The BurmaNet News, March 11, 1997

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------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------

The BurmaNet News: March 11, 1997
Issue #663

Noted in passing: "I believe that deep inside Burma, tens of thousands of
Karens are                 quietly living a life of freedom in a simple
lifestyle. They do not 
                care for liberation."
                Maj. Gen. Thawip, commanding general of the Ninth Infantry
(see 'No                     Forced Repatriation'-Bkk Post)

HEADLINES:
==========
KNU: BORDER SITUATION UPDATE
REUTER: SUU KYI URGES COMPASSION, HELP FOR KAREN
BKK POST: CLERIC SAYS MOSQUES AND SCHOOLS TORCHED
S.H.A.N.: CURRENT SITUATION IN SHAN STATE
REUTER: SHAN GUERRILLAS VOW TO END ARMED STRUGGLE
REUTER:TOP AMERICAN BUSINESSMEN SAY NO TO SANCTIONS
BKK POST: 'NO FORCED REPATRIATION'
BKK POST: KACHADPAI: RECOGNISE THAI AID FOR REFUGEES
THE NATION: RANGOON RESTARTS PROJECT
AP:THAI MEDIA CRITICIZE MANDELA FOR IGNORING ABUSES
BKK POST: AN OPEN LETTER TO PM CHAVALIT
KYODO: TWENTY SEVEN BURMESE CREW MEMBERS JUMP SHIP
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

KNU: BORDER SITUATION UPDATE
March 10, 1997

KNU No. 6 Brigade area

It has been reported that approximately 500 villagers (men, women and
children) fleeing the approaching Slorc army are currently trapped in the
Three Pagodas Pass area. The Thai army presently manning the border has
refused entry for these refugees into Thailand. Nor will they provide a
temporary safe area. These refugees are stranded. A few refugees who have
escaped have confirmed movement of the Slorc towards this area with ten
empty trucks in tow. These empty trucks are believed to be used by the Slorc
to forcibly remove these refugees from the border and to relocate them to a
guarded encampment. This will provide the Slorc with additional forced labor.
Previously returned refugees who managed to escape back to a safe area
stated the establishment of guarded, enclosed camps in which the Slorc
forced refugees to remain, and used these jailed refugees as forced labor.

KNU Information Center

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

REUTER: SUU KYI URGES COMPASSION, HELP FOR KAREN REFUGEES
March 10, 1997
By Deborah Charles

    BANGKOK, March 10 (Reuter) - Burmese opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi on Monday urged compassion and help for ethnic Karen
refugees who have fled to Thailand in face of attacks by Burmese
troops.
    "The plight of our Karen refugees should appeal to the compassion of all
right-thinking people all over the world," Suu Kyi said in a videotaped
message smuggled out of Burma and obtained by Reuters on Monday.
    Thousands of Karen refugees fled to Thailand last month after Burmese
troops destroyed bases of the Karen National Union (KNU) guerrilla
organisation. which is fighting for autonomy from Rangoon.
    The United States and refugee organisations have accused the
Thais of forcing some Karen refugees back into Burma.
    Thai military officials have denied the charges. They said they have
disarmed fighters and asked them to return voluntarily to Burma, but have
allowed family members into Thailand and ensured they were housed away from
fighting at the border.
    Dressed in a traditional multi-coloured Karen outfit and seated in front
of a large Karen flag, Suu Kyi called on all Burma's ethnic groups to work
together to end divisiveness.
    "We would like to appeal to all the nations and all the ethnic
nationalities of Burma to join us in our endeavours to bring an end to the
hatred and animosity that is decimating our nation."
    More than 70,000 Karen refugees have been living in camps
inside Thailand since the 1980s.
    "It is not simply that they have been forced to flee from their homes to
escape the ravages of armed conflict," Suu Kyi said.
    "Many of our refugees will never be able to go back to their homes...
because these homes have been destroyed. We cannot tell how long our Karen
brothers and sisters will be forced to remain in a state of uncertainty and
impotence."
    The KNU, formed in 1948, has rejected several peace overtures from
Burma's military government. It is one of a handful of guerrilla groups
still fighting the Rangoon central government.
    Suu Kyi has said she would join forces with ethnic groups to bring
democracy back to Burma, but she told reporters last week she has not spoken
with anyone from the KNU.
    "Their troubles will not come to an end until a political solution has
been found that will heal the deep wounds that are lacerating Burma," she said.
    "The aim of all of us working for democracy and human rights is to make
Burma a safe and happy home for all the children of its soil."

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

BKK POST: CLERIC SAYS MOSQUES AND SCHOOLS TORCHED
March 10, 1997

Forced relocation of villagers reported
Supamart Kasem, Tak

	Burmese troops torched mosques and several Muslim religious schools during
their dry-season offensive against rebels last month, a Burmese Muslim
leader said.
	All Burma Muslim Union (ABMU) vice-chairman Hajji Abdul Malik, who was in
Kyaikdon village opposite Tak's Umphang district when it came under attack
by Burmese troops on February 13, told the Bangkok Post that the troops set
fire to a mosque and a religious school in his community.
	Several other mosques were torched elsewhere, he said.
	Hajji Malik who escaped to the mountain before slipping across the border
into Thailand also claimed that the Burmese troops plundered valuables and
destroyed crops in the field.
	He said about 4,000 Muslims in Kyaikdon, Pa Klaw Nee, Mae Ha Htee Hta and
Sakhantit villages were forcibly moved by Burmese troops to a new settlement
at Patein in Kya-in Seikkyi district where there are virtually no basic
utilities such as water.
	Hajji Malik is among some 2,000 Burmese Muslim refugees who had sheltered
in the forest villages of Ban Klaw Thor, Nong Nok Ped, Nupho and Teechorsee
along the Umphang-Perngklerng Road in Umphang district since mid-February.
	They, along with about 8,000 other Karens, were moved to a new refugee camp
at Ban Nu Pho last Friday.
	ABMU secretary-general Mohammad Hussein charged that the Burmese military
junta had discriminated against Muslims by registering them in a
documentation form as "Muslim" while labelling Burmese Buddhists as "Burmese".
	He also alleged that some 40,000 Muslims who used to live along the
Moulmein-Kyaikmaraw region in Mon state were evicted to a new settlement
some seven miles away to pave the way for the building of a new prison. The
old prison was demolished and the land leased to a foreign company, he said,
adding that, as a result four mosques and Muslim graveyards were also
demolished.
	Mrs Naw Plaw Mue, of the Muslim refugees from Ban Perngklerng, said she and
her four children, all under 10, escaped to Thailand on February 12. She
said her husband was forced by Burmese troops to work as a porter.
	ABMU chairman Dr Abdul Razzak said there was little chance of Burmese
Muslims in Thailand returning to their native homes because the military
junta in Rangoon won't let them back.
	He estimated that the number of Burmese Muslims in Thailand, including
those in refugee camps along the border and those working legally and
illegally, could exceed 100,000.
	Umphang district officer Charoen Singhayakul said yesterday that 400 rai of
land in what used to be fertile forest in Ban Nu Pho has been set aside to
house some 10,000 refugees.
	The camp is divided into four zones each with a committee to coordinate
with government officials and non-governmental organisations involved in
relief efforts. It will be guarded round the clock to monitor entry and exit
from the camp.
	He said a field hospital has been set up in the camp for which staff and
equipment will be drawn from Umphang district hospital. With the field
hospital, he noted, sick refugees would not have to travel 50 km to receive
medical service.
	There are still about 2,000 refugees in Ta Per Poo who will be moved to the
new camp on Wednesday after which the camps at Noh Ka Thaw Wah, No Pa Do and
Ta Per Poo will be closed down, said Mr Charoen.
	The district chief, however, maintained that the refugees' stay in the camp
would be temporary and once the situation in Burma returns to normal they
would have to return home.
	Besides, he said, the refugees can't use the camp to store arms or to
recruit men for the rebels.
	It was disclosed that the provincial administration also plans to move some
3,000 refugees from Sho Klo camp to join 25,000 other refugees in Mae La
camp in Tha Song Yang district, and transfer some 3,000 refugees from Don Pa
Kiang camp in Mae Ramat district to Huay Kalok camp in Mae Sot district.
	Both Sho Klo and Don Pa Kiang camps will then be closed. (BP)

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

S.H.A.N.: CURRENT SITUATION IN SHAN STATE
March 4, 1997 (received)

Since early January, townspeople of Larngkhur have to split rocks to
pave the motor road to Wan Hart, even civil servants are not spared. 
Each person has to finish 7 "gin" (enough to pave 10 foot-square area)
and anyone who could not go has to pay 300 Kyat <approx. US $42.00 at
official rate> for a "gin".

Once, rocks were mistakenly broken into 3 inch gravel instead of the
demanded one and a half inch.  60 people were forced to break them again
and were able to finish only 3 "gin" the whole day.

People have to stay overnight and work at the sites until they finish
their quotas.  Villagers of Wan Wawng Long have to provide 2 bicycles
and a tape-recorder to the troops overseeing the work sites.

When the Burmese army has a contract to build road, it always forces the
civilian population to do most of the work without pay, and it
officials, pocket the money meant for hired laborers daily wages.

Villagers around Siseng town have to send 2 tholagyi - (mini tractors)
loads of water to the military base there every day.  People have to
take turns to fetch water to fill the loads.  The villagers and the
tractor owners get nothing in return.

Gambling is strictly banned at all fairs and religious celebrations etc.
in the city of Mandalay, the second capital of Burma proper, while all
sorts of gambling are encouraged and even initiated by Slorc officials
at Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State.

Arbitrary punishment - Sign-boards along the roads in Sipaw <Hispaw>
area northern Shan State read "3 years imprisonment for any tree
felled", but in Larngkhur, central Shan State, they say "7 years
imprisonment for any tree felled or de-barked."

The prices of some consumer goods in Shan State have increased as
follows:
1 viss of pork	400 Kyat
1 viss of small fish	480 Kyat
1 viss of big fish	400 Kyat
1 viss of chicken	400 Kyat
1 viss of garlic	200 Kyat
1 small sack of good quality rice 2,150 Kyat
(1 viss is roughly 1.6 Kg)

Most nurses and teachers are drawing only 1,200 Kyat salary.  Government
school teachers are not allowed to give private tuition.

1 gallon of gasoline = 370 - 400 Kyat in the black-market.  Though the
price is much cheaper at the government owned pumps, only those who have a
written permit can buy there, an they can only get 2 gallons for one
car for one month!

More than 300 military trucks brought in from China are being kept at a
place near Aung Thapyay on the Mandalay - Taunggyi road.  They never use
them.  Instead, they sell the gasoline in the black market and force
civilian cars to serve almost all military purposes.

Most people -- car owners, merchants etc. -- are not satisfied with the
12% income tax because mostly they only make 5% actual profits.  To
avoid having to fulfill the remaining percentage people usually bribe
the concerned officials at least enough to buy a table of good dinner --
usually 3,000 Kyat.;.  "One table" has become a code word used by the
officials when they ask for a bribe at their work tables usually in
front of the official motto "Bribery is our enemy".

Just recently, a Palawng tribal headman in Namzarng township was asked
by Slorc troops to provide a woman for the night.  When the Palawng
headman refused, saying that it was against their culture, the Burmese
soldiers threatened to shoot him and take his wife so that finally he
had to find another woman in his village for them.  //End//

<S.H.A.N. Vol. 14. No. 1>

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

REUTER: BURMA'S SHAN GUERRILLAS VOW TO END ARMED STRUGGLE
March 10, 1997

    BANGKOK, March 10 (Reuter) - Thousands of Burma's ethnic Shan guerrillas
who broke away from opium warlord Khun Sa nearly two years ago with a vow to
continue fighting Rangoon have agreed to end their armed struggle, Shan
sources said on Monday.
    A joint statement by the Shan State Peace Keeping Committee (SSPC) and
the Shan National Liberation Democratic (SNLD) group said that instead of
waging armed struggle, the guerrillas would cooperate with Burma's military
government.
    "To settle the overall problems in Shan state... the SSPC and SNLD have
agreed to send representatives to participate in drafting the constitution
through the National Convention," said the statement, signed by Kan Yord and
Pe Thien, and obtained by Reuters on Monday.
    The National Convention, which is trying to draft guidelines for a new
constitution, has met intermittently since early 1993. It is made up of
hundreds of delegates, most of them handpicked by the government.
    Fifteen rebel organisations have already signed ceasefire agreements
with Burma's government.
    The Shan statement was dated in early February and was said to have been
distributed among the guerrillas in the central Shan State. It said the SSPC
and SNLD had already ordered their troops to halt their armed struggle.
    Kan Yord, a former officer of Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army (MTA),
accused the opium warlord of paying more attention to heroin trafficking
than the fight for Shan State's independence.
    He led about 7,000 guerrillas to break away from the Khun Sa-controlled
MTA in late 1995 and vowed to fight for greater autonomy from Rangoon.
    Khun Sa, who is half-Shan and half Chinese, was accused by international
drug agencies for using the 20,000-strong MTA as his personal army to
protect his heroin business.
    Khun Sa surrendered to Burmese troops in January 1996 and has been said
to be living a life of luxury in Rangoon.
    A veteran Shan guerrilla leader said Burma's ruling State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC) was trying to buy off the Shan guerrillas in
order focus on its dealings with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
    "Those people decided to halt the fight against the Burmese after the
SLORC bought them off," Shan leader Khun Thaw Da told Reuters.
    Suu Kyi on Monday called for compassion and help for ethnic Karen
refugees who have fled to Thailand in face of attacks by Burmese troops.
    Thousands of Karen refugees fled to Thailand last month after Burmese
troops destroyed bases of the Karen National Union (KNU) guerrilla
organisation, which is fighting for autonomy from Rangoon.

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

REUTER:TOP AMERICAN BUSINESSMEN SAY NO TO BURMA SANCTIONS
March 10, 1997
By Chris Johnson

    SINGAPORE, March 10 (Reuter) - Top American businessmen said
on Monday they opposed sanctions against military-ruled Burma and called the
Southeast Asian policy of "constructive engagement" the right way to push
Rangoon towards democracy.
    United Technologies Corp chief George David said the Americans and their
Southeast Asian counterparts agreed after a one-day meeting that unilateral
sanctions on Burma would be wrong.
    Most of the Americans, including heads of some of the country's biggest
corporations, said the idea of sanctions should be shunted aside in favour
of pressing Burma towards democracy from the inside.
    "We feel that the policy of engagement is a better way to produce
change. We're better off having engagement, participation and investments,"
David told reporters, who asked whether profit was the only motive.
    "I would certainly reject that," said David, chairman of the U.S./ASEAN
Business Council that brought some 50 top American executives to Singapore.
    "We believe the way you induce changes is by participation and by
engagement, not by punishment or sanctions," he said.
    David said he expected Burma, along with Laos and Cambodia, to join
ASEAN this year.
    "We think that would be terrific," he said.
    ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam. It has agreed Burma should join at the same time as
Laos and Cambodia, resisting Western pressure to keep Rangoon at arm's length.
    It says "constructive engagement" -- maintaining normal ties while
pushing for change -- is the correct approach.
    American executives who spoke to reporters all endorsed that policy.
    "I think a constructive engagement is much more important for the U.S.
We shouldn't lose what little influence we do have by pulling out," said
former treasury secretary Lloyd Bentsen.
    He called Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has called
repeatedly for sanctions on Rangoon, a remarkable person, but said he did
not agree with her.
    "I sympathise with her problem. However, we are a nation and we can't
govern by the ideas and the recommendations of one person. I don't agree
with her," Bentsen said.
    "We have to look to see what we can do to liberalise the situation in
Burma and protect people like her," he added.
    Walter Shorenstein, chairman of the Shorenstein Company, one of the
largest privately held U.S. real estate firms, said engagement made good sense.
    "It is necessary for us to know more about each other."
    Former secretary of state Alexander Haig was trenchant in his opposition
to sanctions of any kind, calling them a "very short-sighted approach".
    "It's arrogant, it's wrong-headed and it misreads the lessons of
history," Haig, president of consultants Worldwide Associates Inc, told a
news conference.
    "Every analysis I have seen suggests that not only do sanctions not
work, but they frequently, especially in democratic societies, create
obstacles for the incumbent leaders of those societies to make the changes
we want," he said.
    Haig told a news conference some of the international pressure for
sanctions against Burma was the result of "knee-jerk populism".
    "The real issue is how do you make the situation better, not how do you
feel good at home or how do you keep the press happy," he said.

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

BKK POST: 'NO FORCED REPATRIATION'
March 9, 1997
Supradit Kanwanich

Interview: After recent press reports and an ensuing international outcry
that Thailand forced back refugees at the border, the commanding general of
the Ninth Infantry tells his side of the story.

	Several human rights and relief organisation working with the Karen and
Burmese refugees claim the RTA (Royal Thai Army) forcibly repatriated
refugees fleeing from the Burmese conflict.
	These refugees fled from Burmese Army attacks against the KNU, a minority
group in Burma. The KNU's struggle for autonomy started after World War Two.
	The refugees were reportedly forced back to Burma by Ninth Infantry
Division areas between Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi.
	The commanding general of the ninth Infantry Division, Maj. Gen Thawip
Suwansing denied these allegations.
	Maj. Gen Thawip Suwansing explained to Sunday Perspective that KNU members
requested "voluntary repatriation" for their family to safe areas so that
they could go fighting.
	Following are experts from an interview with Maj. Thawip Suwansing.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE: In general practice, what is the primary responsibility
of the Ninth Division, as assigned by the RTA?
MAJ. GEN THAWIP: Our basic assignments are :(1) to monitor internal and
external activities along the border; (2) to defend the country; (3) to
enforce the rules and regulations along the border; (4) to improve internal
security and ; (5) to maintain good relationships with neighbouring countries.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE: What is the your procedure action in dealing with the
refugees who are running from the fighting in our neighbouring countries?
MAJ. GEN THAWIP: The Division provides convenience for them. This includes
safe areas for temporary stay, and facilitating evacuation procedures when
they return home after the situation in their country has normalised.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE: What about those who are directly involved in the conflict?
MAJ. GEN THAWIP:  We disarm fighters or soldiers, and request them to return
voluntarily. We apply this same procedure to armed civilians.
However, the media inaccurately reported that the Division forced the
refugee back into the hands of Burmese authorities.
The facts is, when Army Commander-in-chief Gen Chetta Thanajaro knew the
Burmese refugees were crossing the border, he ordered the Division to
provide them with temporary shelter in a safe area away from the border
until the situation returns to normal.
I even asked him what to do if they wanted to go to some other areas in
Burma. The general advised me that evacuation must be done openly and
witnessed by the media.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE: How many of the KNU people have crossed into Thailand?
MAJ. GEN THAWIP:  Over 800 children women and old people crossed into
Thailand, with about 180 whom we later knew as fighters and supporters. All
wanted to go back to Burma, provided that their families are safe. I can
guarantee there are no armed KNU soldiers on Thai soil. However, their
family members voluntarily returned unarmed, although some were still in
uniform. In fact, KNU forces came to see their families off at the Thai
border at Huay Mong in Tambon Bongti, Saiyok district, in Kanchanaburi. Our
troops told them that they could not be sheltered at Huay Mong border. When
fighting drew closer to that area, we suggested that they move to Baan Tha
Ma Priew in the  Suan Phung district of Ratchaburi. There is another Karen
community at the border there. They then agreed to move there.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE:  Is Baan Tha Ma Priew safe from the fighting?
MAJ. GEN THAWIP: The locals and the new refugees are living comfortably
there. It is quite far away from the Burmese offensive.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE:  How did allegations of "forced repatriation" by the RTA
begin?
MAJ. GEN THAWIP:  It could possibly be a KNU political ploy so that Thailand
will take care of their families. It could also be a way of getting food and
aid from relief organisation. As we are know, a large number of Karens rely
on rice provided by relief organisations.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE:  Could it be that the KNU is trying to attract the
attention of communities around the world?
MAJ. GEN THAWIP:  Yes, that could be true.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE:  What did you do after you learned of the allegations?
MAJ. GEN THAWIP:  I reported the full facts to my superiors: (1) that the
KNU force requested to return to Burma but; (2) their families requested to
be evacuated to the safe area at Ban Tha Ma Priew and; (3) we told the
family leaders that they can meet their family members there.
The evacuation process was not hasty. It took place two days after their
arrival. They now stay together with more than, 1,000 Karens in Ban Tha Ma
Priew village. The Karens there take good care of them.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE: What's your reaction to the international concerns for
the safety of Karen refugees, of those who have voluntarily returned to
Burma and those who are in temporary refugee camps at the border?
MAJ. GEN THAWIP:  We have security forces along the border to prevent
possible intrusions. We have to take military action in the event of any
incursion. But that's not to protect the Karen refugees; that's to protect
our sovereignty and the Thai people who live along the border.
We have informed both sides of this, and the border boundaries are well-marked.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE:  What countermeasures are you taking towards possible
incursions and cross-border shelling?
MAJ. GEN THAWIP:  We can negotiate or conduct dialogues. We can retaliate
mildly or severely - we can shell them or fire smoke rounds of heavy
weapons, and we can shell them intensively with highly explosive ammunition.
We have our forces all along the border  

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE: Will you continue explaining, to those who remain
unconvinced, that the army is providing the refugees with safety and shelter?
MAJ. GEN THAWIP:  No, I will not explain again. It's all clear. but if any
one is still in doubt, come to me. I will not take any press tours or appear
on television and say the same things all over again. That would be the
reaction of someone who has been accused.
Everything we have done are based on facts that have proof. Whatever will
be, will be.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE: What's the real story about the refugees who came to
Thailand via the border at Ban Phu Nam Rawn in Muang district of
Kanchanaburi? Did they come in earlier than those who have been voluntary
repatriated?
MAJ. GEN THAWIP:  They are also family if they volunteer to return; my
superiors are worried that the feedback will be the same as in the case of
those who returned to Bann Tha Ma Priew.
If they intended to return home, they have to inform the UNHCR or any other
UN agency early; we want to prevent allegations of forced repatriation again.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE: Why is it that the Division did not provide food for the
Karen families who are either being repatriated or held in temporary refugee
camps?
MAJ GEN THAWIP: The 9th Division has no such budget and it's not our
responsibility. That's the responsibility of the Interior Ministry. We only
organise and smooth the process.
The refugees themselves have food reserves enough for a month. They are
aware of the impending evacuation after the recent fourth KNU-Slorc
negotiation failed.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE: Why is it that the Division did not allow the refugees
to remain at PHu Nam Rawn as they wished?
MAJ GEN THAWIP: We had to move them down south. Their camp was very near the
KNU's Fourth Brigade Headquarters, that has now been overtaken by Burmese
troops.
I go everywhere along the border areas under the responsibility of the Ninth
Division. I know well what areas are safe and what areas are not safe.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE: How do you feel about the allegations that the Thai army
is forcibly repatriating refugees or violating basic human rights?
MAJ GEN THAWIP: We have done our best for the refugees. The blame should be
on the KNU. They used the fleeing children and women as a tool in their
campaign for autonomy.
I cannot do something like that to my children. I cannot leave my family
behind. They can move their families to safe areas using trails inside
Burma, but that's no news. Why do it in Thailand? To get world attention?
I believe that deep inside Burma, tens of thousands of Karens are quietly
living a life of freedom in a simple lifestyle. They do not care for liberation.
But to return to the real situation: How we can allow the refugees to stay
along the border when troops from either side could clash at any moment? If
they are hurt in the conflict, Thailand will be held responsible.
Talking about human rights violations: who really violated the rights of the
young boys when the KNU recruited 13-year-olds and above into the fighting
force?

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE: Are there casualties among Karen rebels and Slorc troops
during the recent Burmese offensive?
MAJ GEN THAWIP: I don't know about the Burmese, but no KNU casualties were
reported at all in our areas of Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi and
Prachuab Khiri Khan.
Normally, wounded KNU soldiers are sent to Thai hospitals. We have to treat
them for humanitarian reasons. They couldn't go anywhere else.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE: Is there any official refugee assistance from human
rights groups or NGOs?
MAJ GEN THAWIP: No one contacted us officially. Some came to observe and
coordinated with the Division. However, they first have to go through
Interior Ministry procedures for permission.
You should know that when the Karen and Burmese refugees arrived, they were
given food by the local villagers and also by the local charity groups who
took pity on them.
We are wasting time over this nonsense. We provided the refugees with what
we can give them, but we are being blamed. And I have yet to see assistance
from those who are complaining.
Aside from the refugees, we also have a problem with illegal immigrants from
Burma. In their case, we have a different procedure. We have to take legal
action but that is impratical. The police do not have enough detention space
and food for them. The practical option is to take them back to where they
crossed the border.

SUNDAY PERSPECTIVE: What happened during the meeting between you, senior
officers of the Division, and the staff of the US embassy last Friday?
MAJ GEN THAWIP: They came to inquire about the alleged army action against
the refugees. They understood our explanations. But the world communities do
not understand yet, and they remain worried about the safety of the refugees.
However, we know very well what places are safe and which ones are unsafe
for them. (BP)

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

BKK POST: KACHADPAI: RECOGNISE THAI AID FOR REFUGEES
March 9, 1997

Security chief rejects global criticism
Yuwadee Tunyasiri

National Security Council deputy chief Kachadpai Buruspattana said yesterday
that the international community should stop criticising Thailand over its
handling of Karen refugees and instead appreciate its effort to care for
refugees over the past 13 years.
	He added that Thailand deserved this since it has looked after hundreds of
thousands of Indochinese refugees for over a decade.
	"We have always used humanitarian considerations and given food and shelter
to refugees.
	"The international organisations and human rights groups should not be
attacking us. We deserve some praise," Mr Kachadpai said.
	His comments followed allegations that Thai forces had pushed back Karen
refugees into Burma following Rangoon's military offensive against Karen
rebels in the border area.
	Mr Kachadpai and the Thai army had denied that they had done so. However,
the deputy NSC chief said that Thailand cannot allow armed rebels to enter
Thai territory.
	"They have to disarm if they want to come in. But for the wounded we do
give them medical treatment. We do not, however, just push them back to face
their death," Mr Kachadpai added.
	He appealed to critics to understand Thailand's situation.
	Refugees present problems of safety for Thai villagers in the border area
because foreign forces can pursue them into Thailand and some of the armed
rebels often rob Thai villagers.
	He pointed out that unarmed Karen civilians have been taken in by Thailand
and taken to a refugee camp deeper inside Thailand so that their safety can
be ensured.
	In the past Karen refugee camps were only a few kilometres away from the
border and were repeatedly raided by the Rangoon-backed Democratic Karen
Buddhist Army (DKBA). Some Thai villagers have been killed during such raids.
	"We have to consider both the safety of the refugees and the safety of Thai
citizens," Mr Kachadpai said.
	On calls from Thai and internal relief organisations to grant the Karens
refugee status, he said that officially they are regarded as "displaced
persons."
	Mr Kachadpai said Thailand will not allow any more refugee camps to be set
up and there will only be temporary shelters.
	Once fighting inside Burma ends the Karens will be sent back home, he said.
	Representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) have asked to visit the Karen refugees and Mr Kachadpai said he
would facilitate this. However, at present there are enough NGOs taking care
of them and this was enough.
	Asked about criticisms by the United States of Thai handling of the Karen
refugees, the deputy NSC chief said they might not understand the situation
and had received the wrong information.
	"I repeat that we did not push the Karen civilians back to their death. If
the US has any questions they should ask us. They shouldn't simply go with
the flow. We always adhere to humanitarian principles," Mr Kachadpai added. (BP)

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THE NATION: RANGOON RESTARTS PROJECT
March 9, 1997
Reuter

Rangoon - Burma has resumed the extensions of the Rangoon International
Airport that was suspended in 1988 after Japan stopped providing financial
aid for the project, a government official said yesterday.
	"The airport extension project, originally to be carried out with the
Japanese government's OECF loan, was resumed recently without any foreign
assistance," Transport Minister Lt Gen Thein Win said.
	"The ministries of transport and communication commenced the airport
extension project without any foreign assistance according to the original
Japanese design," he told a ceremony to officially begin work on the runway
extension project.
	The project will cost 200 million kyat and is targeted to be finished
within 18 months, said Director General Tin Aye of Civil Aviation.
	On the black market, about 160 kyat buy US$1 (Bt26) while the official
exchange rate is about six to the dollar.
	The existing airport runway will be extended by 3,000 1,000 metres to
enable 747 jumbo jets to land, Tin Aye said.
	Japan reached agreement with the former socialist government of Burma in
1987 on a loan to extend the runway. The project began in February 1987 but
was suspended after Tokyo stopped aid to Burma when the military seized
power in 1988 and quashed pro-democracy street demonstrations. (TN)

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AP:THAI MEDIA CRITICIZE MANDELA FOR IGNORING BURMA ABUSES 
March 9, 1997

   BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Freed from 27 years in prison thanks in
part to international pressure, President Nelson Mandela of South Africa was
roundly criticized in newspaper editorials Sunday for refusing to help lean
on Burma's military regime.
   Mandela, 78, elected South Africa's first black president in 1994, has
been touring Southeast Asia to drum up foreign investment his country
desperately needs to raise the living standards of the impoverished black
majority.
   The South African leader refused to challenge the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations' plan to admit Burma as a member, despite
the military government's repression of pro-democracy forces led by
Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
   Mandela, a Nobel winner himself, was released from prison in 1990 after
years of international sanctions against South Africa's white minority
regime _ but he refused to take a lead in speaking out for Suu Kyi's efforts
to drum up similar pressure.
   ``We are willing to deal with any region irrespective of the internal
policies of those regions,'' Mandela said in Singapore last week. ``Why
should we let ourselves depart from what international organizations are
doing?''
   Bangkok newspapers Sunday denounced Mandela for failing to speak
out against ASEAN's policy of ``constructive engagement'' toward
Burma _ the hope the country will become more democratic if it
receives more foreign investment.
   Similar arguments were once made by supporters of South Africa's
apartheid regime and spurned by Mandela's African National Congress.
   ``Mr. Mandela might yet be sitting in jail, his aged features still
hidden and anonymous, if the global community had decided that it was best
to let South Africa tend to its own internal affairs,'' the Bangkok Post said.
   The Post called him ``a lame duck leader, with little more left to offer
his countrymen and now, with such laissez-faire posturing on Burma, only a
fatigued and mercenary resignation to share with the world.''
   The Nation was even more critical, saying Mandela had ``bitten the hand
that liberated, fed and nurtured him.''
   ``Mandela is indeed a disappointment, and it will come as no surprise, in
the near future, if he also says Tibet is a part of China, judging from the
way South Africa is veering toward Beijing,'' The Nation said.
    Since her release [from house arrest] in 1995, Suu Kyi has sought the
kind of dialogue toward a political compromise that Mandela enjoyed with
South Africa's last white president, F.W. de Klerk.
   The regime has spurned her appeals, refuses to allow her to speak to
crowds, and has jailed hundreds of her supporters.

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

BKK POST: AN OPEN LETTER TO PM CHAVALIT
March 9, 1997

	The Kingdom of Thailand has long been recognized as an extraordinary nation
which has in times of crisis extended its welcome to people fleeing from
great oppression. Although Thailand is not a signatory to the Convention and
Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, nonetheless your country has
shown great compassion towards the plight of such peoples.
	Recent developments along your border with Burma are of the gravest concern
to the American people and their government. The Slorc offensive against the
Karen people is, of itself, distressing. The Burmese military's standard
operating practices include forced labour, forcible relocations, and rape.
	Slorc's logic that an attack is justified by a failure to reach a peace
agreement is, at best, ludicrous. Further, its recent incursions with the
Democratic Karen Buddhist Association to torch refugee camps in Thailand is
a significant violation of Thai sovereignty.
	Our particular concern is with issues related to forcible repatriation of
refugees to Burma. Evidence clearly indicates that this is occurring with
the assistance of the Thai Army.
	The forcible return of men and boys to Burma, instructed to either fight or
surrender, is against international law and internationally-accepted
humanitarian standards, as is the repatriation of women and children fleeing
the path of the war.
	Additionally, soldiers at the checkpoint near Phu Nam Rawn have refused
United States embassy officials access to visit the refugees. This fact
severely troubles us. We would request, at the very least, that the Kingdom
of Thailand cooperate with United States officials in independent
fact-finding research on this important issue.
	Your cooperation with United States embassy personnel and with
non-governmental agencies seeking to provide relief to the refugees would be
very much appreciated. We must encourage your government to demonstrate its
wisdom through substantive acknowledgment of the refugees' basic human rights.
	The democratic Kingdom of Thailand serves as a beacon of hope and support
for oppressed people throughout Southeast Asia. We know that Thailand has
borne more than its share of refugees from turmoil in Cambodia, Laos, Burma
and Vietnam and we are confident that the Karen people will experience the
same great compassion and generosity.

Benjamin A. Gilman
Chairman, US Congress Committee on International Relations
Christopher Smith,
Chairman, Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights
Dana Rohrabacher
Following is the text of the letter of appreciation read and delivered to
Democrat MP Suravoj Phalang of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on March
4, 1997 at the Phu Nam Rawn refugee camp in Kanchanaburi province.

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

BKK POST: THANKS FOR THE SYMPATHY
AN OPEN LETTER TO PM CHAVALIT
March 9, 1997

	We are very pleased to receive your visit to Phu Nam Rawn refugee camp.
	We respect and recognise the sympathy of the Thai people to us, Karen refugees.
	We will never forget our gratitude to the Royal Thai Government which has
granted shelter to refugees along the Thai-Burma border for a long time.
	Due to the Slorc's heavy military offensive, many villagers in Burma lost
their homes, their land, their heritage and their lives.
	We see Thailand as a democratic and active protector of human rights.
	We believe and trust the Royal Thai Government's heartiest effort for our
future. We are expecting to find a place free from tension. We hope the
proposal to move to a new location, which depends on the kindness of the
authorities, will bring us a peaceful and secure life.
	We heartiestly (sic) would like to express our thanks to all authorities
who are organising our moving.
	We give our highest regards to your sympathy and hospitality.

	Refugees in Phu Nam Rawn 
	
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KYODO: TWENTY SEVEN BURMESE CREW MEMBERS JUMP SHIP IN TOKYO 
March 4, 1997

Yokohama, March 4 Kyodo -- Twenty-seven crew members from Myanmar [Burma]
disappeared from a Singapore-registered luxury cruise ship after the vessel
anchored in Tokyo port last weekend, immigration authorities said Tuesday.
The crew members, who went ashore on an authorized outing around 11
A.M. Saturday, did not to return to the 28,078-ton Superstar Capricorn when
it set sail for Yokohama south of Tokyo on Monday.
They also failed to show up before the luxury liner left Yokohama port
Tuesday, immigration officials said.
The Myanmarese hold temporary permits of stay valid through March 11. 
Immigration authorities are trying to determine their whereabouts since
they will be considered illegal aliens once the permits expire.
The Superstar Capricorn can accommodate 1,375 passengers, but is
currently touring Japanese ports with only its 641 crew aboard to promote
the newly launched Taiwan-Okinawa route.
It will return to Taiwan on March 13 after calling at several ports in
Japan.

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