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BurmaNet News: November 28, 1996
- Subject: BurmaNet News: November 28, 1996
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 28 Nov 1996 08:18:00
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"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: November 28, 1996
Issue #579
Noted in Passing:
The brave reformers in Burma led by Aung San Suu Kyi remind us that
their desires know no boundaries. Their aspirations are universal because
they are fundamentally human. - President Clinton (see: TN: CLINTON -
TOWARDS GREATER FREEDOM IN ASIA-PACIFIC)
HEADLINES:
==========
TN: CLINTON - TOWARDS GREATER FREEDOM IN ASIA-PACIFIC
REUTERS: BURMA MEMBERSHIP SEEN DOMINATING ASEAN SUMMIT
THE JAPAN TIMES: SUU KYI SUPPORTERS TO GET RIGHTS AWARD
PRESS RELEASE: UN ON HUMAN RIGHT ABUSES
KYODO: CHAVALIT PLANS TO TALK WITH MYANMAR JUNTA
AP: REGIME SAYS BURMESE WILL PUNISH SUU KYI
REUTERS: BURMA SHRUGS OFF CLINTON'S CRITICISMS
REUTERS: BURMA JOINS UN COMMON FUND FOR COMMODITIES
ANNOUNCEMENT: MASSACHUSETTS BURMA ROUNDTABLE
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TN: CLINTON - TOWARDS GREATER FREEDOM IN ASIA-PACIFIC
November 27, 1996 (excerpts) (The Nation)
US President Bill Clinton addressed Chulalongkorn University yesteray.
The people of Cambodia and Mongolia proved that change is
possible in difficult circumstances. The brave reformers in Burma
led by Aung San Suu Kyi remind us that these desires know no boundaries.
Their aspirations are universal because they are fundamentally human.
Every nation of the Asia-Pacific must preserve the best of its
traditions while pursuing the benefits of progress. But surely we
can all agree that human dignity and individual worth must never be
undervalued or abused. The United States will continue to stand
with those who stand for freedom in Asia and beyond. Doing so
reflects not only our ideals, it advances our interests. A nation
that respects the rights of its own people is more likely to
respect the rights of its neighbours, to keep its word, to play
by the rules, to be a reliable partner in diplomacy and trade,
and in pursuit of peace and stability.
Thailand and the US are close and committed partners in the fight
against drugs. We cannot afford to rest in the struggle, for the
lives of too many millions of our young people are at stake.
Thailand is setting a strong example for other nations.
We know we must do more to fight illegal drugs at the source.
Burma has long been the world's number one producer of opium and
heroin and now is also making methapethamines.
The role of drugs in Burma's economic and political life and the
regime's refusal to honour its own pledge to move to multi-party
democracy are really two sides of the same coin, for both
represent the absence of the rule of law. Every nation has an
interest in promoting true political dialogue in Burma - a
dialogue that will lead to a real fight against crime, corruption
and narcotics and a government more acceptable to its people.
Whether we are fighting drugs, combatting Aids, trying to open
bright new futures for our children, or working to protect the
planet we share, Thailand and the US are making our partnership
work for our people. For we both know we have much more to gain
from standing together than by going it alone. And we both
appreciate how much can be achieved when dialogue and democracy
are the life blood of two nation's relations with each other,
when policies are made through consensus, not coercion. Working
together, the US and Thailand can help lead the way to an Asia-
Pacific region in which economic success and greater freedom can
advance together and support one another.
****************************************************************
REUTERS: BURMA MEMBERSHIP SEEN DOMINATING ASEAN SUMMIT
November 27, 1996
By Raju Gopalakrishnan
JAKARTA, Nov 27 (Reuter) - The question of Burma's entry
into ASEAN is expected to be centre-stage at this week's summit
of the Southeast Asian grouping, ministers and diplomats said on Wednesday.
Ali Alatas, foreign minister of host Indonesia, told reporters that none
of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations' seven members opposed the entry of
Burma, or Myanmar. He said discussion of the issue during the summit was
possible.
'In principle, the entry of Myanmar into ASEAN poses no problems to ASEAN.
All ASEAN members are agreed that Myanmar needs to enter, needs to be accepted
as a member.'
Diplomats said what was at issue was when Burma, the focus of international
concern over its human rights record, would be granted entry.
The one-day, free-wheeling meeting has no papers and no
fixed agenda, diplomats and officials said. But the recent
airing of differences by ASEAN leaders on when to grant Burma
full membership in the group is likely to occupy centre-stage.
'We cannot say what they will talk about,' said a
Jakarta-based diplomat from one of the ASEAN nations. 'But I
would expect quite a lot of discussion on Myanmar.'
The Burma issue has dominated ASEAN since the military
government in Rangoon launched a fresh crackdown on the
democracy movement of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in April.
Western nations and human rights activists have said that
accepting Burma's application for full membership in ASEAN would
be tantamount to approving Rangoon's policies.
ASEAN follows a strict policy of not interfering in the
internal affairs of member nations and officially maintains that
constructive engagement with Burma is the best way to achieve
political reform in that country. Isolating Rangoon would be
counter-productive, its leaders have argued.
But last month, Philippine President Fidel Ramos said
ASEAN could review its constructive engagement policy with
Burma. Then Amnuay Viravan, then Thailand's foreign minister,
said Rangoon should introduce democracy before joining the group.
Earlier this month, Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong,
whose country has made heavy investments in Burma, caused a stir
when he said he did not think Rangoon was ready for full
membership on economic grounds.
Diplomats said Malaysia and Indonesia were believed to be in
favour of quickly admitting Burma into the fold, perhaps next
year along with Cambodia and Laos, and that they expected the
issue to be thrashed out at Saturday's summit.
Burmese leader General Than Shwe is to attend the meeting,
building on contacts in the group following a visit to Malaysia
earlier this year. Diplomats played down suggestions of sharp
differences within the usually united ASEAN group.
'ASEAN is very cautious but never backtracks,' said one. 'It does have
to go through debate in reaching a consensus. It takes time, but it has its
own merits.'
The leaders at the summit, who represent some of the fastest growing
nations in the world, were also likely to finalise a common stand to be
taken at the inaugural meeting of the World Trade Organisation in Singapore
next month, diplomats said.
They said much of their position will flow from decisions taken at the
APEC summit, which was attended by all ASEAN members except Vietnam.
But one major area of difference will be ASEAN's opposition to the linking
of labour and human rights to trade and investment issues, the diplomats said.
*****************************************************************
THE JAPAN TIMES: SUU KYI SUPPORTERS TO GET RIGHTS AWARD
November 26, 1996
A human rights foundation led by Takako Doi, Leader of the Social
Democratic Party, said Monday it will give its first award to supporters
of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the democracy
movement of Myanmar.
The Asian Human Rights Award will be given collectively to all people
who have supported Aung San Suu Kyi, rather than to specific groups or
individuals, the foundation's award selection committee said at a news
conference in Tokyo.
The Foundation for Human Rights in Asia will hold the award ceremony Dec.
14, which will be attended by Myanmarese activists staying in Japan.
At the same ceremony, another of the foundation's human rights awards-
the Takako Doi Award--will be given to Lee Oo Chung, a long time human
rights activist in South Korea, the foundation said.
Lee became a representative for a national association of groups of
South Korean women in 1987.
The award selection committee members include writer Rokusuke Ei,
Waseda University Professor Jun Nishikawa and Saison Corp. Chairman Seiji
Tsutsumi.
*****************************************************************
UN: THIRD COMMITTEE DEBATE ON HUMAN RIGHT ABUSES
November 21, 1996 (excerpts)
UNITED STATES CITES WIDESPREAD HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES BY
SEVERAL COUNTRIES, IN CONTINUATION OF THIRD COMMITTEE
DEBATE
Myanmar, China, Nigeria, Iraq, Among Countries Responding to
Allegations of Violations
Despite good news on the human rights front over the last few years,
many countries based their authority not on popular consent but on coercion,
the representative of the United States told the Third Committee (Social,
Humanitarian and Cultural) this afternoon as it continued its discussion of
human rights issues.
Several representatives criticized the increasing politicization of
human rights as a tool to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign
States. The representative of Myanmar said countries with different cultural
and social backgrounds and levels of economic development had different
human rights priorities. No country or group of countries should seek to
reshape
the world in their own image. The conclusion that there was no freedom of
thought, opinion and expression in Myanmar was a travesty. There had been
tremendous change and transformation in the country which was in turmoil
eight years ago.
The representative of China said that the attacks by the United States
were unfounded. Before accusing others, America should take a look in the
mirror. Serious human rights violations existed in the United States.
U PE THEIN TIN (Myanmar) said renewed interest in human rights would not
benefit mankind if it was not pursued with objectivity, impartiality and non-
selectivity. There should be respect for diversity, and the historical,
cultural, religious, social and economic backgrounds of nations. Countries
with different cultural and social backgrounds and levels of economic
development had different priorities with regard to human rights. No country
or group of countries should seek to reshape the world in their own image.
His Government was gravely concerned that smaller countries were singled out
for alleged violations of human rights while other countries, where human
rights abuses abound, were treated with sympathy and understanding. Such
unequal treatment was bound to undermine human rights. He said the
conclusion that there was essentially no freedom of thought, opinion and
expression in Myanmar was a travesty. There had been tremendous change
and transformation in the country, which was in turmoil eight years ago.
Today, peace and stability had been restored. With peace and stability and
the adoption of a market economy, the country's economy was on the rise.
It was regrettable that in their clamour for human rights, the misguided
few in Myanmar and their ardent supporters abroad had chosen to ignore the
right of its people to development, he continued. It was demeaning for any
State, organization or individual to compel investors to stay away from
Myanmar, where the political process was essentially a matter for the people
to determine by themselves. No outsider should assume the right to comment in
any form on the working procedures of the ongoing National Convention. One
particular party had turned its back on the forum and was insisting on a
dialogue", a stand which was supported by some countries using pressure to
manipulate developments in Myanmar to their own liking. No country could
permit an individual or an organized group to jeopardize national
reconciliation, or condone acts that led to a breakdown of law and order. It
had become necessary to promulgate a law to ensure orderly and systematic
transfer of the responsibilities of the State, and the progress of the
National Convention. Whoever violated its provisions was liable to
imprisonment or fines. No one had been put behind bars merely for political
beliefs. Statements calling for the immediate and unconditional release of
all political prisoners and a dialogue with political parties and ethnic
groups were unacceptable to his Government.
MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT (United States)
The authorities in Myanmar had their own version of reality. They claimed
their opponents were inspired by outsiders, when in fact the opposition was
indigenous and deeply patriotic. Their constitutional convention was a sham,
fully controlled and orchestrated by the Government. They claimed to be
fighting
illegal narcotics, when, in fact, the military had turned a blind eye to the
production
and trafficking of drugs. Accordingly, her government would urge the Assembly
this year to express its strong support for democracy and human rights in
Burma.
The Assembly should call for a genuine democratic dialogue, for free
assembly and
free speech, for the release of political prisoners and for an end to forced
re-locations,
forced labour and forced porterage.
Full Texts of the following press release from United Nations
can be found on this URL - The Home page for United Nations.
http://www.un.org/
*****************************************************************
KYODO: CHAVALIT PLANS TO TALK WITH MYANMAR JUNTA
November 27, 1996
BANGKOK, Nov. 27 Kyodo - Thailand's newly appointed Prime
Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh plans to talk to Myanmar's junta to
encourage it to move toward democracy and improve that country's
human rights situation, a local English-language daily reported Wednesday.
''I will go talk to them (Myanmar's junta), let them understand
what's going on in the region, about globalization,'' Chavalit was
quoted as saying by the Bangkok Post.
''The world has changed. It's time Yangon changed with it,''
the daily quoted him as saying.
''I want to say, please listen to me. Something is going to change.
You can't stay like this anymore. People are talking about human
rights, democracy, and you still do this,'' said Chavalit, according to
the daily.
The new prime minister set no date for his visit, but said he
would approach the generals as a ''best friend,'' the Bangkok Post said.
''Gen. Chavalit did not say whether he would ask the junta to
hold fresh elections, nor would he commit himself to blocking an
early entry for Burma (Myanmar) into the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) if his advice was rejected. He said he would
need to take things step by step,'' the English-language daily said.
Chavalit was commander-in-chief of the Thai army from 1986 to 1990.
On Tuesday, visiting U.S. President Bill Clinton urged Thailand
to use its influence to encourage Myanmar's junta to engage in a
greater political dialogue as a move toward democracy in Myanmar.
Clinton made the statement to outgoing Thai Prime Minister Banharn
Silpa-archa during a 20-minute bilateral meeting, according to a
White House official.
Banharn was quoted as replying that Thailand has a different approach
toward Myanmar although the two countries share a common objective,
according to a top Thai Foreign Ministry official who attended the meeting.
****************************************************************
AP: REGIME SAYS BURMESE WILL PUNISH SUU KYI
November 27, 1996
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ A day after President Clinton
criticized Burma's rulers for repression, the country's military
regime said Wednesday that the Burmese people would punish the
pro-democracy leader Clinton praised.
Commentary in Burmese newspapers reflecting the view of the
ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council asserted that Nobel
Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was destabilizing Myanmar, as
the regime has officially renamed the country.
``The people of Myanmar are disgusted with Suu Kyi and her
cohorts, whom they have branded as traitors and ax handles,'' the
commentary said. ``Suu Kyi and her followers will be punished by
the peace-loving Myanmar people.''
``Ax handle'' is jargon the regime uses to mean stooges of
foreign countries _ the official view of Suu Kyi _ using pressure
for democratic reforms as a way to bring Burma under foreign domination..
A mob allegedly organized by the government attacked Suu Kyi's
car on Nov. 9 with iron bars and rocks. She was unhurt. The attack
signaled a new willingness by the regime to use violence in
increasing harassment of Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy.
Referring to her brief appearance before 500 supporters at a
Rangoon intersection last week, the commentary said Suu Kyi ``hoped
to instigate unrest under the pretext of the democracy movement. No
one will accept her policy of disrupting peace and tranquility.''
On a state visit Tuesday to Thailand, Burma's neighbor to the
east, Clinton praised the spread of democracy in Asia but singled
out Burma for strong criticism for human rights abuses and narcotics
trafficking.
The president praised ``the brave reformers in Burma led by Aung
San Suu Kyi'' and urged neighboring countries to support a ``true political
dialogue in Burma _ a dialogue that will lead to a real fight against crime,
corruption and narcotics and a government more acceptable to its people.''
Burma is the world's No. 1 producer of opium and heroin.
Later, Thailand's new prime minister, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, told reporters
he would travel to Rangoon and try to persuade the generals to heed world
criticism. He did not set a date.
Since September, the government has erected roadblocks to
prevent Suu Kyi from speaking to crowds that normally gather at her
home every weekend. The meetings had been the only regular contact
allowed her with the people.
Suu Kyi traveled to an intersection two kilometers (1.2 miles)
from her house Saturday and spoke to 500 supporters gathered there,
urging them to be ``courageous.'' The attack on her car Nov. 9 came
when she was traveling to the same crossroads.
One of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, a region that has boomed
economically over the past decade, Burma has been ruled by the military
since 1962.
Suu Kyi, daughter of independence hero Aung San, emerged as
leader of the pro-democracy movement during street protests in 1988
that were bloodily suppressed by the army.
The opposition overwhelmingly won elections in 1990, but the regime never
allowed parliament to convene. The government has rejected Suu Kyi's calls
for dialogue since freeing her from six years of house arrest in July 1995.
*****************************************************************
REUTERS: BURMA SHRUGS OFF CLINTON'S CRITICISMS
November 27, 1996
By Deborah Charles
BANGKOK, Nov 27 (Reuter) - A senior Burmese government official on
Wednesday dismissed comments by U.S. President Bill Clinton criticising the
military government for failing to restore democracy to the country.
'We don't really have any comment on what he said,' said the
official, who read a transcript of the speech Clinton delivered
at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University on Tuesday.
'They have been saying this for years, there's nothing new
in his speech,' he said in a telelphone interview from Rangoon.
In a speech praising most Asia-Pacific nations for bringing democracy to the
region, Clinton singled out Burma for its failure to recognise a democratically
elected government, saying it showed Rangoon had no rule of law.
Clinton, on a brief visit to Thailand, also criticised Burma for being the
world's
number one opium and heroin producer.
'The role of drugs in Burma's economic and political life and the regime's
refusal
to honour its own pledge to move to multiparty democracy are really two
sides of
the same coin, for both represent the absence of the rule of law,' he said.
'Every nation has an interest in promoting true political dialogue in Burma
-- a
dialogue that will lead to a real fight against crime, corruption and narcotics
and a government more acceptable to its people,' Clinton said.
Burma's military rulers have also been accused by the United
Nations and others of human rights abuses and for suppressing basic freedoms.
In a series of crackdowns on the democracy movement, the SLORC has arrested
and released nearly 1,000 NLD members or supporters since May for trying to
hold meetings.
But they said more needed to be done, and noted that Clinton had stopped short
of taking a strong stance.
'This is the first step, having the U.S. here,' said Zaw Min, a spokesman for
the All Burma Student's Democratic Front, whose members fled Burma during
the 1988 pro-democracy demonstrations that the military crushed.
'It is a positive step, although he didn't mention very strongly what they
would
do,' he told Reuters.
Washington has slapped a visa ban on senior SLORC officials and has passed
legislation allowing Clinton to impose economic sanctions if repression in
Burma
worsens or if Suu Kyi is re-arrested.
Some democracy activists have said the recent SLORC crackdown on the NLD
should be enough to warrant the imposition of sanctions.
*****************************************************************
REUTERS: BURMA JOINS UN COMMON FUND FOR COMMODITIES
November 26, 1996
AMSTERDAM, Nov 26 (Reuter) - Burma has joined the United Nations
Common Fund for Commodities as the group's 105th member, the Amsterdam-
based organisation said on Tuesday.
The Fund is an intergovernmental financial institution established under the
aegis of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 1980 to
finance commodity research and development projects.
The group said Burma would benefit from membership as it now became eligible
for Fund financed projects.
*****************************************************************
ANNOUNCEMENT: MASSACHUSETTS BURMA ROUNDTABLE
December, 1996
1. Next Meeting
Next Roundtable meeting: Tuesday, December 4, 6:30 p.m. at Franklin
Research and Development, 711 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02111,
(617) 423-6655. Our special guest will probably be Marcia Poole of the
BBC World Service, Burmese Section. We hope to see you there!
2. UPCOMING EVENTS:
On DECEMBER 11, 1996, the Reebok Human Rights Awards will be held
in Boston. Thida Ma, one of Amnesty International's Prisoner of Conscience
will be one of 4 individuals presented with Reebok's annual award. Thida Ma
is a doctor and short-story writer, aged 28, who was arrested with ten other
activists in 1993 for activities in support of the National League for
Democracy.
After a closed trial the following October, she was sentenced to 20 years in
prison
for "contact with illegal organizations, endangering public peace, and
distributing
banned literature to foreign-based opposition groups." Currently, She is in
poor
health, and has been kept in solitary confinement for the past year.
There will be a candle light vigal and cultural presentation on December
10th to correspond with this important event. It will be held at Boston
Common near the Park Street T-Station from 5:00-6:00 p.m. For more
information, please contact Shalini Nataraj at (617) 868-6600, ext. 225.
On Sunday, DECEMBER 22, 1996, a presentation on Burma will be given
to the Ethical Society of Boston at 10:30 a.m. They will be meeting in
Cambridge at the Longy School of Music at 1 Follen Street, near Garden
Street and across from the Sheraton Commander Hotel. For more details,
contact Ed Roseland at (617) 479-2581.
4 Update on New York Selective Purchasing Legislation
The log jam on the New York City Burma selective purchasing bill seems to be
breaking with the release of a report on the impact of the legislation by
the Mayor's office. One contract affected by the selective purchasing bill
in New York City, if passed, would be a $1.4 million PepsiCo contract with
the Department of Corrections. The fact that the report was released means
that the bill can now continue through the legislative process. There will
probably be further hearings in January.
For more information on the New York City bill, contact:
National Coalition Government of the Union Burma (NCGUB)*
Burma UN Service Office
777 UN Plaza, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017
(212) 338-0048
(212) 338-0049 fax
burma1un@xxxxxxxxxxx
*****************************************************************
BURMANET SUBJECT-MATTER RESOURCE LIST
BurmaNet regularly receives enquiries on a number of different
topics related to Burma. If you have questions on any of the
following subjects, please direct email to the following volunteer
coordinators, who will either answer your question or try to put you
in contact with someone who can:
Campus activism: zni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Boycott campaigns: [Pepsi] ai268@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Buddhism: Buddhist Relief Mission: brelief@xxxxxxx
Chin history/culture: [volunteer temporarily away]
Fonts: tom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
High School Activism: [volunteer needed]
History of Burma: zni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
International Affairs: Julien Moe: moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kachin history/culture: 74750.1267@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Karen history/culture: Karen Historical Society: 102113.2571@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mon history/culture: [volunteer needed]
Naga history/culture: Wungram Shishak: z954001@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Burma-India border Aung San Myint: aungsan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Pali literature: "Palmleaf": c/o burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx
Pipeline Campaign freeburma@xxxxxxx
Resettlement info: refugee_help@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Rohingya culture volunteer needed
Shan history/culture: Sao Hpa Han: burma@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Shareholder activism: simon_billenness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Total - France Dawn Star: cd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tourism campaigns: bagp@xxxxxxxxxx "Attn. S.Sutcliffe"
volunteering: refugee_help@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
World Wide Web: FreeBurma@xxxxxxxxx
Geographical Contacts:
Massachusetts simon_billenness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage]
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This single page serves only as an easy to remember URL and departure
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Please write to FreeBurma@xxxxxxxxx to add a site or for further
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to get involved in the Free Burma Coalition, send a message to:
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or visit their homepage, accessible through: http:// FreeBurma.org
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