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The BurmaNet News, July 1, 1997 (r)
- Subject: The BurmaNet News, July 1, 1997 (r)
- From: rhotta@xxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 01 Jul 1997 11:33:00
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On Mon, 30 Jun 1997 strider@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> ------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
> "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
> ----------------------------------------------------------
>
> The BurmaNet News: July 1, 1997
> Issue #762
>
> HEADLINES:
> ==========
> NATION: NLD LEADER DISMISSES SLORC TERRORISM CLAIM
> KNU UPDATE: SKIRMISHES
> FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW: FEELERS TO CIVILIANS
> THE NATION: ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS GATHER IN HK
> BKK POST: BOUNDARY TALKS TEST RANGOON'S RESOLVE
> BKK POST: $20M PAID TO BURMA FOR GAS FIELD INTEREST
> THE NATION: RAMOS SAYS ASEAN WILL SWAY BURMA
> AISAWEEK: WILL RAMOS EXTEND A HAND OF FRIENDSHIP?
> TT: BORDER POLICE INTERCEPT JOB-HUNTING ILLEGAL ALIENS
> NATION: AFFECTED RESIDENTS TO RETURN COMPENSATION
> ASIAWEEK: IN EVERYONE'S INTEREST
> THE STAR: US GROUP BACKS MALAYSIAN STAND ON BURMA
> THE NATION: REACH OF INVESTMENT BAN WORRIES US
> THAILAND TIMES: ASEAN PASSPORT TO BE PROPOSED
> ANNOUNCEMENT: MYANMAR LIST SUBSCRIPTIONS
> ALTSEAN ANNOUNCEMENT: ASEAN SUMMIT
> BRC-J ANNOUNCEMENT: ECONOMIC INVESTMENT DEBATE
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
>
> NATION: NLD LEADER DISMISSES SLORC TERRORISM CLAIM
> June 30, 1997 [abridged]
> AP
>
> RANGOON - The Burmese government's charges that the United States is
> sponsoring terrorism against it is groundless, a senior opposition leader
> said yesterday.
>
> Burma's powerful intelligence chief accused the United States on Friday of
> financing democracy activists - including members of opposition leader Aung
> San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy - who allegedly were plotting to
> blow up foreign embassies and government leaders in Rangoon.
>
> "It is the principle of the National League for Democracy not to accept
> financial assistance from foreign organisations," the party's vice chairman,
> Kyi Maung, said. "Did the authorities provide evidence, like a receipt that
> Suu Kyi had accepted cash Nyunt, leader of Burma's military intelligence,
> said that Suu Kyi accepted more than US$80,000 (Bt2.1 million) from US
> citizens and labour organisations.
>
> "It is ridiculous," Kyi Maung told journalists in Rangoon. "Eighty thousand
> dollars is quite a considerable amount of money. Our party is not an
> extravagant one and we don't need that amount of cash."
>
> ***************************************************
>
> KNU UPDATE: SKIRMISHES
> June 29, 1997
> From: Simon_Po@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Simon Po)
>
> SKIRMISHES IN MAY
>
> From 1.5.97 to 31.5.97, (75) clahses were broke out
> between the KNLA troops and SLORC troops. (65) mines were exploded.
> (87) SLORC soldiers were killed , (104) SLORC soldiers were injured and
> (44) SLORC soldiers lost their legs. KNLA suffered (4) dead.
>
> BATTLE NEWS
>
> 21.5.97
> (KNLA, No(5)Bri, Mu Traw district Area) SLORC troops stepped on a
> KNLA mine at Hga Kho. One SLORC soldier was killed.
>
> 25.5.97
> (KNLA, No(7)Bri, Pa-an district Area) SLORC troops stepped on two
> KNLA mines at Klu Htaw. Two SLORC soldiers were killed and one
> SLORC soldier was injured.
>
> 27.5.97
> (KNLA, No(5)Bri, Mu Traw district Area) SLORC troops stepped on a
> KNLA mine at Oo Too Klo. One SLORC soldier lost his leg. At the same
> day SLORC troops stepped on two KNLA mines at Taw Plar Bler. Two
> SLORC soldiers lost their legs. At the same day SLORC troops stepped on
> two KNLA mines at Ta Ku Der. Two SLORC soldiers lost their legs.
> KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at a position between
> the Ku Hsay and Mar Htaw. Casualties are unknown.
>
> 28.5.97
> (KNLA, No(5) Bri, Mu Traw district Area) LIR (703) stepped on a KNLA
> mine at Ka Ru Kho. One SLORC soldier lost his leg.
>
> 29.5.97
> (KNLA, No(5) Bri, Mu Traw district Area) A clash broke out between the
> KNLA troops and LIR (59) at Ta Ko Kwee Lu. Casualties are unknown.
> At the same day a battle broke out between the KNLA troops and LIR
> (707) at Hto Kaw Lu. Casualties are unknown. At 1215 hours, KNLA
> troops attacked LIR (708) at Der Kyu Kyo. Two SLORC soldiers were
> killed and one SLORC soldier was injured. At 1500 hours, KNLA troops
> attacked SLORC troops at Ta Par Lu. SLORC casualties are unknown.
> (KNLA, No(3)Bri, No(8)BN, K'ler Lwee Hto district, Mone township Area) At
> 0700 and 0730 hours, two clahshes broke out between the KNLA troops and
> SLORC troops at Htee Klu Day area. At the same time, SLORC troops stepped on
> a KNLA mine. One SLORC soldier lost his leg.
>
> 31.5.97
> (KNLA,No(3)Bri, No(8)BN, K'ler Lwee Hto district, Mone township Area)
> At 1040 hours, KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Kaw Thay Der.
> Casualties are unknown. At the same time SLORC troops stepped on two
> KNLA mines. Two SLORC soldiers lost their legs.
> SLORC troops stepped on a KNLA mine at Thay Kar Paw
> Kwee. One SLORC soldier was injured. At the same time, KNLA troops
> attacked SLORC troops at Thay Kar Paw Kwee. At 1000 hours, a KNLA
> mine exploded at Kaw Hta. One SLORC soldier was killed.
>
> KNU information Center.
>
> KNLA = Karen National Liberation Army
> SLORC = State Law and Order Restoration Council
> LIR = Light infantry Regiment
>
> *************************************************
>
> FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW: FEELERS TO CIVILIANS
> July 3, 1997
>
> The Burmese military junta may be thinking of allowing some civilian
> participation in the political process in Rangoon. To counter the National
> League for Democracy, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu
> Kyi, the junta has held several rounds of talks recently with the Alliance
> for Democratic Solidarity (Burma), a civilian opposition group led by U
> Aung, the son of former Prime Minister U Nu.
>
> Envoys from ADSB, who are based in the northern Thai city of Chiang
> Mai, have made several trips to the Burmese border town of Tachilek for
> meetings with military officials.
>
> The brain behind the initiative is said to be Burma's intelligence chief,
> Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, whose military support has been eroded in recent
> months, but who is attempting to strengthen his political support base.
>
> However, U Aung's popularity inside Burma is questionable. His late
> father's political party received approximately 2% of the vote in the 1990
> election, when the NLD won a landslide victory but was prevented from
> forming a government. (FEER)
>
> *******************************************************
>
> THE NATION: ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS GATHER IN HK
> June 30, 1997 [abridged]
>
> THE seven foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
> (Asean) will meet tomorrow to discuss and finalise preparations for the
> admission of Burma, Cambodia and Laos to the grouping in July.
>
> The luncheon meeting, to be hosted by Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah
> Badawi, will take place in Hong Kong, where the foreign ministers have
> gathered for tonight's ceremony to return the British colony to China.
>
> Despite strong opposition from the West and Burmese democratic activists to
> Burma's membership, Asean's foreign ministers agreed in late May to admit
> the three countries during their annual ministerial meeting in July.
>
> They also agreed to hold a final meeting in Hong Kong to evaluate the
> progress made by the three countries towards Asean membership, and to
> discuss the last stages of preparation before actual admission.
>
> The Asean foreign ministers will hold an official ceremony to welcome the
> three countries on July 23, one day ahead of the annual meeting. As full
> members, foreign ministers of Burma, Cambodia and Laos will attend the
> two-day meeting on July 24 and 25 and the Asean Regional Forum on July 27.
>
> The 10 Asean ministers will subsequently meet their 10 dialogue partners on
> July 28 and 29 in a gathering known as the Post Ministerial Conference.
> Asean dialogue partners include Western countries such as the United States
> and the European Union, which have been the strongest critics of the Burmese
> junta's widespread human rights abuses and suppression of the democratic
> movement.
>
> Both the United States and the European Union have said that their relations
> with Asean countries could sour as a result of the admission of Burma while
> it is under the current military regime.
>
> Apart from bilateral dialogue with existing members, foreign ministers of
> the three new members will have talks with representatives of the UN
> Development Programme to discuss fresh assistance for their smooth and quick
> integration into the grouping, particularly their implementation of the
> Asean Free Trade Area requirements.
>
> *****************************************************
>
> BKK POST: BOUNDARY TALKS TEST RANGOON'S REGIONAL RESOLVE
> June 30, 1997
> Nussara Sawatsawang, Supamart Kasem
>
> Any territorial loss could prove costly for Chavalit government
>
> Senior Thai and Burmese officials today begin discussions in Rangoon that
> will test how much prospective membership of Asean affects Burma's
> willingness to cooperate with a neighbour and founding member of the club.
>
> The three-day meeting will centre on a disputed border area caused by heavy
> flooding in 1994 which changed the course of the Moei River, and Burma's new
> plan to reclaim land it lost by dredging an. adjacent area.
>
> Thai officials have also prepared to discuss the maintenance of boundary
> stakes fixed in the Sai and Ruak rivers further north.
>
> The disputed area near Wat Khok Chang Puek is part of a 2,400-kilometre,
> largely undemarcated border that the two countries share. It is the fifth
> disputed area along the border in addition to what Thailand claims to be in
> Doi Lang in Chiang Mai, Three Pagodas Pass in Kanchanaburi, the Pak Chan
> River in Ranong and Hill 491 in Chumphon.
>
> Legal affairs specialists will lead the talks, the first negotiation of a
> boundary problem between the two countries since the May 31 decision by
> foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to admit
> Burma, Cambodia and Laos into the fold next month. Brunei, Indonesia,
> Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are current Asean
> members.
>
> Somboon Sa-Ngiambutr, director general of the Thai foreign ministry's
> treaties and legal affairs department, and his Burmese counterpart Aye Lwin,
> will co-chair the first meeting of the Thai-Burmese Joint Boundary Committee
> since 1995. The results will be submitted to a ministerial conference to be
> held at a later date.
>
> The meeting of senior officials "will test Burma's foreign policy which so
> far has given priority to security concerns", said a Thai foreign ministry
> official, who asked not-to be named.
>
> Burma's stance will show how much Rangoon has been affected by its failure
> to settle the dispute by force in late May, sources noted.
>
> Thai and Burmese troops almost clashed on the border after local villagers
> protested Burmese dredging of the river. The disputed area measures about
> 150 rai. The row stems from siltation since the floods in 1994 which has
> connected the plot to Thai soil.
>
> Thailand is hoping that the meeting will come up with a solution that will
> help it deal with potential problems stemming from eight other islets
> created by the river's sudden change of course two years ago.
>
> These islets range from 50 to 300 rai in area, including Mae Mon Kane, 40
> kilometres from Mae Sot, and measuring 300 rai, for which Thailand submitted
> an aide memoire to Rangoon to claim its right to ownership.
>
> Mapping is a major obstacle, with Burma insisting on use of the 1989 map,
> and Thailand insisting on a later document.
>
> Burma claims that Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh gave his consent to
> use 1989 map when Burmese leaders raised the matter during his mid-May visit
> to Rangoon.
>
> In early March, the Burmese used the map to dredge under the Thai-Burmese
> Friendship Bridge. To meet Rangoon's demand, Bangkok had to dismantle
> shophouses built on the reclaimed area.
>
> Thailand wants to use the map that is "most appropriate" to conditions
> pertaining in the area before the floods in 1994, Mr Somboon said. The 1989
> map is too old, because the river's course changes every year, he said.
>
> Burma's new dredging plan threatens to enlarge the disputed area "by several
> times" and Bangkok will not allow any dredging of Thai territory, he
> emphasised.
>
> Territorial loss to the country, through dredging by Burma, and to
> individuals who have been issued land ownership documents to some parts of
> Khok Chang Phuek threaten to be politically explosive issues for the
> Chavalit government.
>
> Pointing out that any loss of territory, however small, would be
> unacceptable, former deputy foreign minister Prapas Limpaphan last week
> urged the two countries to opt for joint development of the disputed area.
>
> But Rangoon has insisted on reclaiming the area, for economic and political
> reasons, sources noted. The Burmese government has already been paid 25
> million baht in concession fees by a group of Thai and Burmese investors
> planning to build a resort and casino there, one source said.
>
> Failure, to settle the Moei River dispute will further delay settlement of
> other boundary problems.
>
> According to a military source troops are still poised at the 18
> square-kilometre disputed area between Doi Lang and Burma's adjacent Shan
> State despite the agreement in May, between Prime Minister Chavalit and his
> Burmese counterpart Gen Than Shwe, for their withdrawal.
>
> And Burma, which links one issue with another, may well reject Thailand's
> proposal to open the Friendship Bridge in August, officials noted.
>
> ******************************************
>
> BKK POST: $20M PAID TO BURMA FOR GAS FIELD INTEREST
> June 27, 1997
> Boonsong Kositchotethana
>
> Yadana partners say deal is typical of industry contracts
>
> Burma has obtained US$20 million in payments as of February from the
> international consortium that includes Thailand's PTT Exploration &
> Production Plc (PTTEP) for the Yadana gas interests in the Gulf of
> Martaban.
>
> The payments were made to Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (Moge), the
> Burmese state oil company, under the Yadana production-sharing contract,
> according to a report by Unocal Corp, the US partner in the $1-billion gas
> project.
>
> Disclosure of the amount, in a report made available to the Bangkok Post,
> comes amid continued allegations by anti-Rangoon groups that the Yadana
> consortium was providing funds to the Burmese junta for cracking down
> on pro-democracy movements led by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
>
> But the consortium, led by the French oil company Total, maintains that
> the payments represent only standard contract bonuses typical in the
> petroleum industry.
>
> The money also allows Moge to recover the exploration costs that led to the
> discovery of the Yadana field, Burma's known largest gas field, in 1982.
>
> However, the report said the significant capital expenditure required to
> complete the project means that none of the Yadana partners will realise
> any significant income until at least 2001 or 2002.
>
> The Burmese government's and Moge's net share of the revenue after
> expense and capital recovery - estimated at roughly $150 million annually
> - will be pegged to future fuel oil prices and inflation rates.
>
> Fully one-third of this revenue will be paid "in kind" - with an amount of
> natural gas equal in value to the taxes and royalties due, according to the
> report.
>
> The Burmese government will use the gas, up to 105 million cubic feet per
> day (MMcfd), for domestic energy projects such as the "three-in-one"
> project.
>
> The project includes a 214-kilometre gas pipeline from Yadana to shore, a
> 300-megawatt gas-fired powerhouse and a fertiliser plant with a production
> capacity of 1,750 metric tons per day near Kyaiktaw, southwest of
> Rangoon. These projects cost up to $750 million.
>
> Total's stake in the Yadana project is is 31.24%. Unocal holds 28.26%,
> PTTEP (part of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand) 25.5% and Moge
> 15%.
>
> By the end of last year, the consortium had awarded contracts worth $675
> million to European, American and Asian companies for fabrication and
> installation of offshore platforms, onshore infrastructure construction and
> the offshore and onshore Burmese portion of the pipeline that will
> transport Yadana gas to Thailand, according to the report.
>
> The 30-year gas sale contract signed with PTT committed the Total group
> to deliver an average 525 MMcfd of Yadana gas to Thailand starting in
> mid-1998.(BP)
>
> *******************************************************
>
> THE NATION: RAMOS SAYS ASEAN WILL SWAY BURMA
> June 28, 1997
> AFP
>
> MANILA- Burma's membership of the Association of Southeast Asian
> Nations (Asean) will draw the military regime back into the international
> community, Philippine President Fidel Ramos said yesterday.
>
> Speaking before diplomats and government officials as part of a "report to
> the nation", Ramos said: "We are confident that membership in Asean will
> have an ameliorating effect on [Burma's] economy and society."
>
> He added membership would "gradually draw the Rangoon regime into the
> international community", although he did not elaborate.
>
> Ramos also defended the impending extension of Asean membership to
> Burma, saying: "To us in Asean, that [Burma] is part of the Southeast
> Asian family is reason enough to bring her into the fold." Asean, composed
> of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, as well
> as the Philippines, plans to admit Burma, Cambodia and Laos into the
> grouping next month.
>
> However, Western nations, which have been isolating Burma's government
> due to its poor human rights record, have criticised the admission of the
> country into Asean.
>
> ************************************************************
>
> AISAWEEK: WILL RAMOS EXTEND A HAND OF FRIENDSHIP?
> July 4, 1997
>
> Plans are underway in the Philippines for President Fidel Ramos to visit
> Myanmar later this year. The trip, which is still being arranged, has not
> been officially announced. But if it pushes through, it will bring the
> president of Southeast Asia's most rambunctious democracy face to face
> with the leaders of one of the region's most restrictive governments.
>
> Ramos's frequently travels outside the country to promote bilateral trade
> and investment, and his journeys are seldom controversial. But this visit is
> sure to cause consternation at home. The Yangon government is shunned
> by many of Ramos's Western allies, and there are plenty of Filipinos
> sympathetic to the beleaguered opposition in Myanmar.
>
> Many would feel that Ramos was a traitor to the cause. He helped lead the
> 1986 Philippine "People Power" revolt, which ousted Ferdinand Marcos
> and partially inspired a popular uprising in Myanmar two years later. That
> revolt was crushed by the generals who went on to form the State Law and
> Order Restoration Council (Slorc).
>
> And it was Slorc who refused a visa last year to Ramos's 1986 colleague,
> former President Corazon Aquino. She made no effort to hide the fact that
> she was going to Yangon to meet with opposition leader Aung San Suu
> Kyi.
>
> Why is Ramos making the effort? His trip will definitely win points with
> the resource-rich pariah state, as well as show solidarity with the
> Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which will admit Myanmar as a
> member later this year.
>
> Recently, the leaders of Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand have
> made the trek to Yangon to shake hands with Slorc's generals. President
> Ramos's visit is sure to win more smiles in Yangon than in Manila. (AW)
>
> *******************************************************
>
> THAILAND TIMES: BORDER POLICE INTERCEPT JOB-HUNTING
> ILLEGAL ALIENS IN MONK'S ROBES
> June 29, 1997
>
> TAK: Twenty foreigners who had shaved their heads -and dressed like
> monks in an attempt to deceive immigration police, were arrested at a
> border checkpoint in Tak province yesterday .
>
> The border checkpoint chief, Pol Lt-Gen Sutee Ariyabut, said that
> previously his police officers usually let those people dressed and shaved
> like monks pass through without inspection.
>
> Sutee said that in the last 010 days, police had arrested 500 illegal aliens
> without the necessary work permit. Most of them were Burmese or Karen
> and were on their way to large cities to find work.
>
> Two agents, Chaiwat Wongthanaboon and Padet Cherdkwan, had also
> recently been arrested. They were paid by the Karen and Burmese laborers
> to find them work in Thailand.
>
> Both of them are from Nakhon Sawan. Police found in their possession
> evidence such as two cars, two mobile phones, and 33,360 baht in cash.
> The two suspects confessed that they were paid 10,000 baht each to bring
> the workers to Nakhon Sawan.
>
> **************************************************
>
> THE NATION: AFFECTED RESIDENTS PLAN TO RETURN
> COMPENSATION
> June 27, 1997
>
> KANCHANABURI - More than 200 residents of Dan Makham Tia district
> plan to converge at the Petroleum Authority of Thailand's headquarters in
> Bangkok today to return the compensation paid to them in protest against
> the construction of the Yadana Gas pipeline project.
>
> The PTT paid cash compensations to the residents in areas the pipeline
> passes, but the residents are now more concerned about their safety than
> money, the group's spokesman said yesterday.
>
> PTT's public relations director, Songkiat Thansamrit, said the PTT had
> spoken to legal experts and would not simply accept the money.
>
> "It will involve the legal system because the villagers signed their names
> when they received the compensation. They might have to take the case to
> the police," he said. The pipeline, a joint venture between the PTT and US
> oil company Unocal, received world attention when 14 ethnic Karenni and
> Mon people from Burma sued Unocal-in the US People's World Court for
> disrupting their communities.
>
> The spokesman said residents were prepared to return the compensation to
> the PTT, as they believed the state enterprise had lied to them all along in
> claiming the gas was not flammable and was harmless to humans exposed
> to a leak.
>
> The spokesman claimed residents had also been harassed to move out of
> the pipeline's route.
>
> The residents, mostly from Chorakhe Phuak sub-district, are seeking legal
> aid from the Council of Lawyers to sue the PTT for misleading information
> about the project and for lying about the dangers of the gas pumped
> through the pipeline.
>
> ***********************************************
>
> ASIAWEEK: IN EVERYONE'S INTEREST
> July 4, 1997
> Bunn Nagara
>
> Homes issues shape US, Asean policies on Myanmar
>
> Bunn Nagara heads Geopolicy Research, an independent consultancy based
> in Kuala Lumpur
>
> When Washington announced sanctions against Myanmar, Asean pundits
> rushed to speculate on the implications as if the bilateral affair determined
> Asean policy on Yangon. The issue which ruffled US feathers was Asean's
> imminent admission of Myanmar together with Laos and Cambodia, which
> might be construed as legitimizing and rewarding a repressive regime. Few
> commentators appreciated Asean's resolve in admitting Myanmar, the
> limits of US disaffection with Yangon, or the weight of everyone's
> domestic concerns on Myanmar policy.
>
> Washington's angst against perceived human rights violations abroad is
> familiar. After castigating then-President George Bush for "coddling
> dictators in Beijing," candidate Bill Clinton became a president who
> decided instead to "engage" China. Fresh from "Asiagate" the same season,
> the White House could not afford to entertain Myanmar also. Besides,
> Myanmar's prospective market was no match for China's.
>
> Last year, Sen (now Defense Secretary) William Cohen co-sponsored a bill
> allowing for sanctions against Myanmar should widespread repression
> escalate. On the bill's own terms, sanctions were questionable. One recent
> incidents symbolizing for Washington a deterioration in human rights_the
> return to house arrest of National League for Democracy (NLD) leader
> Aung San Suu Kyi_occurred last November, half a year before. But weeks
> of debate were to culminate in the April decision to implement sanctions in
> May. Since Clinton could not do business with Myanmar, the human rights
> groups "won."
>
> Yet the sanctions were only a sop to anti-Slorc lobbyists. Non-American
> companies were unaffected. Nor were the sanctions retroactive, so US
> companies already in Myanmar could remain.
>
> These were multi-purpose sanctions: good relations with Asean were
> maintained, the White House looked better for not coddling Slorc, and US
> firms were not completely excluded_thus avoiding another costly
> experience like the embargo against Vietnam.
>
> But the US is not alone in letting domestic concerns rule Myanmar policy.
> One of the pillars of Asean is the principle of non-interference in the
> internal affairs of other states. This agnosticism approaches a diplomatic
> indifference, now wedded to an indiscriminate inclusiveness for all
> Southeast Asian states within the Asean family.
>
> Sensing this, Washington did not bother pushing too hard for Asean
> reciprocity on Myanmar.
>
> Vietnam's 1979 invasion of Cambodia triggered an Asean rebuff of Hanoi
> alongside recognition of the exiled CGDK coalition, including the
> internationally reviled Khmer Rouge. Asean's principle of non-interference
> ends at the twin parapets of national sovereignty and territorial integrity
> (understandably, with niggling, multiple territorial disputes festering).
>
> Asean government are not comfortable with judging their neighbors on
> domestic issues, much less with exacting punishment. Indonesia in
> particular would not be amused when parallel situations can be drawn with
> Myanmar.
>
> Asean is a cluster of governments with different styles, traditions and
> degrees of popular accountability. When Ferdinand Marcos stole the 1986
> Philippine election, Malaysia's oppositionists lobbied to withdraw
> recognition.
>
> Malaysia instead adopted a wait-and-see approach, switching recognition
> to the new government as soon as it established itself. A member of the
> Malaysian cabinet conceded privately that whatever one's reservations
> about the Marcos regime, Malaysia could not act unilaterally against a
> sitting government next door.
>
> Reporters asked how Malaysia could reject sanctions against Myanmar
> after maintaining them against apartheid South Africa. Malaysia's
> domestic tasks have been monumental: not just to succeed in development
> and avoid repeating the race riots of 1969 by managing ethnic relations
> peaceably in a country of large minorities, but to do so with an affirmative
> action program for a small majority.
>
> Malaysia's primary domestic concern has long been national unity through
> racial and religious harmony, or at least the avoidance of ethnic bigotry.
> Under the Internal Security Act, a considerable number of people have
> been held over the past decade not for political differences, but for racial or
> religious chauvinism. Thus Malaysia's extra-regional foreign policy
> orientation, where Asean consensus was immaterial: a visceral revulsion
> against apartheid, "ethnic cleansing" and occupied Palestine.
>
> Asean is less a communion of peoples or even a regional market than a
> group of neighbouring governments anxiously needing to work
> comfortably with one another.
>
> The NLD therefore cannot expect moral or material support from Asean in
> wresting power from Slorc, short of Yangon invading a neighbor. But if
> the NLD succeeds Slorc in an internal maneuver, it may find that the new
> Myanmar could be received as a more valued partner.
>
> It is implicit in the Asean formula that once a working comfort level is
> achieved between members states, much else in regional good
> neighborliness follows. This is why Asean believes Myanmar, whatever its
> politics, would make for better dialogue as a member than if it were not.
> (AW)
>
> *******************************************************
>
> THE STAR: US GROUP BACKS MALAYSIAN STAND ON BURMA
> June 29, 1997
>
> KUALA LUMPUR: A US think tank has supported Asean's decision to
> admit Myanmar into the regional grouping so that the nation could be
> nudged towards democracy.
>
> Heritage Foundation, a leading US research foundation, agreed with
> Asean's method of "constructive engagement" rather than the US decision
> to isolate Myanmar until it improved its human rights record.
>
> "We hope that the influences and contacts of Asean countries would
> encourage Myanmar to move towards democracy," said Edwin Mees, a
> former US Attorney-General who sits on the foundation's board of trustees,
> here yesterday.
>
> Mees brushed aside the notion that Asean's decision in admitting Myanmar
> would hurt its relationship with the United States.
>
> "I don't think that differences in approach will in any way affect our
> relationship as the objective of both governments is quite the same," he
> said. ? Bernama
>
> ******************************************
>
> THE NATION: REACH OF INVESTMENT BAN WORRIES US COMPANIES
> June 30, 1997
> Evelyn Iritani
> Los Angeles Times
>
> LOS ANGELES - Unocal Corp and other US companies may find the White House
> ban on new investment in Burma has implications extending far beyond that
> country, potentially jeopardising projects in other Southeast Asian
> economies as well, some experts say.
>
> A broad interpretation of the presidential ban could threaten billions of
> dollars worth of business throughout Southeast Asia, crippling US companies
> in one of their fastest-growing markets, according to a group representing
> 450 major companies active in the region.
>
> While business executives and trade lawyers are still studying the
> just-issued executive order implementing the ban, the US-Asean Business
> Council says it could even prohibit participation in regional projects that
> extend from another country into Burma.
>
> If Burma joins the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as expected this
> year, "All of these regional transportation, telecommunications, all of
> these regional networks are going to have a Burma element in them," said
> Ernest Bower, president of the council. "We stand to lose enormous amounts
> of business."
>
> Other experts say the ban casts a wider net than expected around projects
> within Burma and may create more problems for energy companies already
> involved in projects there - like Unocal Corp., Atlantic Richfield Co and
> Texaco Inc, the leading US investors - than those companies realise.
>
> While the executive order allows companies to complete ongoing contracts, it
> is not clear whether they will be able to engage in any additional work that
> would require new funds, such as building a pipeline to get their gas to
> market, according to legal and government sources.
>
> "Unocal is going to have trouble going forward under this," said David
> Schmahmann, an international legal expert with the Boston law firm of
> Nutter, McClennen and Fish.
>
> Schmahmann said the ban does not clearly define "new investment" and
> unexpectedly prohibits investment into not only natural resources but
> agriculture and financial, industrial and human resources.
>
> And while it doesn't cover foreign subsidiaries of US companies, it
> prohibits US businesses from approving or facilitating any transactions by
> foreigners that would be considered illegal under the presidential ban. The
> ban carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a US$55,000 (Bt1.38
> million) fine for violators.
>
> But no one is certain yet just what is illegal, which is why these US
> companies are lining up to meet with officials of the Treasury Department,
> whose Office of Foreign Assets Control will be enforcing this measure.
> Treasury is expected to issue its enforcement regulations for the Burma ban
> in a month.
>
> "There is a lot of gray area here," admitted a Treasury Department
> spokesperson. "Where it is still unclear, is when it comes to an exploratory
> deal or a deal that would require new investment down the road."
>
> Anything that restricts future development off the coast of Burma would be
> particularly harmful to Unocal, which has been a pioneer in energy
> development in Southeast Asia, according to Julia Nanay, a director of
> Washington-based Petroleum Finance Co.
>
> "[The Burma project] is part and parcel of their business in Thailand and is
> part of the whole Asian energy development scheme they would like to
> promote," she said.
>
> Michael Malloy, a sanctions expert at the University of the Pacific's law
> school in Sacramento, Calif, predicted the Treasury Department will probably
> take a narrow view of the presidential ban, focusing its attention on
> keeping new US players out of Burma But that could change, Malloy said, if
> the political hsituation worsens.
>
> ************************************************
>
> THAILAND TIMES: ASEAN PASSPORT TO BE PROPOSED AT
> SUMMIT
> June 27, 1997 [abridged]
>
> BANGKOK: At the Asean cooperation meeting to be held in Kuala
> Lumpur next month Thailand will propose an Asean passport project,
> which will allow holders of the Asean passport books to travel freely within
> the region, said Pitak Indaravittayanant, the deputy foreign affairs
> minister.
>
> Pitak added, the Asean passport project will be similar to the international
> transport system of the European Union (EU) where EU passport holders
> are allowed to travel freely between all EU member countries.
>
> Following earlier discussions held among Asean officials, it was revealed
> that the project would be developed into a liberalized system.
>
> Next month's Asean meeting in Malaysia will be attended by the US
> Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Pitak said yesterday.
>
> The meeting will concentrate on economic cooperation among Asean
> members under the Asean Free Trade Area (AFTA) agreement, said Pitak.
>
> "Financial services liberalization together with regional political and
> economic stability will also be high on the agenda," he added.
>
> ***********************************************
>
> ANNOUNCEMENT: MYANMAR LIST SUBSCRIPTIONS
> >From OKKAR66127@xxxxxxx
> June 25, 19997
>
> If you want to suscribe to Myanmar-list you can write to
> "Majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxx" with the message at the body text:
>
> "Subscribe myanmar <your e-mail address>"
>
> Then when you are subscribed you can post news to
> "myanmar-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx".
>
> Although the list is moderated list, most of the posted news will be
> distributed within the list including the Myanmar Embassies that have e-
> mail access. Only the junk mails and very rude usages such as "F"
> languages will be omitted.
>
> ***********************************************
>
> ALTSEAN ANNOUNCEMENT: ASEAN SUMMIT
> Date: 29 Jun 1997 11:46:14
> From: altsean@xxxxxxxxxx
>
> A warm welcome is extended to anyone who wishes to "celebrate" the entry
> of the Slorc into Asean. The "festivities" will focus around the following
> schedule:
>
> 21-22 July Asean senior official meeting
> 23 July ceremony to welcome the three new members at 3.30 pm
> 24-25 July Asean Ministers Meeting
> 27 July Asean Regional Forum
> 28-29 July Post Ministerial Conference
>
> Apparently Asean is notorious for changing schedules, so please plan to
> arrive in Kuala Lumpur a few days ahead in anticipation of any
> eventualities.
>
> If you can cover your own travel expenses, our friends in Malaysia will be
> happy to provide basic accomodation and apparel specially designed for the
> occasion.
>
> Please RSVP to <altsean@xxxxxxxxxx> but do NOT use your full name or
> provide travel details. Do name the group you are affiliated to.
>
> This welcome is not extended to Burmese passport holders, as we cannot
> guarantee your safety in the event of deportation.
>
> *********************************************
>
> BRC-J ANNOUNCEMENT: ECONOMIC INVESTMENT DEBATE
> June 29, 1997
> From: Ken and Visakha Kawasaki <brelief@xxxxxxx>
>
> Resolved: Economic Investment Will (or Won't) Make Suu Kyi Cry
> JULY 4th, 1997
>
> Amnesty International, Japan in cooperation with International Network of
> Engaged Buddhists are presenting a debate on the subject:
>
> Resolved: Economic Investment Will (or Won't) Make Suu Kyi Cry
> Economic development and human rights in Burma/Myanmar
>
> On the pro-economic investment side:
> - Mr. Nishizawa, from Kobe University
> - Mr. Oshita, from Keidanren
> - Mr. Kudo, from Asia Kaizai Kenkyusho
>
> On the opposing side, arguing for sanctions and withholding economic
> investment:
>
> + Mr. Fukushima, lawyer
> + Mr. Nemoto, professor from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
> + Ko Aung Thu, Burma Youth Volunteer Association
>
> Organizer: Teruko Saito
> Moderator: Hisao Tanabe
>
> Date: Friday, July 4th, 1997
> Time: Opens at 6, begins at 6:30, ends at 9 p.m.
> Place: Tokyo, near Gaienmae Station (Ginza Line)
> Admission: 1000 yen
>
> For more information:
> Contact Amnesty International, Japan
> Tel: 03-3203-1050
> Fax: 03-3232-6775
>
> http://www2.gol.com/users/brelief/Index.htm
>
> **************************************************
>
>
>