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ARMED FORCES DAY OVERSHADOWED BY RE
- Subject: ARMED FORCES DAY OVERSHADOWED BY RE
- From: moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 27 Mar 1997 18:54:00
Subject: ARMED FORCES DAY OVERSHADOWED BY RECENT UNREST
DATE=3/26/97
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-36036
TITLE=BURMA-POL
BYLINE=GARY THOMAS
DATELINE=BANGKOK
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: BURMA IS TO CELEBRATE ARMED FORCES DAY THURSDAY, AN
IMPORTANT EVENT FOR RANGOON'S MILITARY GOVERNMENT. BUT AS GARY
THOMAS REPORTS FROM OUR SOUTHEAST BUREAU IN BANGKOK, THE
CELEBRATION IS OVERSHADOWED BY RECENT UNREST BETWEEN THE MAJORITY
BUDDHIST AND MINORITY MUSLIM COMMUNITIES, AND SPECULATION ABOUT A
GOVERNMENT RE-ORGANIZATION.
TEXT: A RANGOON-BASED DIPLOMAT WHO ASKED NOT TO BE NAMED SAYS
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN BURMA'S LEADERSHIP IS
LIKE WATCHING THE SOVIET UNION IN THE DAYS OF THE COLD WAR.
JUST AS OBSERVERS OF THE SOVIET UNION WOULD TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHO
WAS UP AND WHO WAS DOWN BY THEIR PLACES ON THE PLATFORM ON MAY
DAY, BURMA WATCHERS WILL BE SCRUTINIZING THE LINE-UP ON MARCH
27TH, FOR SIGNS OF CRACKS IN THE RULING STATE LAW AND ORDER
RESTORATION COUNCIL -- THE SLORC.
AS THE DIPLOMAT PUT IT, THE RULING COUNCIL IS NOT A MONOLITH.
ALTHOUGH GOVERNMENT-RUN MEDIA OUTLETS PORTRAY THE COUNCIL AS
SOLIDLY UNITED, ANALYSTS SAY SOME FACTIONS WANT BURMA TO
IMPROVE ITS INTERNATIONAL IMAGE TO ATTRACT MORE FOREIGN
INVESTMENT, WHILE THE HARD-LINERS WANT TO MAINTAIN A STRONG HAND
AGAINST DISSENT.
THERE HAS BEEN MUCH DISCUSSION AMONG JOURNALISTS AND DIPLOMATS
RECENTLY ABOUT THE POSITION OF GENERAL KHIN NYUNT. HE IS THE
HEAD OF THE COUNTRY'S POWERFUL MILITARY INTELLIGENCE APPARATUS
AND SECOND IN POWER ONLY TO GENERAL THAN SHWE, THE HEAD OF STATE.
KHIN NYUNT IS WIDELY SEEN AS A "LIBERAL" BY SLORC STANDARDS.
RANGOON-BASED BURMA WATCHERS -- WHO ASKED NOT TO BE NAMED -- SAY
THERE MAY BE A STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE HARDLINERS AND WHAT MIGHT BE
DESCRIBED AS THE MORE PRAGMATIC FACTION IN THE COUNCIL.
KHIN NYUNT IS CREDITED WITH INSTITUTING A NEW POLICY TOWARD THE
WESTERN MEDIA LAST YEAR. WESTERN REPORTERS SUDDENLY FOUND
THEMSELVES INVITED TO RANGOON FOR MONTHLY GOVERNMENT NEWS
CONFERENCES. WHILE OFFICIALS OFTEN ONLY REGURGITATED STALE NEWS
AT THESE MEETINGS, REPORTERS WERE ALLOWED TO DIRECTLY QUESTION
THEM ON POLICY MATTERS. REQUESTS FOR INTERVIEWS WERE QUICKLY
GRANTED, AN UNOFFICIAL SPOKESMAN WAS MADE AVAILABLE TO FIELD
TELEPHONED QUESTIONS FROM JOURNALISTS, AND SOME REPORTERS WERE
ALSO GRANTED BACKGROUND BRIEFINGS.
THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS MEDIA POLICY WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE
HANDS OF THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION -- WHOSE JOB, AS SEVERAL
JOURNALISTS HAVE SAID, IS TO WITHHOLD INFORMATION. IT WAS GIVEN
TO A NEW UNIT IN THE DEFENSE MINISTRY. MOST OF THE TIME DEFENSE
OFFICIALS HANDLING THE MEDIA POLICY WERE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE
OFFICERS CLOSE TO KHIN NYUNT.
BUT FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS, THE OPENNESS APPEARS TO HAVE ENDED.
THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SUDDENLY FELL SILENT AND WAS
UNAVAILABLE. A FEW -- INFORMATION SHEETS -- WERE FAXED TO
REPORTERS, BUT NO ONE WOULD ANSWER QUESTIONS.
THE MURKY SITUATION IS FURTHER CLOUDED BY RECENT TROUBLES BETWEEN
THE BUDDHIST AND MUSLIM COMMUNITIES. FOR MORE THAN A WEEK, THE
GOVERNMENT WAS SILENT ON THE ISSUE -- AND REPORTERS COULD FIND NO
ONE WILLING TO TALK. THE GOVERNMENT ISSUED ITS FIRST OFFICIAL
STATEMENT TUESDAY.
MEANWHILE, ANALYSTS SAY THEY ARE WATCHING TO SEE IF ARMY CHIEF
GENERAL MAUNG AYE RISES IN PROMINENCE. HE IS THE VICE-CHAIRMAN
OF THE RULING COUNCIL, AND WIDELY PERCEIVED AS A MEMBER OF THE
HARDLINE FACTION. (SIGNED)
NEB/GPT/FC/RAE