity conservation and support for the
Mekong Secret ariat.
The sub-regional programmes, excluding the support of the Mekong
Secretariat, w ere launched in 1991 but only approved by the UNDP
in mid-1993, so this meeting was viewed as a mid-term review of
the programmes progress.
Herbert Behrstock, chief of UNDPs regional bureau for Asia and
the Pacific, tol d a press conference that all the programmes
were highly relevant to all partic ipating countries and their
people.
Kittipan Kanjanapipatkul, deputy director general of the
Department of Technica l and Economic Cooperation, said China and
Burma had already joined Thailand an d Laos in a drug control
project supported by the UN Drug Control Programme.
He said the two countries were expected to be held in Cambodia
next year.
The programme that was deemed the most successful was the support
of the Mekong Secretariat. Senior offiicals of the four
countries will initiate a draft agre ement on the framework of
the use of the river in Hanoi on Monday.
The UNDP has been involved with the Mekong Secretariat since 1967
and over US$5 0 million (Bt1.25 billion) has been allotted to the
programme.
The programme for highland people is aimed at improving their
planning, and man agement skills for community development.
h Korea and Burma.
quired by the three countries. The areas of focus include banking
and law.
The officials also broadly discussed future programmes. HIV/AIDS,
drug control and their prevention were given priority.
*****************************************************
NATION (LETTER): PEPSI IN BURMA
Saturday, November 26, 1994
The other day while at a party, I was offered a Pepsi. No thank
you, I said.
Pepsi has far too much blood in it for my tastes.
Blood? asked my hostess.
Blood, madam, I replied.
The blood of the innocent Burmese men, women and children killed,
tortured, bea ten and raped by the military regime illegally
controlling the country, the mil itary regime that Pepsi has
joined up with to produce their soft drinks in Burm a.
Huh? asked my hostess.
I am a vegetarian and could not bear to drink so much blood, I
answered.
Miffed of Memphis
**************************************************************
MAJE: SOUNDBITES FROM THE APOCALYPSE II
compiled by Project Maje, 14
Dartmouth Rd., Cranford NJ 07016 USA October 10, 1994
PORTERS "If we called 3 truckloads of porters we usually only
needed 1 truck to send back those who were left. They only got a
mess-tin full of rice to eat, so they all die. They're neglected
and ignored, so they die. Some were killed in battle, hit by
bullets and killed. Some plucked leaves in the forest because
they didn't get enough food, ate them and got cholera, diarrhea
or dysentery and died. They didn't get enough water, so they had
to drink from the streams and got dysentery. Some tried to run
away but they couldn't go far because they were weak from lack
of food so they soldiers recaptured them and killed them. They
shot them. Some porters were too weak or sick to climb the
mountains. so the troops killed them. I saw this so many times."
-- Zaw Myint, a Burma Army defector, interviewed by Karen Human
Rights August 7, 1994
THE GAS PIPELINE "The slave labor charges are supported by the
top official of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
in Thailand. 'There seems to be a general pattern of making use
of local labor force without paying them,' says Ruprecht von
Arnim, the UNHCR representative in Bangkok. 'I know slave labor
has been used for other purposes, and once the gas pipeline is
to start, it is most likely that it will be done the same way.
"' --Asian Wall St. Journal Sept. 9-10, 1994
UNOCAL "'We're committed to the project, and it's an important
part of our Asian growth strategy,' says a UNOCAL spokeswoman.
'In terms of the pipeline, the government of the country is
responsible for protecting the elements of the infrastructure.
We're convinced the pipeline will be kept secure. "' -- AWSJ,
Sept. 9-10, 1994
Constructive Engagement "Emotionally charged words like 'despots'
and 'recalcitrant' [re: the SLORC] do no good toward advancing
mutual respect and good-will or forming the foundation for an
open exchange of views." -- Gino Soave of Emmark Assoc., letter
to NY Times, October 2, 1994
BOYCOTTING PEPSI "...you really are dealing in coercion and
strong-arm tactics. It's no different than what years ago was
practiced by Joe McCarthy and the like. In those days,
'Establishment organizations' felt fully justified in using
intimidation on progressives and liberals, feeling their noble
purpose justified anything. They were wrong then, just as you
are wrong now, in my opinion. Like a blacklist, a boycott is
just another form of intimidation, and those despised tactics of
the past are no different than what you are doing yourself. That
we are a big, pretty successful company doesn't change the
principle, at all." --Wayne Calloway, CEO of PepsiCo, letter
July 25, 1994
MON REFUGEES "Asked how the refugees would get enough drinking
water, which has had to be trucked in regularly, the
Sangkhlaburi [Thailand] District Officer, Kamol Rangsiyanun
replied: 'They can drink rain water. "' -- The Nation (Bangkok
newspaper) Aug. 19, 1994
ROHINGYA REFUGEES "In the backdrop of the situation, the
Rohingya Muslims of Arakan, who once did not volunteer to die or
suffer at the hand of the beastly military forces of the ruling
junta and took shelter in an alien land, are now seemed to
volunteer to join the repatriation only to become human cattles,
who are now being sporadically and secretly slaughtered in
northern Arakan, in addition to those forced labour economic
hardships and various restrictions imposed." --Newsletter of
Rohingya Solidarity Organization, August 15, 1994
CHIN REBELS "CNF will do everything it can to frustrate oil
exploration and logging in Chin forests and the Chin State." --
a Chin National Front representative, September 5, 1994
CEASEFIRE IN KACHIN STATE "Consider: 1) Slorc has doubled the
strength of the Burma Army in Kachinland by approximately 30,000
men. 2) Slorc has forbidden the Kachin Independence Organization
(KIO) to recruit. 3) The KIO can no longer collect taxes. 4) The
Kachin public is barred from making contact with the KIO by the
all pervasive Article 17/1 of the criminal code. 5) The mass
migration of Burmans and Kokang Chinese to Kachinland. 6)
Increase in racism and religious intolerance. 7) Burmanization
and monopolizing of civil service." -- a letter to The Nation
[Bangkok] Sept. 26, 1994
POWs "If we captured Karen soldiers we never kept them alive. We
killed them. The NCOs didn't even interrogate them, they just
said, 'Pray to your God' and killed them with a bayonet, then
beheaded them. Then sometimes they fried their heart and liver
and ate it. I saw Corporal Aung Myint do this. This was done
often by the Sergeants, Warrant Officers and sometimes Company
Commanders. The company commander gave the order to kill the
prisoners, and got the officers or NCOs under him to do it. Once
we found a wounded Karen soldier and they stepped on his throat
to kill him. Other times they killed wounded Karen soldiers with
a bayonet. I saw several Karen soldiers executed like this, and
also villagers with connections to the KNLA [Karen National
Liberation Army]. If they suspected any villagers of being in
contact with the KNLA they summoned them, and they never used a
gun -- just a bayonet. Usually the Lance Corporals and Corporals
did it, sometimes the Sergeants. They had no real evidence -- if
they didn't like the look of a civilian they'd just accuse him
of being connected to the KNLA and kill him." -- Zaw Myint,
Burma Army deserter, KHRG interview, August 7, 1994
THE TATMADAW [BURMA ARMY] "Any of our own soldiers who were
seriously wounded were killed. If it isn't serious if they can
walk or if it's easy to take them, then they're taken back. If
not they're killed. The company commander orders this. When I
saw things like that happen I feel very sad. It's a terrible
fault. Our own soldiers, we must bring them back but we didn't.
It's a crime. It's like frog eating frog, fish eating fish." --
Zaw Myint, Burma Army deserter, KHRG interview, August 7, 1994
THE SLORC "...others say the junta simply feels the need to
appeal to a populace that largely hates them. 'They are evil and
they are idiots,' says a Burmese national who asked for
anonymity...'With every mistake they make they are digging their
own grave,' says an elderly Burmese man who once worked for the
British colonial government in Burma. 'You don't even have to
push them in, they will fall in by the weight of their own
mistakes.' The last time this man spoke with a foreigner he says
he was taken away to a military camp for a day's interrogation."
-- Christian Science Monitor, September 23, 1994
*****************************************************************
BKK POST: BURMA JUNTA REJECTS FORCED LABOUR CHARGE
Sunday,
November 27, 1994 Reuters
THE Burmese military government has denied that it forces
civilians to work against their will, citing what it calls a
tradition of local people giving their services voluntarily for
the benefit of the country.
Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, military intelligence chief, told
a teachers meeting in Rangoon on Friday that unscrupulous
elements and some terrorist groups were circulating false
reports alleging forced labour.
Such reports were calculated to mislead people who had not been
to Burma and were not familiar with its customs and traditions,
Burmese television quoted Khin Nyunt as saying.
A United Nations human rights rapporteur who visited Burma from
November 7 to 16 reported continuing human rights abuses.
Japanese Professor Yozo Yokota said that though there were signs
of some improvement, many civil and political rights were still
restricted.
Particularly, the right to life, liberty and security of person,
freedoms of thought, opinion, expression, peaceful assembly and
association are widely ignored and seriously violated, especially
in connection with forced labour including portering, forced
relocation and political activities including activities related
to political parties and the National Convention, Yokota said.
Yokota opened a new section of railway line west of Irrawaddy and
also visited a railway construction site linking the towns of Ye
and Tavoy in the southeast. Some refugees arriving on the
Thai-Burmese borders have complained that the Ye-Tavoy line was
being built with forced labour.
Yokota, who said he would compile a full report to the UN
Commission on Human Rights, said evidence he had collected
showed there were still cases of torture, arbitrary killings,
rapes, disappearances and confiscation of private property.
*****************************************************************
NATION: BURMAS PAIN CONTINUES Sunday, November 27, 1994
A new United Nations human rights report accuses Burmese
authorities of torture, rape, forced labour, destruction of
property, looting and summary executions, despite years of
international protests. The report to the General Assembly,
released by special rapporteur, Yozo Yokota, says gang rapes by
entire groups of Burmese military personnel are not uncommon.
*****************************************************************
NATION: SUU KYI SPEAKS OUT Sunday, November 27, 1994
[Photo caption: The value systems of those with access to power
and of those far removed from such access cannot be the same.
Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi.]
Detained Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi urged the
United Nations to support democratic movements across the globe,
and criticized totalitarian regimes for resisting reforms based
on human rights by using the pretext of national integrity,
national security and social stability. Her address to the UN
was given by former Philippines president Corazon Aquino at a
meeting of UNESCOs World Commission on Culture and Development.
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BKK POST: BURMESE DEMOCRATS DISCUSS FEDERALISM CONDEMN SLORC NC
Sunday, November 27, 1994
Khin Myo Htwe reports on the recent seminar in Manerplaw where
Burmese democratic groups met to discuss basic principles
relating to the institution of a future Federal Union of Burma.
DELEGATES belonging to the various Burmese democratic groups
have totally repudiated the State Law and Order Restoration
Councils National Convention being held in Rangoon as
fraudulent.
The delegates recently met at the Karen National Union
headquarters in Manerplaw.
The meeting, called the Seminar on the Constitution of the Union
of Burma, was held from October 10 to 21. It was attended by
more than 160 delegates from 47 organisations and presided over
by Gen Saw Bo Mya, chairman of the National Council of the Union
of Burma.
The participants from the United States, Britain, France,
Germany, Japan and Australia were joined in the 11-day marathon
discussion by members of the Democratic Alliance of Burma, MPs
elected in the 1990 general elections -- results of which were
negated by the military junta -- the National Convention
government of the Union of Burma and the All Burma Students
Democratic Front.
In addition to scrutinising the points being discussed at the
SLORC National Convention, the group including academics and
lawyers also discussed the draft charter drawn up by the
Constitution Draft Committee headed by Dr Em Marta, foreign
secretary of the DAB.
The delegates advanced their views and opinions freely and
openly, said a member of the organising committee. He said they
held discussions and consultations freely and cordially on the
political problems facing Burma and basic principles relating to
the institution of a future Federal Union of Burma.
U Tint Zaw, a former student activist and member of the Rangoon
University Students Union in the 1950s said: The civil war in
Burma has been protracted for more than four decades because of a
one-union concept embraced by the powers that be, in place of
federalism wrongly subjected to ridicule and propaganda as a
means to secede from the union.
In fact, federalism is not secession, but not only the
consolidation of a country. A misunderstanding or rather the
unwillingness on the part of political organisations in the
past, such as the Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League, the Union
Party and National United Front, had ignored federalism in the
country inhabited by ethnic minorities.
He continued: In order to establish genuine peace in the country,
a federal constitution, wherein, self-determination, equality,
and basic human rights in full, is compulsory and essential, as
they are norms and requirements for eternal peace in a country.
The Committee for Restoration of Democracy in Burma (CRDB)
chairman (International) and vice-chairman (2) of the Democratic
Alliance of Burma (DAB); U Tin Maung Win, not only agreed with
what U Tint Zaw had to say, but also raised the touchy subject of
Burmese chauvinism.
We support the federal constitution and the federal system of
government. Burmans should have no qualms about the sincerity and
the integrity of their Burmese brethren. Chauvinism should not
reign any longer among us, Burmans, Karen, Mon and others, he
said.
He further emphasised: This time ethnic Karen, Mon, Shan and
others can lead the way and we, Burmans, will bring up the rear
in dignity, integrity and resolve. Let no one succumb to SLORC.
Some of the other main points noted at the seminar in relations
to the sham National Convention in Rangoon are: a lack of proper
representation of the ethnic people of Burma, the perpetuation of
military rule or its role in politics and the constitution, and
SLORCs total disregard to the suggestions put forward by the
delegates.
There is no representation from Kachin, Karen, Chin and Arakan
states in the SLORC-sponsored national convention.
The delegates at Manerplaw also noted that there are no
organisations to represent the minorities (from seven states),
peasants, farmers, workers, state employees and the
intelligentsia in the military-run country. Therefore, SLORCs
mention of these organisations as participants in their
convention is a blatant lie to hood-wink the global community.
Citing the enforced leading role for the army in the politics of
the country, Nai Shwe Kyin, president of the New Mon State
Party, recounted his factions encounter with the SLORC.
We have met three times with the SLORC and discussed a ceasefire
and peace. We encountered only pretenses and biased proposed from
them. This showed their insincerity for a lasting peace in the
country and; further, there was no mention of a political
settlement, the most vital ingredient for peace and stability in
the country. Therefore, we had to break off talks.
In his closing speech on the last day of the seminar, Gen Saw Bo
Mya, summed up as follows:
Today, SLORC is professing chauvinism, also ingrained in all the
ethnic minorities, which will benefit no one in particular. We
must disregard and oppose chauvinism at all costs, as there
would be no genuine peace as long as it exists.
We want peace and genuine peace only that will last. We dont
want enforced or unilateral peace. Therefore, let us stand tall
with resolve, courage and in solidarity against SLORC to gain
everlasting peace in the country.
Some of the other prominent members at the meeting were Marco
Ban (MP), U Daniel Aung (MP, U Tin Aung (NLD-LA), U Maung Maung
Latt (MP), U Maung Maung Aye (MP), Dr Zalat Htan (MP), and Gen
Tamlabaw (KNU).
The following is the position statement at the end of the
seminar, based on discussions by the various delegates. It was
also announced that future seminars are to be held soon.
* Position on National Convention being held by SLORC: As the
SLORC is not a legally elected government it has no right to
convene a national convention.
The national convention being held by SLORC is merely fraudulent.
It is concluded that the basic principles for a state
constitution laid down by the convention are for the
legalisation of the rule of military dictatorship.
Therefore, all the delegates unanimously reached the position to
totally repudiate the SLORCs national convention and the results
enamating for it.
* Position on the institution of the future federal union: All
the delegates attending the seminar unanimously judge that Burma
is in need of a constitution.
The seminar determines that the necessary basic law for the
future federal state should provide for:
(a) The deprivation of sovereignty of the state from the people.
(b) The institution of Burma as a federal union on the basis of
the intent of the Panlong Agreement reached between Gen Aung San
and the ethnic nationalities who have been struggling for more
than 40 years, Bo Aung Kyaw Street Declaration, an agreement
reached between the NLD and UNLD, the Manerplaw Agreement, and
the historical developments of co-inhabitation of various ethnic
nationalities.
(c) The national equality and right of self-determination of all
ethnic nationalities, with firm guarantees.
(d) Institutionalisation of the multi-party democratic system and
human rights.
(e) The proper division of powers between the federal and state
governments.
(f) The system of bicameral legislature in which there is a
National Assembly composed of representatives from the states,
and the Peoples Assembly consisting of representatives of the
people.
(g)The system in which the legislative, executive and judicial
powers are exercised separately.
(h)The subordination of the armed forces to civilian control,
and treatment of it only as one of the departments in the service
of the state, with no rights whatsoever to interfere in
politics.
* Position on framing of constitutional law: The seminar
recognises that in the framing of a constitutional law
guaranteeing democracy and a federal system, it is expressly
necessary to hold a genuine national convention in which the
people of various nationalities can freely and frankly conduct
discussions and consultations.
* Position on solving prevailing political problems: The seminar
pronounces that to solve the political problems, it is necessary
for the SLORC to:
(a)Release unconditionally Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all
political prisoners.
(b)Officially announce a nation-wide ceasefire.
(c)Lift all the unjust laws it has enacted.
(d)Recognise the result of May 1990 election.
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END OF ISSUE