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BurmaNet News: May 17, 1995 [#174]
- Subject: BurmaNet News: May 17, 1995 [#174]
- From: burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 17 May 1995 20:52:00
------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------
The BurmaNet News: May 17 1995
Issue #174
BURMANET: HILL & KNOWLTON NOT WORKING FOR SLORC
R.A.N./BURMA FORUM: SLAVES CLEAR LAND FOR UNOCAL IN BURMA
BRC-J: CALL FOR COOPERATION ON NETWORKING
BRC-J: SUU KYI TALK IN HIROSHIMA
BRC-J: QUERY FOR BURMANET
NATION: SOLDIER INJURED AFTER CLASH WITH GUERRILLAS AT BORDER
NATION: RANGOON BANS CRITICISM OF THAILAND BY BURMESE
MILITARY
NATION: TWO KILLED IN KAREN ATTACK
NATION: KEY ANTI-SLORC ACTIVIST URGES THAI PUSH ON BURMA
POLICY
BKK POST: RANGOON BRINGS IN BACKUP TO CURB KAREN REBELLION
BKK POST: 36 WOMEN HELD IN HOTEL RAID
BKK POST: MAE SAI BORDER CLOSED
BKK POST: BURMA OPPOSITION ASKS FOR 'REVIEW' OF POLITICAL
OPTIONS
THE NATION: SEVENTY PER CENT OF WOMEN IN CHIANG RAI SEX
TRADE FOUND TO BE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
THE NATION: RANGOON BANS CRITICISM OF THAILAND BY BURMESE
MILITARY
THE NATION: SLORC MUST TURN TO DEMOCRACY
FEER: BACK TO THE HARD LINE
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BURMANET: HILL & KNOWLTON NOT WORKING FOR SLORC
Regarding an earlier posting that the Hill & Knowlton Public
Relations firm has signed on to lobby for the SLORC: We have
checked out directly with Hill & Knowlton who deny this.
However, we have had reports of Burma-born naturalized American
citizens who are lobbying for the SLORC both in Burma
and in the USA (especially Capitol Hill). These individuals
should also by law register with the US Dept of Justice as
foreign agents, otherwise they can be fined $10,000.
R.A.N./BURMA FORUM: SLAVES CLEAR LAND FOR UNOCAL IN BURMA
L.A. Rainforest Action Project The Burma Forum
Contact: David Wolfberg Contact:Dr. U Kyaw Win
++(310) 391-7788 ++(714) 432-5860
or ++(714) 831-2000
SLAVES CLEAR LAND FOR UNOCAL IN BURMA
Two weeks before Unocal executives will face shareholder questioning
at the company's annual meeting, the Bangkok Post has reported of
refugees entering Thailand to avoid forced labor conscriptions
clearing land for Unocal's pipeline. Unocal is in a joint venture
with Total of France and Burma's State Law and Order Restoration
Council regime. Unocal had distanced itself from SLORC's widely
reported slave labor practices by separating the pipeline issue
from construction of the nearby Ye-Tavoy railway, which intersects
the pipeline route.
Now, the refugees charge, forced labor, illegal land seizures and
village destruction is being carried by SLORC directly along the
route of the Unocal/Total/SLORC natural gas pipeline. "If the
accounts given by the refugees prove accurate, the number of
villagers subject to forced labour on the pipeline could be well
into the thousands," writes the Bangkok Post on May 7, 1995. In
mid-1994, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Thailand stated
that it was "likely that forced labour will be used on the
pipeline."
The refugees' eyewitness accounts stand in stark contrast to "Unocal
in Myanmar (Burma)," a report sent to all stockholders. Under the
heading "Absolute Respect for Human Rights," Unocal writes:
Allegation: Forced labor is being used to clear land
for the pipeline route.
Fact: This is definitely not true...We would never
allow such a thing...
Company assertions have come under fire. Unocal executives admit
that SLORC is in fact bringing seventeen battalions into the region
- 30,000 soldiers in all - via the railway. Unocal's report to
stockholders does not deny that this railway is being built by
forced labor. An estimated 160,000 Mon and Karen peoples have been
forced to work on the railway.
Allegation: The pipeline construction project will be
supplied by a railroad that's being built by
forced labor.
Fact: There is absolutely no connection between our
pipeline construction and the railroad exten-
sion...What's more...we can strictly control
how roads and other infrastructure for our
project are built.
Evidently, Unocal has no control over the land clearing phase of the
pipeline project. A human rights worker told the Bangkok Post that
"SLORC has used forced labour in the preparatory phases of several
previous old developments before foreign personnel were brought for
the technology- intensive phases of construction" according to the
article. "That way," said Kevin Heppner of the Karen Human Rights
Group, "the white guys can say with a straight face that they
didn't see anything."
Unocal's report to stockholders continues:
Allegation: Villages along the pipeline route have been
depopulated and the residents forcibly relocated. Fact: Our
observers saw no such evidence.
Unocal's observers did not speak Mon, Karen, Tavoy, or Burmese and
were escorted by SLORC personnel. During helicopter overflights,
SLORC determined where Unocal was allowed to land. Unocal's
investigative methodology was sharply criticized by a renowned
Burma scholar at Rutgers University, Professor Josef Silverstein,
following a January 4 meeting with Unocal.
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), the sole
customer of the natural gas, revealed another contradiction in
Unocal's rhetoric in an ad placed in the Bangkok Post on April 18.
The ad supplement stated that "Myanmar has recently cleared the way
by relocating a total of 11 Karen villages that would otherwise
obstruct the passage of the gas resource development project."
Refugees say that land clearing using slave labor began on February
3, the day after Unocal, Total, the Thai Petroleum Authority and
SLORC signed a final contract.
The Unocal/Total gas pipeline is SLORC's largest foreign venture to
date. Numerous U.S. companies have withdrawn from Burma amidst a
growing awareness of Burma's struggle for democracy --
Levi-Strauss, Amoco Oil, Liz Clairborne, Eddie Bauer, Macy's.
Numerous other companies refuse to initiate business in
SLORC-occupied Burma, and the Berkeley City Council has passed a
selective contracting resolution aimed at eliminating contracts
with firms involved in Burma. The pressure is increasingly being
focussed on PepsiCo, Texaco and Unocal -- the most visible U.S.
companies still doing business in Burma.
SLORC massacred thousands of nonviolent demonstrators in 1988, has
held Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest since
1989, and was voted out of office in 1990. Rather than cede power,
SLORC imprisoned the parliament members-elect and terrorized the
student democracy movement. Most of the students have left the
country via the Thai-Burma border or live in encampments there.
Unocal, meanwhile, still refuses to meet with leaders of the Mon and
Karen who own the land along the pipeline route, and has yet to
join The Burma Forum's call for an independent investigation into
the human rights situation in Tenasserim Division. Unocal's
president, John Imle, has dismissed this effort by saying, "we
conduct our own investigations."
At this point, Unocal is compelled to either ignore what the
refugees are saying or withdraw from the venture because of the
commitments made in the report to stockholders. The report states,
"we would never allow our activities anywhere to be the cause of
human suffering...If there were any possibility that our project
was connected with human rights abuses, this would be absolutely
unacceptable to us."
# # #
Note: The Bangkok Post article of May 7, 1995, is
entitled "Refugees Allege Slave Labour on
Gas Pipeline."
To contact EGAT concerning its role in the joint
venture, call 011-662-436-4824 (or 4884).
7-5-95/Bangkok Post
Thai, French and American oil companies, already under fire for the
Tavoy pipeline they are building in collaboration with Burma's
military regime, now face allegations from refugees arriving at the
Thai border of wide-scale slave labour directly on the pipeline.
These are the first detailed accounts of slave labour on the
pipeline itself.
Previous allegations have focussed on the Ye-Tavoy railway line,
which is being built by tens of thousands of slaves, but which the
oil companies claim is not related to their project.
If the accounts given by the refugees prove accurate, the number of
villagers subject to forced labour on the pipeline could be well
into the thousands.
RELATED REPORTS
(See Sunday Perspective, 17,24)
"They took my field for our pipeline," says Kyaw Myint, one of the
refugees from along the Thai pipeline.
"They took my income. Before the pipeline, there was forced labour,
but it was possible to live. Now it (forced labour) is all the
time."
"Now, I cannot eat with my family openly and in peace. I cannot
sleep with my family openly and in peace. When they see a man,
they take him for labour. I had to leave."
Another refugee gives a similar account of the situation along the
pipeline route, saying: "When they (Slorc) ask for money, I always
gave. When they asked for forced labour, I went. But in the
night, the soldiers still come to take 'emergency forced labour.'"
The natural gas pipeline is being built by French and American
oil-giants Total and Unocal, in partnership with Burma's ruling
State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc).
The sole consumer of the gas is the Electricity Generating Authority
of Thailand (EGAT) with pipeline construction on the Thai side
being done by the PTTEP (Petroleum Authority of Thailand
Exploration and Production Public Co.
BRC-J: CALL FOR COOPERATION ON NETWORKING
Burmese Relief Center-Japan
NBH03114@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dear Friends,
We would like to propose better communication and
cooperation from all groups working for Burmese democracy. It seems
that the forces of evil and oppression are growing ever stronger,
abetted by the indifference of some and the connivance of others,
and financed by the greed of many more. A number of dates for
activities have been suggested. Let's take advantage of them and
use them to put pressure on the SLORC and its minions.
The first occasion is the fifth anniversary of the May 27, 1990,
elections. We will be having a Burmese Benefit Dinner in Kyoto on
the 28th. The Burma Youth Volunteer Association in Tokyo will both
be cooperating with us and holding their own event in Tokyo as well.
We recently learned that in Los Angeles Rainforest Action Network
and International Network for Burma Relief, along with other
activist groups, are planning a demonstration against the Japanese
Foreign Ministry's March 27th decision to resume ODA to SLORC.
That's terrific! We'd like to stress that the Japanese are more
receptive to outside pressure than they are to protests at home, so
we expect that the LA demonstration will get attention in papers
here. If you can include Japan in your actions, please let us know,
and we'll join you in trying to get press attention from wire
services and local press.
After the anniversary of the elections comes June 19th, Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi's 50th birthday, an important date both to commemorate and
to use as an opportunity to press for her release. Demonstrations
may not have much visible impact on SLORC, but DASSK's birthday and
subsequent key dates are important opportunities to vividly remind
those governments and businesses consorting with SLORC that the
highly touted dialogues have amounted to absolutely nothing, and
that SLORC's belligerence towards the Karen and other ethnic
minorities has escalated, while the human rights situation
everywhere in the country is deteriorating.
According to SLORC's own "law", as explained by Prof.
Yokota himself, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi must be released by
July 11th. That makes the 11th another obvious day for
demonstrations, marches, vigils, dinners, concerts, or whatever
suits each group best. Supposing that nothing like unconditional
release happens then, we next have July 20th, the anniversary of her
house arrest.
In all of this we are in complete agreement with David
Arnott's proposals. Our point in writing this is to initiate a
discussion on ways and means of increasing our effectiveness. All
groups, from Australia to Norway, from India to the US, from Japan
to England, might well inform the rest of us by net or fax of their
plans in advance, mention what others are doing in their press
releases, and thus stress that coordinated international actions are
taking place. The bigger each event seems, the likelier it is to
get media coverage, and, unfortunately but true, if it doesn't get
covered, it might as well not have happened.
Those are some suggestions. What else might be done? Don't we need
some innovate, dramatic activities? Some new ideas, new attention
getters? Anyone reading the net regularly is painfully aware of the
horrors SLORC is inflicting on the peoples of Burma, but how to
convey that to others? To Japanese legislators who are just panting
to resume the Rangoon airport project and ODA on a grand scale? To
Mr. Imle, President of UNOCAL? To Mr. Oawa of Nippon Oil? To M
Serge Tchuruk, CEO of TOTAL. Petitions? Street theater? A hit
song for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi?
In addition to attention getting, however, we'd like to appeal to
groups concerned about Burma to extend their involvement beyond
political pressure to making some material contribution to help keep
the refugees and the Burmese students alive. Those who have given
the most, suffered the most, and continue to be the most vulnerable
have never needed support more than they need it now. Never have
Burmese refugees been more at risk, Karen, Mon, Tavoyan, Burman,
Shan, Arakanese. All face hunger and disease like never before.
The Burmese students who carried the flame of democracy to the
border in 1988 and have kept the flicker alive since, despite
incredible odds, are dependent on our good will and support so they
can continue their work for a free and democratic Burma. The
doctors of the Burma Medical Association and ABSDF work 365 days a
year without salaries, but they cannot work without medicine. All
of their supplies must be donated, and there are always shortages.
If you and your group would like more information about how to help
materially, contact us privately and we'll be happy to suggest ways
and means.
Let's make the net and our marvelously enhanced
communication work more effectively to stop SLORC and
bring democracy to Burma.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
With metta,
BRC-J: SUU KYI TALK IN HIROSHIMA
>From carol@xxxxxxx Sat May 13 02:33:54 1995
Date: Sat, 13 May 1995 18:39:08 +0900 (JST)
To: strider <strider@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Suu Kyi talk in Hiroshima
About twenty people gathered at the World Friendship Center in
Hiroshima, Japan, on May 12 to learn about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and
the democracy movement in Burma. Japanese and foreign residents of
Hiroshima as well as representatives from Burmese Relief
Center--Japan and Burma Youth Volunteer Association spent the
evening talking about Burma and deciding what to do to help its
people. Participants brought clothes for refugees and donated money
for postage. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was chosen as the first of a
number of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates to be studied as part of the
center's Young Peacemakers Workshop, a program for young Japanese
activists.
Some messages from participants:
I wish someday soon, all Burmese students can smile all the time,
and of course get some chances to study enough. Ganbare! Never give
up! (Maki Oto)
I believe peace will come soon to Burma. (Toshiko Kono)
I hope your wish will come true. I'm going to help you from Japan.
(Nobue Matsubara)
BRC-J: QUERY FOR BURMANET
13 May
To: strider <strider@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Query for Burmanet
In response to concerns about Tehran's "drive to acquire [nuclear]
weapons and support terrorist activities," President Bill Clinton
recently signed an ex ecutive
order ending all U.S. trade with and investment in Iran, according
to an AP report. As a prelude to the embargo, Clinton in March
killed a $1 billion oil contract between Conoco and Iran that would
have produced Conoco-developed oil fields in the Persian Gulf. The
AP report said that the *Emergency Powers Act* gives the president
this authority. My question to readers familiar with the Emergency
Powers Act is this: Could the act be applied to the contract between
SLORC and Unocal?
NATION: SOLDIER INJURED AFTER CLASH WITH GUERRILLAS AT BORDER
16.5.95/The Nation
Tak -- A Thai soldier was injured after an unidentified armed group
engaged his security unit in a gunfight as it guarded a refugee camp
in Tha Song Yang district here early yesterday, border officials
said.
Sgt Jen Sompaiboon was shot in the left leg and was admitted to Tha
Song Yang District Hospital.
The incident followed an ambush on a Thai patrol jeep in Sunday.
Thai helicopter gunships, tanks and jeeps equipped with machine guns
expelled the intruders after a 15- minute clash which produced no
casualties , said border sources.
In a related development, the chief of the 10th Cavalry
Battalion. Maj Yothin Bunchuay, said yesterday his men arrested two
KNU members for illegally entering Thailand and confiscated their
jeep.
The battalion handed over the two Karen to the 34th Border Task
Force for interrogation.
Meanwhile , Deputy Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said yesterday
that the relocation of Karen refugee camps on the border deeper into
Thailand and the dispatch of senior Foreign Ministry
officials to Rangoon are probably not necessary as the Thai and
Burmese armies seem to have the border situation under control.
However , Surin said talks on the repatriation of the refugees are
still necessary to make sure it is acceptable to both the Burmese
government and the Karen refugees.
Surin yesterday said Burma's attitude to the border problems had "
improved " .
Just last week , Rangoon accused Thai elements along the border of
aiding ethnic insurgents fighting the Burmese government. It also
denied responsibility for repeated intrusions into Thailand by the
Democratic Karen Buddhist Army [DKBA].
" The [border] situation seems to have returned to normal. The Thai
and Burmese armies in the past days have been in closer cooperation
to solve the conflicts, '" Surin said.
He said Burma had also shown a positive response toward
Thailand's repeated calls for Rangoon to stop the DKBA's
incursions into Thai territory .
" The relocation of the 17 Karen camps 10 km deeper inside Thailand
may not be necessary at the moment," he said .
Surin's statement came as the National Security Council called a
brainstorming session yesterday with senior officials from the
Foreign Ministry, the armed forces and the National Intelligence
Bureau to review the border situation and formulate strategies to
handle future incidents .
Surin did not attend the meeting but was later briefed by his
ministry's senior officials . He said coordination between Thai
authorities handling border issues was becoming smoother.
Karen who eventually want to return will be allowed to, while those
who are still uncertain about the situation would be allowed to stay
put, Surin said.
NATION: RANGOON BANS CRITICISM OF THAILAND BY BURMESE
MILITARY
17.5.95/The Nation
The Burmese army has been banned from criticizing Thailand in order
to show the close mutual ties between the two countries, First Army
Region Commander Lt Gen Bundit Malai- arisoon said yesterday day.
Any soldier heard making negative comments concerning Thailand would
be transferred within 24 hours, Bundit claimed.
"Such an order clearly shows that both countries still have close
ties and I expect that the [border] conflicts will soon end. We have
to continue improving our mutual economic relationship, especially
considering the project to purchase gas from Burma," he said .
His comments came shortly criticized Bangkok for harbouring Burmese
ethnic groups that have launched anti-Rangoon sentiment, as well as
allowing Burmese dissidents, freely in and out of Thailand.
Meanwhile , Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said yesterday he agreed
with criticism that Thailand has paid too much attention to affairs
relating to Cambodia and Burma.
" I agree with that comment. I have instructed the authorities
concerned to try and follow government guidelines when handling
matters related to the two countries, " he said.
" They are instructed to help as long as it is within their
responsibilities . If not, they should not get involved ," Chuan
said.
Burmese government soldiers seized a Thai man in Tak's Phop Phra
district for no apparent reason as they past his house, district
chief Somchai Pahayasanti said yesterday .
Somchai said that he has alerted the Thai-Burma Coordinating
Committee to secure the release of Uthai Tawongse, 27, from Moegor
Thai Village in the district .
Somchai said Uthai's house was about 300 metres from the border.
NATION: KEY ANTI-SLORC ACTIVIST URGES THAI PUSH ON BURMA
POLICY
17.5.95/The Nation
Thailand should demand that the ruling Burmese military junta adopt
an international acceptable approach to put an end to the spate of
border incursions by armed forces allied with Rangoon , said General
Secretary of Democratic Alliance of Burma, Tin Maung Win, yesterday.
" The essence of the approach by all international actors
concerned for human rights and the established norms of
international behaviour should be to bring about an end to the civil
war and ultimately a transition to democracy," he said.
Win was addressing a forum organized by the Asia Forum organized by
the Asia Forum for Human Rights and Development at
Chulalongkorn University . He was representing the National
Coalition Government of the Union of Burma.
However, the idea to make the incursions a regional or
international issue was opposed by the Army's deputy secretary, Col
Bunchon Chawansin, who insisted it was a local issue that did not
threaten the security or sovereignty of Thailand.
Researcher at Chulalongkorn University , Dr Alan Smith, said the
border intrusions and the consequent influx of refugees is a
challenge for Thai authorities at both the local and national
levels.
He described the incursions as a strategic problem and the influx of
refugees as an international issue by nature.
Smith said it would be advantageous to make the incursions an
international issue so Thailand could share the burden of having to
house the refugees with other organizations ,such as the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees.
However, if that approach was adopted , logistical and
administrative problems in running the refugee camps would have to
be addressed in an international forum a proposition that Thailand
may not find too appealing.
Don Pathan
NATION: TWO KILLED IN KAREN ATTACK
17.5.95/The Nation
Mae Sot - - Two Burmese soldiers were killed when their jungle base
in southeastern Burma was attacked by autonomy-seeking Karen
guerrillas yesterday, Thai authorities on the border with Burma
said.
About 10 other Burmese soldiers and at least two guerrillas were
wounded in a half -hour battle that followed the attack in the early
hours yesterday , the sources said.
It was the first major clash between the guerrillas and
government troops since the guerrillas suspended offensive
operations on March 24 in an attempt to kick -start stalled moves
towards peace talks.-- -- Reuter
BACK TO THE HARD LINE
12 May 1995
With New Incursions into Thailand, Slorc Reverts to its Old Self
When will she go free? Every time Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi,
Myanmar's leading dissident, nears the end of the another year under
house arrest, speculation about her possible release intensifies. So
it is as July 1995, the sixth anniver- sary of her detention,
approaches. Late last year the ruling State Law and Order
Restoration Council kindled hopes when Slorc leaders publicly met
with Suu Kyi after years of refus- ing to do so.
Now, freedom for the daughter of Myanmar's assassinated found- ing
father looks more remote that ever. Propaganda last seen in the days
before her 1989 detention is back on the streets of Yangon. Leaflets
are maligning Suu Kyi as an "opportunist" and "genocidal
prostitute." Last month her husband, Oxford professor Michael Aris,
was denied a visa to visit at Easter. In January, he had released a
statement from Suu Kyi: "I consider myself bound by the aspirations
of those engaged in the movement to establish a democratic system ."
Recently, Colonel Kyaw Win, deputy to the intelligence chief, told
visiting jou- rnalists: "When there is no security problem, she will
be re- leased. We will not bend to pressure from any quarter."
Slorc is back to its old hard line delf, unfazed by outside
entreaties and protest. On April 28, its troops and ethnic Karen
fighters who had defected to the junta raided five bor- der camps in
northwestern Thailand's Tak province. Far worse than previous
attacks, they torched hundreds of houses and marched dozens of
refugees, mainly women and children, at gun- point back to Myanmar.
The incident came just a day after Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai
had warned Yangon not to repeat earlier incursions, which had been
on the rise in recent weeks. Some months ago the PM had rejected
Yangon's demand that thousands of refugees in border camps be
repatriated. They had fled to Thailand af- ter Slorc forces overran
the separatist Karen National Libera- tion Army's headquarters in
Manerplaw in January.
Recently, Myanmar Deputy foreign Minister Nyunt Swe declared after a
meeting with his new Thai counterpart Krasae Chanawong: "We can
solve [problems] by our own ways and means." But the current spate
of cross-border pillage, killing and kidnapping seems to be
telegraphing a different message to Thailand: If you won't ut more
of a "security" and "military" issue handled mostly by the
Thai Defence and Interior Ministries.
Naturally, human rights and advocates want to see Asean use its
economic trump cards to influence Burma. They hope that in the July
Asean meeting in Brueni, countries will give more time in dis-
cussing Burma and come up with a strong Asean statement freez- ing
the Burmese regime's effort to join the club. Apparently, Sin-
gapore, with the biggest portfolio in Burma and its own views on
human rights, may not embrace this idea.
"Burma is the problem of the region. It did not happen because of
external forces like the Cambodia problem. Its solution depends on
the perception of countries in the region. For now regional players
are satisfied with the status quo. every one is taken the eyes way
out," said Zaw Oo.
Meanwhile, intense courtship between China and Burma has made India,
Thailand and its Asean friends worried. They hope "constructive
engagement" with Burma would help prevent the Sino-Burmese marriage
for life.
On top of the political and security discomfort, countries in the
region are bearing a regional embarrassment: the house arrest of
National League of Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is also a
Nobel Peace laureate, has entered its sixth year. The results of the
earlier visits of the UN team and western high- level officials to
Burma confirm that her release, due last July, remains a rumour.
Monsters come and go. But experts see the situation in Burma as a
kind of Jurassic Park where no one knows who will survive. Like in
China, a small group of people runs Burma and they can do as they
please. "That makes them even more unpredictable," said a Thai
diplomat.
some believe that Burma will grow more like its bigger brother,
China where its economic liberalization will, sooner or later,
sustain itself - with or without democracy. But democracy advocates
argue that if collapse, socially, politically and economically.
The reason is that despite its seemingly impressive annual growth of
about 5.6 per cent, Burma is still facing a "very difficult and
troubled" economy with its lack of foreign exchange, its multiple
exchange rate system, its immense inflation problem of about 30 per
cent per year and its heavy subsidies. Burma, in the minds of many,
badly needs both economic and political reform to avoid social
tension between the rich and the poor, and racial tension between
the incoming Chinese and the local Burmans.
Meanwhile, some world-weary analysts see not much difference between
Burma's present and its neighbours' past. "What the military regime
in Burma is doing is copying the style of Thailand and Indonesia in
the past," said a retired Burmese UN official. For now, the split in
opinions on the way to shape Burma's future exists not only among
outsiders but inside Burma's leadership. Some want to focus only on
economic reform while others
recognize the need for both economic and political reform. In eyes
of realists, there seem to be no practical alternative for Burma in
an age of intensifying global economic competition. The Slorc must
eventually turn to democracy. In countries where economic
development preceded political advancement it was only a matter of
time before democracy followed economic
development, experts say.
As Kim Dae Jung, a South Korean democracy activist puts it, "Even in
Thailand, after 10 military governments, a civilian government has
finally emerged." Should the Burmese people have to wait that long?
And how many more "border incidents" with Thailand would it have to
take? (TN)
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NEWS SOURCES REGULARLY COVERED/ABBREVIATIONS USED BY BURMANET:
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ABSDF-DNA: ALL BURMA STUDENT'S DEMOCRATIC FRONT [DR. NAING
AUNG]
ABSDF-MTZ: ALL BURMA STUDENT'S DEMOCRATIC FRONT [MOE THEE ZUN]
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 EAST 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
TAWSJ: THE ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL
UPI: UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
USG: UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
XNA: XINHUA NEWS AGENCY
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