[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index
][Thread Index
]
BurmaNet News: April 4, 1995
- Subject: BurmaNet News: April 4, 1995
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 05 Apr 1995 07:34:00
Received: (from strider) by igc2.igc.apc.org (8.6.11/Revision: 1.11 ) id HAA15209; Wed, 5 Apr 1995 07:34:09 -0700
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 07:34:09 -0700
**************************BurmaNet***************************
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
*************************************************************
The BurmaNet News: 4 April 1995
Issue #139
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOTED IN PASSING:
Ronfeldt and a colleague coined the term netwar to
describe what happens when loosely-affiliated
networks -- social activists, terrorists, or drug
cartels -- use new information technologies to
coordinate action. Throughout the world, these
networks are replacing "hierarchies" as the primary
form of political organization among opponents of the
state.
<See PSN: NETWAR COULD MAKE MEXICO
UNGOVERNABLE>
Contents:
********************INSIDE BURMA****************************
THE NATION: EVERYTHING FOR SALE, EXCEPT FREEDOM
CSM: CHINESE INROAD TO MANDALAY IRKS LOCALS
*********************CHIN STATE*****************************
KHRG: SLORC ABUSES IN CHIN STATE
********************THE WA HILLS****************************
BKK POST:THE WA: OPIUM'S DESTITUTES
*********************SHAN STATE*****************************
SCB: KHUN SA CONNIVING WITH FOREIGN AND ANTI-GOVT
ORGANIZATIONS [SLORCITE]
*********************THAILAND*******************************
BKK POST: BURMESE MP AMONG THOSE HELD IN NORTH
BKK POST: BURMA FIGHTING TAKES ITS TOLL ON GEMS TRADE
********************INTERNATIONAL***************************
SCB: PROJECT BURMAWEB
BURMANET: ARTICLES ON NETWAR AND PERHAPS, PEACE
PSN: NETWAR COULD MAKE MEXICO UNGOVERNABLE
ZNLA: LETTER FROM SUBCOMMANDANTE MARCOS
SCB-H: SARAJEVO ON LINE
**************************************************************
The BurmaNet News is an *********************************
electronic newspaper * Iti *
covering Burma. Articles * snotpo *
from newspapers, magazines, * werthatcor *
newsletters, the wire * ruptsbutfea *
services and the Internet as * r.Fearoflos *
well as original material * ingpowercor *
are published. * ruptsthosewhoare *
The BurmaNet News is * subjecttoit...Theef *
e-mailed directly to * fortnecessarytoremain *
subscribers and is * uncorruptedinanenvironm *
also distributed via * entwherefearisanintegralpar *
the soc.culture.burma * tofeverydayexistenceisnoti *
and seasia-l mailing * mmediatelyapparentto *
lists and is also * thosefortunate *
available via the * enoughtolivein *
reg.burma conference on * statesgovern *
the APC networks. For a * edbytherule *
free subscription to * oflaw...fear *
the BurmaNet News, send * is ahab it. *
an e-mail message to: * Iam *
* no *
majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxx * taf *
* ra *
In the body of the message, * id. *
type "subscribe burmanet-l" * Aun *
(without quotation marks) * gSa *
* nS *
Letters to the editor, * uu *
comments or contributions * Ky *
of articles should be * i. *
sent to the editor at: *********************************
strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
In Washington:
Attention to BurmaNet
c/o National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma
(NCGUB)
Information Office
815 15th Street NW, Suite 609
Washington D.C. 20005
Tel: (202) 393-7342, Fax: (202) 393-7343
In Bangkok:
Attention to BurmaNet
c/o Burma Issues
PO Box 1076, Silom Post Office
Bangkok 10504 Thailand
Tel: (066) (02) 234-6674, Fax: (066) (02) 631 0133
[The NCGUB is the government-in-exile, made up of the people
who won the election in 1990. Burma Issues is a Bangkok-based
non-governmental organization that documents human rights
conditions in Burma and maintains an archive of Burma-related
documents. Views expressed in The BurmaNet News do not
necessarily reflect those of either NCGUB or Burma Issues]
**************************************************************
*************THE BURMANET NEWS--APRIL 4, 1995*****************
**************************************************************
********************INSIDE BURMA****************************
NATION: EVERYTHING FOR SALE, EXCEPT FREEDOM
2 April 1995
Rangoon, Burma - With his air conditioning going full blast, U
Kyaw Kyaw Aung scans Rangoon's urban horizon from his new
Toyota Sprinter. "There's one," he says, pointing to a
satellite dish barley visible from the road. "They're not
legal, but I know they're there because I installed them." Kyaw
Kyaw Aung, who builds satellite dishes, defines Burma's
stilting but emerging business class. His gross income of
US$3,300 a month - more than 10 times what he earned as a
technician for the united States Embassy - has made him one of
the capital city's nouveau rich. Kyaw Kyaw Aung's business,
too, is a mark of the nascent middle class - consumers with the
money to buy a channel to the outside world. He estimates that
there are some 4,000 registered satellite dishes in Ragoon and
20,000 that are not registered.
"Anybody who has a back yard has a satellite dish," he says.
"Nearly everybody can afford it - 50,000 kyat (Bt12,500) is
nothing." But the average civil servant, earning about half
that amount in a year, would surely disagree. For the 85 per
cent of the population eking out a life in the countryside,
luxury is defined by a corrugated roof and running water, not
access to Cable News Network. Still, as the government follows
communist Cuba and China by choosing a capitalist path and
abandoning "The Burmese road to Socialism", which impoverished
the country for more than a quarter century, there are signs
that the free market is beginning to create some prosperity.
And the government, itself, is sharking, pushing as many people
as possible out of the socialist nest.
"They will have to fend for themselves, become entrepreneurs,
join the private sector, do something," says David Abel, head
of the National Planning Ministry. "After all," he chuckles,
"it's a capitalist economy." In 1988, when the government
initially adopt limited market reforms, Abel says it controlled
more than 95 per cent of the country's gross domestic product.
After privatizing farming and their industries, he says, the
private sector today controls 76 per cent of GDP. Ultimately,
he predicts that only 5 per cent of Burma's economy will be in
the hands of the government. As yet, Burma has at best a half
baked capitalist economy, with the winners preordained by the
government. It still gives government workers very inexpensive
supplies of rice, gasoline, and other necessities, as it did
during the socialist era; most of these supplies go to
high-ranking military officers who then sell their rations on
the black market at an 800 per cent markup.
What's different today is that not only government officials
are getting whealthy, but private citizens are beginning to
reap the benefits of the trade and limited capitalism.
Generally, the new middle class is comprised of the
English-speaking educated elite well-known to the government -
either through family ties, or surprisingly, through their
opposition to the government. Take U Set Aung, who set up a
joint venture importing used Korean-made motorcycles, sees two
keys to doing business here, aside from some understanding of
market economics and hard work: Government connections and
political neutrality. Such political caution is also heard
along Maha Bandoola Garden Street, Rangoon electronics centre.
Ma Phyu Phyu Htun, sales manager at the Apple computer Co-op
Stores Syndicate, says only in a climate of political
"stability" can she shell her computers, priced from $1,350 to
$8,000. "The military government is good for business, I would
voted for this government over the NLD," she says. The National
League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu kyi won a
landslide victory in the elections in 1990. Asked why she would
not support the democracy party, Phyu Phyu Htun observes
simply: "We can't eat democracy." What is happening is that the
Burmese are beginning to taste the fruits of the market
economy, even though it has not been completely liberalized.
Many citizens can now buy "modern" conveniences for the first
time.
Western sources estimate that the number of telephones, TVs,
and cars has nearly doubled in five years. The years of
economic contraction have been reversed. In 1992-93, the
economic growth rate was a real 6 per cent, according to
government statistics. Inflation rose more than 30 per cent,
but some western diplomats say the cost of basic necessities
has increased even faster. "The government is trying give
businessmen a stale in the system," says U Than Htun Aung, who
manages a consulting firm in Rangoon. "That's part of their
strategy. Yadanabon Enterprises, Than Htun Aung's firm,
epitomizes one of the government's biggest problems:
disaffection of the country's educated elite.
In 1988, Than Htun Aung and 10 colleagues at the foreign
Ministry marched in the pro-de- mocracy demonstrations against
the government. They were forced to resign. So they started a
business advising foreign governments and non governmental
organisations on operation in Burma. But if Yadanabon marks a
loss of government talent, it also shows how effectively
political dissent is corralled. "The government doesn't make
trouble for us," Than Htun Aung says. "We stay within the
bounds. We don't over step. We don't belong to any political
organizations."
The government appears to be luring former political activists
into business, says one prominent former politician. After he
was released from jail last year, he says government
representatives told him: "'We will not tolerate you if you go
back into politics. But if you want to do business, religious
work, etc, we'll give you full assistance.' So I told them I
wanted a fax machine, and they had one installed. I told them I
wanted an IDD international telephone line, and they put one
in." But many Burmese say such compromises would dissolve if
free elections were allowed and the results upheld. "If the NLD
were under the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi and there would
be a free election, they would voted for the NLD," says one
businessman. Another adds quickly, "95 per cent of them would
vote for the NLD." (TN)
CSM: CHINESE INROAD TO MANDALAY IRKS LOCALS
[From the Christian Science Monitor, reprinted in The Nation, 2
April 1995]
Mandalay, Burma - To see Burma's love-hate relationship with
China, one need look no further than Daw Myint Myint Than and
her mother, Daw Hmi. Two years ago, they lived in a spacious
home inn the centre of Mandalay, Burma, complete with running
water and electricity. Today they live outside the city, in a
new suburb called Pebyu Gone. Now their electricity comes from
a generator, and their water is drawn from a tank outside. They
moved from the city, they say, because the government ordered
all residents in their neighbourhood to build brick walls
around their homes, adorned with "well designed gates".
"We could not afford the repairs," says Daw Hmi. "We had no
choice but to move." As it turned out, the women played the
soaring real estate market with more skill than Donlad Trump.
They sold their home to a wealthy Chinese family from Yunnan
Province, bought a more spacious house, and walked away with
about US$12,500 (Bt312,500) in profit - not bad in a country
where the average annual income is US$250 (Bt6,250) a year.
One might think, then, that Myint Myint Than would be happy
about the influx of Chinese that turned their small house into
a lifetime savings plan. But she shakes her head slowly. "We
cannot say we like it. Not at all." Her comment captures the
ambivalence that this most traditional of Burmese cities feels
toward the Chinese: They welcome the money and consumer goods
from nearby Yunnan, but they recent the foreigners taking the
best of Mandalay for themselves. "The central part of any city
is always regarded as a business centre and land prices of such
regions are usually very high," says U Tun Kyi, the mayor of
Mandalay. "It is not the concern of the government since it is
a normal outcome of the changing economic system. The govern-
ment has no control on the land prices.' The Burmese agree that
it is the invisible hand of the market, rather than government
design, that is turning Mandalay into " a province of Yunnan",
as U Kyaw Thein, chairman of the Bur- ma Trading centre, am
association of agricultural traders, puts it. He and others
worry that Mandalay is part of a Chinese push to gain new
markets and a route to the India Ocean. In the process, he
says, Mandalay is selling its economic future too cheaply and
becoming dependent on the inexpensive goods from the north
rather than building its own industry. The Ava stereo store in
the heart of Mandalay's electronics district is a testament to
Chinese ingenuity and success.
Displayed in the front of the store is a small "Sony" stereo.
In fact, says salesman U Maung Maugn Aye, the stereo was made
in China and given a bogus Japanese label. The quality is
poorer than the stereos from Singapore, and comparable to those
made in Burma by Daewoo, a Korean joint-venture. "the Chinese
merchants know the Burmese market. They know if a stereo from
Singapore costs 9,000 kyats (Bt2,250), and one from Daewoo
costs 6,000 kyats (Bt1,500), then the Chinese will price their
at 3,000 kyats(Bt750)," saleman U Maung Maung Aye says. The
seeds of these problems were planted about 32 years ago, when
Gen Ne Win staged a mili- tary coup, hermetically sealed the
country, and set it off on the ruinous "Burmese Way to So-
cialism".
For 26 years, all foreign trade was officially cut off, and the
Burmese lived in a con- sumer time warp, but a flourshing black
market in goods from china, Thailand, and India con- tinued.
Not until Ne Win retired in 1988 was border trade permitted
again. In the meantime, says one textile shop owner, the
Burmese suffered " a generation gap in economics". "Before
1962, we Burmese owned factories, we could compete with the
Chinese," he says. But after the military government
nationalized all businesses and shops, he says, "the bright
children became doctors and writers, not businessmen.
Now that the economic door is open again, we lack experience in
a market system, and we can't compete.' But there is a
resentment toward the Chinese acumen and everything to do with
politics. As one businessman put it, "Our government's life
depends on the Chinese. That's where they get arms." Since
1990, Burma's military government has bought more than a
billioon dollars of Chinese International Peace Research
Institute. The weapons helped tip the balance in the
45-year-old civil war with ethnic minorities fighting for
independence. They also give the military the abili- ty to put
down any revolt, should demonstrators ever choose to repeat the
1988 democratic up- rising.
"It's clear that the Burmese decided to sidle up to the
Chinese, and that puts them between a rock and a hard place,"
says Charles Meconis, Research director at the Institute for
Global Se- curity Students in Seattle, Washington. In the
meantime, people in Mandalay are watching as the Chinese
customs and dialect penetrate the city. "the cultures are
becoming mixed," says Kyaw Thein, of the Burma Trading centre.
The Chinese are wearing Burmese Longyi (sarong), and Burmese
wear short Chinese pants. "But next time you come, you will see
only the long pants of the soldiers and short pants of the
Chinese. The Longyi will be all gone." copyright 1995. the
Christian Science Monitor Publishing. Distributed by the Los
Angeles Times Syndicate. (TN)
*********************CHIN STATE*****************************
KHRG: SLORC ABUSES IN CHIN STATE
An Independent Report by the Karen Human Rights Group
March 15, 1995 / KHRG #95-09
In late 1994, KHRG helped to provide equipment and training to
a few Chin individuals who are interested in documenting the
human rights situation in Chin State. Since then, we have
begun receiving reports and photographs from the area. This
report contains the first installment of this information.
While the Karen Human Rights Group focuses its activities
primarily on Karen areas, we are always eager to document the
situation of all peoples and areas of Burma whenever firsthand
information is available. We hope we can continue to help the
Chin people to disseminate information on their homeland, which
is largely ignored by the outside world.
Chin State is in northwestern Burma, adjacent to southern
Bangladesh and India's Mizoram and Manipur states. It is
mostly semi-mountainous remote hill country, and is home to the
Zo people, also known as Chin, who also inhabit much of the
adjacent part of India. The small but active Chin National
Front is involved in armed struggle against SLORC, but there is
very little fighting there compared to many other parts of
Burma. In spite of this, the SLORC behaves much the same in
Chin State as it does in the country's war zones, as is shown
by the sample of incidents listed in this report.
Names have been changed and some details omitted where
necessary in this report to protect the people involved. Names
which have been changed are indicated by enclosing them in
quotation marks. Please feel free to use this report in any
way which may help the peoples of Burma, but do not forward it
to any SLORC representatives.
TOPIC SUMMARY: Torture (Stories #1,2,3), Forced Labour (#1,3),
Threatening massacres (#1,2), People fleeing to become refugees
(#1,2,3), Unlawful conviction & sentencing (#3), Jail
conditions (#3), Death in custody (#3), Interrogation drugs &
torture (#3), State stealing of ethnic children (#4),
Burmanization & religious persecution (#4).
_______________________________________________________________
_______________ #1.
NAME: "U Mya Aung" SEX: M AGE: 28 Chin
Buddhist farmer ADDRESS: Longkadoo village, Plat Wa township,
Chin State
Two days before we came here, Company 1 of SLORC Battalion #376
called us to Doh Chaung Wa village. They called 12 villagers
to go, but only 3 people could go because the villagers were
very busy in their fields. So only 3 of us went. The other
two were Maung Sein from Ohn Thee Wa village and Tin Soe from
Paut Htoo Wa village. Then the soldiers said, "We called for
12 villagers. Why didn't you comply with our order?" So they
started beating us. Then they forced the 3 of us to saw wood
to build their fence, but we didn't know how to saw it. Then
the soldiers accused us of being against them, so they tied up
two of us with our hands behind our backs and punched and
kicked all of us several times. They beat me worse than the
other two. At the time, we were so scared that we tried to
bribe them to release us with 1,000 Kyat. After they got the
1,000 Kyat they released us.
When I got back to my village the situation got worse, because
the wife, daughter and niece of the Plat Wa police inspector, U
Law Her, came to our village and stayed at the village
headman's house, then they disappeared. These women said they
came to trade. We don't know where they went after they stayed
in our village. Maybe the rebels kidnapped them. Because of
this, our village
headman U Ram Doh was arrested by Captain Htun Way from
Battalion #376, Company 1. They took him to Pone Yaung Wa army
camp, and after they got there they asked him questions:
"Where are the three women?" The village head told them he
didn't know anything about it, and they tied his hands and his
legs and sank him in water again and again, so many times.
After he couldn't say anything anymore, the soldiers punched
him, kicked him and beat him with rifle butts so many times.
We heard that they broke his nose and that he was bleeding all
over his body and his face. Now we don't know if he's dead or
alive.
The day after arresting our headman, the SLORC Army sent a
message with a man to our village telling us to send these 3
women back to Plat Wa town as soon as possible or else they
will kill all of our villagers [this messenger (a conscripted
villager) also described the torture of the headman to them].
We didn't know anything about these 3 women so we couldn't do
anything. At 9 p.m. on the night of 28 December 1994, the
villagers decided that we would all have to flee from our
village. Some went to India, some went to Cha Krau and we came
here to Kessephai together with 20 families, 123 of us
altogether. We reached Kessephai [in Rarjamati province,
Bangladesh] the next morning, on 29 December. Most of the
people in our group are old people and children. After we
reached here, we had problems to live. We stayed at the
village head's house and another house, and they collect rice
from the other villagers to feed us. They will finish
collecting it in 1 or 2 days. We don't know how we will
survive. All of our belongings, buffalos, cattle, rice, and
other crops, we had to leave behind at our village. We
couldn't carry anything with us. We heard that the soldiers
came to our village the next day and took everything. This
village where we are staying now is still very close to the
Burma border, so we still have to worry for our safety and we
had to plead to The Hi Ni village militia to help protect us
from Burmese soldiers. Some of our people are sick [it is a
cold winter in the Chin Hills] and there is no medicine. We
don't know how we will survive.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________ #2.
NAME: "U Myo Thant" SEX: M AGE: 40 Chin
Buddhist, farmer ADDRESS: Longkadoo village, Plat Wa
township, Chin State
For a long time, we lived comfortably in our village and we had
no problem with our farms. But last week, just before we fled
here, our headman went to Plat Wa town. When he came back, 3
women followed him. These women are the wives of policemen.
They said they were coming to the village to trade. They slept
one night in our village and then they disappeared. We don't
know where they went. Then Company #1 of SLORC Battalion #376
called our headman to their Pone Yaung Wa camp because the 3
women had disappeared. When our headman arrived at their camp,
the SLORC Army asked him where the 3 women were. He told them
the women had slept one night in his house, then the next day
he didn't see them anymore so he didn't know where they had
gone. Then the soldiers tied his hands behind his back and
sunk him in water. Then they asked him more questions. The
headman told them he didn't know anything about the situation
of the 3 women, so they pushed him under the water many times
and started beating him. They tied his arms and his legs with
a rope, and they punched him and kicked him many times. They
hit him with a rifle butt. After the last blow he had a broken
rib, his nose had been crushed by the rifle butt and his whole
body was swelling up. Then the Army ordered him to send the 3
women to them. "If not", they said, "We are going to kill all
the villagers."
The next day, on 28 December 1994, the Army sent a man named
Mao Char Mu, 40 years old, from Pone Yaung Wa village to our
village
to give us this message and to take back our answer [he also
described the torture of the headman to them]. They ordered
the villagers to send the 3 women immediately to Plat Wa town,
and threatened "If not, we are going to kill all the
villagers." We didn't know how to solve this problem. There
was no choice for us. We were afraid we would be killed that
night, so we had to run away. Some of the villagers ran to
India and some to Kessephai [in Bangladesh]. My family and 12
other families ran here to Cha Krau [a village in Bangladesh].
We are 97 people altogether. We left Longkadoo village on 28
December at about 8 p.m. We had to walk the whole night, then
we arrived here at Cha Krau on 29 December. We had no
relatives here, and we had no food, so it is difficult for us
to stay here and we have to face many troubles. A man from the
village is letting us stay at the primary school. We had to
flee immediately from SLORC, so we couldn't carry any food,
blankets, or clothing. We had to leave behind our buffalos,
our cattle, our pigs and our paddy and flee.
Right now I just get too tired trying to think about how to
solve our problems and continue our lives. We don't even know
if our headman is dead or not. It is impossible to go back to
our village. We don't dare try to survive there anymore. [The
97 people are currently staying in the primary school, a
building 16 feet wide by 24 feet long, in Cha Krau village,
Rarjamati District, Bangladesh. Many of them have bad colds
from a particularly cold winter, and some are also suffering
from malaria. They have no access to medical treatment, and no
food except what the local villagers can give them.]
_______________________________________________________________
_______________ #3.
NAME: "Maung Ko" SEX: M AGE: 27 Chin
Christian, student ADDRESS: Ma Tu Pi township, Chin State
I and two of my friends named Thin Lian Klai and Thin Lian Sun
went to Mizo Yapet in India to make some money during the
school holidays. At the time, I was studying at the high
school of Ma Tu Pi township. Along our way between Plat Wa and
Phai Chaung, we saw many other people going as well. After we
reached Phai Chaung, we met with SLORC Light Infantry Battalion
#20 led by Captain Zaw Win. They interrogated us, accused us
of being collaborators with rebels and detained us. We denied
that we were collaborating with rebels. We tried hard to
explain to them that we were just going to trade chickens in
Mizo Yapet to get money for school, but they didn't accept
this. They started beating and torturing us. After punching
and kicking us many times, they covered my head and sank it in
water, then they pulled my ribs apart [they reached around him
from behind, grabbed the right and left sides of his lower
ribcage and tried to wrench them apart]. They also used the
"riding a bicycle" torture [a common SLORC torture - the victim
is forced to squat in a riding position and pretend he's riding
a bicycle or motorcycle, often also being forced to make
honking noises, etc., under the torturer's instructions such as
"Turn left! Stop! You didn't stop soon enough!" - the victim is
then severely beaten], and they also forced us to squat as if
we were shitting or pissing for a long time. They forced us to
stand for the whole day and said "You have to confess. I am
going to beat you up until you confess." They put 3 bags over
my head and then they beat my back several times with a rifle
butt. Then they beat my legs 100 or 200 times with a cane
stick. Finally we had to confess. We said that we were
collaborators with rebels.
Then Captain Zaw Win sent us to court charged with 4 criminal
offenses under Article 17 (1). We had no opportunity for
defence. The Plat Wa court said, "We cannot sentence for
political offenses", so they transferred us to Sittwe Township
in Arakan State. In
that court we had an opportunity to defend ourselves. In
court we told them that we were not collaborators with rebels.
The judge said to the Army men, "You must show evidence.
Unless you can produce any evidence, we cannot convict them of
being against the country." So then the SLORC Army sent a man
to the court. The judge asked him, "Can you give any evidence
against them? If not, we can't convict them under this
Article, and we can't detain them. If you can't produce any
evidence, we will release them." The Army had no evidence.
Then the judge said to us, "I'm sure that you are not rebel
collaborators. I could release you now by my authority. But I
am so sad. I cannot do that for the time being because the
Army ordered me not to release you and to put you in jail.
According to the law you are clear of the crime, you are not
guilty. But as you know, our country is governed by the Army
and we cannot do anything against their orders. Therefore, I
will have to go along with this Article. It says you can be
detained for 3 to 7 years. I am going to sentence you to 3
years, because this is the shortest possible period of time. I
am sure you are not guilty, and they couldn't produce any
evidence. But I am daunted by the military authorities."
So the judge sentenced us to 3 years and they sent us to Sittwe
jail. They put the 3 of us in a 10-foot by 5-foot dark cell
for 6 months. They gave us one pot for a latrine. Nothing
else, only bare cement. When the pot got fuller and fuller, we
asked them to empty it but they wouldn't. The smell of shit
was all over the room. We had to suffer that for 6 months. In
the dark room, my friend Lian Sun died of the fever he got from
being tortured. We tried to report it to the authorities
before he died, but they ignored us. After he died, they took
his dead body to the hospital and the doctor said that he died
of a heart attack. After 6 months in the dark room, my other
friend was released to a normal cell, but he wasn't allowed to
meet or talk to any other prisoners. We could talk to each
other during the shifts of labour, but the chains on our legs
were very strong.
In the jail, an MI [Military Intelligence] man came to us and
interrogated us often. Before he interrogated us, he made us
spin around 20 times. We slowly got dizzy, and sometimes we
vomited [Note: in their weak condition, the effect of this
would be much stronger than on a healthy person]. Then they
blindfolded us and took us walking for 20 minutes, but we
didn't know where we were going. They brought 2 or 3 pills and
forced us to swallow them. We couldn't protest. Half an hour
after taking these pills, we slowly became very frightened and
afraid. They always did this to us before interrogating us.
The way the MI interrogates people is really terrible, not only
to me but to the other prisoners as well. They put pins under
our fingernails. They used nail-clippers to pinch our skin,
and they poured very cold water on the front part of our heads.
They have several ways of torturing and interrogating. Even
though you are not killed, you can never be normal again.
The food in the jail is really bad. They fed us twice a day,
half paddy [unmilled rice, which has indigestible husks on it]
and half rice. Whenever they could, they put soda in the rice
gruel, so that if you leave this rice for one hour, it becomes
liquid. If you eat only the rice they give you in jail, you
cannot stay alive for long. If you want better rice you have
to pay at least 100 Kyat per month to the jail warden. There
was so much bribing going on in the jail. Unless you could
bribe them, you had to suffer. In these conditions, at least 4
people died every month from starvation in Sittwe jail.
By the blessing of God, I was released from jail on 27 November
1994. I planned to go and stay very happily with my family.
But that was impossible, because the authorities gave me a
card.
The card means "This person can be arrested at any time." It
said I had to report to the police station every two weeks, and
they could arrest me anytime, so I had no freedom. I don't
want to be arrested again. I am so afraid of that. So I just
stayed with my family for one day, and then I fled and came
here. ["Maung Ko" (from Ma Tu Pi township) and Thin Lian Klai
(from Tan Ta Lan township) were both released after serving
their full sentences. Both have now fled to Bangladesh. Thin
Lian Sun, from Chaung Do village, Klay Township, died in the
first 6 months in prison.]
_______________________________________________________________
_______________
#4.
On 30 May 1994 copies of the following letter from the Tan Ta
Lan Township LORC were distributed in both Burmese and Chin
languages throughout Tan Ta Lan town and to all villages in Tan
Ta Lan Township:
Township Law & Order
Restoration Council Tan Ta
Lan Township
Letter No. 01/3-1/TLORC (Tan
Ta Lan) Date: 1994 May 30
To:
Chairmen
Quarter / Village Law & Order Restoration Council Groups
_________________ town / village
Subject: Announcing the provision of higher education to
children
1) Regarding the above subject, with the purpose of giving
higher education to the children for the development of areas
in the state, those below the age of 14 years are to be
provided with food and clothing, provided education, and
trained to be refined individuals without any racial or
religious discrimination.
2) Therefore, nationals should send their children either to
Rangoon or to Tan Ta Lan town in order that they may be
educated. Bearing in mind the well-being of their children,
they should announce the giving of higher education to the
villages.
Remarks:
(1) The State will provide lodging, board, clothes and all
other necessities for the children who enroll for higher
education. (2) These children should bring with them all their
particulars: date of birth, names of parents, National
Registration Card number, name of village, and religion.
(3) These children should be sent to Tan Ta Lan town before
the end of July 1994.
(4) They will be allowed to worship and practice their own
religion.
Attached is a copy of a translation in Chin language
[Sd.]
(for) Chairman
(Chin Za Bone, Secretary)
Some of the Christian Chin in the township believed the
announcement, and at least 9 children were entrusted into the
care of SLORC. They were taken first to Tan Ta Lan town, then
to Rangoon. Since the end of July 1994 there has been no
communication whatsoever from or about them. They have been
completely cut off from their parents. When the parents
investigated, they learned that all of the children were living
at K'Ba Aye Buddhist monastery in Rangoon. This was
communicated to the Chin Christian community in Rangoon. In
the first week of December 1994, they went to the abbot of the
monastery and asked permission to see these children, but
permission was refused.
In the third week of December 1994, two representatives from
Chin State went down to Rangoon to attend the SLORC's national
convention and learned about the Chin children. They went to
the authorities and asked permission to see the children, and
the two of them were granted permission. When they met the
children at K'Ba Aye monastery, they found that the boys had
had their heads shaved in order to become novice Buddhist
monks, while the girls had been pressured repeatedly to have
their heads shaved to become Buddhist nuns, but so far the
girls had refused. All of the children cried and begged to be
taken home when the 2 representatives met
them. However, the children are still being held at the
monastery. [Note: Not only is the SLORC using the promise of
education to steal Chin children, Burmanize them and coerce or
force them to become Buddhists, but there is also a further
danger that as soon as the boys reach age 14 or 15 they are
very likely to be conscripted into the Burma Army. SLORC has
used similar tricks in the past in areas such as the Irrawaddy
Delta, where it has invited young Karen boys to sporting
tournaments only to kidnap them and force them into the Army.
The Tatmadaw has a history of grabbing orphans and other small
boys and housing them at Army camps, indoctrinating them and
using them as errand boys until they are big enough to be
soldiers. As Cambodian civilians learned from the Khmer Rouge,
such kidnapped and brainwashed children can make the most
terrifying of teenage soldiers.]
*********************THE WA HILLS***************************
BKK POST: THE WA: OPIUM'S DESTITUTES
2 April 1995
>From hunting heads to opium farming Twenty years ago they were
hunting heads. Now as fighting continues in northern Burma, the
Wa are still the largest producers of opium, out-farming the
famous Khun Sa. But three years ago, they offered to stop
farming the deadly drug and no one will help them. Thierry
Falise and Rene de Saint Laurent explore the Wa's Catch 22
situation.
THERE are about 20 women and children, swiftly moving from one
poppy to another, like a platoon of surgeons equipped with
small multi-bladed scalpels, meticulously incising each seed
capsule. They left their village early morning and walked two
hours to the vast field - a 45 degree slope on the side of
mountain opening onto a majestic valley. The lovely earth is
covered with white, red and purple poppy flowers, light green,
plump capsules stand straight on their stem, ready to deliver
their precious tears. Everyone has to work fast, for sudden
rain can destroy the harvest, as can an aggressive sun which
dries the flowers and their opium treasure. It take only a few
seconds for capsules to sweat thin milky drops which, when met
with air, quickly get brown and sticky. Late afternoon, the
two-hectare field is bled white. The morning after, the army of
incisors will return with spatula to scrape opium latex. Woman
will then gather in the village to weigh and pack the brown gum
inside banana leaves and a white paper wrapping which is used
to make opium bowls. The produce is ready to sell on lo- cal
markets. It takes around 3,000 poppies to produce one viss (1.6
kilogrammes). This year in a Wa Hills - a vast mountain
territory at the heart of the Golden Border - the mood is
euphoric. There has been no big rain and the sun shone gently.
"We should double opium production compared to last year, a
shift from 2,000 to 4,000 tons," claims Kyauk Ni Lai, a tall,
slim man of 56. He is secretary general of the United Wa State
Party (UWSP), the WA territory's de facto government. According
to the last US State Department report,, 2,230 tons of opium
were produced last year in the Burmese part of the Golden
Triangle. The two other countries, Thailand and Laos, produce
not more than 200 tons. And yet, because of bad weather, this
harvest was 21% lower than the previous year. Whatever the real
production is, the Wa still produce the most opium, far ahead
of other Golden Triangle hilltribes work in for the Kokang - a
Chinese ethnic group established to the North-West of the Wa -
and Shan during kingpin Khun Sa. A lot of villagers confirm
Kyauk Ni Lai's prediction. "Last year, 20 members in my family
made by 4 viss, this year we should made at least 8 viss," says
Pao Ny Pun, from Kua Nae vil- lage.
Passion for opium: The Wa have been producing opium from
generations. Rare chronicles of the beginning of the 20th
Century about Wa Hills all mention that activity. "Their real
crop is opium," says one of them. "they have a passion for
opium," adds another. At the end of the 19th century and
beginning of 20 century , the Wa territory was mostly no man's
land infested by head-hunters which neither Chinese nor British
colonialists wished to ad- minister. Vast amounts of opium was
produced on both side of the Burma, China, Siam, British and
French colonial territories. Even though opium was banned when
Burma gained independence in 1948, criminal or political
organisations, such as remnants of the Kuomintang (KMT)and
faction of the Burmese commu- nist Party (BCP) kept producing
opium to finance an armed struggle or private interests. >From
1988 to 1993, opium producing there more than doubled, from
1,200 to 2,500 tons. The Wa themselves only used small
quantities of opium for medical purposes. Addiction is lim-
ited to a few old villagers. Virtually all their opium will end
up in discrete makeshift bamboo refineries. The operations are
found under the protective shade of jungle trees, along small
streams and spread throughout the vast Shan State. Under the
protection of heavily armed soldiers, Chinese chemists, mostly
from Hong Kong and Taiwan, will transform opium gum into
"Heroin No.4" the purest from of the deadly drug, A chemist
needs ten kilos opium and the few chemical precursors like
acetatic anhydride to produce one kilo of heroin. Official the
Wa no longer produce heroin. "Most of the heroin is made by the
Kokang and Khun Sa," claims Kyauk Ni Lai. But its an open
secrete for expert and anti-narcotics organisations that the Wa
remain among the biggest producers of heroin in Golden
Triangle, and thus in the world. A Bangkok -based Western
diplomat says, "the Wa and Khun Sa produce around 65 % of the
heroin from Burma. The Wa control refineries in their northern
territory but also in the south, along the Thai border some of
those refineries are very big..." The production system is the
same as Khun Sa's. The management of some refineries is sub-
contracted to Chinese ethnic Haw businessmen - in which case
the Wa provide armed protection and get a contract price of
percentage from heroin production. Others are jointly owned and
some totally owned by the Wa. Two year ago, one of the main Wa
leaders was known to be directly in charge of a refinery with a
daily production capacity of 150 kilos of No.4. Some Wa leaders
have been steadily subcontracting to the three Wei brothers, an
under ground Chinese family with a long drug involvement
history. The Wa leaders deny the heroin refineries' existence
"because they are ashamed, they know their negative effect in
the West," discreetly acknowledges one of their advisers. "They
also probably keep those refineries for bargaining in possible
future negotiations," adds a Western Thailand -based
anti-narcotics agent.
Heroin addicts: Foreign government are deeply concerned by an
increase in Burmese drug production. According to the State
Department, 60 to 70 % of heroin sold on the US market comes
from that country. The DEA estimate that 600,000 people are
addicted to heroin in USA, half of them in New York City. In
Thailand, there are about 200,000 addicts, a lot of them from
hilltribe minorities in the north. In those remote areas, pure
heroin directly bought from Burmese refineries can cost as
little as 35 baht (US 1.4) gram. Burma has an estimated 200,000
to 300,000 addicts and n France, the number of heroin addicts
has double in ten years to between 150,000 and 3000,000.
"Because of that considerable production increase," explains a
Bangkok-based Western anti- narcotics agent, "an improvement of
heroin quality, for a constant price, has ben observed." In US
the purity has raised from 7% ten year ago to an average of
36%; in France from 3% to 10% and the price has stabilised to
about $60 to 200 for one gram. One of the first consequences of
higher purity rates is increase in deaths from an overdose. In
France, death by heroin overdose have doubled in five year to
reach 408 in 1993. Furthermore, according to a few Thai and
Thai-based Western sources, the Wa recently diversi- fied
activities and became big producers of amphetamines. Million of
speed tablets made from Chinese or Indian ephedrine are
flooding Thailand and begin to pierce China as well. In
Thailand, one table, often mixed with 50 % heroin, is sold for
30 baht to truck and bus driv- ers, fishermen, farm and
construction workers but also increasingly to school children.
One could expect that the main beneficiaries of the hugely
fruitful drug business would be the Wa people. Actually, there
is no need to spend mush time in Wa villages to understand that
most still live in the Middle Ages, light-year form what's
happening to their opium once it goes to local markets. The Wa
were not so long ago famous for being head-hunters. Every
before harvest season, vil- lage commandos organised ambushed
along paths and roads or mass raids against other villages. The
purpose was not bring back home as many human heads as possible
to favour good crops "The last time I cut a head off - in my
life I have cut not less than ten heads - was 20 ear ago,"
remembers Sia Jeng, headman of Yong Ngrex village, showing a
large smile and bright eyes which seem to say these were the
good old times when people could still enjoy life. But those
time are past and the Wa are no longer "human animals" or
"ferocious barbarians" as described by a Chinese explorer in
the 1930s. IN more modern time, diseases like dysentery,
diarrhoea, malaria and various infection, due to an absence of
hygiene, are spreading." Destitutes who are the first step in
one of the most lucrative business in the world depend on it
because opium is their only possible cash crop. Ta Ailah, a
family chief in Lah Tai village, explains that his family "need
to produce opium to live six to seven month of this year. The
others months we can live on rice, corn or other crops and
activities." That economy can thus be very fragile. Last year,
due to the bad harvest harvest, many villages began to starve
and the Wa Party had to inject cash to help. Opium and heroin
benefit go first into the Wa Party's pocket and are mainly used
for its own army. According to Kyauk Ni lai, the Party collects
a tax of 25% of opium production (in cash or opium) from the
producer, another 5% on quantities sold at local market and 5%
on quanti- ties sold to outside radars - a lot of them
ironically being middlemen from Khun Sa, arch ene- my of the
Wa. In 1994, the UWSP Central Committee officially collected
150 million Chinese yuan (US$18 million, half of which came
from opium. But that does not include local taxes. Most tax
revenue is spent on weapons, ammunition and other military
supplies for the 15,000 to 30,000 fighters of the United Wa
State Army (UWSA).
Cease fire accord: According to a ceasefire agreement signed in
1989 between the Wa and Slorc, the Wa Army, who used to form
the BCP rank-and-file, is allowed to keep its weapons and
uniforms and play the role of regional militia in it own
territory. Armed Slorc soldiers are forbidden from Wa
territory. Leader strongly insist on keeping their army
operational to be ready against potential attacks. Since the
1989 agreement, relationship between the Slorc and Wa have
mostly been uneasy, often on the razor's edge. Both keep
talking and meeting. Kyauk Ni lai,often goes to Rangoon,
especially for the National Convention as the Chief of
delegation for the Wa minority. Khin Nyunt regularly picks up
his helicopter to pay visits to the Wa hills. But on the other
hand, the Wa say they increasingly mistrust Rangoon generals
because they do not fulfil promises made five years ago to
develop their country by building roads and their
infrastructure. "The Slorc says Kyauk Ni lai, "claims that it
spent three billion Kyat(US$million at black market rate) for
border area development (for the WA and other minorities). It
's a lie. "The Slorc claims that it helps the Wa but for
example, when it builds a hospital, there is neither a bed or a
single doctor. And when I ask the Burmese why they do that ,
they answer "we have our own problems". Kyauk Ni lai likes to
tell how Khin Nyunt, during a visit in 1994, offered him three
million Kyat (US$25,000) provided he would spread rumours that
the Slorc actually built a main road in Wa territory. "I took
the money. I knew any way that nobody would believe him,"
laughs the Wa leader.
Security pact: Regularly the pressure is mounting and rumours
of military build -up in Northern Burma are spreading. In
November 1994, the Wa, the Kokang and the smaller minorities -
the Lahu, the Akha and Falaung - formed the Peace and
Democratic Front (PDF). The PDF, according to a Thailand-based
Burmese minorities expert, was created because those minorities
who reached ceasefire were upset by Slorc delays on
self-administration claims. The PDF is thus calling for the
region East of the Salween River (in Shan State) be autonomous.
Bur according to the Kyauk Ni lai, who was appointed PDF
chairman, " The main reason behind the PDF id the organisation
of a new military cooperation. If one of our members is
attacked by anyone we counter attack." The PDF group have
altogether an estimated 40,000 troops, well equipped and
trained. It's security pact, like a local nation," ADDS THE
SAME SOURCE. "To show our Union," says Kyauk Ni lai, "we
organised in late Feb for our Chinese neighbours a 3,000 man
attack training show." Blaming the Slorc for under-development
of the people and aware that Rangoon generals also used their
involvement in the drug business to shun them, the Wa leaders
two years ago decided to ask for outside help. Kyauk Ni lai and
Ta Pang, commanders in chief of the Wa army - both from the Wa
two-head leadership - appointed another , Ta Saul Lu, to
organise an opium eradication programme in the Wa Territory and
try to drag the international community's attention. Ta Saul
Lu, 54, is a Sawbwa (the title for 'prince' in Shan State).
That short and broad-backed man, who permanently puffs on a
Chinese bamboo pipe, has a long history with drugs. He has been
fighting drug traffickers since the 1960s for successive
Rangoon regimes. From 1984 and 1992, he was also an informer
with 120 local agents for the American DEA. Arrested by the
Slorc in Jan 1992 after denouncing to the DEA a Burmese
military intelligence high officer as a drug trafficker, he was
jailed and other tortures for 54 days. He is actually
considered by Western anti-narcotics organisation as "a very
honest and trustful man, may be the purest in that troubled
game" as one of them says. After being released, he was invited
to join Kyauk Ni lai,a men he fought during the BCP times, in
his home town of Pang Wai in the Wa territory. The Wa leaders'
message was clear: "We know that we are considered as the bad
guys but our people are the last ones to profit from drug
money. So we are ready to convince them to give up opium
production and shift to other activities but for that we need
outside help, we need agronomists, geologists, doctors and any
other kind of know-know."
Development potential: The Wa territory seems to have a real
potential for development. Old geological studies show presence
of minerals and rare metals. And one has just to cross the bor-
der to realise that neighbouring China, where a large Wa
community lives, managed to develop a variety of production
like rice, sugar cane and rubber. Initially. in 1993, that call
got a positive answer. The DEA, UNDCP as well as a few Western
diplomats based in Bangkok met Ta Saul Lu secretary in the
north of Thailand. But the answer was the same from every one:
"As official organisations or States, we have to funnel any aid
through the Slorc." Most of them consider this politically
unrealistic because of human rights abuse in Burma. Many
Western countries officially suspended or reduce their aid to
Rangoon as long as the junta does not show any significant
improvement in the human rights situation. So apart from UNDCP
who implemented a few development programmes through the Slorc
in a small Wa area, other interested parties had to suspend
talks wit the Wa and wait for better times. Within the US
government, that issue raised some conflict. The DEA was ready
to push the WA proposal even if it meant to go through the
Slorc. But the State department, claiming that nothing could be
done be America in Burma as long as the Slorc is violating
human rights, give a clear "no" to the DEA. In June 1993 for
those reasons, according to the reliable sources, the State
Department cancelled a the last minute a big meeting in a Wa
town with a Slorc and representative from Rangoon's US embassy,
DEA and UNDCP. The Wa leadership had carefully prepared that
meeting, gathering thousand of troops for a giant parade, and
was accordingly very upset. So today, Ta Saul Lu id clearly
disappointed. "In nearly three years, there has been no result
from the international community," he says bitterly. As a
former DEA agent, he also asked for help from the American
government. "I sent one of mt men to the DEA office in Rangoon.
They told him that they would like to do their best but they
are prevented by the Slorc." Apart from that, according to
Kyauk Ni lai,a discreet meeting in 1994 in a small Yunnan town
between himself and the US ambassador to China, reached a
virtual deadlock. Furthermore the publicity organised by Ta
Saul Lu and his drug eradication plan have deeply upset the
Slorc. Khin Nyunt according to Ta Saul Lu, "said in 1944 to the
UWSP Central Com- mittee that I will never get a single kyat
from the international community because only the SLorc can
implement that eradication plan."
Model village: Some drug traffickers have also put a price on
Ta Saul Lu's head. Two years ago, he had a hide for a few weeks
with his soldiers in jungle along the Thai border to avoid a
bunch of killers sent by those traffickers. Ta Saul Lu is
disappointed but still wants to believe in his mission. So in a
property given to him his wife and their 183 biological and
adopted children. There, he began to implement a substitution
programme in an attempt to make a "model village" "We have
planted 20,000 tea plants, fruit trees and we experiment crops
such as corn. My representatives and I also visit village and
explain to the people that they have to stop opium production
little by little. We have to make with tea what we have been
doing with opium for years." The villagers usually say: "We
know that opium kills people in the united Nations and in
America but for us it's difficult to stop because there is
hardly anything else to do. We think that if there is something
to eat then we can decide to stop opium. The government most
help us." So everywhere, even in the villagers which began to
grow tea, every family keeps its opium fields. Does the lack of
interest or the powerlessness of foreign countries and
organisations mean that nothing can currently be done to help
Wa people and convince them to shift from opium to oth- er
activities?
According to an anti-narcotics expert who requested anonymity,
the Wa should make a goodwill gesture. The anti-narcotics
community "still trust some of the Wa leaders," says that
expert, :but it thinks that they should get rid of the Wei
brothers who produce a very large amount of heroin for them.
"Then I believe that it would mean that the Wa sincerely wish
to seriously negotiate with the Slorc" and maybe finally get
some help for their development. This proposal sounds like a
seriously warning to the heroin traffickers working for the Wa.
They actually might be the next target of a crack-down on
heroin warlord launched last year by the US government all over
the world. In November 1994, Thai police, in cooperation with
the DEA, arrested ten men alleged to be prominent Khun Sa
followers. The US have asked for their extradition. It remains
to see whether the Wa Will accept easily to turn in the Wei
brothers. That family weighs a lot of money, probably more than
the Slorc would accept to spend in a few years for their
development. (BP)
*********************SHAN STATE*****************************
SCB: KHUN SA CONNIVING WITH FOREIGN AND ANTI-GOVT
ORGANIZATIONS [SLORC]
[This is probably from the New Light of Myanmar, but was not
identified as such when it was posted]
bbatpt soc.culture.burma 9:42 AM Apr 3, 1995
(at au.ac.th) (From News system)
Subject: Khun Sa conniving with foreign and anti-Government
organizations and KNU for his existence
Khun Sa conniving with foreign and anti-Government
organizations and KNU for his existence
Yangon, 1 April- Special Refresher Course No 15 for
Basic Education Teachers concluded at Central Institute of
Civil Service in Hlegu Town ship this morning with an address
by Chairman of Myanmar Education Committee Secretary-1 of the
State Law and Order Restoration Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt.
The following are extracts from his address concerning
matters relating to drug lord Khun Sa and KNU terrorist group.
Prevalence of peace and stability in border regions
opens up opportunities for development and eradicating drug
trafficking and poppy cultivation there, he said.
He them emphasized Myanmar's anti-drug campaign which
has been jointly carried out with her neighbours, saying many
nationals have been abandoning poppy cultivation under the
Government's organization, leaving khun Sa's Loimaw drug
trafficking terrorist group the only main group, engaged in
drug business.
Khun Sa, who became financially strong from profits of
drug trafficking , strengthened his terrorist group which he
named "Mong Tai Army" Due to the Tatmadaw's military operation
, which cut off all drug trafficking routes and connection
among terrorist bandits, Khun Sa's terrorist group cannot stand
firmly any longer, he said.
Khun Sa's drug bandit group at present is turning their
terrorist acts on small villages along border areas and
producing agents to demand extortion money in towns, he said.
Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt revealed that Khun Sa is trying to
hide his drug trafficking under his faked political activities
to gain international assistance, declaring himself as leader
of the Shan who is trying to liberate Shan State, although he
has Chinese blood.
Continuing , the Secretary-1 said Khun Sa had formed
Shan People's Representative Committee (SPRC) in June 1992 and
after calling a meeting in Homaing camp headquarters in
December 1993 , he formed Shan State National Congress (SSNC)
with 35 members, self-proclaiming Shan State as a liberated
country and self-appointed himself as president. Khun
Sa also formed sham organizations, such as, shan Human Rights
Foundation (SHRF) led by Hkun Kya Oo, Shan State Organization
(SSO) led by former member of a Shan terrorist group Hkun Kya
Nu , who is residing in Chiangmai, Thailand , and Shan State
Association (USA) led by Sai Hkun Hpa of Washington, to
penetrate international circles to conduct anti- Government
activities in other countries, revealed the Secretary-1.
Secretary-1 said Khun Sa's Shan State Organization (SSO) had
attended Conference on Constitution of the Union of Burma held
in Marneplaw of terrorist Bo Mya in October 1994 under the
sponsorship of National Council of the Union of Burma, an
illegal organization, formed with anti-Government groups.
SSA (USA) , a drug trafficking centre of Khun Sa, led
by Sai Hkun Hpa held Shan State Conference in New York, in
January 1995, he said. Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt disclosed
that nine bogus groups, which only exist in name, had attended
it-Journalists and Writers of Shan State; Lahu Development
Organization; Over seas Shan-Europe; Shan Herald Agency for
News; Shan Human Rights Foundation; Shan Overseas Association
(USA); Shan State Organization ; and Women's Association of
Shan State . Leaders of Khun Sa's bogus organization
are former Shan terrorists who had fled to other countries.
Khun Sa had called them to Homaing camp to attend his political
courses. After completion of their courses, they were again
sent back to other countries for drug trafficking under the
cover of Sham political organizations.
He is trying to associated with foreign organizations
which do not wish to see Myanmar prosper, terrorist groups and
anti-Government groups, said the Secretary-1.
Secretary-1 revealed among those who are associating
with Khun Sa is Peter Bourne, who had served as adviser for
narcotic affairs under former US president Jimmy Carter, who
arrived Homaing Camp in February 1994 and meet Khun Sa and
leader of SSA (USA) there.
The Secretary-1 said Peter Bourne also attended a
ceremony in Homaing camp in April 1994 , held by Khun Sa's drug
terrorists to mark beginning of their march to attack Mongkyut
region, adding this proves Khun Sa's ability to penetrate even
influential persons in US . He said Khun Sa has been conniving
with KNU terrorist leader Bo Mya , adding they have been
secretly trafficking heroin since 1991.
Concerning connections between the two terrorist
groups, the Secretary-1 said Bo Mya, political in-charge Dr
Mata and intelligence chief Soe Soe (a) Nay Soe met Khun Sa and
Moe Hein (a) Kun Sein in Homaing camp in December 1987 where
they signed an agreement to cooperated in military an economy
between MTA and KNU.
He said under orders of Bo Mya KNU secretary Phado San
Lin and intelligence chief Soe Soe met Khun Sa in Homaing in
January 1988 and asked him to open another battle front against
the Government and to provide money to KNU to buy arms and
ammunition.
He said again in October 1991, a KNU party led by Bo
Mya met Khun Sa at the camp, asking for military and economic
assistance. During 1992 , Khun Sa presented one
million bahts to KNU , he said .
Law Wadi of KNU with the rank of Lt-Col, Issac with the
rank of Lt-Col, mines in charge Phado Saw Htoo and Jack met
Khun Sa at the camp in April 1994, at which they discussed
cooperation, building of ammunition factory, providing
assistance and economic cooperation.
The Vice-Chairman, Deputy Military in-charge Kansit and
foreign relations and economic in-charge Khun Sai of Khun Sa
group were sent to Bo Mya in April 1994 for cooperation and
understanding . In the drug trafficking group-KNU relations, Bo
Mya repeatedly asked for money from Khun Sa and got assistance
for drug trafficking .This made profitable for him and backed
Khun Sa's political activities for show.
Shan State Organization (SSO) was allowed to attend
NCBU meeting organized by KNU , like Sein Win's unofficial
government , NLD (Liberated Area) ABSDF terrorist groups and
other organizations that opposed the State.
Bo Mya lived in luxury in the other country with the
assistance of some foreign organizations and income from
trafficking and smuggling. After the 1988 disturbances, he
also received aid from NGOs in the West for new terrorists
described as refugees who sought asylum under the KNU.
Since most of the armed groups returned to the legal fold after
realizing the government's genuine cetena there is peace and
tranquillity in various parts of the country. Only the Khun Sa
drug trafficking group, its ally the KNU and small groups under
it are left.
Khun Sa and remnants of KNU group crushed by the
Tatmadaw are causing instability in the region by using hit and
run tactics in towns and villages.
Recently, Khun Sa's drug trafficking group attacked
Tachilek, killing people and burning houses. The group fled to
the other country due to the counter-offensive by the security
units. It is reported that authorities in the other country
only disarmed them and set them free. Myanmar has repeatedly
asked them to hand the terrorists over but authorities in the
other country did not honour the requests. The two neighbouring
countries with goodwill relations should cooperated with mutual
respect and understanding in this case and should avoid such an
act.
Myanmar always respects the Five Principles of Peaceful
Coexistence and does not practise any relations which run
counter to them . It is difficult to read the position of
neighbouring country toward Myanmar over the Tachilek incident.
Political groups of Khun Sa and Bo Mya are making pious noises
on human rights and nationalities affairs to the world,
demanding expulsion of Myanmar from the UN, economic sanctions,
to blackmail politically and to recognize their groups and to
provided assistance.
Now, the cold war has ended and it is clearly seen that
neo-colonialists interfere in the internal affairs of a country
shouting human rights and nationalities affairs causing
political and economic instability. Accusations are being made
to disparse Myanmar's prestige in the world, with the collusion
of news agencies and journalists. Political groups of
Khun Sa and Bo Mya armed groups, pretending to represent
national races and assuming that accusations of some group that
opposed the State to be actual events, ask for international
pressure for the release of persons arrested, to level object
human rights violations and urge economic sanctions. These are
one-sided interference ignoring the interest of the entire
people.
Secretary-1 quoted Chairman of the State Law and Order
Restoration Council Senior General Than Shwe as saying on human
rights at the opening of Management Course No 5 for Executive
Committee members of the Union Solidarity and Development
Association that basic rights and democracy must be in harmony
with the nature of the country and the people, economy,
society, culture and religious and cannot be copied from other
by any means. There were instances that even the developed
nations fell into trouble as they made carbon-copies of other
people's ideas, let alone a developing country like ours . Thus
we are giving priority to create firm infrastructure of basic
rights such as food, clothing and shelter needs. As long as the
infrastructure firm , super structure of human rights can be
built stage by stage.
In accordance with Senior General 's guidance, the
government is fulfilling the food, clothing and shelter needs
of every citizen, possession of high standard of living and
security. No one can deny that there is peace and political
stability in spite of their accusations. Those who pay
a visit to Myanmar can enjoy pleasant life of Myanmar people.
The State Law and Order Restoration Council presented
Liberation Medals to American war veterans of CBI and OSS 101
who fought with allied troops in the struggle for Myanmar's
independence. They heard some fabricated news about Myanmar .
When they arrived in Myanmar they witnessed that the situation
is totally different from what they heard. The
government gives the people opportunity to enjoy democracy and
human rights on its own decision. Those serving prison terms
for violating the existing law were released by reducing their
jail terms. Such release is made on its own decision and not
because of the pressure of anyone . There has been no human
rights violation in Myanmar.
He spoke of the need to ignore the accusations and
threats of dogmatic persons with green eyes who delay efforts
for peace and tranquillity.
The State Law and Order Restoration Council is striving
for peace and political stability, national reconciliation and
the nation is to become a new nation with the new Constitution.
**********************THAILAND**************************
BKK POST: BURMESE MP AMONG THOSE HELD IN NORTH
2 April 1995
A 52-YEAR old Lahu-ethnic Burmese parliamentary member was
identified among the 36 ille- gal Burmese immigrants arrested
in this northern capital on Thursday. Daniel Aung, 52, who walk
out of the Slorc on April 12 last year, was arrested along with
the rest of the Burmese immigrants while attending a seminar at
a hotel. Mr Aung denied there was any political motive behind
the gathering sponsored by a Thai man, Mr Sithipong Kalayanee
from Image Asia and three Filipinos. Mr Sithipong paid for the
fines imposed on the group. "Many of us, now behind bars, are
from ethnic minority group which are trying to develop their
areas. That is why we are here undergoing development
management training; no politics at all," he said. "as for our
group, we are aiming to carry out a programme to eradicate
opium cultivation in our area. I mean to substitute poppy
plants with other possible crops," he said. The Thai
Government's policy of constructive engagement is one-side. It
should also be sympa- thetic towards pro-democracy movements,
he said. While taking a reporter from a detention room, he
expressed disappointment at being kept in a police station,
adding that they were being detained like criminals, causing
his wife to fall sick. She was later sent to hospital. " I
think we should be treated a little better. Nonetheless, we
accept that Thai official are only taking action in accordance
with the immigration law. Over 40 people were being kept in one
small and dirty room with an overflowing toilet. They paid
officers 2,700 baht to sleep in two other small rooms. Six
women were detained separately. "Five elderly people among us
just couldn't stay in once fowl smelling and over crowed room.
So we had to pay 300 baht per person to be able to stay on the
corridor pavement," he claimed. Mr Aung claims to have had the
proper documentation when he entered into Thailand and trav-
elled to Chaing Mai. "Our documents were processed by a Thai
Army colonel who we recognise as a friend. "I don't know why I
was arrested as the documents allow us to stay in Chaing Mai
until early April," he said. It is possible that the ethnic
minority groups will join hands to practice pro-democracy with
the allied democratic groups along the border, he said, adding
that they are soon to meet, although the exact date and place
are not known for sure. "Over 20 minority members of the
parliament are living abroad in India and America, as well as
along the border. We are keeping in touch but have no definite
plans to reunite," he said. (BP)
*************************THAILAND*****************************
BKK POST: BURMA FIGHTING TAKES ITS TOLL ON GEMS TRADE
2 April 1995
GEMS trading at this Thai-Burmese border district has been
sluggish for about two months be- cause of fighting in Burma
and that country's stricter control on the business. The gems
market at Soi Sukhapiban 4, 5, 6 which was very crowed two
years ago is now like a ghost-town. Clashes between Burmese
troops and minority forces in the past months have made
smuggling of gems out of that country more difficult. Burma
also recently issued the Mining Act which requires traders to
buy gems only in Rangoon and Tongyi. The Burmese government
hoped it could collect more taxes by enforcing that law. But
the legislation instead discouraged Thai gems traders from
travelling inside Burma since that would not only double the
investment cost but also pose a threat to their own safety. A
trader said the best way to business was to buy gems smuggled
by Burmese people to the border market. The Thai custom office
will not charge them import tariffs but they have to pay
valve-added tax at a rate of 7%. A Thai custom official said
that when the situation was normal, the volume of gems trading
could reach st least 100 million baht per day. Now it has
dropped to tens of millions of baht daily. Ma Visuthipaet,
owner of Charoenporn Mnimart in Mae Sai, said since 1992 most
gems traders have migrated from Trat's Bo Rai District, once a
gems-rich area, and Chanthaburi, to settle down in this
northernmost district. Ma himself also moved from Chanthaburi.
He said 1992 and 1993 were the golden years of the gems trading
business in Mae Sai before turning to be inactive since 1994 i
the weak of the global economic recession. Problems concerning
low-grade gems brought in from Burma has been another cause of
the drop in both trading volume and value. Many traders
complained that there were several case that the gems they
bought at expensive prices turned to be ordinary stones after
burning. Some traders began to switch to open their own mines
in Burma, particularly in Tongyi. However, that does not have a
bright prospect because of difficulties in taking heavy
machinery into that country, let alone protection fees
investors had to pay to several minority groups i Bur- ma.
Some, meanwhile, chose to move back to Trat and Chanthaburi. If
the situation still has not im- proved in May, many other would
follow them, a trader said. (BP)
********************INTERNATIONAL**************************
SCB: PROJECT BURMAWEB
BurmaWeb
fornavn.etternav soc.culture.burma 5:15 AM Apr
3, 1995 (at insitutt.uio.no) (From News system)
BurmaWeb was created by the WEB TEAM of the Bumra Support
Group, Norway Contact: tormodl@xxxxxxxxxxxx
BurmaWeb: http://www.uio.no/~tormodl
_______________________________________________________________
________
Oslo, 30 March 1995
PROJECT: BURMAWEB
The WEB TEAM of the Burma Support Group was founded in January
1995 as a special working group for electronic mail. Our main
focus has been the World Wide Web (WWW), which is rapidly
expanding. WWW makes the presentation of information
relatively simple to program and retrieve. Already Free Burma
has set up an index directory, or what WWW language calls a
"home page". For those unfamiliar with WWW, here is a very
brief explanation.
What is WWW?
WWW is Email taken to a new level. Instead of simple text
messages, now you are able to "show" (not send) text with
pictures and sounds (even video clips!) by starting with your
home page. This home page is on your Email account's main
computer. You store files there and then connect these files
together and allow other people to view, print or download
them. Others are able to access these files without needing to
know your password.
The layout of your file can therefore be retained, since it is
afterall a file (formatting is currently limited, however).
Cetain words or even pictures are "linked" to files, and when
you click on a designated word or picture (usually either in
color and underlined) you can automatically go to a certain
file which the word/picture is linked with. (Simplistically
speaking, it's a bit like clicking on a "yes" button, which is
connected or "linked" to another function and/or screen.)
Not the best explanation of WWW, we know, but once you "try"
the Web you understand what it can do. It's very
straightforward to use. Since WWW is Email, you need an Email
account and the WWW program (Netscape, Mosaic) to access the
Web, which is free and open to all. Remember: it is not you
who are sending anything to readers, but readers who are
accessing certain of your files.
The Future of WWW and Burma So far Free Burma has created a
home page, with many files. ABSDF-Europe, DVB Radio and BSG
have been discussing creating several home pages in
cooperation with each other. However, there exists not only
possibilities of duplication of information but also the
confusion of endless "linking" of information, driving users
into circles (different home pages on different computers can
even be linked together, including files in other home pages
to your files).
One easy way to avoid this is by setting up some sort of
coordination between Burma groups, as WWW becomes more readily
available and understood (almost anybody can create a home
page linked to however many files your server has memory
available for). With coordination of index and content, we can
avoid the pitfalls of many independent and isolated groups
making WWW pages.
What BurmaWeb Would Like to Do...
During our discussions in Oslo, we have come up with some ideas
for coordination to avoid repetition, and ask other future
Burma WWW sites to consider them and give feedback on what you
can do, or would like to do. (Converting files into WWW is a
piece of cake, and special formatting or writing of files is
not necessary if you have access to the right resources.) Here
are the things the following groups would like to concentrate
on:
*Norwegian information (such as local articles, BSG
newsletters) *Non-English information (articles, newsletters)
*Detailed information about all organizations in English
*Up-to-date address list of Burma-interested groups/people
*List of publications, newsletters, where to buy/find them
*Some newsletters in their entirety, reports...
*Aung San Suu Kyi Press Anthology (in English)
*Karen Human Rights Group Reports (in English)
*UNHRC documents from the past session
*Collecting and systematically organizing HR violations
*Photographs from the Norwegian press
BSG itself would like to concentrate mainly on databasing and
stay away from current events, like BurmaNet handles. BSG
would like to be a center for non-English information in the
beginning, in order to collect it in one place and develop
this information until it expands large enough to be put on
other sites in the languages' home countries. This, of course,
depends on groups in other countries sending non-English
articles or information either on disk or photocopies that BSG
could scan in Oslo.
The idea of BumraWeb, then, is to have one group becoming a
coordination center for Burma WWW sites. This is not so much
to control their output, as to coordinate the outcome.
Individual groups would create WWW home pages as they
themselves please, but it is essential that we should all
communicate our intentions with other groups *beforehand* and
in the idea phase, to avoid needless duplication. Good
communication would also facilitate receiving support, info,
articles, etc., since any text file can be easily "dropped"
into any WWW page, where on your Web site or sent via Email to
another's.
Setting Up a Web Coordination Center
Keeping all groups aware on a regular basis of what other
groups are working on for their WWW site will avoid repetition
and wasted work. So if we chose a "central coordinator", where
anyone could write to with suggestions or comments, and this
person would then keep in contact with "local coordinators",
presumably via Email (in fact, an automatically addressed
Email sending program is already in BurmaWeb and can be adapted
for anyone's use anywhere, including to send to many
receipients the same message).
Soon the Web explosion will hit all of us working with Email
and Burma, and it isn't as restricted as BurmaNet, since
anyone can create a WWW home page. With the ability to link
all of our work together, WWW makes it possible for certain
groups to focus on *certain information* and become "centers"
for certain info, while being linked to a Burma Web that can
be easily accessed by all both to read and send articles.
BSG asks that individual groups discuss what is their aims,
what they may be working on, and write their thoughts on a
"BurmaWeb Coordinator" -- perhaps through Free Burma, which
has already found space for a more permanent and large memory
capacity on one of the American WWW sites...
____________________________________________________
Please send your ideas to: tormodl@xxxxxxxxxxxx
(ATTN WEB TEAM)
or fax us at: +47-22 60 71 29
(ATTN BSG)
____________________________________________________
>From there, we will create a BurmaWeb mailing list and keep
all those who contact us in contact with each other.
Thanks for your support and we look forward to hearing from you
soon!
Ko Vit
Correspondence Specialist
WEB TEAM, BSG-Norway
BURMANET: ARTICLES ON NETWAR AND PERHAPS, PEACE
******************************
PRN: NETWAR COULD MAKE MEXICO UNGOVERNABLE
ZNLA: LETTER FROM SUBCOMMANDANTE MARCOS
SCB-H: SARAJEVO ON LINE
4 April 1995
[The following three articles are either about, or examples of
how the net is being used in Mexico and Bosnia. In Mexico, a
corrupt government is having difficulty putting down a lightly-
armed but media-savvy insurgency. There, the net is being used
by the insurgents to organize and to bring international
attention to an otherwise remote corner of the world. In
Sarejevo, it is not so much a tool of war as of peace. There,
individuals who have been under seige for three years are
beginning to use the net to get messages to their families and
others on the outside. Although the situation in neither
Mexico nor Bosnia exactly parallels that of Burma, there are
enough similarities to make these articles worth considering--
Strider]
******************************
PSN: NETWAR COULD MAKE MEXICO UNGOVERNABLE
PACIFIC RIM NEWS SERVICE
450 Mission Street, Room 506
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-243-4364
NEWS ANALYSIS-665 WORDS
EDITOR'S NOTE: While media attention focuses on the turmoil --
within Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party,
another destabilizing force, which Rand Corp. national security
expert David F. Ronfeldt dubs "netwar," is spreading. Netwar
enables widely dispersed and highly marginalized opposition
groups to coordinate strategies utilizing new information
technologies. While their lack of central authority makes it
unlikely they could take power, they could make Mexico
ungovernable. PNS contributing editor Joel Simon reports
regularly from Mexico.
BY JOEL SIMON, PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE
MEXICO CITY -- While Mexico reels from the worst financial and
political crisis in decades, a low intensity "netwar" is also
spreading across the country. That's the conclusion of social
scientist David F. Ronfeldt of the Santa Monica-based Rand
think tank who studies the impact of new information
technologies on national security.
Ronfeldt and a colleague coined the term netwar to describe
what happens when loosely-affiliated networks -- social
activists, terrorists, or drug cartels -- use new information
technologies to coordinate action. Throughout the world, these
networks are replacing "hierarchies" as the primary form of
political organization among opponents of the state.
Whatever the outcome of the current turmoil in the ruling
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), and the gains scored
by the conservative National Action Party (PAN), Ronfeldt
argues that netwar will ultimately change the country's
political equation by giving even the most marginalized leftist
opposition new clout. "The risk for Mexico is not an
old-fashioned civil war or another social revolution," he
notes. "The risk is social netwar."
The impact of the netwarriors is already clear. In 1993,
opponents of the North American Free Trade Agreement used fax
machines and the Internet to coordinate strategy. During the
August 1994 Presidential elections, a watchdog group called
Civic Alliance organized a network of observers throughout the
country who faxed reports on voting irregularities back to
Mexico City.
Even the Zapatista Army of National Liberation is fighting a
form of netwar. The August 1994 National Democratic Convention
brought together hundreds of diverse groups in the rebels'
jungle stronghold to fashion a de-centralized opposition. That
they succeeded was evidenced last month when thousands marched
in Mexico City to protest the Zedillo Administration's arrest
warrant for Subcomander Marcos, chanting "We Are All Marcos."
Rebel supporters around the world followed developments by
reading Zapatista communiques on the Internet.
Precisely because of their de-centralization, the netwarriors
don't have the ability to take national power. But, Ronfeldt
predicts, they are a growing political force which could make
the country ungovernable. And their lack of any central
authority makes them far less vulnerable to cooptation or
repression.
Who are the netwarriors? They are the traditional leftist
opponents of the PRI, groups fighting for democratic change, as
well as an array of special interests, from peasant
organizations to gay rights groups. At a time when the
political and economic crisis has created widespread
disaffection, Ronfeldt theorizes that network-style organizing
will enable the opposition to overcome its traditional
factionalism. The greatest threat to the government could be
hundreds or thousands of independent groups united in their
opposition but "accepting of each other's autonomy."
Ronfeldt argues the international non-government organizations
(NGOs) operating in Mexico provide a "multiplier effect" for
netwarriors. Electronic communication allows Mexican groups to
stay in touch with U.S. and Canadian organizations which share
their goals and can coordinate an international response in the
event of a government crackdown. These groups are media savvy
in a way Mexicans may not be; they also have access to the
international media. Global Exchange, a small humanitarian
organization in San Francisco, is one example. It began
denouncing human rights abuses and mobilizing protests in the
U.S. only hours after government troops dislodged Zapatista
rebels from villages last December.
Netwar is not unique to political groups, however. Terrorist
organizations and drug cartels are also becoming less
hierarchical and thus harder to control, says Ronfeldt. The
Sicilian Mafia is losing ground to less centralized drug
cartels.
Ronfeldt acknowledges that the potential for transnational
netwar in Mexico is limited by the deficiencies in the nation's
phone system. "Netwar doesn't work unless lots of different
small groups can coordinate...and that requires high band-width
communication." While fax machines have become ubiquitous in
Mexico, electronic communication is only starting to take hold.
Still, Ronfeldt cautions that "The country that produced the
prototype social revolution of the 20th century may now be
giving rise to the prototype social netwar of the 21st
century." If so, the Mexican government will have its hands
full.
(03131995) **** END **** COPYRIGHT PNS
******************************
ZNLA: LETTER FROM SUBCOMMANDANTE MARCOS
[The following letter was transmitted from the jungles of
Mexico by fax (using a satellite earth station) to the United
States, where it was posted to the net by
moonlight@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Zapatista National Liberation Army
Mexico, March 25, 1995
To: The Dialogue of the Civic Society
Aguascalientes, Chiapas, Mexico
From: Insurgent Subcomandante Marcos
Zapatista National Liberation Army
Mountains of Southeastern Mexico
Chiapas, Mexico
Brothers and sisters:
Welcome to Zapatista territory, which is to say "territory in
rebellion against evil government". That is how things are,
even though these lands are filled with war. Even though they
want to trample dignity with war tanks and even though they
want to shut up reason with the noise of planes and
helicopters.
We wanted to participate personally in this dialogue, but
there are approximately 60,000 olive green reasons that
prevent us from doing so. It doesn't matter, we hope that you
accept this letter as the means by which our voice, our
thinking and our hearts can reach all of you, who, after
detaining the government's war, came to our lands to reaffirm
the search for civic and peaceful ways to resolve the problems
that we, both nationals and foreigners, suffer from in this
last part of the 20th century.
We hope that this will not be the last time that you visit us,
and that many of you will be able to stay in the "Peace Camps"
that are located in various villages in the state of Chiapas,
and which have made it possible for our civilian brothers and
sisters to return to their homes.
We hope, also, that on another occasion we can be present to
receive you as it is the custom to receive brothers and
sisters: with flowers and the music of marimbas. We owe you
those two things, in addition to everything that we owe you.
In continuation, we present to you our proposal for
"Complementary Protocol" for being incorporated into the
"Universal Social Convention" which will be approved by you.
We are clear that our proposal is equivalent to all the
others, that it is subject to discussion, and we will respect
from here the decision that you make.
*Complementary Protocol for the Universal Social Convention*
We human beings present today in this place demand:
1. That reason always win and never force.
2. That the majority find what the majority does, imposing its
will on the minority, without the minority disappearing or
having its right to become the majority restricted.
3. That any man can give any woman any flower in any part of
any world, and that this woman give thanks for the flower not
with just any smile, but with the best and only one.
4. That the morning no longer be a great question or a
disaster waiting to happen; that the morning be just that: the
morning.
5. That the night not be a cave of fear; that the night be a
bed of desire.
6. That sadness be surprised with a simple look of disdain;
and that happiness and laughter be free and never lacking.
7. That for everyone there be, always, bread to illuminate the
table, education to feed ignorance, health to surprise death,
land to harvest a future, a roof to shelter hope, and work to
make hands dignified.
8. That the words and hearts of men and women no longer be
prisoners of jails, tombs or threats.
9. That war be part of a long ago and foreign past, and that
neither armies nor soldiers be any longer necessary.
10. That those who govern command obeying. That those who do
not fulfill this, be changed for others.
11. That there always exists someone who is willing to
struggle so that all that came before become not a demand, but
a reality.
Respectfully,
From the mountains of southeastern Mexico
Insurgent Subcomandante Marcos
Mexico, March 1995
(translated by Cindy Arnold, volunteer, National Commission
for Democracy in Mexico)
*************************************
SCB-H: SARAJEVO ON LINE
soc.culture.bosna-herzgvna
3 April 95 22 h
sarajevoonline-e@xxxxxxx
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
This mail message contains dialogs between inhabitants of
Sarajevo and the rest of the world. (If there is nothing under
the "MESSAGES" field, it means nothing unfortunetaly arrived
today.)
See the Web page
http://web.cnam.fr/Sarajevo/
------- MESSAGES ---------------
Message 1
-------------------
SARAJEVO 02-04-95
DAY TO DAY WITH SARAJEVO RESIDENTS
>From March 29 to April 10, 1995, the residents of Sarajevo will
have the chance to respond to questions posed to them by the
Internet community.
The conversations will focus primarily on aspects of daily life
in Sarajevo, a city that has been under siege for three years.
The teams of journalists from the World Media Network will only
distribute the actual conversations that take place from day to
day. But it will be up to the residents of Sarajevo to decide
which questions to answer.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER APRIL 10, 1995?
Sarajevo On Line isn't meant as a one-shot operation. Besides
there is a direct link with Sarajevo:
The ZaMir (for Peace) Transnational Network is an electronic
mail network in the region of former Yugoslavia especially
dedicated to helping peace oriented people and groups,
humanitarian organisations, NGO's and the alternative media in
order to improve their communication possibilities.
For more information, please send mail to the AEGEE at
muumi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
or check the AEGGEE's Web server at http://www.tue.nl/aegee/
HOW TO WRITE TO THE INHABITANTS OF SARAJEVO
You can send email to Sarajevo residents:
write to:
sarajevoonline-en@cnam. fr to send a question in english
sarajevoonline-fr@cnam. fr to send a question in french
HOW TO READ THE DIALOGUES BETWEEN THE NETWORK AND SARAJEVO
On the World Media-Sarajevo On Line server: You can use a Web
client software like Mosaic or Netscape and direct it to one
of these URL:
http://web.cnam.fr/Sarajevo/
http://www.tue.nl/aegee/hrwg/exyu/Sarajevo/
http://www.infodesign.ch/Sarajevo/
On the news: The messages coming from Sarajevo will also be
posted on the News (Usenet) in the groups:
alt.current-events.bosnia and soc.culture.bosna-herzgvna
Directly in your mail: You can sign up to be on a mailing list
which will transmit the messages to you directly.
* In French: Send a message to
sarajevoonline-fr-request@xxxxxxx with "subscribe" (not in
quotes) as the subject.
* In English: Send a message to
sarajevoonline-en-request@xxxxxxx with "subscribe" (not in
quotes) as the subject.
You can cancel your subscription by sending the message
"unsubscribe" (not in quotes).
---------------------------------------------------------------
----
* Personnal Requests
FROM: Omerovic NAMIK, tel 440-721, Sarajevo, Tesanjska street
28 TO: Seric IVO, Netherlands, Breda, G.BEIJSTRAT 17 A, 4813
EL. BREDA TEL : 225810
Many regards from Namik and Akan,see you very soon, lots of
love from Namik Give my regards to brothers Vranac, Feko,
Tanija, Beco, Bibica, Deman and the rest of the friends.
FROM : Nezirovic NINO, Pionirska 2 E, 15 yrs
TO: Nezirovic Dragica, NIEHLER str. 318, KO"LN, GERMANY
tel 492217126477
Do not worry about me , i am O.K., in May I will graduate
elektrotechnic high scool, and i hope the best results. Many
greetings for you and Darko, and take care.So much from me for
this time.
FROM: Begic Muhamed Kosevo 4/ 4
TO: Bratovic Elma and Spomenka fax: 913-776-6297 Cansas City
I am Begic Muhamed and I would like to ask if anybody
could send by fax this message to my daughters. I would be very
greatfull.
Dear Spomenka and Elma. We are happy that you are all
well. Did Elma receive an answer from Soros foundation. Is she
better now? Jagoda called again, twice, because her daughter
did not receive the money. Please let us know what seem to be
the problem and if you don't have any money let us know because
we have some savings. Do not worry about that. Just contact
us by fax or in this way and let us know if you sent the money.
Are those in California O.K? We have spoken with UNHCR about
our leaving the town and when they let us know we will tell
you. And at the end if you have a computer try to contact us
through INTERNET network and send us your electronic address.
Love you mama and daddy!
* Questions from Pekka Littow, Finnish Architect in France
--The city is in ruins. Are you able to look towards
the future and reconstruction? Or is it too early?
--Do you want to reconstruct the city as it was it
before?
--For you, what are the architectural symbols of
Sarajevo? What has happened to them? Are they able to be
restorred?
--Or do you forsee a new modern Sarajevo?
--Would you like foreign architects to come and build
there? Or is there a nationalism in architecture?
--There is little work for architects here. Do you
have any work for a Finnish architect?
FROM:Reuf Kolude, architect in
Sarajewo,<rkoluder@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx TO:Pekka Littow, Finnish
Architect
I would appreciate a direct E mail contact, but now I'll try to
answer some of your questions:
_ Interiors are renewing right now, not the way we would be
glad to see, because Sarajevo has already some standard, being
an university center. -- For building and reconstructing,
some ideas are being discussed, but there will be some more war
und destruction before Sarajevo earns to start building itself.
-- Symbols of Sarajevo can be restored, and should be upgraded
I hope. -- Heritage and new concepts must live together
-- Of course we would like everybody to be present here, no
nationalisme as an idea, cause it is like a small room with no
doors.
-- There will be a lot of work, but its a question of money,
investments. Right now there is some work and money in Mostar,
thanks to the European Union,
-- Address directly by E-mail
* Questions from Sophie Cabannes, French architect, Paris
--Are there woman architects in Sarajevo?
----Are you able to hear of architectural trends
outside of Bosnia?
--Do you feel that your architecture is European? Or
is there something special about Balkan architecture?
* Questions from: Matthew Kennedy <kenn7365@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To Whom It May Concern-
My name is Matthew Kennedy. I'm an American student. I'm
earning my degree in Political Science from Fort Lewis College,
Durango, Colorado. I expect to complete it by August. I'm
taking a year off, and returning to Fort Lewis College in
August 1996 to work on a 2nd Bachelor's degree in history. In
both degree's my area of emphasis is the former Soviet Union
and Eastern Europe. I'm currently working on an Independent
Study on the Nation-State and the History of Yugoslavia. I have
some questions:
- How did Marshall Tito influence the history of what is
the former Yugoslavia?
- How was he able to hold together a country of a variety
of different ethnic and religious groups?
- And how did his governing style impact
Bosnia-Hercegovina?
My e-mail address is kenn7365@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thank you, I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Matthew Kennedy
FROM:Adil Kulenovic
TO:kenn7365@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I am a director-in-chief of the Independent Radio and TV
Station called "Studio 99" in Sarajevo and soon we are starting
a newspaper also called "Circle 99".I am also a journalist and
a professor on the University of Philosophy in Sarajevo
teaching sociology and philosophy.
Marshall Tito influenced the history of the former Yugoslavia
very positivly .His ideology is something that can be disccused
about ,but practical policy gave good results.In 50 years of
his rulement we had 50 years of peace and more freedom then
today nationalistic parties are offering us.Of course,we today
dream about different ideology(of human rights) which will be
fullfiled one day.
This governing style made impact on Bosnia and Herzegovina in
two ways.On one side it was positive- when we speak about the
national freedom and rights of Muslims(for the first time they
c^R
ould declare themselves in
public as Muslims) and the negative impact is when we speak
about Bosnia's identity as a state and when we speak abot
democratic culture of citizens.
----------------------------------------------------------
To: Nottinghill
Dear friends,
This is short story about Studio 99.
Studio 99 is private company and its owners and
founders are 16 journalists. From the very beginning of the war
Independent Radio Studio 99 has been operating constantly, 24
hours a day. With its program and edit policy it is aimed to
the citizen as our state sovereignty holder. Even when the
other media have been turning down, Studio 99 continued,
although it is based on marketing and market relations. During
the very first baricades on March,1992 all the employees
decided to work without salary, out of the wish to help the
fight for Bosnia. Currently, there are 55 employees.
Independent Radio Studio 99 started work on 27 December 1991.
In the prewar period, financing was based on market principals
and commercial market relations. Due to the collapse of market
and market relations, STUDIO 99 started to work mostly for
free, doing different service activities for citiziens (
connecting families, helping wounded persons via radio,
telephone services etc.)
In April 6th, 1995, at the very beginning of the war, a
group of armed and masked members of paramilitary formations
destroyed the editing room and by force stopped the
transmission of programs. The day after,"STUDIO 99" started
working again. Out of spite.
Programming was adopted to the new war situation. They
open contact program with other non-govermental radio stations
all over ex Yugoslavia and provide information about happenings
in Sarajevo. In that way, they exert the influence on public
opinion.
In May, 2nd 1992,rooms of "STUDIO 99" suffered
shelling, and due to danger, the radio moved to an un-heated,
wet, small basement. Since then, in an improvised studio room
this radio has been broadcasting 24 hours a day. In spite of
the usual problems with electricity, employees of "STUDIO 99"
maintain transmission. When a single grenade hit the
transmmiter(250 w), everything went out of order. Afterwards,
we managed to rent a transmitter(50 w) from Bosnian, Radio and
TV, signing the contract with them.
In July,1993, that transmitter was taken by force.,
Afterwards, "STUDIO 99" stopped it's transmission for almost
two months. In the meantime,with help of several Sarajevan
businessman, "STUDIO 99" has bought its own, new transmitter(
1000 W) that covers wider territory (100 km around Sarajevo ).
Workers at "STUDIO 99" work on the concept of living
together in the city of Sarajevo and Bosnia-Hercegovina. Their
affiliation is the entire Bosnia-Hercegovina. They do not
accept any partition. This attitude is also expresed by
"STUDIO 99"'s listeners. Because of this, in the interest of
all Sarajevans, workers of "STUDIO 99" have broken many
important stories. When the special reprensetatives David Oven
and Thorton Stolthenberg, came for talks with the Bosnian
president and Sarajevo's mayor and dividing the city, the talks
have been held behind closed doors. "STUDIO 99" first
proclaimed it and agitated on the conscience of the citizens,
who were against those intensions. Then just before the Geneva
talks, in December of 1993 when the unity of Sarajevo again
came into question, the radio gathered a response for
intellectuals and about 6000 citizens.
"STUDIO 99's" morning program provides listeners with
all service information, "the interview of the day" in which a
famous person from public and social life is grilled, along
with guests from abroad (American and French ambassaders in
Bosnia, UN generals Morillion, Briquemont, Rose and other UN
officials). The news of "Studio 99" at 5 p.m. has a large
audience because of it objectively informs the public. The
night program is therapy-like, and also has a large audience.
Every evening at 9 p.m., "Studio 99" covers live, Radio France
Internationale (RFI). News and at 10 p.m. Radio Free Europe.
Although they often come under the different pressures,
workers at "Studio 99" always stay on the basic course. A
great number of Sarajevan intellectuals have gathered around
the Radio. The name of this organisation is the Association of
Independent Intellectuals "CIRCLE 99". At this very moment in
Sarajevo and Bosnia-Herzegovina there is a open fight between
totalitarism and democracy. Studio 99 is for democracy.
Studio 99 has just started broadcast TV program on 1st of
February 1995. Ciao, Zoran
FROM: Sead Fetahagic writer Circle 99
TO: Brigitte Bardot, Paris
Dear Madame Bardot,
I admire you work very much and your battle for
preserving dignity of animals. The human hand is very rude to
those poor creatures for example: whales, penguins and monkeys.
I would like very much to be a part of you work but this cage
that I live in, called Sarajevo does not enables me to do
that. I must inform you that animals are very endangered here.
They suffer very much here because there isn't much food and
man eats that little humanitarian food that gets here in this
human Zoo.
I would like to invite you to be my guest in my ruined
apartment and see for yourself how cats and dogs live here. If
you could see it I'm sure that you would do something.
Thankfull in advance.
FROM: Miralem Corbo
TO: Damir.Koboevic @ Public. Srce. Hr
0duvijek sam se uzasavao elektronike, cak i glas u
telefonskoj slusalici zvuci cudno. A sada komuniciramo putem
ove mreze u kojoj poput otvorenog prozora ulijecu zvuci, lica,
rijeci, rijeci, rijeci. Danas je prvi put posljie tri nedelje
osvanulo sunce. Isao sam na fakultet, tamo nema nikoga,
razbijeni prozori gledaju na Grbavicu, svuda pustos. Drago mi
je sto si nasao stan, jos je davno Dostejevski rekao: Covjek
bez svoje sobe je covjek bez psihologije. Ova poruka ide iz
firme u kojoj je tvoj otac radio. Pozdravi sve iz Sarajeva,
drago mi je sto tako dobro stojimo u Zagrebu. Prije 3 4 dana
iznenada se ukazo Bajramovic Semir iz Stoca. I on te je
pozdravio. Trenutno je u istocnom Mostaru. Ispuni mi
jednu zelju: Napravi jedan krug Zagrebom za mene. U nadi da
cemo se ipak nekada vidjeti. Puno pozdrava Milarem
I was always terified by electronic noises. Even a
voice by phone sounds strange. Now, we are comunicating by
this network which is like an open window for sounds, faces,
words, words..
Today is the first time we have sun after three weeks.
I went to the university. Nobody was there only broken glass
with a view to Serb-held Grbavica, in ruins.
I am very glad that you have found an apartment. As
Dostoyevski once said/ Man without a room is like man without
identity. This message is broadcasted from the firm your
father used to work in. Say hello to all the people from
Sarajevo who are now in Zagreb.
The only wish I have is for you to walk around Zagreb
for me. In hope that we will meet again one day. Miralem.
FROM: Miralem Corbo
TO: To whom it may concerns
We are not seperated by space or what is happening
here. Time seperates us. I also have one question for all of
you reading this: Do you know what burns fastest? The
answer is: The wood an old lady brought from hill Zuc!
FROM: Lejla Cisic
TO: Nele Karajlic Belgrade
Dragi Nele, nema tu puno rijeci. Ja sam samo jedna od onih koji
su odrasli uz tvog Abida, Murgu, nalazila sebe u Pisonj i Zugi.
Kao toliko Sarajlija. Kao sto si i ti bio Sarajlija. Sam si
izabrao da vise ne budes. Zasto? Ja i dalje zivim uz tvoje
pjesme. Tebe pitam samo- zasto?
Lejla is writing to once very popular leader of a band
Zabranjano Pusenje who is currently living in Belgrade/ At the
beginning of the war, he said, this is not his war!
Now in English:
Dear Nele, words are meaningless for saying this. I am
just one of those who grew up with your Abid, Murga. I found
myself in Pisonja and Zuga (persons in band's songs). As all
Sarajevans did. You used to be a Sarajevan too. You decision
was to stop being one. Why? I still live with your songs. I
can only ask you - Why?
FROM:MIRJANA LIKIC
TO: Luzanin Rajka phone: 453498
Prenesi Maji da smo svi dobro i da cu pokusati ponovo
da posaljem duzu poruku. Vjerovatno sutra.
Tell Maja that we are all right and that we will try to
send a longer message to you tomorow.
FROM: Midhat Uscuplic Jablanicka 5 Sarajevo,
Bosnia-Herzegovina TO: D. MINTER@xxxxxxxx
Dear David, Thank you for Rhytisma paper + 20 American
literature what I have received soon after your E-mail message.
A few days ago I received some literture from Dr. Wargo (USA).
It came through the Italian organization BEATI I CONSTRUTTORI
DI PACE
Via Marsilio da Padova,235139 PADOVA, ITALY
There is some litterature collected at The Oxford Forestry
Institute and D.K.Barrett from Oxford has some. People at the
Alice Holt Research Station also have some more things for me.
I kindly ask you to inform them that they may use the adress
showed above if they are ready to send it to me. When writting
my adress, please do not forget the home phone number 485056 as
there is no post service here for mail to be delivered. You may
suggest this address to all those who are willing to further my
cause. I also ask you to send me the titles of some most
important basic books on Plant Pathology with advanced treatise
newly issued with approximate prices and the publishers. I sent
a letter to Dick's widow; great sadness. Best regard to Helen,
James the First, William and Roxana. Your Midhat
FROM: Independent Television NTV "99" - Sarajevo
TO: Everybody
NTV "99" has just started broadcasting TV programs on Feb. 1st,
1995. Independent Television NTV "99" is a part of "Studio 99"
company which is private company and its founders and owners
are employees, the journalists. The television is independent
both in economic and program sense. Television development is
sponsored and supported by UNESCO. The main idea of uor
editorial policy is based on engagement on keeping
multicultural, multiconfessional and multinational
Bosnia-Herzegovina, human rights and freedoms. The focus is
young people and urban population. Our aim is to be
independent, objective and critically, educational and actual.
After experimental problems, our aim is to develop our own
production. Also, the intention is to realize our own program
from 7 a.m. until 2 a.m. NTV "99" broadcasts and makes its own
program on BETA SP system. We ask everybody who has their own
program: educational, docummentary, entertaiment, musical,
etc...to send us that program and in that way help the
development of NTV "99". You can send your materials to this
adress: Studio 99 (Kulenovic)
Alipasina 41 Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
or to
Studio 99 (Kulenovic)
Laco Sercio bb
51210 Rovinj, Croatia
Our E-mail adress is: Studio_99@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
phone: ++ 387 71 664 550
Fax. ++ 387 71 664 551
FROM: Zoran Ilich
TO: Nottinghill
Many foreign journalists come to Sarajevo. We are used
to having people visit us and we have nothing against them.
Different organizations help Sarajevans. People from those
organizations work differently from their governments. For
example: Sarajevans love French ordinary people and French
resident organizations because they work better and help more
than governmental organizations do.
All people of good will are welcome in Sarajevo. Ciao !
Zoran.
----------------------------------------------------------
QUESTIONS FROM FRENCH SOLDIERS
* Questions from Jacques, age 23, 2nd class
-- Are you prepared to die for your cause?
-- Are you proud of what you are doing?
-- For you, has the value of human life changed since the
beginning of the war?
FROM:Sharic Sanel
TO:Jacques,age 24,2nd class
To your 2 first questions yes and yes.for me it is the same
question.for the 3rd question ,life is getting worthless.That
is why we are living day by day.
* Questions from Jean Paul, Major, age 35
-- Do you believe you will win this war?
FROM:Sharic Sanel
TO:Jean_Paul,MAJOR,age 35
Yes because if it will not chetnics will kill my family and all
my friend.BiH army are stronger every day and We have more
weapons than in the beginning of the war.Simply we must WIN.
FROM:Sharic Sanel
TO:Everybody
I am a 23 year old boy.I am a soldier in BIH Army.Before war I
was a student of architecture in Sarajevo.I love car and i love
driving too I love sking and swimming.If you would like to ask
me some questions i will answer you.I am working in studio
99(independant radio and T.V. in SARAJEVO).
---------------------------------------------------------------
------------
* The following letters are from teenagers in Sarajevo, who
asked us if they could write to their favorite stars.
---------------------------------------------------------------
------------
FROM:Mirela Kaarabasic
TO :James Hetfield from Metallica
I love you forever . Could you give me your adress? I will give
you my adress and I will be in Paris soon so we can probably
meet there. I am an fifteen-year-old girl,I have black hair ,I
like to listen hard rock,punk and metal music.
My adress is :Trg Merhemica 12 ,71000 Sarajevo,Bosnia and
Herzegovina,Europe
FROM:Jasmina Hurem
TO:Mickey Rourke and Ray from 2UNLIMITED
I am 19 years old and I adore Mickey and I love Ray.Ray please
come to Sarajevo in any way if it is possible.I adore
everything you do and I live for youMy adress is :Zrtava
fasizma 71000 Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina
FROM:Amer Varesanovic
TO:James Hetfild and Lars Ulrich
I would like to greet you and to ask you to come to Sarajevo.My
adress is :Zaima Sarca 36/b 71000 Sarajevo Bosnia and
Herzegovina.Also I would like to congratulate you in your work
and wish you never to split up.There are many your fans in
Sarajevo and wr all love you a lot .If it is possible that you
send me your autogramme please do ;thank you in advance!
FROM:Amer Varesanovic
TO:Jean Claude Van Damme
This is Amer from Srajevo greeting you and calling you to come
here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FROM:Amer Varesanovic
To :Bruce Dickinson
HELLO Bruce ,I would like to thank you again for coming to
Sarajevo
FROM:Amer Varesanovic
TO:Tom Araya
Same to you as to Bruce ,Iam your biggest fan ,I think that
you are the best
FROM:Amer Varesanovic
TO:Max Cavallera from Sepultura
I love you 'till I die ,It is my wish to meet youbecouse you
are the greatest.
FROM:Amer Varesanovic
TO:Anvar Varesanovic in Don Rua Street 25 ,Malta
Many greetings from your sarajevan friends and of course your
brother Amer!
FROM:Aida Bavcic and Elma Brkovic
TO:All of the members of Metallica and Antrax,AC/DC.
We are both teenagers and here most of the teenagers are just
and simply crazy about you guys!!Our life wish is that you
visit our city.Because there is no possibility for us to hear
your newest songs please send us a tape.We really love you a
lot.That's it for now.Please write to us .Our adresses are
:Lovcenska 17/A and isaka Samokovlije 51,71000 Sarajevo,
Europe.We both have 18 years.
FROM:Aida Bavcic and Elma Brkovic
TO:Nirvana
Your songs are really great and you are very popular here.I
wish that you visit Sarajevo one day in future. I would like
to greet you and this is my adress:Lovcenska 17/A .This is only
from Aida .
FROM:Aida Bavcic,Elma Brkovic,Amer Varesanovic,Kenan Balja
TO:President of USA, Bill Clinton ,president@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Many greetings from all of the teenagers from Bosnia and
Herzegovina. We ask you please to help us and our country
through diplomatic connections.We have our dignity and we also
have our tradition and culture for centuries of which you know
very little about.There are many children here who are
suffering so we would appreciate your help.Do not pay attention
to our politicians because not every Bosnians think as they
do.We are all pretty young perhaps as your daughter Chelsea but
you must know that here in our country the children are more
mature .We wish peace to all of the Bosnian people.
FROM:Aida Bavcic,Elma Brkovic,Amer Varesanovic,Kenan Balja
TO:Jean Claude Van Damme
Many greetings to you from us (Kenan,Aida ,Elma,Amer,Amra,Lejla
and Merisa).You are our idol and most of the boys here would
like to be as you.Kenan is training full-contact,haikido.I am
16 years old and I won the first prize on the National
Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina .I would like ,if it is
possible ,for you to send me a video tape of yourself wihle
you are training.
FROM:Kenan Balja
TO:Mike Tyson
I am very glad that you got out of the prison and I never
believed in that story that you raped a girl.I would appreciate
it if you could send me a video tape of your boxing.I wish you
the best and to win in every single match.
FROM:Amer Varesanovic in Bosnia
To :Rowan Atkinson,British actor from "The Black Adder" or "Mr.
Bean"
Many greetings ,you are the funniest guy in the world and you
make our life much easier.
FROM:Amer Varesanovic
TO:Romario
Many greetings to the greatest football player of all times.I
wish you to become as famous and good as Pele oncz was.I wish
you to come back to "Barcelona".That is all
FROM:Amer Varesanovic
TO:Magic Johnson
I wish that you get well soon although there is no cure for
AIDS!You must get well and play again.
FROM:Amra Kaltak and Lejla Delmo
TO:Faith no More
WE both are 14.We like your music very much.Becouse we are not
able to buy your tapes please send them to us.We like the most
the singer and the drummer.Our adress is :Antuna Hangija
128,71000 Sarajevo,BOsnia and Herzegovina.We love you a
lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FROM:Lejla djelmo i Amra Kaltak
Adress Livanjska street 53, Sarajevo RBiH
TO: Pearl Jam rock group
we are 14 years old, from Sarajevo, we love you and we listen
to your music, we know that you are first on the top list, we
would appriciate very much if you could call us on this
address.We love the musicians because our brother drummer in
Sarajevo and his idol is your drummer.If you can please send us
some tapes with your music, and your tee-shirts.WE LOVE YOU,
ANSWER US!
FROM: Merisa sahinagic, Antona Hangija 98, 13 yrs
TO: Steven Tyler, Aerosmith
We love you, we love to listen to your music, i wsh that you
could write to me, since there is a war here and we can not buy
your tapes here, please send us some, i think that your
daughter is very beautifull.
FROM : Denita Sahinagic, Antona Hangija 98
TO : Jon Bon Jovi and group Aerosmith
I am very glad that you are on this earth, I wish you all the
best, do you think that you will come soon to Bosnia, I LOVE
YOU ALL.
**************************************************************
NEWS SOURCES REGULARLY COVERED/ABBREVIATIONS USED BY BURMANET:
ABSDF: ALL BURMA STUDENT'S DEMOCRATIC FRONT
AMNESTY: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
AP: ASSOCIATED PRESS
AFP: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
AW: ASIAWEEK
Bt.: THAI BAHT; 25 Bt. EQUALS US$1 (APPROX),
BBC: BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION
BF: BURMA FORUM
BKK POST: BANGKOK POST (DAILY NEWSPAPER, BANGKOK)
BRC-CM: BURMESE RELIEF CENTER-CHIANG MAI
BRC-J: BURMESE RELIEF CENTER-JAPAN
CPPSM:C'TEE FOR PUBLICITY OF THE PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE IN MONLAND
FEER: FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW
GOA: GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA
IRRAWADDY: NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY BURMA INFORMATION GROUP
KHRG: KAREN HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP
KNU: KAREN NATIONAL UNION
Kt. BURMESE KYAT; UP TO 150 KYAT-US$1 BLACK MARKET
106 KYAT US$1-SEMI-OFFICIAL
6 KYAT-US$1 OFFICIAL
MOA: MIRROR OF ARAKAN
MNA: MYANMAR NEWS AGENCY (SLORC)
THE NATION: A DAILY NEWSPAPER IN BANGKOK
NCGUB: NATIONAL COALITION GOVERNMENT OF THE UNION OF BURMA
NLM: NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR (DAILY STATE-RUN NEWSPAPER,RANGOON)
NMSP: NEW MON STATE PARTY
RTA:REC.TRAVEL.ASIA NEWSGROUP
RTG: ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT
SCB:SOC.CULTURE.BURMA NEWSGROUP
SCT:SOC.CULTURE.THAI NEWSGROUP
SEASIA-L: S.E.ASIA BITNET MAILING LIST
SLORC: STATE LAW AND ORDER RESTORATION COUNCIL
[SLORC] POSTED BY AN OFFICIAL SLORC SOURCE
[SLORCITE] ATTRIBUTABLE TO BUT NOT ACKNOWLEDGED AS A SLORC
SOURCE
TAWSJ: THE ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL
UPI: UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
USG: UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
XNA: XINHUA NEWS AGENCY
**************************************************************