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BurmaNet News 19th June #186
------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: June 18th 1995
Issue #186
BKK POST: RANGOON MAY BE PREPARING FOR FRESH ATTACKS AGAINST REBELS
BKK POST: KARENS HELD FOR ROBBING THAI VILLAGERS
NATION : KAREN REBELS SURRENDER TO GOVERNMENT TROOPS
BKK POST: FORTY -SEVEN KAREN GUERRILLAS SURRENDER TO BURMESE JUNTA
BKK POST: CHATICHAI WANTS GOVT REVIEW OF MAE SAI DECISION
BKK POST: DEVELOPERS CHANGING THE FACE OF EXOTIC BURMESE CAPITAL
THAILAND TIME: MILITARY MEN NAMED TO BURMESE CABINET
NATION : ICRC TO CLOSE BURMA OFFICE OVER FREE ACCESS TO PRISONERS
BKK POST: US LAWMAKERS EYE BURMA SANCTIONS
NATION : SUU KYI TURNS 50 AS HOPES FOR FREEDOM FADE
NATION : DETAINED MON INVALID MAKES PLEA TO GOVT FOR QUICK DECISION
ON HIS FUTURE
BKK POST: CHATICHAI WANTS GOVT REVIEW OF MAE SAI DECISION
BKK POST: THERE'S DOLLARS IN THE EYES OF SOME IN BURMA
BKK POST: PRESENT POLICIES NOT ENOUGH
BKK POST: JAPANESE WWII CASH UNEARTHED BY KARENS
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===== item =====
RANGOON MAY BE PREPARING FOR FRESH ATTACKS AGAINST REBELS
17.6.95/Bangkok Post
A Border report released recently has revealed the possibility
that the Rangoon army is preparing to launch fresh air attacks
against rebel minority groups including the Mong Tai Army[MTA].
The report has alerted the army and border patrol police units
along the border in Chiang Rai , Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Song to
the danger of possible incursions.
The Third Army Region issued a warning on Monday to Naresuan Task
Force and Border Patrol Police to keep a close watch on the
border situation .
A military base belonging to the MTA situated across from Mae Fah
Luang District in this northern province is believed to be the
target of the Rangoon army attack.
It was reported on Wednesday that about 500 Rangoon army
reinforcements were despatched to Ban Pang Ma O, about 20
kilometers south of the border town of Tachilek .
Army sources said the Burmese army is planning to renew its
suppression activities in a bid to drive out the MTA, which has
established strongholds near Tachilek over the last few months.
It is also to ensure that the border town, which has been shut
for three months due to unrest along the border , can reopen for
business without any fear of danger from the MTA.
Tachilek has been closed temporarily following clashes between
Rangoon's army and MTA forces.
The Rangoon army reportedly burnt down more than 20 houses in the
border town, which they believed had housed members of the MTA .
Fighting in the border town has brought trading activities to a
standstill.
===== item =====
KARENS HELD FOR ROBBING THAI VILLAGERS
17.6.95/Bangkok Post
Police yesterday arrested six Karen tribesmen who they claimed
had robbed Thai villagers along the Thai-Burmese border and
seized five M-16 rifles, one AK-47 and a quantity of ammunition
from them in Sob Moei District.
The six -identified only as No Wa, 20, Jo Tho, 20 Pha Ahae, 24,
Koso, 17 , Ajino, 17 , and Pan Nu ,20 -were arrested at Ban Huay
Haeng in Tambon Sob Moei.
Police said the six confessed to robbing Thai villagers along the
border on many occasions.
They also admitted to robbing cash and valuables worth more than
20,000 baht from the home of Insom Plianchai in Tha Song Yang
District , Tak Province, on May 31 , police claimed.
===== item =====
KAREN REBELS SURRENDER TO GOVERNMENT TROOPS
The Nation/17.6.95
Associated Press
RANGOON- Nearly 50 guerrillas from the last major ethnic group
fighting the Burmese junta have surrendered to government troops,
a state-owned newspaper reported yesterday.
The New Light Of Myanmar said the guerrillas were part of the
Karen National Union, which has been fighting for autonomy from
the government in Rangoon since 1948.
They surrendered at a military camp on June 11 in Tarlay, in
Karen State, near the Thai border with the Thailand, it said.
Government troops captured the KNU's headquarters at Manerplaw on
Jan 27, and the group's last major stronghold inside Burma at
Kawmoora the following month.
Since then the KNU has been operation from clandestine bases on
both sides of the Thai-Burma border. Its forces are estimated at
about 4,000 guerrillas.
The newspaper claimed the troops surrendered because they refused
to carry out orders given by Bo Mya, the leader of the KNU.
===== item =====
FORTY -SEVEN KAREN GUERRILLAS SURRENDER TO BURMESE JUNTA
17.6.95/Bangkok Post
Forty-seven Karen guerrillas, ordered to assassinate the leader
of a rival Karen faction , have surrendered to Burmese military
authorities , Burma's state-run media reported yesterday.
The group was part of a special unit ordered by Karen guerrilla
leader Bo Mya in February to assassinate U Thuzana, head of a
rival faction which broke away from the main Karen guerrilla
force two months earlier, the report said.
U Thuzana, whose splinter faction joined forces with the Burmese
army to attack their former comrades, now lives in a government -
controlled part of southeastern Burma.
The 47 rebels " returned to the legal fold" on Sunday, the report
said.
The Burmese junta is about to finalise a ceasefire agreement with
Mon rebels, one of the last two major ethnic -based guerrilla
movements along the Thai-Burma border , a reliable source said
here .
Negotiators for the junta, officially known as the State Law and
Order Restoration Council[SLORC] , and the New Mon State Party
[NMSP] were currently meeting in Moulmein , the Mon state capital
east of Rangoon , the source said.
The ceasefire deal was expected to be concluded next week ,
making the NMSP the 15th armed group to have made peace with the
SLORC .
The only major anti-government group yet to respond to Rangoon's
offers of development assistance in exchange for a ceasefire
accord is the Karen National Union [KNU] .
Forty -seven KNU members recently surrendered to the government ,
citing disillusionment with their leadership, official
information indicated.
In a major assault on KNU guerrilla bases along the Thai-Burma
border , SLORC troops in cooperation with a Karen breakaway
faction overran KNU positions earlier this year, sending
thousands of refugees fleeing into Thailand and leaving the rebel
group in disarray.
===== item =====
CHATICHAI WANTS GOVT REVIEW OF MAE SAI DECISION
17.6.95/Bangkok Post
Chart Pattana leader Chatichai Choonhavan has urged the
government to review a decision to close the Mae Sai checkpoint.
Gen Chatichai said the closure on May 16 had adversely affected
local residents who relied on trade between the two countries.
The former premier , on the campaign trail in the province's
Constituency 2, said the government might have acted on
misinformation over the Burmese Government's closure of the
Tachilek border, opposite Mae Sai , on security grounds.
Direct talks with Rangoon would settle the matter quickly and
prevent a strain on bilateral relations, he said.
Gen Chatichai said the matter wouldn't have gone this far if he
were premier.
"I would fly to see them immediately , quickly resolving the
dispute, " he said .
Past misunderstandings should be buried and both countries should
work together to develop the area, he said.
" To live peacefully with economic growth is much more important
than fighting each other," Gen Chatichai said.
He told residents that a vote for Chart Pattana would see the
region grow prosperous again .
" The government should be decisive and if I was leading it I
would not waste time over this issue of the border, " he said.
Gen Chatichai yesterday started three days of campaigning in the
upper North. He will be in Lampang today, leaving for Phayao
Province tomorrow.
He has pledged to push for a university in Chiang Rai if his
party wins a place in government .
He was confident that the region's economy would be boosted once
an economic zone was established with Burma, Laos and China , he
said.
Three seats are up for grabs in Constituency 2 and Chart Pattana
is eyeing two.
Others in the running are former MP somboon Wanchaithanawong
[Chart Thai], former MP Samrej Poonikom [Social Action], Buasorn
Prachamon [Solidarity] and Amnart Sathaworarit [ Democrat].
===== item =====
DEVELOPERS CHANGING THE FACE OF EXOTIC BURMESE CAPITAL
17.6.95/Bangkok Post
With hammers and crowbars they're knocking down old, atmospheric
Rangoon , one of Asia's last reminders of the past , to make way
for high-rise hotels and shopping centres.
The 20th century has finally caught up with Rangoon , where high-
rise once meant the soaring spires of Buddhist pagodas and tree-
lined avenues were flanked by probably the largest collection of
British colonial buildings in the would.
Now , big chunk of the uniform urbanscape are being ripped out of
the heart of Rangoon, and the skyline has already been pierced by
several buildings approaching 20 stories.
Foreign investors are putting up office complexes, department
stores and hotels that will cater to an expected tourist boom in
this still exotic land .
" Business is very good. The government really wants to change
the economic policy . We will have many high -rises . In the next
10 years Rangoon will be like Bangkok," says real-estate
developer Soe Myint referring to Thailand's capital , an urban
nightmare which has bulldozed many vestiges of its past.
Rangoon had been frozen in time because a socialist, xenophobic
government kept out investment and all but ruined the domestic
economy. Major construction was rare.
The current military junta , which seized power after crushing a
pro-democracy uprising in 1988 , has liberalised the economy,
invited foreign investors and laid down modernisation plans.
Irrevocable changes to Rangoon's character began about two years
ago.
The prospects for saving old Rangoon are not promising , although
Lt Gen Kyaw Ba, minister of tourism , maintains that "some of
Rangoon's antique colonial buildings must be preserved. The high-
rises will be scattered."
Leading the development are overseas Chinese entrepreneurs who
have shown little mercy to architectural legacies elsewhere in
Asia . For all parties involved , more money can usually be made
by tearing down and building anew.
There's also local lobby , public forum or foreign pressure group
currently standing up for preservation. The military rules by
decree, and also profits substantially from many foreign
investment projects.
" Nobody would dare oppose military plans to modernise the city,"
says one Western resident who requested anonymity. "From time to
time you hear individuals grumble . There's a sigh and
resignation that there goes another old building ."
A 23-storey hotel is under construction on the northern end of
Sule Pagoda Road, the main avenue laid down by the British in the
mid -19th century where structures average four stories . Another
hotel and a 25-floor Japanese office building will go up nearby .
At the lower end of the avenue , little more than 100 metres from
the Sule Pagoda, foundations are being laid for the French -owned
Sofitel Hotel, which will dwarf the sacred , ancient epicentre of
Rangoon with its twin towers and 22 floors.
Last year, Kyaw Ba stressed there were regulations against
building large structures near religious edifices. But in another
interview recently the tourism minister argued that Sofitel could
be built because the Sule Pagoda was already surrounded by other
buildings which obstructed its viewing from farther away.
The profit motive, however , is also protecting some of the dark
red brickwork , the fanciful turrets and neo-Grecian columns of
Imperial Britain .
The Stand , one of the finest hotels in Asia when it was built in
1901 ,has been renovated and now charges $300 a night for a taste
of bygone elegance. The Victorian head-quarters of the Burmese
railway department will be converted into a 90 -room ,five star
hotel.
Unable to compete with foreign companies coming in to build
megaroom hotels, Burmese businessman Khin Shwe says he has sought
out old, unique properties for renovation.
Last year he opened the 15 -room Mya Yeik Nyo Royal , the
magnificent former mansion of Chartered Bank managers set atop
Rangoon's second -highest hill.
Staying there, or at one of several surrounding bunglows ,is
truly a step back into the world of lawn parties, gin and tonics
at sundown and stiff upper lips.
But on the grounds ,Khin Shwe has had a large mural painted which
showcases Burma's natural and man-made wonders, including,
naturally, his own hotel. Rangoon itself is depicted as a phalanx
of skyscrapers, and could easily be mistaken for Manhattan.
===== item =====
MILITARY MEN NAMED TO BURMESE CABINET
Thailand Time/17.6.95
Bangkok: The Burmese junta has appointed six senior army
commanders to cabinet posts in a move analysts said was designed
to open up positions for a fresh crop of military leaders.
The state- owned press in Rangoon carried front -page reports
yesterday of the reshuffle , which moved the powerful commanders
of four key army regions as well as the army operations commander
and quartermaster into the cabinet .
The reshuffle followed a pattern frequently seen in Burma, in
that the ministers replaced by the army men were transferred to
other positions in the government , although the scale of the
transfers was larger than usual .
Both the outgoing ministers and their successors could be
considered to have been "kicked upstairs" to seemingly lesser
jobs, analysts said.
Diplomatic reached by the telephone in Rangoon tended to play
down the political significance of the reshuffle, suggesting the
transfers were primarily intended to make room for promotions
within the Army. There was no immediate indication of who would
take over the Army regional commands vacated by the new
ministers.
Another question mark was whether the reshuffle foretold changes
in the ruling junta officially known as the State Law and Order
Restoration Council(SLORC).
Four of the outgoing ministers were military men, but two-
construction minister Khin Maung Yin and industry minister Than
Shwe- were technocrats who has risen through government ranks,
the analysts said.
In the reshuffle, Lieutenant-General Maung Hla, the army
operation commander, was appointed to the newly-created
immigration and population ministry, while the army
quartermaster, Lieutenant-General Min Thein, was named a minister
in the office of the SlORC chairman.
The army's central region commander, Major-General Kyaw Than, was
appointed to head the light industry ministry, while his eastern
region counterpart, Major-General Saw Tin, was given the
construction ministry.
The northeastern region commander Major-General Kyaw Aye, was
named information minister, and the southern commander, Major-
General Soe Myint, was appointed to the social welfare, relief
and resettlement ministry.
Three of the outgoing ministers were assigned to the offices of
the Slorc chairman(Brigadier-General Myo Thant, ex-information),
the prime minister(Than Shwe, ex-industry) and the deputy
premier(Khin Maung Yin, ex-construction).
The outgoing minister of social welfare, relief and resettlement
was named culture minister, while the culture minister was
appointed to the security management committee.
Meanwhile, 47 Karen Guerrillas, ordered to assassinate the leader
of a rival Karen faction, have surrendered to Burmese military
authorities, Burma's state-run radio reported yesterday.
The groups was part of a special unit ordered by Karen guerrilla
leader Bo Mya in February to assassinate U Thuzana, head of a
rival faction which broke away from the main Karen guerrilla
force two months earlier, the report said.
U Thuzana whose splinter faction joined forces with the Burmese
Burmese army to attack their former comrades, now lives in a
government-controlled part of southeastern Burma.
The 47 rebels "returned to the legle fold" on Sunday, the report
said.
===== item =====
ICRC TO CLOSE BURMA OFFICE OVER FREE ACCESS TO PRISONERS
YINDEE LERTCHAROENCHOK
The Nation/18.6.95
The International Committee of the Red Cross will close its
office in Burma next month following the ruling junta's about-
face on its promise to allow the worldwide humanitarian
organization free access to political prisoners, it was announced
on Friday.
A Statement issued by the ICRC head office in Geneva said the
closure would occur "during the course of July".
The statement said the ruling State Law and Order Restoration
Council(Slorc) had informed the ICRC on March 21 that "it took no
account of the customary procedures for visit to places of
detention followed by ICRC in all the countries where it conducts
such activities".
The institution therefore submitted a memorandum to the (Slorc)
authorities on June 16, 1995 acknowledge the failure of
negotiations and announcing that it would close its office in
Yangon(Rangoon) during the course of July 1995, the statement
said.
There has been speculation about the ICRC's possible withdrawal
from Burma has since early this year. The official decision was
conveyed by an ICRC regional representative during a visit to
Rangoon last week, according to a senior ICRC official.
The ICRC has been involved in humanitarian activities in Burma
since 1986.
Although the committee's Rangoon office will close and its three
expatriate staff would leave the country, links would not be
entirely severed, the official said.
Assistance to the Burmese Red Cross Program to identify war
amputees in border areas and transport them to Mandalay and
Rangoon for the fitting of artificial limbs would continue.
However, the ICRC orthopedic programme to train Burmese
technicians in military and civil hospitals to produce artificial
limbs would be discontinued when the project term ends at the end
of this month.
The other ICRC programme - training and dissemination of
international humanitarian law and the 1949 Geneva Conventions to
Burmese military personnel- would continue, but did not require a
full-time office, the official said.
Three training sessions have been organized since August 1992,
when the Burmese junta signed the four humanitarian Geneva
Convention: the amelioration of the suffering of the wounded
soldiers on battlegrounds and at sea, the treatment of prisoners
of war, the protection of civilians during war, and the
regulation of penal prosecutions of protected persons in enemy
hands during an armed conflict.
The ICRC acts as a custodian organization in upholding the
principles of the convention.
The ICRC officials, who requested anonymity, said his
organization had since 1988 sought the Burmese junta's permission
to visit political detainees in jails.
The organization had tried to explain "extensively" to the
Burmese authorities "how it works in these type of activities"
and the procedures relating to the work, he said.
The basic procedures, or principles, that the ICRC adhered to in
its global humanitarian operations include obtaining permission
from host countries to see all political detainees, to make
repeat visits, to talk privately with detainees and have access
to all information relating to individual prisoners.
Serious negotiations for access to Burmese political prisoners,
however, began only in 1993 when Slorc became more willing to
listen to and to consider the ICRC request, he said.
The progress was made when SLorc leaders informed United States
Congressman Bill Richardson during his visit to Burma in February
last year that Rangoon would comply with the request by the
Swiss-based organization.
Slorc commitment was also noted in the official report to the
United Nations General Assembly last year by the UN special human
rights envoy to Burma, Yozo Yokota.
But Richardson made another visit to Burma last month and
subsequently expressed his strong disappointment and frustration
at "serious suppression, regression and retrenchment by the
Slorc."
He told a press conference in Bangkok after his brief two-day
trip that Slorc, despite its earlier commitment, had not allow
the ICRC access to jails and had instead imposed "unfair and
unreasonable conditions" on Red Cross operations.
The ICRC official said the change of heart took place in December
when Slorc leader Lt Gen Khin Nyunt told a visiting ICRC chief
delegate that Rangoon would reconsider the ICRC request.
In January Slorc subsequently informed the Swiss agency that it
would not allow some of the basic procedures relation to the ICRC
operation in Burma, and therefore we(Red Cross Officials) will
have to visit prisons under their(Slorc) terms ", the official
said.
The ICRC had applied the same practice, or criteria in every
country in which it works, he said. In 1994, International Red
Cross officials had access to 99,000 political prisoners in the
55 countries where it operates.
All procedures are the same, whether in Indonesia, the Philippine
or Srilanka....We have the same practice or procedures in every
country and we can not change them, thus we have to depart from
Burma," he added.
Although the official declined to identify the point that the
Junta has refused to meet, it is believed Slorc objected most to
the demand that the ICRC be allowed to take in private with
political prisoners.
===== item =====
US LAWMAKERS EYE BURMA SANCTIONS
BKK Post/18.6.95
Agence France-Press, Washington
US LEGISLATORS are pressing President Bill Clinton's
administration to tighten sanctions against Burma as democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi prepares to begin her seventh year under
house arrest.
We need to consider a trade and investment US embargo against
Burma in hope that will send a message that there's been a
retrogression on human rights," representative Bill Richardson
said on Friday.
A spokesman for Senator Mitch McConnell also confirmed on Friday
that the Republican from Kentucky was drafting sanctions
legislation against Burma.
Separately 60 members of the US House of Representatives sent a
letter to Clinton urging them to tighten sanctions against the
ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council(SLorc) by
discouraging new private US investment in Burma.
The legislators cited reports by UN and US officials and human
rights groups that torture, forced labour, and other human rights
violations persist under the Slorc, adding that "there is no
freedom of speech, association, (or) press in Burma.
Richardson, a democratic from New Mexico who visited Burma in
May, said Slorc intelligence Chief Gen Khin Nyunt was very
negative about prospect for the imminent release of democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Khin Nyunt said there would no further dialogue between Slorc and
Aung San Suu Kyi on democratization and refused an entry visa for
Aung San Suu Kyi's husband, who lives in the United States,
Richardson said.
Legislative efforts aimed at further isolating the Slorc will
coincide with the sixth anniversary of her arrest.
Richardson said he may introduce legislation enumerating a code
of conduct for US companies operating in Burma and hope to find a
channel through the Association of Southeasts Asian
Nations(Asean) to raise human rights issue there.
But Asean nations-notably Thailand and Singapore- maintain
cordial relations with Burmese junta, and Japan remains a
substantial investor in the country.
Moreover, government sources said China, which has help upgrade
the Burmese armed forces in recent years, has encouraged the
junta to ignore US pressure to improve its human rights records
and hand over power to a civilian government.
July 11 should be a day for on which all nations, especially
nation like Japan, wise up and raise the human rights issues and
recognize that constructive engagement had failed," Richardson
said.
"Everything we've tried hasn't worked," he added.
===== item =====
SUU KYI TURNS 50 AS HOPES FOR FREEDOM FADE
The Nation/20.6.95
Agence France-Press
BURMA'S leading opposition figure, Aung San Suu Kyi, turns 50
today with flagging hopes of emerging in the near future from six
years of house arrest.
Frail-looking but strong-willed, Aung San Suu Kyi has refused to
compromise with the ruling junta and thus looks set to begin her
seventh year of house arrest on July 19.
The legal basis for her continued detention is hazy, but informed
observers say the junta is not particularly concerned about legal
niceties when is come to dealing with a person they see as a
threat to the nation's stability.
And despite calls in the west for trade sanction, Rangoon is
standing firm.
As Burma's minister of national planning and development, David
Abel, remarked during a Singapore visit on June 10, Southeast
Asia is rushing to take up investment opportunity at the expense
of the reluctant West.
For a time last year, Burma-watchers were cautiously optimistic.
The military rulers allowed two outsiders-- a Buddhist monk and a
United states congressman- to visit Aung San Suu Kyi and twice
held their own meetings with her.
But the two sides reached no agreement, and the junta, known as
the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), rebuffed a
subsequent attempt by Bill Richardson (Democrat-New Mexico) to
see her again in May.
Slorc also refused a request form her husband, British academic
Michael Aris, for a visit after he carried a statement from Aung
San Suu Kyi to Bangkok following his last visit at Christmas
1994.
===== item =====
DETAINED MON INVALID MAKES PLEA TO GOVT FOR QUICK DECISION ON HIS FUTURE
YINDEE LERTCHAROENCHOK
The Nation/20.6.95
LANGUISHING in his third month at the detention centre, a
severely handicapped Mon refugee suffering with post-surgery
infection has urged the Thai government to quickly prosecute him
of send him to the Burmese safe camp at the border.
Maung Kyan who lost his both arms and his eyesight due to a
landmine explosion about 10 years ago, said his plea was made out
of concern for the "adverse effects" of prolong imprisonment on
his five-years-old daughter and one-year-old infant son, who
along with their mother, have been confined with him in the
Interior Ministry's Immigration Centre(IDC) in Bangkok.
His daughter who suffers from a defective palate and requires
special speech therapy, has not received her regular treatment in
the Immigration cells.
The four-member family and eight other Mon refugees were arrested
when plain clothes police raided Wat Prok, a Buddhist Mon temple
in Yannawa, on April 19 on charges of illegal Immigration.
A native of Moulmein, Maung Kyan left the Thai-Burmese border in
Kanchanaburi province late last year for Bangkok to received a
cornea transplant, which give him a limited sight in one eye. He
was still under medical treatment when the arrest took place and
thus was prevented from receiving long term anti-reject
medication.
Mon relief officials said the arrest took place as they were
requesting Handicapped International to provide and fit Maung
Kyan, who is in his early 30s, with artificial arms which would
restore some of his independence.
They said poor conditions at the detention cell had adversely
affected Maung Kyan's restored eyesight and infection had
impaired his vision.
Along with London-based Amnesty International, the Mon relief
group said they were initially convinced that Maung Kyan would be
transferred to Maneeloy student camp in Ratchaburi province after
an international humanitarian campaign was launched on his behalf
in April.
Amnesty international has now learned that, almost two months
later, Maung Kyan and his family remain in detention at the IDC
in Bangkok... Maung Kyan has not been officially charged with
"illegal immigration", said the human rights organization
Amnesty International said the UN high Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) which has recognized Maung Kyan as a "person of concern",
has repeatedly requested the interior Ministry to transfer the
Mon detainee urgently on humanitarian grounds to Maneeloy where
he could receive the treatment he needs. But Thai authorities
have rejected the transfer because he is not a student.
Maung Kyan said he wanted either to be moved to the safe camp or
for the Interior Ministry to inform him in writing of its
refusal. He also requested that he be prosecuted in accordance
with Thai law, which would thus require a specific length of
imprisonment before deportation.
In a released statement, Mon group said Thailand's refusal to
transfer the Mon refugee only confirmed charges by American
refugee workers and international rights groups that Thailand "is
singling out the Mon refugees for harsh treatment as a means of
forcing them to sign a peace accord" with the ruling Burmese
junta as it is in need of the gas pipeline which would transport
gas from Burma's Gulf of Martaban through the Mon State to feed
Thai industrial needs.
It said an American refugee organization plans "to ask the
President of Georgetown University in Washington DC or the
President of Johns Hopkins University to appeal to her majesty
the Queen to intervene on behalf of the badly handicapped refugee
on humanitarian grounds".
Both Universities "recently honoured Her Majesty with honorary
doctorate degrees for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of Thai
people," the statement added.
===== item =====
CHATICHAI WANTS GOVT REVIEW OF MAE SAI DECISION
17 JUNE 1995
Chart Pattana leader Chatichai Choonhavan has urged the govern
ment to review a decision to close the Mae Sai checkpoint.
Gen Chatichai said the closure on Monday 16 had adversely af
fected local residents who relied on trade between the two coun
tries.
The former premier, on the campaign trail in the province's
Constituency 2, said the government might have acted on misinfor
mation over the Burmese Government's closure of the Tachilek
border, opposite Mae Sai, on security grounds.
Direct talks with Rangoon would settle the matter quickly and
prevent a strain on bilateral relations, he said.
Gen Chatichai said the matter wouldn't have gone this far if he
were premier. "I would fly to see them immediately, quickly
resolving the dispute," he said.
Past misunderstandings should be buried and both countries should
work together to develop the area, he said.
"To live peacefully with economic growth is much more important
than fighting each other," Gen Chatichai said.
he told residents that a vote for Chart Pattana would see the
region grow prosperous again.
"The government should be decisive and if I was leading it I
would not waste time over this issue of the border," he said.
Gen Chatichai yesterday started three days of campaigning in the
upper North. He will be in Lampang today, leaving for Phayao
Province tomorrow.
He has pledged to push for a university in Chaing Rai if his
party wins a place in government. He was confident that the
region's economy would be boosted once an economic zone was
established with Burma, Laos and China, he said.
Three seats are up for grabs in Constituency 2 and Chart Pattana
is eyeing two. Observers, however, believe that five-time MP
Mongkol Chongsuthanamani is the only one certain of a seat.
Others in the running are former MP Somboon Wanchaithanawong
(Chart Thai), former MP Samrej Poonikom (Social Action), Buasorn
Prachamon (Solidarity) and Amnart Sathaworarit (Democrat). (BP)
===== item =====
THERE'S DOLLARS IN THE EYES OF SOME IN BURMA
18 JUNE 1995
"Constructive Engagement" was a much-talked-about issue at a
recently held conference, "Myanmar Towards the 21st Century,
Dynamics of Continuity and Change" in Chiang Rai. Supra
Janchitfah and Sylvia Samuel examine how it will affect the
country in question.
Those sympathetic towards the Burmese people hope the Association
of Southeast Asian nations (Asean) will re-evaluate a policy of
constructive engagement.
But cravings for a large bite of the investment potential of
Burma and now wanting to lose out in the "pressure cooker" global
economic realities of the country as well as the nature of the
Burmese military leaders.
Gray Risser, a researcher from Institute of Asian studies,
Chulalongkorn University, said the term "constructive engagement"
was first used in South Africa and later adopted by Mr Arsa
Sarasin, former foreign minister, to be used in diplomatic
dealings with Burma.
The term refers to a policy of influencing and exposing Burma
through trade relations and soft diplomatic relations. This is
an attempt to bring about change and reform in Burma and
eventually promote political reform.
The Asean community, which is spearheading this concept, is also
adhering to a policy of non-intervention in the domestic policies
of Burma.
many participants at the seminar, however, believe the economic,
social and political situation in Burma clearly shows
"constructive engagement" only benefits a selected few
specifically military leaders and those who have connections with
them.
Kiatichai Pongopanich, the editor of Khao Sod daily, who formerly
worked with an international NGO in Burma for several years, said
the process of drafting a constitution has been prolonged by the
State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc).
This only helps the military strengthen their hold on to power
and draft a constitution better suited to themselves than the
people. "It is a military constitution in every term of
definition."
Dr Chanvit Kasetsiri from Thammasat University said constructive
engagement has led to an "economically destructive engagement"
as this policy has allowed the ruling military junta to exploit
rich natural resources without benefits filtering to the local
population.
According to Thailand's Office of Commercial Affairs in Rangoon,
as of March 31, there were 107 foreign projects in Burma with a
total investment of US$ 2.23 billion. One wonders how much of
this sum benefits the people.
There have changes to the terms of foreign direct investment
promotions, banking deregulation and domestic price controls
brought by the Slorc since 1988.
But real GDP growth has fallen from 3.7 per cent in 1989 to 2.8
per cent in 1990, and 1.0 per cent in 1991 before recovering
strongly to 10.9 per cent in 1992. In 1993 it dropped again to
5.8 per cent.
The inflation rate is very high. The consumer price index had
increased from 21.9 per cent in 1992 to 31.8 per cent in 1993.
The government exchange rate is also drastically different from
the black market rate. The government rate is 6.10 kyat per US
dollar whereas the back market offers between 115-120 kyat.
The Slorc now is confident it can get away with repression. This
is not surprising as Slorc has reaped a sizeable amount of
international economic support and state-of-the-art weaponry.
"It is true that we sell arms to Burma. If we do not sell to
them, others will do so. We sell the weapons to Burma to help
them maintain law and order," said an academic from China. Slorc
knows what motivates the international community.
For as long as they open their economy and allow foreign
investment to penetrate and flourish, the fraction of the
international community that is largely motivated by dollar signs
will conveniently close one eye to the repressive actions of the
military junta.
There are many countries which Burma can turn to. Wung Jung from
China rates his country similar to Burma in many aspects. His
definition of human rights is merely to fill "One's stomach". One
wonders the kind of influence big neighbour China has on Burma.
He added that political change cannot occur if people are living
in proverty. China and Burma mutually reassures each other's
actions. Their governing concepts and perspectives are very
similar and their trade relations are ever-increasing.
Sino-Burmese trade has increased from US$ 4.895 million in 1993
to US$ 5.29 million in 1994. Andrew Selth, from the Australian
National University, explained the complex relationship that the
"triangle" China, Burma and India have. Tension-plagued relations
between India and Burma means minority and insurgent groups of
both countries support each other.
The Slorc turned to China in 1988 to ensure its immediate
survival and help restore Burma's diplomatic and economic
standing in world affairs.
It is in the interest of the international community to watch
close relations between China and Burma. China sees the potential
of accessing the Indian Ocean through Burma and the latter
benefits greatly from economic and arms trade with China.
While the government of the West, Amnesty International and
various other human rights watch groups have criticised Burma
for their repressive actions towards the Burmese population, it
has failed to make change.
Slorc is already at a stage where it is immune to international
condemnation. An attitude prevails: "So what if there is outside
pressure. Business will continue to flock into Burma."
According to "Burma, an Alternative Guide", published by Burma
Action Group, Singaporeans top the list of hotel investors in
Burma, with a total sum of US$290.2 million followed by Thailand
(US$ 109.5 million).
This is in conjunction with "Visit Myanmar Year, 1996".
"We can't deny that many business groups from these countries
continue to invest in Burma and build close relations with the
Slorc government," said Dr Thanet Charoenmung from Chiang Mai
University.
Dr Thanet presented an alternative approach indealing with Burma.
He said his view may not be acceptable, but he believes in the
long run it would help the Burmese people.
He said the world should strengthen its relationship with both
the military junta and the Burmese population.
Closer ties are not meant to consolidate and entrench the power
of the existing regime. They are rather to enhance economic and
cultural aspects of the country so it could open up more.
When ties with the external world are closer, there will be
increased interaction which will lead to an increase of
information.
According to Dr Thanet, this will serve as an important
foundation for the building of a democratic Burma. he made a
comparison with the democratic development in Thailand, which was
brought about by more Thais being exposed to the outside world
through education abroad prior to the 1932 revolution.
But a conference participant from Australia said Thailand and
Burma have different social and cultural backgrounds. Therefore,
Dr Thanet's suggestion may not be applicable.
Harn Yawngwhe, programme director and editor of Burma Alert from
Canada, said some countries had used excuses for not dealing with
the internal affairs of another country.
He said countries which have not established relations with Burma
say they are not in a position to do so. But countries actively
involved in the economy of Burma do not want to put their
economic interest at risk.
Despite economic potential of Burma, the context for investment
is not ideal. Inflation is soaring , contradictory exchange rates
abound and corruption is rampant.
And instead of creating employment for the masses through a
series of infrastructure development projects, villagers are
forced to provide voluntary labour.
The international business community investing in Burma seem to
have paid no attention to blatant injustices. The sacrifice of
human lives is not part of their investment calculation cost as
they look at Burma through rose-coloured glasses smeared with
economic figures.
However, amid shareholders' pressure and consumer boycotts,
several companies have already pulled out of Burma. They are
Eddie bauer, Amoco, Petro-Canada, Macy's, Levi-Strauss and Liz
Clairborne.
Coca Cola and Reebok have also refused to do business with the
military. They vowed not to enter until there is a substantial
improvement in human rights.
Burma lacks a pool of qualified workers. A participant at the
conference claimed that before Slorc took over, Burma had the
highest level of literacy among Southeast Asian countries.
But when universities were shut down after the 1988 riots,
illiteracy climbed. Maureen Aung Thwin, from the Open Society
Institute, New York, said there is a massive brain drain in
Burma. Those who can leave the country will do so in search for
work abroad.
She proposed the idea of selective engagement. "We should
politically isolate the Slorc government but engage them
culturally. In this way, we will able to provide more education
and expose Burmese to the world".
There is a lack of a comprehensive investment strategy in Burma.
The economic reforms undertaken by Slorc clearly show how little
they know about the subject.
It does not make economic sense nor reflect a government genuine
about improving the quality of life for the Burmese people.
When the business community seeks to extend beyond their its
territorial shores, it should also arm itself with a sense of
global responsibility. It is not in the interest of the
international community to be merely ruled by economic gain.
Social justice is just as important.
All countries, not only Asean, should reconsider the policy of
constructive engagement. (BP)
===== item =====
PRESENT POLICIES NOT ENOUGH
18 JUNE 1995
By Supara Janchitfah and Sylvia Samuel
"Constructive engagement" policy is "a slap in the face for
Thailand," said Mr Vitit Muntarbhorn at a recent seminar
organised by the Action Committee for Democracy in Burma (ACDB)
at Chulalongkorn University.
The Chulalongkorn law professor warned that if Thailand's foreign
policy towards Burma continues to be passive, it will have to
face the consequences of an increasingly aggressive Burma.
In past months, Thailand had to endure repeated incursions by
Rangoon-backed renegade Karen soldiers of the break-away
Democratic Karen Buddhist Army who attacked refugee villages on
Thai soil.
Rangoon has also suspended construction of the Thai-Burmese
friendship bridge over the Moei River following the cross-border
raids. This high-handed action displayed by the Burmese
authorities towards Thailand reflects the country's "total
disregard for the territorial sovereignty of Thailand", said Mr
Vitit.
Another panellist, Dr Chaichok Julsiriwong, added that
"inconsistencies and contradictions in the description of the
aims of "constructive engagement" questions the credibility of
the Foreign Ministry.
Dr Chaichok, from the Faculty of Political Science at
Chulalongkorn University, said that during the Chatichai
Choonhavan period, economics was the main thrust of Thailand's
security. The political and territorial aspects were not taken
into consideration.
He said if Thailand continues to adopt a "policy of confusion"
and practise "double standards", Burma will continue to exploit
this passivity.
Mr Vitit said it had also led to Thailand losing any leverage it
could have over Burma. The blossoming Sino-Burmese relationship
and the recent strengthening of Burma's economic ties with
Indonesia and Singapore, as seen in a recent bilateral agreement
signed to boost trade, does not benefit Thailand.
He called for a democratically elected government to have a
"foreign policy that is democratic" and pressed the need for a
change in content in the way Thailand deals with and responds to
Burma.
Also addressing the Karen refugee issue, he urged the adoption
of a humanitarian approach which would gear towards voluntary
repatriation instead of the "push-back approach" or forceful
repatriation.
"It is a constant outflow of money to the local Thai economy,"
Ms Ratchada Chaisawat the Coordinator of Union for Civil Liberty
said of her recent visit to Wangha refugee camp.
"They have to pay 10 baht [unofficial] to leave the camp to go
to Mae Sot town and have to pay rent for the 600 rai of land they
live on if they want to grow their own food." It is a no-win
situation for the Karen refugees.
There is a need for a profound understanding of the complexity
of the Burmese ethnic problems which is "deep-rooted from the
colonial period," said Ms Pornpimol Prichork from the Asia
Studies Institute, Chulalongkorn University. "It cannot just be
explained away," she added.
Though the United Nations Security Council has the authority to
enforce sanctions, the Burmese question has never received
priority in the eyes of the international community.
Mr Vitit said it is therefore necessary to bring the Burmese
junta and ethnic minorities together at multi-level forums such
as Asean to "pitch the issue much higher" to gain world attention
for a permanent solution of the problems. (BP)
===== item =====
JAPANESE WWII CASH UNEARTHED BY KARENS
19 June 1995
Karen villagers in Burma have unearthed a treasurechest of
Imperial Japanese Army Occupation money dating back to WWII
and have been smuggling it across the border into Thailand in
the hope of selling it for a small fortune.
A Thai villager acting as the agent for the Karen said the
money was discovered by accident during the construction of a
well.
The Karen found "bags and bags" of the war-time currency and
believe themselves to be millionaires because they have added
up the face value of each bank note, he said.
The Thai man, known simply as Lek, said the money was found
buried about three metres underground at a site in Burma,
opposite Kanchanaburi Province where the Death Railway built
by Allied PoWs operated in WWII.
He said the money is in good condition and was found wrapped
in canvas inside a large air-tight metal chest, raising
speculation it was an IJA payroll hidden by Japanese soldiers
who planned to retrieve it after the war.
The villager said the Karen who smuggled the bank notes across
the border in haversacks wanted him to exchange the Occupation
Money for Thai baht, or US dollars.
But if this is not possible they want to sell it to World War
II veterans, particularly Japanese on pilgrimages to the
Bridge On the River Kwae which has come to symbolise the
zenith of Japan's wartime empire.
A Kanchanaburi restaurant operator, Kit Thepsuwan, 43, told
the Bangkok Post he was approached by a Thai villager living
near the border for a quote about the money's value.
"The guy rang me asking me how much rupees are worth and if I
wanted to buy or help sell any of the money. He then sent
around some specimens, ten 100-rupee notes in mint condition,"
he said, adding the Karen are anxiously awaiting a buyer so
they can begin a better life.
A local currency dealer said if the bank notes are rare and in
good condition they would fetch a handsome sum from
collectors.
Former Allied PoW Trevor Dakin, who survived the horror of the
Death Railway and now lives in Kanchanaburi, confirmed the
bank notes are Japanese occupation currency used in Burma from
1942-1945.
He said the discovery gives credibility to legends and
numerous newspaper reports over the past three decades about
Japanese war booty plundered from Burma being buried in caves
and caches along the Death Railway at the war's end.
Bangkok Post archives dating back 30 years confirm that
Imperial Japanese Army soldiers stashed war-booty in caves
along the 415-km Death Railway.
The railway linked Bangkok and Burma in WWII and was built at
a cost of over 100,000 lives.
the clippings say that many former Japanese soldiers and their
families returned to the River Kwae with digging equipment and
old maps to unearth the treasure which is believed to have
been gold-bullion plundered from Southeast Asian countries
occupied by Japan in WWII.
According to the reports, the Imperial Japanese Army was
transporting gold and crates of occupation money from Burma to
Thailand over the Death Railway when word filtered through
about Japan's surrender.
Japanese troops unloaded the precious cargo and buried it in
several deep caves, in the hope of returning years later to
reclaim it for themselves.
Many ex-Japanese soldiers reportedly came back to Kanchanaburi
and after a few days digging speedily returned to Japan,
ignoring all inquiries about what they had found.
On August 20, 1977, the Bangkok Post reported that then
Kanchanaburi governor Chamlong Pholdej complained that some
tourists coming to the province, including Japanese and
Westerners, would leave their hotels and disappear into the
jungles for two to three days complete with food supplies and
digging equipment.
Governor Chamlong was quoted as saying that officials of the
province followed some of the mysterious tourists and found
them in the jungle and caves looking for treasure.
The officials claimed some of the tourists were soldiers or
relatives of soldiers who were stationed here during World
War II and had returned to look for treasure and other
valuables hidden away in caves, he said.
Not a decade has passed without a report in local newspapers
about eager treasure hunters in Kanchanaburi Province.
On March 22, 1981, the Bangkok Post reported that a Japanese
research team were searching for valuables buried near the
Thai-Burmese border by Japanese soldiers at the end of WWII.
Japanese troops were transporting about five truckloads of
valuables across Burma when they heard of Japan's surrender
and buried the haul near the Thai Border, said an informed
source close to the team at the time.
The haul was said to include a huge amount of plundered gold.
The term reportedly had connections with a Japanese firm that
recovered gold and platinum ingots from a Russian battleship
sunk in the Sea of Japan in the 1905 Russo-Japanese war.
There was no follow-up report and it may never be known if the
Japanese found what they were looking for.
Other newspaper clippings reported a plane crash at Thong Pa
Phum in January 1943.
The plane was carrying Lt-Gen Shimada Nobuo, commander of the
9th railway Regiment assigned the task of constructing the
Death Railway, when it developed engine trouble and crashed in
virgin jungle.
Twelve of the 13 on board died in the crash, sparking
speculation that the lone Japanese survivor had buried a
fortune in gold bullion in the jungle before seeking help from
Thai villagers.
According to a newspaper story dated February 6, 1984, the
Japanese Embassy in Bangkok sent two diplomats to investigate
after receiving a report from a villager he found a coin at
the crash site.
The article said Yukinori Sato, counsellor and defence
attache, and an embassy official, hiked an exhausting nine
hours through impenetrable jungle to find the wreckage and
retrieve war relics including the general's sword, several
sub-machineguns and another coin.
In 1974 a group of Australian treasure-hunters using a
Japanese map found an abandoned steam locomotive in a cave
near the Thai-Burmese border.
Most of the steam trains that operated along the Death Railway
were abandoned along the line at the war's end. (BP)
**************************************************************
The BurmaNet News is an independant organization and can be
contacted in Bangkok, care of Burma Issues, or in Washington, care
of the National Coalition Government of Burma--Information Office.
Burma Issues
Tel: 662 234 6674
Fax: 662 631 0331
NCGUB Information Office
815 Fifteenth Street NW
Suite 910
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: (202) 393-7342
Tel: (202) 393-4312
Fax: (202) 393 7343
Burma Issues is a non-governmental organization that archives
information on Burma. The NCGUB is Burma's government in exile
and consists of members elected to Burma's parliament in 1990.
Burma's ruling junta has to date, refused to honor the results of
that election.
The vews expressed in the BurmaNet News do not necessarily
represent those of either Burma Issues of the NCGUB
**************************************************************
NEWS SOURCES REGULARLY COVERED/ABBREVIATIONS USED BY BURMANET:
ABSDF: ALL BURMA STUDENT'S DEMOCRATIC FRONT
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
**************************************************************