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The BurmaNet News, May 28, 1997



------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------      
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"      
----------------------------------------------------------      
      
The BurmaNet News: May 28, 1997      
Issue #734
    
Noted in Passing: 
 
Eyewitnesses reported seeing a dozen terrified Burmese villagers trying to
escape the round-up by hiding under the ironically- named Thai-Burmese
Friendship Bridge.

--see Thailand Times: Burma Reinforces Troops At Border

HEADLINES:      
==========    
REUTER: BURMA OPPOSITION APPEALS TO MILITARY 
AP: BURMA MILITARY BLOCKS ROADS
REUTER: U.N. URGES BURMA TO RESPECT RIGHTS
SLORC: INFORMATION  SHEETS NO. A-0049, NO. A-0048
ABIM: RECENT BRUTALITIES ON MUSLIMS IN MYANMAR
NCGUB PRESS RELEASE: CALL FOR ASEAN DELAY
THAILAND TIMES: BURMA REINFORCES TROOPS AT BORDER
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: BURMA, NOT ALONE
FBC-AUST: AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ON BURMA
STATEMENTS BY PRO-DEMOCRACY GROUPS ON MAY 27, 1997
-----------------------------------------------------------------    

REUTER: BURMA OPPOSITION APPEALS TO MILITARY FOR DIALOGUE
May 27, 1997 [abridged]

    RANGOON, May 27 (Reuter) - Burma's main opposition party led by
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday appealed to the ruling military
junta to stop suppressing the movement and hold dialogue with it.
    In a statement issued to mark the seventh anniversary of its
unrecognised landslide victory in the 1990 election, the National League for
Democracy (NLD) said it was working in the interest of Burmese people as a
whole.
    "The NLD believes that dialogue held in all good faith with the only
intention of benefiting the people is the only main thing that can bring
about benefits for the people and the nation," it said.
     Prevailing political and economic problems in the country could not be
solved by suppressing NLD members, it added.
     The NLD statement said: "The NLD will ever welcome a dialogue based on
sincerity and mutual respect, national reconciliation and general
understanding free from grudges for the emergence of a genuine new
democratic nation."
     The NLD also asked the SLORC to reconvene parliament based on the 1990
elections as soon as possible to fulfil the desires of the people the NLD
represented.
     Suu Kyi was reported by the SLORC and NLD sources to be ill with a
stomach upset and had been advised by doctors to rest.
    Diplomats and analysts said the SLORC and NLD had fended off a
confrontational situation. But the SLORC had used firm measures to prevent
the special gathering while the NLD had achieved its objective of finalising
party maters.
    But U.S. Embassy Charge d'Affaires Kent Weideman told Reuters he had
lodged a protest with the SLORC over the its alleged detentions of the NLD
members and repression of political activities.

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

AP: BURMA MILITARY BLOCKS ROADS
May 27, 1997 [abridged]

RANGOON, Burma (AP) -- Heavily armed riot police blocked roads leading to
the homes of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her deputies today to
prevent supporters from commemorating their 1990
election victory.
	Police also used barbed wire barricades to seal the office of the National
League for Democracy, the party that Suu Kyi leads.
	More than 200 other party members from across Burma came to Rangoon in
hopes of participating in  the congress at Suu Kyi's lakeside compound, a
party member said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
	All were turned back this morning by police and plainclothes intelligence
officers as they tried to approach their leaders' homes. No new arrests were
reported.
	Ten members of the party's executive committee had already arrived at Suu
Kyi's compound before it was sealed off.
	Suu Kyi won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to bring democracy
to military-ruled Burma. In 1995, she was released from six years of house
arrest for her political activities.
	Since then, she has consistently called for the military to honor results
of the 1990 election. The United Nations has also urged the military
government to accept the election results and return power to the people.
	The military keeps guards around Suu Kyi's home to block journalists and
prevent her from giving weekend speeches to the public, but has allowed her
to have several hundred supporters as guests on public holidays.
	This is the second straight year that the government has arrested hundreds
of Suu Kyi's followers to prevent them from commemorating the 1990 election.
	 The government has denied it has arrested anyone. It made the same denial
after detaining 262 members of Suu Kyi's party in 1996. About two dozen
party members the government insisted it never arrested are now serving long
prison terms.
	The United States, Japan, Britain, Germany and several other western
governments have condemned the arrests.

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

REUTER: U.N. URGES BURMA TO RESPECT RIGHTS
May 27, 1997 [slightly abridged]

GENEVA (Reuter) - The top United Nations officer for human rights expressed
concern Tuesday over Burma's detention and arrest of opposition party
members in recent days.
	Ralph Zacklin, interim U.N. high commissioner for human rights, issued a
statement which also called on the government to "respect fully
international norms of human rights and principles."
	"The officer-in charge of the U.N. High Commissioner/Center for Human
Rights, Mr. Ralph Zacklin, is deeply concerned by reports of detentions and
arrest of NLD members taking place in Rangoon in the last few days," said
the U.N. statement.
	"Mr. Zacklin is particulary concerned that internationally recognized
rights of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi are being limited."
	The Briton, who took over as interim U.N. High Commissioner for Human
Rights last March, will meet soon with Burma's ambassador to the U.N. in
Geneva "to discuss these and other human rights issues," according to the
statement.
	
*****************************************************

SLORC: INFORMATION  SHEETS NO. A-0049, NO. A-0048

Information Sheet No. A-0049		May 27, 1997

Some of the NLD members gathered together this morning between 7:30 am and
9:30 am at four different point. The total turn-up was estimated to be
around (80) and it is also learnt that the U.S, U.K, Australian and Italian
embassies also sent their representatives this morning to attended the function.

These NLD members and the embassy officials were  told by the authorities
concerned that no officer request was made by the NLD officials regarding
today's so called meeting and also that no preparations were being made up
No. 54 University Avenue for this gathering. In this regard the authorities
concerned, after explaining the situation, requested them to leave the area.
It is learnt that the situation in Yangon is calm with business as usual.
------------------------------------------

Information Sheet No. A-0048		May 27, 1997

NLD's so called election anniversary meeting was held in Yangon on the 
22nd. and 26th. of May. The meeting was chaired by NLD- C.E.C 
members U Aung Shwe and U Tin Oo with an attendance of (70) party 
members. During the course of the meeting the discussion was mainly 
focused on the points from the annual party reports. The agreement of the 
meeting is to be circulated to the party members after the 28th of May , it is 
learnt.

Although, the actual meeting has already taken place. It is learnt that the 
NLD will go on to stage the so called meeting on the 27th. and 28th. of 
May for propaganda purpose. The intention of the movement is to put the 
authorities concerned in a situation where they have no choice but to bar 
the so called meeting from taking place by deliberately failing to submit a 
formal request to hold a political gathering.Once the meeting is barred 
from taking place or the party members are not allowed to participate this
situation will be fabricated and exploited.

Actually, no preparation have been made inside Mrs. Aris' compound or 
any other place to hold meetings on the 27th. and 28th. of May. But it is 
learnt that invitations have been distributed not only to party members but 
also diplomats and journalists as well. This is a calculated move to have all 
the invitees refused  entry so that their original scheme would be fulfiled.

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

ABIM: RECENT BRUTALITIES ON MUSLIMS IN MYANMAR (BURMA) & ASEAN
May 27, 1997

Our Reference:30/02/12(07)
Date: 27 May 1997

His Excellency
Ambassador U Saw Htun
Myanmar Embassy
No. 10, Jalan Mengkaung 
Off Jalan Ru, 55000 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Your  Excellency,

RECENT BRUTALITIES ON MUSLIMS IN MYANMAR (BURMA) BY 
THE STATE LAW AND ORDER RESTORATION COUNCIL (SLORC)

May  this letter finds Your Excellency in the best of  health and high 
humanitarian spirit.

Reference the above and in utter dismay and distress, the Muslim Youth 
Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) condemns the State Law and Order 
Restoration  Council (SLORC) of Myanmar  for the following reasons:-

  1. Despite the "Constructive Engagement " policy of ASEAN, which 
includes the Malaysian government,  in defiance of international outrage 
and condemnation against Myanmar's policy of  "ethnic cleansing" and 
massive human rights abuses, the SLORC is still pursuing the same policy 
especially against  the  Muslim Communities in Burma which has now  
spread from Arakan to areas in Mandalay and Yangon.  Apparently the 
SLORC is not co-operating with ASEAN leaders in pursuing  the 
"Constructive Engagement " policy. 
  2. The SLORC is deliberately  harassing  the Muslim Communities and 
insulting Islam as a religion and way of life in Burma even at  this 
very crucial  time of  its entry   into the ASEAN. It appears that  the 
SLORC is blatantly  insulting  the noble and sincere intention of  ASEAN 
leaders, including Malaysian  Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir 
Mohammad, who had collectively endorsed the said Policy to the point of 
courting the ire of Western leaders, the US in particular. .  
  3.The SLORC is fully responsible for the demolition and depradations of 
more than thirty (30) mosques and other Muslim properties  throughout 
Burma which started from March 16, 1997.
  4.  The SLORC has maintained a very poor record of racial and religious 
harmony  in Burma. Obviously, the SLORC has repeatedly  instigated 
racial riots between the Muslimsminority and theBuddhists majority by 
supplying the local Buddhist administrative and religious bodies, 
inflammatory  anti-Muslim  leaflets and  mobs organized by the agents of 
 SLORC    to   divert popular attention from the national political and 
economic hardships. 
  5. In spite of  the SLORC's iron  grip on the whole population and 
affairs of Burma, its anti-Muslim activities were, however, bared 
publicly  by the people and the  opposition quarters . When any  public 
rally, procession, or even private meetings  in Burma  were held 
concerning  either  democracy  or politics, the SLORC would crushed  
them  within hours. However, when    rude mobs burned mosques and 
destroy  Muslim's  properties,  the response  from  the SLORC is almost 
nothing . In fact, it even gives instructions behind the scenes and 
monitors the progress of every anti-Muslim activities.
  6. The SLORC  demolished (without  even using the mobs) two  more 
mosques in  Rangoon,  near the Burma Broadcasting Services (BBS), in  
the middle of  May, 1997.  This action  clearly indicates that  the 
previous demolition of 30 mosques throughout Burma was  indirectly  done 
by  the SLORC.        
  7. The previous records of SLORC and its precursor, Burma Socialist 
Programme Party(BSPP), towards the Muslims has been characterised by 
prejudice, discrimination and oppression, to say the least. The SLORC 
officially  ordered not  to appoint Muslims in the government services. 
(Please refer to Appendix-1)
  8. The SLORC is fully responsible for making  the whole Rohingya 
community in Arakan stateless, despite their presence in the country for 
a Millennium already. The SLORC created hostile environment  for the  
Rohingyas with severe oppression, including  forced relocation, denial 
of  right  to  citizenship and severe  forms of human rights  violations 
which caused  diaspora of more than 250,000 Rohingyas in each time  to 
the nearby Bangladesh; once in 1978 and another  in 1991. 
  9. The SLORC repression on  Rohingyas was  upgraded in recent  years 
despite bilateral agreements between Burma and Bangladesh for  the 
refugees (forced?)repatriation and the presence of the UNHCR .The  
SLORC representatives in UN has continuously been denying the citizenship
rights of the Rohingyas in the conferences of  UN agencies. 
(Appendix2:references).
  10. The cruelties of SLORC on Muslims is part and parcel of  its 
non-cooperation with the International  Community  and utter disrespect 
to Burma's 47 million population.  Likewise,  its cruelties on other 
ethnic minorities like the Karens and Mons, and the recent crackdown on 
the legitimate representation of Burmese  peoples ( members of 
parliament  from NLD and other political parties who won landslide 
victory  in 1990 general election) are also the hallmarks  of  the 
notorious behavior of SLORC.

	Therefore, we in  ABIM,  hereby strongly condemn the SLORC 
regime of Burma for the above-mentioned  reasons, and urge:
 	
	1. The immediate cessation of  SLORC's  anti-Muslim strategy  
and stop all repressive measures on Muslim Communities in Burma, 
including the Rohingyas in Arakan.
	2. To restore immediately  the inborn citizenship rights of 
Rohingyas in Arakan, Burma. 
	3.  To rebuild  the demolished mosques immediately  throughout  
Burma. 
	4.  To compensate all the damages and destroyed properties of  
the Muslims during the anti-Muslim SLORC-instigated riots in March and 
April, 1997. 
	5. To allow independent , inter-religious  ASEAN enquiry  
committee to probe the actual cause and  damages on Muslims in 1997. 

	We, as Malaysian citizens, would like to appeal to our  
Honourable Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to review the  policy  of 
"Constructive Engagement" on Burma and, if possible, to delay its entry 
into ASEAN  until the existence of a legitimate government of  Burma.

With Peace and  Harmony, 

AHMAD AZAM ABDUL RAHMAN
Secretary General

cc:
1. H.E. The Prime Minister of Malaysia
2. Hon.  Foreign Minister of Malaysia

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

NCGUB PRESS RELEASE: CALL FOR ASEAN DELAY
May 26, 1997

PRESS RELEASE

May 26, 1997

BURMESE CALL FOR A.S.E.A.N DELAY

On the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the May 27, 1990 election
in Burma, the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma calls
on the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to delay the
admittance of' the ruling military dictatorship, the State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC), to the regional grouping.  SLORC's
continued use of violence and terrorism to suppress the legitimate
rights of the election winning party, the National League for Democracy
(NLD), to hold a party convention, clearly shows that the generals are
not yet ready to join civilized society.  

Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan and the United States have
condemned the recent arrests of hundreds of NLD elected representatives
and party members.  Even the Straits Times of Singapore has said in an
editorial on May 23, that SLORC's behavior is unacceptable and is
proving to be an embarrassment and that its membership could bring 
ASEAN into disrepute.  In neighboring Thailand, an influential member of the
House of' Representatives Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, has
also questioned SLORC's political readiness to join the regional body. 
He argues that ASEAN cannot afford to have a member that blatantly,
cynically and consistently ignores international norms and values.  "Why
should the ASEAN governments and peoples have to bear the costs of
SLORC's folly and intransigence?" he asks.

The increased unrest in Burma as witnessed by SLORC's harassment and
imprisonment of political opponents beginning last May, the mobilization
of mobs by the military last June, the mob attack on Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi's motorcade last November, the two bomb explosions in December, the
attack on the Karenni, Karen and Shan people in January and February,
the anti-Muslim riots in March, and the bomb explosion in April at
General Tin Oo's home, are clear indications that the generals are
losing control in Burma and are not capable of solving the complex
problems they have created for themselves over the years.  

Economically speaking, Burma is also not ready.  Its economy has stalled
thanks to the generals' lack of understanding that in order to develop,
comprehensive reforms are needed. Ad hoc and piece meal measures are 
not enough.  Sustained high military expenditures and decreasing
expenditures on social services are not indicators of development.  The
highly promoted 'Visit Myanmar Year 1996' has failed miserably and the
recent sanctions on new investments imposed by the United States, will
further depress the already risky investment climate.  

ASEAN membership should be postponed until Burma is ready both
politically and economically to take its place as a responsible member
of the international community.  

For Additional Information Contact:
NCGUB Information, Washington DC,
Tel:  (202) 393-7342 / 393-4312
Fax:  (202) 393-7343

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

THAILAND TIMES: BURMA REINFORCES TROOPS AT BORDER
May 27, 1997
By Assawin Pinitwong

TAK: Uneasy calm reined over the Burmese border yesterday, as Burma brought
in more troops and ammunition to reinforce the heavy gun battalion which
since Sunday has been standing on alert to attack Thailand over a disputed
island in the Moei River.

The reinforcements swelled the number of Burmese soldiers stationed on Kok
Chang Phuak island to over 460, now less than 10 meters away from the
heavily-armed Thai troops confronting them on the opposite bank.

Both sides appeared to be preparing for fierce fighting yesterday, digging
holes and rigging up temporary bunkers to protect themselves from 'bullets.'

Burmese villagers living near the border said over 50 of their relatives
have been seized by the junta' s troops, who have forced them to carry
ammunition and food over to the Mae Sot district island.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing a dozen terrified Burmese villagers trying to
escape the round-up by hiding under the ironically- named Thai-Burmese
Friendship Bridge on Sunday night. They were soon rooted out by the Burmese
officers, who forced them back to work.

Other Burmese villagers who have fled across the Moei River over to Thailand
said many of their relatives are remaining shut up in their houses in an
attempt to avoid capture .

Frantic meetings between the two sides over the weekend resulted in
stalemate, leading Thailand to send in troops with armored vehicles and
helicopter gunships to stand guard over the contested island.

Kok Chang Phuak island was formed naturally when severe flooding changed the
course of the Moei river in 1995, leaving the island
connected to Thai soil.

Lt Gen Thanom Watcharaphut, commander of Army Region 3, said
yesterday after observing the area that he fears a third party may seize the
opportunity to spark off conflict between the two sides.

While naming no names, his words left no doubt that he was referring to one
of the ethnic rebel armies which are fighting for freedom from Burma's
military regime.

Thanom said that although Thailand is anxious to bring the standoff to a
swift end, Burma's stubborn refusal to bow down may make conflict inevitable.

"Fighting will be futile. It will damage everything and we do not want it,"
he said.

Sources said Lt Col- Sai Phone, commander of Burma's 275 Battalion, swore at
the Thai side and remained angry throughout the meeting of the local
Thai-Burmese Border Committee on Sunday.

----------------------------------------------------
[excerpts from related article]
THE NATION: BORDER ROW DETERIORATES
May 27, 1997

Inspecting Ban Tha Sai Luad yesterday, the commander of the Army's Third
Area Lt Gen Thanom Watcharaputrf said Thai troops would stay put until
negotiations settled the dispute. Gen Thanom urged Thai troops to remain
calm and exercise self-restraint since a third hand could instigate fighting.

He said the governments of both sides had been in close contact to avoid a
worsening of the situation and the Foreign Ministry's Director General of
Treaties and Legal Affairs Somboon Sangiambutr and his Burmese counterpart
Aye La Win would go to the dispute area today to discuss solutions to the
dispute.

In a related incident, two Thai reporters covering the incident were
detained briefly over the weekend by the Burmese troops before being
released following the intervention of Thai authorities. 

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

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: BURMA, NOT ALONE
May 25, 1997 [abridged]
By Sudarsan Raghavan

The U.S. has issued sanctions, but their impact is unclear.

``Who controls the past controls the future.''--George Orwell

	It is not 1984, but in today's Burma, Big Brother is alive and well.
	``SLORC's generals see themselves as God's gift to Burma and [believe] that
no one else has the cohesion, the intuition, to run the country,'' a
Rangoon-based diplomat recently said.
	But last week's roundups were as much a sign of the junta's continuing
disregard for human rights and democracy as they were of its desperate state
and its need to show the world, particularly its Asian neighbors, that it
was in control, analysts said.
	As America and other Western nations slap sanctions on Burma, SLORC's
generals are keen to join hands with such powerful Asian neighbors as
Indonesia, Singapore and China -- nations that also have been criticized by
the West for having poor human-rights records and a lack of
democratic ideals.
	And those relationships with rich or powerful neighbors raise the
question of whether America's imposition of sanctions can have much of
an impact on Burma. Many Asian nations already are investing heavily in
the country.  Singapore and Thailand are the second- and third-largest
investors, respectively, after France. And a key sign of acceptance and
international legitimacy may be given in July when the Association of
South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional economic and political
partnership, is expected to admit Burma -- which has been under military
rule since 1962 -- as a full member. ``I don't think any of these actions
will change things on the  ground,'' a U.S. official said, referring to the
executive order, ``but we hope it will make some governments take some form
of similar action. To the  extent we can do that, that's where we can make
an impact.''
	To see how much Burma's junta values its Asian neighbors, look no further
than last week's expulsion of suspected heroin smuggler Li Yung Chung from
Thailand to the United States.
	``The Thai prime minister's visit solidifies relations with the regime,''
said Sarah Cook, a London-based Burma researcher for Human Rights
Watch/Asia. ``The return of the smuggler, that came on the day Chavalit left.''
	Virtually all of Burma's neighbors subscribe to the tenet of
``constructive engagement,'' which argues that a country's policies can best
be influenced through diplomatic and economic involvement, not through
sanctions, which isolate.
	They say the West, particularly the United States, meddles too much in the
affairs of Asian countries, and they argue that Western investment bans in
such nations as Vietnam and Cuba have had little effect while ``engagement''
has worked in Eastern Europe.
	But human-rights activists have questioned the impact of constructive
engagement, a policy that has been in effect toward Burma for nine years.
	``With an increase in migrant and refugee outflows, stepped-up arrests and
continuing forced labor, ASEAN must either conclude that its policy of
constructive engagement is bankrupt or use its influence with Burma to halt
the slide,'' said Sidney Jones, executive director of Human Rights
Watch/Asia in a statement last year.
	On the surface, Burma's economy appears to be paradise for Asia's
capitalists. Shops are laden with Sony and Daewoo television sets,
Toshiba videocassette recorders, and other Asian consumer items. Yuppies in
Japanese and South Korean cars cruise past newly built hotels.
	SLORC's generals say they are following the Indonesian model, combining
economic liberalization with a tight grip on politics, and are quick to
point out that reforms installed in 1988 have led to an average annual
growth of 6 percent. While independent researchers put it at a more
modest 3 percent, some observers are still tempted to see Burma as a
potential Asian tiger.
	Underneath the skin, though, it is a different breed of animal. In such
booming Asian nations as Indonesia and Singapore, there is political
repression but there also are fewer state-owned institutions, a wider
distribution of income, and massive levels of investment.
	Burma's economy, on the other hand, is in shambles despite large
investments by such U.S. oil firms as UNOCAL and by the likes of King of
Prussia-based InterDigital Communications. InterDigital signed a $250
million deal, to sell and manufacture wireless telephone systems, on May
16, just days before Clinton signed his executive order.
	Much of the foreign direct investment, Asian and Western, is in short-term
deals and not long-term job-creating enterprises. The 1988 reforms have, for
the most part, run their course. The gap between poor and rich, rural and
urban is widening. Inflation is as high as 40 percent.
	``Life has gotten better for some since 1988, but for most people,
incomes have remained the same, and prices are rising,'' said Aung Nyunt, a
cook and former soldier who supports his family on $13 a month. ``We are
suffering.''
	That is precisely why some American executives who will be affected by
Western bans on investment argue that sanctions will only further hurt
Burma's impoverished masses -- but not its elite. They add that U.S. firms
will lose any edge they have to Asian and other Western companies and that
change in Burma can only be brought through interaction, not isolation.
	Said an American businessman in Rangoon: ''If I were the U.S.
government, I would have McDonald's on every corner in Rangoon. That's
the way to bring democracy to Burma.''
	But Suu Kyi believes that the economy is the Achilles' heel of the junta
and that sanctions, no matter how painful, will weaken the generals and
their cronies, who, she says, are the only ones profiting from existing
foreign investment in Burma.
	The junta's Asian friends, she said in an interview earlier this year, can
never muster the billions needed to build up Burma's dilapidated
infrastructure -- a must for future growth. What is needed is a World
Bank loan, she said, but that is not likely to occur until SLORC
improves its human-rights record.
	This week, foreign ministers from ASEAN nations are to meet in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. Analysts say a decision to admit Burma could be
reached as early as this meeting and announced in July, when ASEAN
celebrates its 30th anniversary. But the members of ASEAN are facing
pressure from various sides to delay admitting Burma.
	``That's what we're hoping for,'' the U.S. government official said.
``Now is not the appropriate time.''

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

FBC-AUST: AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ON BURMA
May 27, 1997

Free Burma Coalition, Australia

Media Release, 23rd May 1997
Alexander Downer, Australia's Foreign Minister
Burma: Political Situation

I have been deeply disappointed to learn that almost 100 members of the
national League for Democracy (NLD) have been detained in Burma in 
recent days, in the lead-up to the seventh anniversary of the democratic
elections.

The members were detained in Sagaing and Mandalay Divisions in upper 
Burma to prevent them from travelling from Rangoon to attend the NLD's 
conference planned for the 27th May..  The conference will commemorate the
party's overwhelming win in the 1990 election.  Members in other areas of
upper Burma have also been warned that they will be arrested if they attempt
to travel to Rangoon.

Freedom of political expression continues to be curtailed in Burma.  I
understand that two hundred and four NLD members and supporters have 
been detained since May 1996.  Our records show that about sixty of these 
people have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms and a further fifteen
have been charged and awaiting trial.  Many of the rest remain in detention,
and little information is available on their situation.

Despite the SLORC's decision to release her in from house arrest in 1995
there remains a number of repressive restrictions on Daw Aung San Suu 
Kyi. She must seek permission to receive visitors or leave her compound.
Her telephone is often disconnected leaving her completely isolated from the
outside world.

The transfer of fifty political prisoners from Rangoon's Insein prison to
gaols in provincial areas in April is another example of the worrying 
human rights situation in Burma.  One of the prisoners transferred was Aung
San Suu Kyi's former aid, U Win Thein, who is reported to be in poor health.
I hope that the fifty prisoners affected will be returned to Rangoon closer
to their families, which will allow them better access to food, medicine and
clothing.

These tactics are clearly designed to create a climate of fear in Burma.
But this approach will never bring legitimacy to the SLORC Government 
in the eyes of the outside world, and will only increaser opposition to the
SLORC inside the country..

The only long term solution to the situation in Burma is a negotiated
settlement.  I call on the government of Burma to open a genuine dialogue
involving all interested parties - the SLORC, leaders of political parties
represented in the elections and the ethnic minorities.

I also call on the government of Burma to cease it's repressive attempts to
suppress political freedom in Burma, and to release all political prisoners
immediately and unconditionally.  I urge the SLORC, as a sign of 
commitment and national reconciliation on the seventh anniversary of the
national election in Burma, to allow the peaceful gathering and expression
of views at the NLD conference.

Further Information:  Mr Downers Office:  Kirk Coningham (06) 277 7500

Media Release, 24th May 1997
Laurie Brereton, Shadow Minister Foreign Affairs

BURMA: BRUTALITY, DRUGS AND DOWNERS FOREIGN POLICY 
IMPOTENCE

"Foreign Minister Downer's foreign policy impotence has never been more
profoundly on display than in respect of his reaction to the latest reports
of political repression in Burma", the Shadow Foreign Minister, Laurie
Brereton said today.

"Yesterday Mr Downer reacted characteristically to the imprisonment of
Burmese democracy activists.  He issued a press release.  That statement
correctly noted that the SL:ORC regime was seeking to destroy all political
opposition and to create a climate of fear in Burma.  But there is no action
what so ever.  Mr Downer merely repeated his previous calls for the 
SLORC to cease it's repression and to open a dialogue with the democratic
opposition. No doubt the junta in Rangoon will treat the Foreign Minister's
words wit the same contemptuous indifference with which they have regarded
all his previous statements".

"The military Junta in Rangoon is undeniably one of the most brutal and
sinister regimes in the world.  The SLORC's record gross abuse of human
rights in undeniable, as is it's direct involvement in the international
drug trade.  Today more than 80% of the heroine used in Australia comes 
from Burma, a booming trade worth hundreds of millions of dollars inflicting
misery, corruption and death on the Australian community.  The Burmese
Generals have their collective thumb on the heroine syringes which are
poisoning the youth of Australia".

Co-ordinated international action must no longer be delayed to put real
pressure on the SLORC to cease the repression and act against the drug
trade.  To this end the Labor Opposition has repeatedly called on the 
Howard Government to impose sanctions on the SLORC.  Last December Labor
called for the following measures:

-downgrade Australia's diplomatic relations with the SLORC in the event of
further deterioration of the human rights situation in Burma, 
-actively discourage Australian trade with Burma, including closure of the
Austrade Office in Rangoon, 
-discourage Australian companies from doing business in Burma and a ban on
new investment in Burma,
-actively discourage Australian citizens from visiting Burma for business or
tourism,
-suspend the issue of visas for visits by Burmese officials and other persons
associated wit the SLORC,
-Intensify diplomatic efforts to bring international pressure to bear on the
SLORC, and to work actively against the interests of the SLORC in all
appropriate international forums.

Last month the US imposed a ban on new US investments in Burma in 
response to the renewed SLORC crackdown on the Burmese democracy movement
and the continuing deterioration of the human rights situation in Burma.
The US has also imposed a ban on travel to the US by Burmese officials and
persons linked wit the SLORC regime.

"Australia must now stand shoulder to shoulder with the US in defence of
universal human rights.  Instead Foreign Minister Downer has taken no 
action against the SLORC and yesterdays press release amounts to nothing
more than a string of feeble platitudes".  

" Sanctions by Australia would send a powerful political message, not only
to the Burmese Junta but to the international community as a whole.  This
reality is clearly recognised by Aung San Suu Kyi who has made clear her
view that sanctions can have a positive effect on the human rights situation
in Burma".

"The SLORC must be treated as a pariah regime.  The continued failure of 
the Howard Government to take concrete measures against the military junta
in Rangoon leaves Australia's international reputation on human rights in
tatters.  In the meantime, the flow of heroine from the hills of Burma to
the streets of our cities continues substantially unchecked  -  a sinister
trade actively promoted by the same Burmese Generals Foreign Minister Downer
apparently seeks to influence with his succession of limp press releases".

Contact:  Philip Dorling (06) 277 4717 or 0418 203 058
____________________________________________________________
WORKING FOR THE: 
NATIONAL COALITION GOVERNMENT OF THE UNION OF 
BURMA
FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS, BURMA
AUSTRALIA  BURMA COUNCIL

BURMA OFFICE, SYDNEY: MINN AUNG MYINT (burma@xxxxxxxxxx) 
Labor Council Build. Suite 6, 8th Floor, 377-383 Sussex St. Sydney 2000
Fax: (612) 9264 7693		Tel: (612) 9264 7694
AUSTRALIAN REP OFFICE, CANBERRA: AMANDA 
(azappia@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)
PO Box 2024 Queanbeyan NSW 2620
Fax: (616) 297 7773		Tel: (616) 297 7734

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

STATEMENTS BY PRO-DEMOCRACY GROUPS ON MAY 27, 1997

Following are excerpts from statements made by pro-democracy Burma groups on
the anniversary of the 1990 elections.  

JOINT THAI AND BURMESE ELECTION ANNIVERSARY STATEMENT
May 27, 1997
<carol@xxxxxxxxxx>

Bangkok, Thailand.
27th May, 1997.

A statement jointly issued by the Thai and Burmese Students on the 
Occassion of Commemorating the Seventh Anniversary of the NLD Party's
Election Victory in the 1990 Nationwide Multi-Party Democractic Election in
Burma

In commemoration of the Seventh Anniversary of the NLD's election 
victory, we, the democracy loving Thai and Burmese students, strongly
condemn the SLORC rulers for their supression of political freedoms and
violations of human rights in Burma.

We urge the SLORC to immediately and unconditionally;

1. free all recently arrested NLD party representatives who were travelling
to Rangoon to attend the Seventh Anniversary of their election victory, and
all poltiical prisioners and studnet activists still detaineed by the SLORC.
2. Honour the promise made to the Burmese people by allowing the NLD 
party, the party that has won the election, to form the government and then
to transfer power to the democratically elected government.
3. Stop all forms of Human Rights violations against the Burmese people.

We also urge the ASEAN governments to review their constructive 
engagement policy towards the SLORC regime, and to delay the admission of
Burma into ASEAN membership until the regime has handed over political power
to the democratically elected government.

And we futher urge the EU governments and other governments around 
the world to put more pressure on the SLORC regime to transfer the power to
the elected government and to stop human rights violations.

Signed,

1. All Burma Basic Education Student's Union (Thailand)
2. Overseas National Students Organisation of Burma
3. Burmese Studnets Association (Thailand)
4. Ramkhanhaeng University Studnets Organisation for Democracy
5. Independant Karen National Student's Organisation
---------------------------------------------

STATEMENT BY UNITED BURMESE DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS IN INDIA
May 27, 1997

We are much dismayed to see India, world's  largest  democracy
country, keeping silent to all the repression, human rights violations that
are going on in Burma. Being a good neighbor the people of Burma look at
India with great hope for help towards the restoration of democracy in Burma.

We, the United Burmese Democratic Activists in India, have 
solemnly pledged to strive:
1) for the speedy implementation of 1990 general elections;
2) for the abolishment of present  sham national convention;
3) for the emergence of a genuine democratic state by holding a
tripartite dialogue between democratic forces led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
ethnic forces and SLORC.

United Burmese Democratic Activists
New Delhi.
---------------------------------------------------------

STATEMENT BY NLD (LA)  AUSTRALIA
27th May 1997

At this juncture, we call upon the Australian government and the world
community to exert a consolidated effort e.g. Economic sanctions, to put
pressure on the military government in Burma as done by the United States of
America and the European Union to restore Democracy in Burma.  We also call
upon the Association  of the South East Asian Nations to review the present
non-working constructive engagement policy and not to allow the most brutal
military regime in the world to be one of the member states of the ASEAN.
We would like to make the following demands to the military regime in Burma :
1. to release all the political prisoners including Min Ko Naing
unconditionally and immediately.
2. to release all the detained and arrested NLD MPs and senior organizers.
3. to stop all the military attacks on the armed revolutionary forces and
the students army at the Thai- Burma border.
4. to enter the tripartite dialogue with the democratic opposition forces
and the ethnic minority groups, relinquish the people's power and transfer
it back to the rightful hands of the elected MPs.    

Central Executive Committee
National League for Democracy (Liberated Area) Australia.

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