BurmaNet News September 4, 1996 #50

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Subject: BurmaNet News September 4, 1996 #506

Subject: bnet 506
Status: R

---------------------------------BurmaNet-----------------------------------
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"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: September 4, 1996
Issue #506

Noted in Passing: 

		We are seeking an injunction against Unocal and monetary 
		damages, which as you can imagine are enormous. - attorney 
		Jason Atkins on the Unocal lawsuit
		(see AP: UNOCAL SUED ON BURMA PIPELINE)

HEADLINES:
==========
BURMANET: HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
NCGUB: LAWSUIT AGAINST UNOCAL
AP: UNOCAL SUED ON BURMA PIPELINE
PRNEWSWIRE: UNOCAL'S RESPONSE TO THE LAWSUIT
NATION: SUU KYI AIDE'S JAIL TERM DOUBLED
BKK POST: CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT TO BE PURSUED, SAYS FM
NYT: BURMESE JUNTA SAYS DEMOCRACY LEADER AIDS SUBVERSION
RANGOON RADIO: NLD MP U CHIT KHAING RESIGNS 
BANGKOK ATHIT: THE ROAD TO FREEDOM
NATION: BURMA LIFTS SUSPENSION ON CASINO CONSTRUCTION
BKK POST: AFTA CRITERIA FOR BURMA
RANGOON RADIO MYANMAR: KHIN NYUNT WARNS RED CROSS 
WALL STREET JOURNAL: ASIA REJECTS SOUTH KOREA'S EXAMPLE
THE HINDU: JUNTA CIRCUMVENTING LAW : SUU KYI
BUSINESS TIMES: JAPAN TRYING TO MEDIATE POLITICAL PACT 
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BURMANET: HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
September 4, 1996

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***********************************************************

NCGUB: LAWSUIT AGAINST UNOCAL
September 3, 1996

NCGUB INFORMATION OFFICE
TEL: 202-393-7342
FAX: 202-393-7343

The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma on behalf of the
people of Burma and the Federation of Trade Unions of Burma on behalf of
the workers of Burma, today filed a lawsuit against UNOCAL in a U.S.
Federal Court in Los Angeles.

The lawsuit alleges that UNOCAL in forming a joint venture with the State
Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) in Burma to explore for, produce
and build a natural gas pipeline from the Yadana field to Thailand is
seriously harming the people of Burma.  The NCGUB and FTUB are claiming
that UNOCAL is negligent in carrying out its business activities because it
knew or should have known that its joint venture partner SLORC engages in
severe repression, human rights abuses, and money laundering obtained from
the forced labor of villagers. The lawsuit further alleges that UNOCAL and
its partners conspired to cause injury to the people of Burma in building
the pipeline.  The NCGUB and the FTUB are, therefore, seeking relief and
damages for the injured parties from UNOCAL.

The plaintiffs are represented by the law offices of Cristobal Bonifaz of
Amherst, Massachusetts, the International Labor Rights and Education Fund
of Washington, DC, and the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law
in Los Angeles.

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of activities launched by spporters
and advocates for democracy in Burma, that will deny resources to the
illigetimate military dictatorship in Burma.  The move closely follows the
campaign launched in August in Denmark by the labor movement to boycott
companies doing business in Burma, the adoption in July by the U.S. Senate
of the Cohen-Feinstein Amendment that will limit U.S. bilateral and
multinational assistance to Burma, as well as restrict entry into the
United States of SLORC officials, and provides for the President to
prohibit new investments in Burma if the generals commite large scale
repression of or violence against the democracy movement; the legislation
in June that will bar the State of Massachusetts from purchasing goods and
services from firms doing business in Burma; and numerous other initiatives
worldwide.

**************************************************************

AP: UNOCAL SUED ON BURMA PIPELINE
September 3, 1006        
By LOUINN LOTA  Associated Press Writer
        
           LOS ANGELES (AP) - A human rights group Tuesday sued Unocal to
        block construction of a $1.2 billion pipeline in Burma, charging the
        military government is destroying villages in the project's path and
        using forced labor.
        
           "The Burmese military government has forced entire villages to
        work on the railroad without pay while under armed guard by 
      Burmese troops," the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law 
      charged. "People in the region have named the railroad the `New Death
        Railway.' The government has burned villages in the pipeline path."
        
           The federal lawsuit, filed on behalf of Burmese exiles, seeks to
        end the contract between Burma's government and Los Angeles-based
        Unocal, which owns the rights to a natural gas field in Burma.
        
           Unocal plans to sell the gas to Thailand once the 250-mile
        pipeline to that country is completed. Construction will not begin
        until November, but a railway is being laid to transport building
        materials along the pipeline route.
        
           Unocal denied the allegations.
        
           "Villages are in the same place they always have been, people
        have been more than fairly compensated for any land use and anyone
        who works on the project gets a better-than-average wage," Unocal
        said. "The economic benefits are already beginning to cascade in the
        region and pipeline construction has not yet begun."
        
           The center sued on behalf of the Burmese government-in-exile
        formed by winners of Burma's 1990 parliamentary elections, the
        results of which were ignored by the military.

----------------------------------------------------

On Sept 3 REUTER added: (excerpts)

"We are seeking an injunction against Unocal and monetary damages, which
as you can imagine are enormous," said attorney Jason Atkins of Boston,
Massachusetts-based Cristobal Bonifaz, representing the National Coalition
Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) and Federation of Trade Unions 
of Burma (FTUB).

    The NCGUB has its principal offices in Washington. The Federation of
Trade Unions of Burma is based in Bangkok, Thailand. The two groups have
filed the lawsuit on their own behalf and on behalf of the citizens of Burma.

    The suit seeks a court order halting Unocal's role in the joint venture,
which is building a natural gas pipeline into Thailand. It alleges that
Unocal relies on the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) -- the
Burmese military regime -- for providing and maintaining all military
operations in the pipeline region, severely repressing Burmese citizens.

**********************************************************

PRNEWSWIRE: UNOCAL'S RESPONSE TO THE LAWSUIT
September 3, 1996

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., September 3 /PRNewsire/ -- The following is being issued
by Unocal Corporation:

"The claims made in the Cristobal Bonifaz law firm press release concerning
human rights abuses on the Yadana natural gas project in Myanmar (Burma) in
which Unocal holds a financial interest are false, irresponsible and
frivolous.  We believe that this lawsuit is motivated solely by political
considerations.

"The people of Myanmar will receive the main benefits from the Yadana natural
gas project.  In particular, the people along the pipeline route benefit from
new jobs and the US$2 million in socio-economic programs sponsored by the
project.  Schools and hospitals have been built and many agricultural and
animal husbandry projects are bringing new economic vitality to the region.

"The US$1.2 billion natural gas project has caused none of the false and
outrageous allegations in the press release:  all people who work on the
pipeline project are paid a better-than-average wage, people have been more-
than-fairly compensated for any land use, and villages are in the same place
they always have been.  The economic benefits are already beginning to
cascade in the region and pipeline construction has not yet begun.

"We are proud of the Yadana project because it improves the lives of others.
 It is an outstanding model of responsible economic development."

NOTE:   It is extremely difficult for Unocal to respond more specifically to
any of the claims and allegations until we have had an opportunity to obtain
and review a copy of the lawsuit.

The Facts About the Yadana Project

Project Description:

The Yadana natural gas field is a world-class natural gas resource located in
the Andaman Sea, 43 miles offshore Myanmar.  In mid-1998, an offshore
platform complex will begin producing natural gas that will gradually
increase to about 525 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcf/d).

Uses of Yadana field gas:

1) Thailand: a 2,800-megawatt power plant to be operated by the Electricity
Generating Authority of Thailand at Ratchaburi, southwest of Bangkok; and

2) Myanmar: a proposed 150mw-200mw power plant and 1,750-metric-ton/day
fertilizer manufacturing facility and a second possible 80mw-100mw power plant.

Co-Venturers

French oil company Total, SA: (project operator) 31.24% interest.  Unocal:
28.26% interest.  Thailand's PTT Exploration & Production Public Co., Ltd.:
25.5% interest.  Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise: 15% interest.

Pipeline Route

1) 215-mile offshore portion from the Yadana field to shore.

2) 39-mile onshore portion crossing southern Myanmar to the Thai border.
Route affects mostly scrub vegetation, with a short span crossing previously
impacted forest as well as a small amount of farm land.  Private land owners
are fairly compensated either in cash or land, according to worldwide
industry practices and under the supervision of local Village Communication
Committees.

Repeated on-the-ground evaluations, map research and aerial photography
indicate no evidence that villages in the vicinity of the pipeline route have
been relocated since the production-sharing contract was signed in 1992.

Schedule

Offshore platform and pipeline installation will begin in mid-1997. Onshore
pipeline installation will begin in late 1996.  Completion of the project is
planned for mid-1998.

Project Standards

Unocal is committed to fulfilling its own Statement of Principles, its code
of conduct for doing business internationally.  Total, as project operator,
follows a similar corporate standard and has also implemented a
project-specific code of conduct as well as operating, environmental and
cultural guidelines.

Contract Labor -- All work conducted on the Yadana project is paid contract
labor.  This is documented accordingly.  This has been the case since the
project began.  Neither Unocal nor Total will accept any other type of labor
arrangements to complete the project.

Third-party Contractors -- All contractors recruiting on Total's behalf must
commit to fair-hiring practices, and must show evidence of an ongoing
comprehensive health and safety management system.  All contractors must
maintain comprehensive documentation of work team activities, worker status,
job planning and weekly salary payments.  Contractors have been and will be
audited for compliance with employment and health and safety management
policies

Hiring Targets -- Employment targets have been set for the villages in the
vicinity of the pipeline route to ensure that each village -- and the Burman,
Karen, Mon and other ethnic groups they represent -- has an opportunity to
participate in the local project work force.

Employment Requirements -- Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and
must pass a free company-sponsored physical examination.  They must also
complete basic first aid, work safety and fire-fighting training.

Pay Scales -- Wage scales -- superior to prevailing local average wage scales
-- have been set for all those working on this project.  All work
arrangements are formalized through labor contracts.  Workers receive their
pay directly and are required to sign pay records.

Workplace Standards -- All contract workers are provided food, potable water,
lodging, hygiene facilities, and ongoing medical and preventive health care.
 All workers receive safety clothing and equipment.

Environmental -- Environmental teams -- including two internationally
recognized tropical forest experts -- selected the most environmentally
responsible pipeline route option available.  The route selected minimizes
environmental impact.  There is one section of forest that the pipeline will
traverse, but it is not pristine rain forest; it has been subjected to
significant, ongoing human impact.

Socio-Economic Programs

Since November 1995, project partners have funded over $2 million in
socio-economic programs.  Shrimp, pig and cattle/dairy farming joint
ventures. Free medical services.   Twelve new doctors recruited for the area.
Built/renovated 8 schools, 5 health centers, one hospital.  Health care
worker training and community health care projects.  Funding major research
project to combat malaria, leading cause of death in region.
 Constructing/renovating bridges, roadways, water and sanitation utilities.

Unocal Policy on Political Neutrality

Unocal is a global energy company, not a political agency.  Our participation
in the Yadana project is based on resource potential, business economics and
technical expertise.  Unocals corporate code of conduct specifically
prohibits us from asserting ourselves in the internal politics of any
sovereign nation. 
SOURCE  Unocal Corp.
09/03/96 16:48 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

********************************************************************

NATION: SUU KYI AIDE'S JAIL TERM DOUBLED
September 4, 1996 AP

RANGOON - Burmese authorities have doubled the prison sentence of
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's personal assistant to 14 years,
dissident leaders said yesterday.

Win Htein, a former Burmese army captain, was arrested in May when the
military government detained 262 of Suu Kyi's supporters to derail a
congress of her National League for Democracy (NLD).

He was sentenced last month to seven years in Insein prison - notorious for
torture - for allegedly taking part in a conspiracy to smuggle a videotape
out of Burma purporting to show the failure of the summer rice crop in
Henzada, a rural area.

The sentence was part of a fresh crackdown on pro-democracy activists by the
regime, which appears to have been emboldened by Burma's admission into the
Association of Southeast Asian nations as an observer in July.

Both Suu Kyi and Tin Oo, vice chairman of the NLD, said that the authorities
had doubled Win Htein's sentenced. It was unclear when. There was no
immediate confirmation from Burmese authorities. 

Tin Oo said authorities were claiming that Win Htein was some how connected
with 19 party members arrested in northern Burma recently for having links
with expatriate Burmese in India. The regime views the exiles as belonging
to an illegal organisation.

Suu Kyi insisted that Win Htein had no part in making or planning to smuggle
the video, but was merely doing his job as secretary in arranging for two
party members who had shot it to meet her.

"His crime was that he made an appointment for them to see me," she said.

Col Kyaw Thein, a high-ranking member of military intelligence, said on
Monday that while he wasn't aware of the details of the case, "We believe
Win Htein had links to these subversive groups."

The doubling of the sentence was not reported in the state-controlled press,
which frequently does not cover such matters or reports them days or weeks
later. 

According to Suu Kyi, when authorities arrived at Win Htein's house last May
to arrest him, the offices told him that they did not need a warrant because
they had already decided on his prison sentence.  But Kyaw Thein denied that
account.

Win Htein had been jailed twice before. He was expelled from the army and
served seven months in jail during 1977 for failing to alert superiors to a
plot to topple the army leadership.

Win Htein also served time in Insein prison from 1989 to 1995 for his role
in the democracy movement. He developed several health problems there,
including spondylitis, or inflammation of the vertebrae.

In 1963, Win Htein graduated first in his class at the Defence Service
Academy, Burma's version of West Point, and later saw combat against
communist and ethnic insurgents.

The military has ruled Burma since 1962. Suu Kyi, daughter of independence
hero Aung San, rose to prominence during pro-democracy protests in 1988 that
were brutally suppressed by the army.

Reuter adds: Suu Kyi's democracy movement is suffering from intimidation and
a lack of well-defined policies, strengthening the position of Burma's
military government, analysts said yesterday.

Increased intimidation tactics by the ruling State Law and Order Restoration
Council (Slorc) against the NLD over the past few months have taken a toll
on the party and its leaders.

Attendance has dropped at weekend speeches at the front gates of Suu Kyi's
lakeside home, with supporters fearing reprisals from the government, as
word of arrest and threats of arrests spread among the crowd.

"A lot of it is fear," said a diplomat standing in the rain with a crowd of
about 1,500 people during Suu Kyi's speech last Saturday. "The Slorc knows
what it's doing and it's working.

"People don't want to get arrested, and they seem to pick out key people in
the crowd. Since she's not really able to say much new they don't think it's
worth it to risk coming."

In May and early June, crowds of up to 10,000 chanting supporters gathered
to hear Suu Kyi speak at the weekend. The crowds now rarely cheer and the
applause is quiet. (TN)

**************************************************************


BKK POST: CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT TO BE PURSUED, SAYS FM
Some foreign envoys critical of Thai policy
September 4, 1996

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Amnuay Viravan yesterday insisted
that Thailand will pursue constructive engagement with Burma but refused to
say whether this would include the government and the opposition.

Thailand's overall Burma policy opposes Western countries' call for
sanctions, he said. The point is "how" the constructive engagement should be
conducted and where the "emphasis" should be, he told reporters.

Amnuay spoke after the end of a two-day seminar on regional security.

Amnuay stepped aside when asked whether Thailand should engage in dialogue
with both the government and the opposition in Burma. Thailand, he said,
should abide by the rules of non-interference and the agreement of the
Burmese government.

"If you ask whether we should contact all parties, it depends on how much
the government of such a country is ready to support or agree (with this) -
that's all I can say," he said.

In May, the Foreign Ministry, under the leader of then Foreign Minister
Kasem S. Kasemsri, sent representatives to attend the National League for
Democracy congress of Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. (BP)

*****************************************************************

NYT: BURMESE JUNTA SAYS DEMOCRACY LEADER AIDS SUBVERSION
By Seth Mydans

YANGON, Myanmar, Sept. 2 -- The military Government today accused the leader
of the democratic opposition, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, of collaborating with
subversives, including American citizens.  Steps will be taken against her
"if and when required," officials of the junta said.

Addressing foreign reporters for the first time since they released Mrs. ASSK
from house arrest 13 months ago, a panel of high-ranking officials accused
her of having secret contacts with illegal groups abroad that were trying to
overthrow the Government, coordinating activities with them and accepting
subversive materials from them.

The officials dismissed as unimportant a threat by the United States to
impose economic sanctions against Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, if strong
measures were taken against Mrs. ASSK or her followers.

"That's not the concern of our country, but of the United States citizens,"
said the Foreign Minister, U Ohn Gyaw.

Today's news conference was a departure for the secretive military
leadership, which has until now left the public relations field open to the
articulate and charismatic opposition leader, who won the Nobel Peace Price
in 1991 for her defiance of them.

A newly formed five-member information committee of military officers and
ministers gave little ground as they faced sometimes harsh questions about
their Government's record on human rights and the limitations it places on
personal freedoms.

Col. Kyaw Thein, a high-ranking military intelligence official, indentified
three Americans who he said had conducted workships in "political defiance"
for insurgents and expatriate groups in Thailand and India.

He said they had been teaching "techniques of civil disobedience, civil
unrest and political education and sedition."  He said he did not know
whether these involved violent or nonviolent activities, but he said
underground Burmese groups were working to topple the Government.

"Suu Kyi and her party, knowing full well that what these people are doing is
unlawful, have held negotiations, discussions and consultations and have
cooperated with them in their activities,"  the colonel said, "sometimes
openly and sometimes through secret contacts, and have been a party to the
transgressions of these people."

Asked if the Government was planning to take action against Mrs. ASSK, he
said, "Necessary or appropriate measures will be taken if and when required."

Colonel Kyaw Thein said the subversive materials she had received included an
outline for creating a parallel government as well as a videotape of the
movie "Beyond Rangoon," which depicts the terror and bloodshed of the
military crackdown in 1988 against a widespread pro-democracy uprising.

He asserted that continuing arrests of her supporters -- which Mrs. ASSK
described at her own news conference on Saturday -- were connected to these
foreign-based subversive activities.  He said 20 to 30 people were still
being held from a roundup of more than 250 of her supporters in May; Mrs.
ASSK said 61 more people had been arrested since that time.

Democratic freedoms including political opposition can cause instability,
Col. Kyaw Thein said, and must be put on hold while Myanmar focuses on
economic progresss.

"What happened in 1988 started with just a simple demonstration and reached
to nearly utter devastation of our country," he said.  "We have learned that
lesson, and we don't want these things to come up again.  Sometimes, with the
pretense of human rights and democracy, things can go bad for our country..
 We cannot allow this to happen."

Mrs. ASSK's political party, the National League for Democracy, won 85
percent of the seats in parliament in a free election in 1990.  Caught off
guard by the results, the military leadership refused to convene the newly
elected parliament and instead created a convention to draw up a new
constitution.  The convention has been in an extended recess since April.

Co. Kyaw Thein said the convention had completed the bulk of its work, but he
would not say when it might convene and said no date had been set for the
completion of the constitution or for the new elections that the junta has
promised.

Last November, Mrs. ASSK's party withdrew from the constitutional convention,
saying it was clear that the document would not represent the interests of
the people.  In May she announced that her party would draw up its own draft
constitution, an act the Government declared would be illegal.

Reports about the work of the constitutional convention suggest that it will
enshrine a continued dominant role for the military and may ban people who
are married to foreigners from holding Government office.  Mrs. ASSK is
married to a British professor, Michael Aris.

Col. Kyaw Thein said the "subversive activities" of the Americans --
including a former member of the United States Embassy here -- constituted an
"outright infringement of our sovereignty."  But Mr. Ohn Gyaw said no protest
had been lodged with the American Government because no Burmese citizen had
made a formal complaint with the police.

Col. Kyaw Thein said, "These aliens and mercenaries are trying to create
chaos and confusion in Myanmar in order to destabilize the situation in the
country on the one hand, while lining their pockets and getting rich from
donations they obtain on the pretext of working for a good cause."

Coffee and cake were served after the news conference, which was billed as a
monthly briefing, and the atmosphere was cordial despite the Government's
frequent attacks on the Western press in the past and the sometimes sharp
questioning today.

At one point, a reporter asked whether the military leaders were prepared to
face trial under a future democratic government, recalling the recent death
sentence handed down in South Korea to former President Chun Doo Hwan for his
role in Kwangju.

"I think your question is not relevant either at this grouping or as a matter
of your personal speculation,"  Mr. Ohn Gyaw said.  "I don't need to answer it."

*************************************************************

RANGOON RADIO: NLD MP U CHIT KHAING RESIGNS 
August 27, 1996

U Chit Khaing of the National League for Democracy, who was elected 
a member to the People's Assembly in Ngazun Township Constituency-1, 
Sagaing Division during the Multiparty Democratic General Elections, 
citing old age, poor health, and disinterest in party politics, has, on his 
own volition, submitted his resignation, and withdraws as elected 
representative.  The Multiparty Democratic General Election Commission
has accepted his resignation effective today in accordance with Section 11, 
Subsection E of the People's Assembly Election Law.

***********************************************************

BANGKOK ATHIT: THE ROAD TO FREEDOM
July 23, 1996
 (translated from Thai) 
by Chinda Duangchinda

After his surrender to the Burmese Government on 7 January, Khun Sa 
was detained in Rangoon so that the SLORC could grasp every bit of 
information regarding various Shan rebel groups. He was later released 
and given permission by the SLORC to engage in the transportation
business as part of the economic development plan he proposed to Rangoon 
prior to his surrender. 

In early March, he reportedly placed purchase orders from foreign countries
for approximately 200 six-wheel trucks, vans, and medium and small buses. 
He has been authorized to collect taxes for SLORC. He set up three land 
transport companies, namely Loi Maw Co. Ltd., Mountain Co. Ltd., and 
Three Yellow Mountain Co. Ltd. operating under the supervision of the 
Loi Maw Transportation Association.  Meanwhile, other Khun Sa small
business firms or companies have been placed under the control of the 
MTA (Maung Tai Alliance), not the Mong Tai Army.  The MTA head office 
is located in Taunggyi. 

Each vehicle, regardless of capacity and size, is required to pay a 5,000 kyat 
monthly tax to SLORC.  In the areas along the border with Thailand where 
the Mong Tai Army once operated, General Chit Maung, commander
of the Pang Mai Sung administrative zone, has authorized Captain Tun Hlaing, 
a former Mong Tai Army officer, to form a transport service group comprised 
of 20 buses and trucks.  Captain Tun Hlaing was assigned to collect one-third 
of the profits of the group for the military force stationed in the area. 

Khun Sa is now living in a luxurious house in a residential area for
high-ranking 
SLORC officers in Rangoon. 

In mid-July, Khun Sa received official permission to open a casino in Tachilek. 
The thatch-roofed casino is now open and is patronized by gamblers of Burmese, 
Shan, Wa, and Thai origins, while the construction of the casino complex
is still under way. The casino is said to be a joint venture between Khun Sa
and 
gamblers from China and Bangkok. After the construction is completed, the 
new casino complex will be as good as that in Macao. It will be officially
opened 
by SLORC leaders and attract Thai gamblers from the casino in Ko Song opposite 
Ranong Province because of good communications. 

Moreover, Khun Sa also has the green light from SLORC to engage in the 
gem trade and import-export business.  In late July, Lieutenant General Tin Oo, 
secretary 2 of SLORC, and his delegation comprised of high-ranking military
officers came to Ho Mong by helicopter and were greeted upon their arrival 
by Lieutenant Colonel Cham Huang, Khun Sa's son and a high-level member 
of the Mong Tai Army. They held a discussion on the development of Ho 
Mong Township. It was agreed that the Kiuhok-Namon border pass would 
be opened to facilitate border trade between Ho Mong and Muang District
of Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province. Ho Mong will be developed into an 
economic and tourism hub for the area. A television relay station will also be 
built there. 

Following the orders of SLORC, the people and soldiers began moving out of 
Ho Mong to return to their home villages. Subsequently, the town's population 
has dropped to its current level of only 5,000. Formerly condemned gambling
and drug addiction are now rampant.  Khun Sa's paradise is built on the
sufferings 
of the Shan people, especially those in Ho Mong. Standing on top of the
paradise, 
however, is Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt.

**********************************************************

NATION: BURMA LIFTS SUSPENSION ON CASINO CONSTRUCTION
September 3, 1996

A THAI company yesterday claimed that it had secured a new 
leasing agreement to open a casino in Burma after its earlier 
contract was suspended by the Burmese government.

Prasith Poethasuthorn, a member of the executive board of Golden 
Triangle Co Ltd, said that the Burmese government had suspended 
construction of the firm's casino in the Golden Triangle, opposite Chiang 
Rai's Chiang Saen district, because of the  country's political uncertainty.

Construction will proceed at the same location as stated in the 
earlier agreement, where an incomplete 150-room hotel and casino 
complex now stands. The cost of the project is about Bt5 billion, 
Prasith said, and it is expected to be finished next year. (TN)

*******************************************************

BKK POST: AFTA CRITERIA FOR BURMA
Must meet minimum joining requirements
September 3, 1996 (abridged)
by Nussara Sawatsawang

Burma must meet the minimum requirements of the Association of 
Southeast Asian nations free trade area (AFTA) before it can become 
a full member of Asean, according to Foreign Minister  Amnuay Viravan.

Asean is moving towards a free trade zone with tariff rates to be 
reduced to between zero and five percent by the year 2003. As a 
first step, aspiring members of AFTA have to reduce tariffs to 20 
per cent, Amnuay said.

Asean members are also required to allow for "minimum economic freedom" 
which includes reduction of trade and non-trade barriers, he said.

***********************************************************

RANGOON RADIO MYANMAR: KHIN NYUNT WARNS RED CROSS 
TRAINEES OF DESTRUCTIONISTS   (excerpt)
August 24, 1996

[BurmaNet Editor's Note: Here Khin Nyunt is urging Red Cross members
to participate in the USDA (Union Solidarity and Development Association) 
which is a social, political, and economic organization being built up by the
SLORC.  Students and government employees are often forced to join the 
USDA, and USDA members get special privileges in return for their loyalty
to the SLORC.  In some areas, only farmers who join the USDA are given 
subsidized prices on fertilizer.  It has also been reported that pipeline
workers
had to be members of the USDA in order to get hired.]

Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt, chairman of the National Health Committee 
and Secretary-1 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, attended and 
delivered an address at the closing ceremony of the Special Refresher Training 
Course No.2 for Myanmar [Burma] Red Cross executives.

Finally, he urged the trainess to fullfill their  national duties by
implementing 
the political, economic, and social objectives; to participate in the
establishment 
of a new, peaceful, modern, and developed nation; to oppose the dangers of 
destructive elements and build a new nation with the social work of the Red 
Cross, and to organize Red Cross groups at all levels to participate in the 
activities of the Union Solidarity and Development Association.

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WALL STREET JOURNAL: ASIA REJECTS SOUTH KOREA'S EXAMPLE
August 30, 1996   (excerpt) 
Asia Rejects South Korea's Example
By BARRY WAIN

While there is obviously a range of Asian opinion on these events in Korea- 
some expressed on this page yesterday--one thing is certain: President 
Kim Young Sam's decision to seek retribution from his predecessors isn't 
about to be emulated by other regional governments. Consequently, fear of 
a similar fate to that which met the former Korean presidents won't 
greatly modify the behavior of imperfect rulers currently in place, nor 
determine when and how they quit.

To many Asians, Korea's behavior in this case has been aberrant. They 
contrast it with what they regard as more appropriate responses, after a 
fundamental change in regime, in countries as diverse as South Africa and 
Chile: Both set out to establish the truth about the past, but they 
emphasized reconciliation rather than punishing wrongdoers.

Some democracy and human rights advocates hope that the high price being 
paid by Korea's fallen duo will influence other Asian strongmen to curb 
their excesses. They also fear those rulers will now be tempted to stick 
around longer.

Mr. Suharto, the product of an almost feudalistic Javanese tradition, is 
more likely to stay on for cultural reasons and because of his perception of 
being needed than concern about possible retaliation. His sons and 
daughters, who have benefited enormously from his patronage, may fear 
the future more than he does.

The case is similar in Burma, where the military has often used brutal 
methods to run the country since 1962. Mindful that some senior officers 
might expect prosecution or persecution, the opposition National League 
for Democracy publicly promised "no Nuremberg trials" after it won an 
election in 1990 and prepared to take over.

As things turned out, the guarantee proved unnecessary. Military leaders 
refused to honor the election result. Now as then, while the prospect of 
being held accountable for their abuses is probably a niggling worry, 
what's keeping Burma's generals in power is xenophobia, fear of 
instability in the country and a determination to retain their privileges.

***********************************************************

THE HINDU: JUNTA CIRCUMVENTING LAW : SUU KYI
September 2, 1996  (abridged)

Even as Myanmar's National Development Minister urged Japan to release its 
pending multi-million dollar aid, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Ms. Aung San 
Suu Kyi, slammed the military junta of circumventing "due processes" of law and
sentencing her supporters to long term imprisonment.

The Nobel laureate's latest outburst against the military regime could possibly 
intensify Western pressure on the state law and order restoration council 
(SLORC), the name by which the junta calls itself. These charges specifically 
relate to denial of justice and prevention of legal, political activity. And
that 
should provide some fodder to the human rights groups that have been lobbying 
for firmer action against the junta.

South Asian analysts see in Myanmar, a ripe issue for the region's 
seven-member grouping, the Asean, to mediate and find a political solution. 
Especially in the context of the OIC Indonesia brokered peace pact in the 
Philippines, they are emboldened to suggest that the Asean can now take on the 
role of "facilitator" to begin a dialogue between the military junta and the 
pro-democracy movement in Yangon.

"The earlier Asean decides to play that role, without in any way offering a 
solution or imposing one, the better for the region. It will not be any
violation of 
Asean's policy or approach, to enable disputing parities to come to the 
negotiating on Myanmar. All that is being suggested is that an informal, 
facilitator's role could be played, even diplomatically, to bring the two
parties 
together. They can and should find a solution on their own,: the analysts
suggest.

They are worried about not only the crackdown on political activists by the 
authorities, but the growing stridency of Ms. Suu Kyi's charges against the 
SLORC. If both these trends continue, then the situation in Myanmar can soon 
go out of hand and Asean will then face a genuine problem at its doorstep. 
Without waiting for cloud burst, the "preventive diplomacy," which is one of 
the watch words of the region, can get into play even now, Western diplomats 
here say.

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BUSINESS TIMES: JAPAN TRYING TO MEDIATE POLITICAL PACT 
IN MYANMAR By Anthony Rowley 
August 27, 1996

More aid, trade and investments likely as soon as Slorc agrees to start 
dialogue with Suu Kyi's NLD 

THE Japanese government is involved in a high-level behind-the-scenes 
bid to broker a political agreement between Myanmar's ruling military 
junta and the opposition National League for Democracy led by Aung San 
Suu Kyi, Tokyo officials told BT yesterday. 

Success would be a diplomatic coup for Japan and would build on Tokyo's 
success in helping cement peace in Cambodia several years ago. 

Myanmar's rulers have a big economic incentive to accept Japanese 
mediation. While Yangon is receiving injections of manufacturing 
investment from Asean and elsewhere, it stands to gain Japanese expertise 
in infrastructure building and official development assistance on the scale 
that only Tokyo can provide. In addition to continuing contacts at foreign 
minister level between Japan and the State Law and Order Restoration 
Council (Slorc) that has ruled Myanmar since 1988, Tokyo is currently 
involved in dialogue at official level with the NLD. 

This was disclosed to BT in an interview with Kazuhiro Fujimura, deputy 
director of the Japanese foreign ministry's First South-east Asia Division. 

"There is an understanding on both sides that details will not be disclosed," 
said Mr Fujimura, who described the contacts as "very delicate". 

But he added that by talking to both Slorc and NLD, Tokyo hopes to find a 
"middle way" between the "hardline" approach of the United States and 
Europe and Asean's policy of "constructive engagement". 

Once very significant, Japanese official development assistance (ODA) has 
been cut back to minimal levels since Slorc annulled the May 1990 
elections in Myanmar in which Aung San Suu Kyi's 

Japanese investment in Myanmar has also been held at very low levels 
while two-way trade between the two countries is currently at very 
modest levels. Japan is pushing the Myanmar leadership to improve 
"democratisation and human rights" and for Slorc to come up with what 
officials call a "timetable for implementing a transfer of power to the civil 
and elected government" . 

Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo declines to confirm it, 
there is a strong likelihood that Yangon would begin to benefit from 
increased aid, trade and investment flows as soon as Slorc agrees to "start a 
dialogue with the NLD", as one official put it. 

At present, Japanese aid flows -- which were large prior to 1988 -- are 
restricted to humanitarian projects such as the nursing training school 
Tokyo agreed to finance last October. 

"They (Slorc) repeatedly say that they will not stay in power for good and 
that they will transfer power but we need to know how and when," said Mr 
Fujimura. He admitted that Japan's optimism about the possibility of 
dialogue between Slorc and NLD following Aung San Suu Kyi's release from 
house arrest last July had been disappointed, and that recent arrests of 
NLD members pointed to a state of "high tension in Myanmar.'' 

But officials are still hopeful that what they call the "traditional good 
relations between our two countries based upon historical ties and frank 
dialogue" will eventually bring success for Tokyo's determined yet 
low-profile approach to brokering a settlement between Slorc and NLD. 

This approach has involved regular direct contacts between Japanese 
Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda and his Myanmar counterpart U Ohn Gyaw 
both in Tokyo and at the United Nations in New York, as well as in Jakarta 
at the Asean foreign ministers' meeting there.

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