The BurmaNet News - 16 January, 199

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------------------------- BurmaNet ------------------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: January 16, 1998
Issue #914

Noted in passing:

"One thing is certain, it would not please Rangoon.  And it will
do its best to destroy our unity," - SSA Commander Yodserk
(see BKK POST: KHUN SA'S TROOPS RENEW THREAT)

HEADLINES:
==========
BKK POST: KHUN SA'S TROOPS RENEW THREAT
AFP: BURMA  REPORTS SURRENDER OF 44 INSURGENTS
AP: BURMESE REGIME REVOKES LICENSES OF CURRENCY
ANTARA: INDONESIA'S ASTRA GRAPHIA ENTERS  MYANMAR
SPDC: INFORMATION SHEET NO. A-0283 (1)
JAPAN ECONOMIC NEWSWIRE: IMPROVED TIES WITH
RADIO FREE ASIA: INTERVIEW WITH MOE THEE ZUN
FTUB: REPORT ON THAI SECURITY PERSONNEL ATTACK
THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: HUMAN RESOURCES CENSUS
CANADA NEWSWIRE: MINDORO INCREASES INTEREST 
WALL STREET JOURNAL: PEREGRINE'S FALL TO EARTH
THE NATION: ILLEGAL WORKERS FACE MASS DEPORTATION

YADANA PIPELINE REPORTS:
BKK POST: EXPERTS FAVOUR SUSPENSION WITHOUT
BKK POST: WE NEED TO SETTLE THIS THING FINALLY

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
CALL FOR ACTION ON MYERS SELLING VAN HEUSEN SHIRTS
UPDATED LIST OF AUSTRALIAN BASED BURMA PRO-
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BKK POST: KHUN SA'S TROOPS RENEW THREAT
January 15, 1998

MAE HONG SON, AP
ARMY 15,000 STRONG 'TO CHALLENGE JUNTA'

Khun Sa's soldiers, scattered in Burma's jungles since the opium
warlord surrendered in 1996, are uniting into a 15,000-man army
to resume their war against the government in Rangoon, a Thai
security official said yesterday.

The new guerrilla force recently acquired a huge cache of,
weapons and Burma watchers expect a sharp surge in fighting in
the coming months, said the official who spoke on condition of
anonymity.

During the past three weeks, three ethnic Shan rebel forces, some
formerly led by Khun Sa, have been working together and launching
coordinated hit-and-run attacks on government troops throughout
central and southern Shan State, the official said.

A renewed guerrilla war would be a setback for Burma's military
government, which has touted ceasefires with many ethnic
insurgents as one of its successes.

The rebel attacks also discredit government claims that it is in
full control of the area and show it is less likely to be able to
stem the massive flow of drugs that originates in Shan State.

For more than a decade, Khun Sa was the kingpin of the Golden
Triangle the rugged, opium rich region where the borders of
Burma, Thailand and Laos converge.

He commanded an army that range between 10,000 and 20,000 men and
controlled the lion's share of the area's traffic in opium, the
raw material for heroin.  As time went by, however, rival opium
armies sprang up, diminishing his power.

More than 60 percent of the heroin sold in the United States
-comes from the Golden Triangle.  Burma was the world's largest
heroin producer until 1997 when it was overtaken by Afghanistan.

Khun Sa was indicted on heroin trafficking charges by a US court,
and Burma's military government branded him a narco-terrorist,
vowing to hang him if it captured him.

Weakened by splits in his army, Khun Sa surrendered to the
Burmese in January 1996.  The government refused to extradite him
to the US or to prosecute him under Burmese law.

Instead, it pardoned the opium lord, installed him in a villa in
Rangoon and granted him business concessions.

Khun Sa, who is half-Chinese and also known as Chang Chifu,
claimed his drug activities funded the Shan liberation struggle.

Burma is one of the most ethnically diverse nations on earth, and
the government has long struggled to bring unity by negotiation
or force to the country.

Many of Khun Sa's former soldiers were appalled by his decision
to surrender.  In small separate bands they continued what seemed
a futile fight against the Burmese army, which has grown from
185,000 in 1988 to more than 400,000 troops today.

The three largest guerrilla groups were the Shan United
Revolutionary Army, which was not formerly controlled by Khun Sa,
the Shan State National Army and the Shan State Army.

The last two had reluctantly signed ceasefire agreements with the
Rangoon government.

The three have said they plan to merge under the name the Shan
State Army, commanded by General Sao Sai Nawng, with a political
wing called the Shan State National Organisation.

In a statement received by the Associated Press in Bangkok
yesterday, the SSA said it had sent Gen Sao to Rangoon to seek
recognition of the group by the military government.

The government turned the offer down, however, and launched an
offensive against the rebels, the statement said.

"One thing is certain, it would not please Rangoon.  And it will
do its best to destroy our unity," the statement quoted a
commander named Yodserk as saying.

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

AFP: BURMA REPORTS SURRENDER OF 44 INSURGENTS
January 14, 1998

 BANGKOK, Jan 14 (AFP) - State-run Burmese television Wednesday reported
the surrender of 44 anti-government guerrillas to the ruling military
authorities last month. 
 
The surrenders included militant pro-democracy students from the All  Burma
Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF), ethnic Karen, Rakhine and Larhoe
minorities as well as former members of the Communist Party  Burma  (CPB),
Television  Myanmar  said. 
 
The guerrillas separately surrendered between December 1 and 27 at various
Burmese army regional commands, the report added. 
 
The ABSDF, armed student organisation was set up in the jungles along the 
Thai-Burmese border by Burmese pro-democracy students who fled Rangoon and
other major cities after the military took power in a bloody coup in 1988. 

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

AP: BURMESE REGIME REVOKES LICENSES OF CURRENCY DEALERS 
January 13, 1998

BANGKOK, Thailand
As Asian governments struggle to keep their currencies from falling
against the dollar,  Burma's  military regime has tried stronger steps
detaining currency dealers and revoking their licenses. 
 
Six of 17 licensed currency traders in Rangoon were detained for several
Days and the government took away their licenses in an attempt to keep the
kyat below 300 to the dollar, a diplomat said Tuesday, speaking on
condition of anonymity. 
 
Government officials did not immediately respond to requests for
information about the matter. 
 
The kyat, which was trading at 165 to the dollar at the start of 1997, hit
a record low of 385 in late December. Since then, it has rebounded to about
335 on the black market. 
 
The government's attempts to keep the kyat below 300 by pressuring licensed
dealers has been largely ineffective. The licensed traders do little
business because the rates they offer are not competitive. 
 
One dealer, whose license was revoked Saturday, complained that the action
was unfair. The price of the kyat was determined by market forces, he said,
and was not under his control. 
 
Burma  operates a complex exchange rate system. There is an official, but 
highly unrealistic rate of 6 kyats to the dollar, which is used mainly by
state enterprises. 
 
The government does not allow citizens to hold dollars. Instead, it issues 
''Foreign Exchange Coupons'' that are theoretically equal in value to dollars.
 
These can be traded for kyat at government-licensed exchange shops. 
 
Countless more black market currency traders operate fairly openly in 
Burma,  trading kyats for the coupons and dollars. 
 
The World Bank and International Monetary Fund have unsuccessfully urged
the regime to reform its exchange rate system as a first step to mending
its troubled economy. 
 
Critics of the government say the kyat has fallen because the regime has 
mismanaged the economy. The government spends more than 50 percent of its
budget on arms, according to the World Bank. 
 
Some Burmese businessmen, however, have blamed the kyat's depreciation on
the regional currency crisis. The Thai baht, Indonesian rupiah, Malaysian
ringgit, Philippine peso and South Korean won have all lost value since
mid-1997. 
 
Burma  has opened up its economy to foreign investment since 1988, after
26 years of socialist isolationism under former strongman Gen. Ne Win
turned the resource-rich country into one of Asia's poorest nations. 
 
*************************************************************

ANTARA: INDONESIA'S ASTRA GRAPHIA ENTERS  MYANMAR  I.T. SECTOR 
January 13, 1998

JAKARTA, Jan 13 Asia Pulse - PT Astra Graphia Tbk, a leading information
technology (IT) company and a member of PT Astra International, has
commenced an intensive program of overseas business expansion. 
 
The company has been commissioned to build a telecommunication 
infrastructure project in Mynamar. Astra recently set up a representative
office in  Myanmar.  
 
 "Indeed we started expanding our business activities in foreign countries 
intensively and the construction of the infrastructure project in  Myanmar
will be immediately carried out," said the Director of PT Astra Graphia,
B.T. Lim here. 
 
 According to Lim, the mega-project, which is closely related to the 
information technology sector will need about $ US1.5 million in the initial 
stage. However, he declined to disclose the exact amount of investment for
the project in  Myanmar.  
 
In addition to the above project, he said, Astra Graphia was now holding 
negotiations with the government of  Myanmar to implement other
informnation technology projects 
 
 PT Astra Graphia also plans to expand its business activities in other 
countries in Asia, such as Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. 
 
*************************************************************

SPDC: INFORMATION SHEET NO. A-0283 (1)
January 14, 1998 [excerpt]

NEWS REPORTER DEPORTED FOR FAILING TO FOLLOW PROPER REGULATIONS

Mr Fujita Satoris, Manila based bureau chief of Mainichi Shimbun came into
Myanmar illegally on 12 December from Bangkok by Thai Airways flight.  In
Yangon he was found to have falsely stated his occupation in the airport
arrival document and also lied when questioned by relevant officials.  Mr
Satoris also was found to have failed to apply for the proper standard
journalist visa and came into the country using an improper way of entry.
		
Due to the fact that Mr. F. Satoris had intentionally breached the
regulations governing visa's and for stating false information in the airport
arrival document he was deported the next day on the Thai Airways flight.

Mainichi Shinbun has been issued visa to come into Myanmar in the past but
due to its extreme bias and too much focus on sensational reportings it has
been currently denied entry into Myanmar.

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

JAPAN ECONOMIC NEWSWIRE: IMPROVED TIES WITH  MYANMAR  UNLIKELY: U.S. SENATOR
January  13, 1998 

TOKYO, Jan. 13 Kyodo 
Visiting U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller met and told Foreign Minister Keizo 
Obuchi on Tuesday that the United States does not expect an improvement in
relations with the  Myanmar  junta because of its human rights record. 
 
Rockefeller also told Obuchi that the  Myanmar  situation is different from
that of China, adding the U.S. government has not necessarily linked its
China stance to that country's human rights record, ministry officials said. 
 
The U.S. senator was responding to Obuchi's questions about Washington's 
attitude toward  Myanmar,  where the junta has prevented pro-democracy
groups from participating in the political process. 
 
Japan is  Myanmar's  largest source of economic assistance. 
 
************************************************************	

RADIO FREE ASIA: INTERVIEW WITH MOE THEE ZUN ON THE SPDC'S WARNING TO THE NLD
January 6, 1998 [translation by ABSDF)

Moe Thee Zun is currently the Vice Chairman of the ABSDF. 
Formerly, he was the Chairman of the DPNS and the General
Secretary of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU).

Moe Thee Zun:
We have learned today that the State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC) called a meeting in which National League for
Democracy (NLD) leaders were warned to discontinue their
political activities and to stop issuing press statements.

We denounce such an intensification of the SPDC's restrictions on
the NLD's activities as being undemocratic and unjust.

It signals that the newly formed SPDC is under the influence of
former General Ne Win, the godfather of Burmese military rule,
who on his return from Indonesia, told senior Burmese military
officials the following four points:

1. Do not allow the continuation of any political activities by
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and make the NLD disintegrate by
dishonouring the leadership capabilities and image of Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi by any means;
2. Conclude the National Convention;
3. Do not accept a federal state structure;
4. Disarm all ceasefire ethnic forces within 1998.

This move by the SPDC also indicates that like the SLORC, the
newly formed junta has no sincere intention to solve the
country's problems through genuine dialogue.

It also shows that the SPDC seems to have no confidence to allow
even the most limited NLD activities at this time, as the
currently deteriorating situation in the country appears to be
leading toward a general strike.

In April 1989, I had a similar experience of being intimidated by
the then State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), while I
was working with the Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS). 
At that time, I was summoned to meet with Maj. Gen. Myo Nyunt,
then Rangoon Divisional LORC commander, once in Rangoon, and with
Maj. Gen. Tun Kyi another time when I was visiting Mandalay. Both
times, I was given a warning about DPNS's political activities. 
The issues that they raised were as follows:

1. DPNS statements that criticised a series of the SLORC's
unjust orders;
2. The DPNS's condemnation of the junta's forced relocation of
civilians from Pha Sa Pa La ward (Anti-Fascist People Freedom
League ward) which was close to their War Office;
3. DPNS demands to halt the junta's oppression on farmers by
revealing the silent suffering of farmers.

They both tried to intimidate me by saying "If you do not stop
such DPNS activities as issuing statements and making organizing
trips, you will be arrested soon."  But we refused to be
intimidated and continued our activities as best we could.
  
*******************************************************

FTUB: REPORT ON THAI SECURITY PERSONNEL ATTACK ON NOH POH REFUGEE CAMP
January 15, 1998

Around 10:10 pm on January 12 (Monday), a group of Thai security personnel
came into Noh Poh Refugee camp in Tak Province and, 
using M-16s, shot at several refugees who were about to go out of 
the camp. 

The attack seriously wounded Saw Ru, 27, son of Saw Pho Lu and Naw Aku, who
resides in the No. 2 Quarter of the Noh Poh Refugee Camp.
Saw Ru was shot on his right thigh.   

>From the very beginning, the Noh Poh Refugee Camp has been fenced in and
the Thai Army runs under strict controls. Camp residents complain about
living in a prison-like camp.

On January 6, the Thai camp security caught 28 Muslims from No. 11 and
No.12 Quarters working in areas out the camp.  As a punishment, all of them
were made to dig trenches, build barracks, and cut down bamboo trees. 

The camp security forces have also been making refugees volunteer for work
on different projects.  Christians in the camp complain of being 
forced to work particularly on weekends when it was time for them to 
go to Church.

Federation of Trade Unions of Burma

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

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: HUMAN RESOURCES CENSUS
January 13, 1998

YANGON, 12 Jan-Minister for Immigration and Population U Saw Tun,
accompanied by Deputy Minister U Maung Aung, visited the Population
Department on Maha Bandoola Street here this afternoon and met the staff.

He told them that the Population Department has been constituted as a new
one to meet the requirements of the State. He spoke of the need to
enumerate census based on age groups and different strata. All would be
able to build a modern and developed nation only after compiling and
collecting correct data on human resources, he said. He noted human
resources development should be initiated on self-reliance.

He also spoke of the need to cooperate with friendly non-governmental
organizations. He emphasized that it would be necessary to work in
cooperation with UNFPA of the United Nations to compile and store data with
the use of computers. He said the department would have to implement
short-term and long-term plans and programmes through the combination of
science and technology and human resources.

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

CANADA NEWSWIRE: MINDORO INCREASES INTEREST AND IDENTIFIES NEW GOLD
POTENTIAL IN MYANMAR  PROJECT 
January 12, 1998 [abridged]
 
EDMONTON, Jan. 12 
Mindoro Resources Ltd. ("Mindoro") is pleased to announce it has acquired
an additional 20% interest in its Concession 11 Project (the "Project") in
Myanmar, bringing Mindoro's interest to 50%, the remaining 50% interest
held by the Government of  Myanmar.  
 
Mindoro acquired its additional interest pursuant to a Conveyance 
Agreement and a Royalty Agreement between Mindoro and Leeward Capital Corp. 
                                                                             
Mindoro assumed operatorship from Leeward in July, 1997, and commenced
exploration at the beginning of the dry season in November.  This work has
focussed on the Kyaukkyi Prospect, in two adjacent creeks named R-70 and
R-72, where the previous operator had located an extensive pan concentrate
gold anomaly ?.

It now appears that the R-70 and R-72 showings are part of a larger, 
intrusive-related alteration/mineralization system with possible
bulk-tonnage gold potential. Accordingly, the plans to drill-test the R-70
and R-72 showings have been deferred while the Kyaukkyi Prospect potential is 
systematically re-evaluated.  Rock exposure, in the form of outcrop and
float, is good and the Kyaukkyi Prospect can be brought to a relatively
advanced exploration stage through systematic surface work.  Work in
progress includes geological mapping, prospecting, soil geochemistry,
trenching and rock sampling.  It is expected that initial results will be
reported in early February. 

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

WALL STREET JOURNAL: PEREGRINE'S FALL TO EARTH
January 13, 1998 
Editorial [slightly abridged]

Yesterday's collapse of Peregrine investments Holdings, Ltd., was of course
another blow to Asian confidence, in large part because of what it
symbolized. It was the most dramatic evidence yet that Asia's go-go years
are over and that Asian banking in the future will have to be far more
prudent than it has been in the past.

No doubt the shock of seeing a high flyer like Peregrine crash to earth had
something to do with yesterday's slump of more than 8% in Hong Kong's Hang
Seng stock index. Overnight interest rates had also climbed 4.5 percentage
points as the currency board operated by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority
adjusted to a new spasm of capital flight. 

? Peregrine's failure does have meaning, however. Formed less than 10 years
ago by Philip Tose and Francis Leung, two former members of Citicorp's
securities team in Hong Kong, it quickly demonstrated its aggressiveness in
going after deals in Asia. This page was at times critical of the company's
lack of discrimination in providing financing for government regimes, in
Burma and Vietnam, for example, that were notorious for their
authoritarianism and disregard of human rights.

We are not pleased to see any company fail, but it should be noted that
Peregrine's heavy reliance on connections in high places, or guanxi, surely
was one cause of its downfall. Its lapse into insolvency was triggered, it
is believed, by the souring of its large holdings of promissory notes of an
Indonesian taxi company called PT Steady Safe. The troubled company's close
connections with the Suharto family did its creditors little good when the
Indonesian rupiah hit the skids, reducing the ability of all Indonesian
companies to pay their external debts.

Indeed, one of the most important lessons Asians are learning from the
present crisis is the limitations guanxi. The power of national political
leaders can wither quickly in the face of a financial firestorm of the type
Asia has been suffering. With a few moves, such as succumbing to the
blandishments of the International Monetary Fund to devalue a currency,
even the most powerful national leader can find himself in trouble. Indeed,
opponents of President Suharto have been emboldened by the current crisis
to demand that he not run again, and the president seems to have been
sufficiently weakened that he has not attempted his usual heavy-handed
retaliation against his tormentors, at least not yet.

It could of course be argued that the more authoritarian countries in Asia,
such as Burma, China and Vietnam, have appeared to be the least affected by
the financial crisis. That is partly because they have been less attractive
than the Asian tigers to speculative investment. They are on the whole too
poor, and their banking systems too underdeveloped, to pull in speculative
funds. But even they will not emerge unscathed from the economic effects of
the Asian meltdown and we will learn there as well as among the tigers that
authoritarian leadership is no match for the power of world markets when
the markets lose confidence in a region.

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

THE NATION: ILLEGAL WORKERS FACE MASS DEPORTATION
January 15, 1998
by Piyanart Srivalo

THE estimated 700,000 foreigners working illegally in Thailand will be
deported so their jobs can be filled by unemployed Thais, the National
Security Council (NSC) chief announced yesterday.

NSC secretary-general Gen Boonsak Kamhaeng-rithirong was speaking after
attending a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai.

He said there were 260,000 to 290,000 illegal immigrants who had registered
to work legally, and an estimated 700,000 others illegally employed in
factories in 43 provinces nationwide.

The NSC had declassified information on illegal entrants which it formerly
zealously guarded, so it was now possible for the government to implement
plans to tackle unemployment, a source close to the meeting said.

The NSC also promised to give more attention to illegal immigrants working
in the South, a region which had in the past been ignored, the source said.

Permanent Labour Secretary Phan Jantharapan said yesterday that despite the
decision by an earlier government to legitimise the status of about 260,000
illegal workers, an estimated 700,000 others were still working illegally
in factories.

The illegal entrants would be deported in six months, while the
documentation for the others would not be extended when it expires.

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

YADANA PIPELINE REPORTS:

BKK POST: EXPERTS FAVOUR SUSPENSION WITHOUT INCURRING PENALTY
January 15, 1998
by Chakrit Ridmontri

The majority of legal experts involved in examining the Thai-Burmese gas
pipeline contracts have concluded in favour of the interpretation that the
pipeline construction might be suspended without incurring a penalty.

The panel of 10 experts spent three days at Government House at Prime
Minister Chuan Leekpai's initiative to thrash out opposing opinions on the
contracts.

Experts on the side of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand, the project
developer, insisted that the PTT would be liable to a hefty fine if
construction was suspended resulting in delay to the project completion.
Those on the opponents' side disagreed.

All five experts appointed by the opposing conservation groups rendered an
opinion in favour of the opponents' interpretation.

Three experts, one appointed by PTT and the other two by the government,
favoured the PTT's interpretation. Another PTT-appointed expert delivered
an inconclusive opinion while the remaining government expert, the
secretary-general of the Council of State who chaired the talks, abstained.

Phibhob Dhongchai, coordinator of conservation groups, revealed the results
yesterday at a press conference. He called on Mr Chuan who received a
report of the talks on Monday to make a decision on the fate of the project
based on the opinion of the majority.

"I hope that Mr Chuan will be democratic-minded and respect the conclusion
of the committee he appointed to give him legal advice," said Mr Phibhob
who was one of the experts in the talks.

The committee was assigned to study the contracts which PTT signed with the
gas drilling consortium and a construction company to consider the
possibility of suspending the project and reroute the pipeline as demanded
by the opponents.

"I reveal the results to send a message to the Prime Minister. If he remains
unresponsive, we have to consider tougher action," warned Mr Phibhob,
saying the groups would resort only to peaceful protests, a right
recognised by the Constitution.

Songkiert Tansamrit, PTT director of public relations, asked for calm from
protesters who are camping out at the entrance to a lush forest in
Kanchanaburi to prevent the laying of the pipeline.

However, he insists that the PTT would suffer a heavy fine, originally
estimated at about 40 million baht a day, if it could not finish the project
by July.

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BKK POST: WE NEED TO SETTLE THIS THING FINALLY
January 15, 1998
by Wasant Techawongtham

Most observers expected little to come of the three days of talks
which ended Monday between the Petroleum Authority of Thailand
and the opponents of its gas pipeline, and they were not disappointed.

Providing breathing room in the long-running dispute was Prime
Minister Chuan Leekpai, who offered Government House as the venue
for legal experts from both sides to .thrash out their different
interpretations of the contracts the PTT has signed with its
contractor and the gas exploration consortium in Burma.

The main point of contention has been whether a delay in the
pipeline construction might incur a penalty.

The PTT has claimed consistently it is liable to a hefty fine if
it fails to complete the pipeline by July.  But this is seen as
an attempt to beat back opposition.  Conservation and grassroots
groups who have camped out at the entrance to a lush forest to
prevent the laying of the pipeline for the past three weeks
dispute the claim.

The talks were destined for failure right from the start.  They
were called hurriedly by the man who presided over the government
four years ago which allowed the PTT to sign the contracts in the
first place without consulting the public or getting permission
to use protected foresee.  The deep distrust each side has of the
other was profound and showed no sign of improving when the talks
began.  And the talks were set up in such a way that no
definitive conclusion could be expected.

While negotiators on the opposition side would not say so aloud,
they went into the talks not trusting Mr Chuan to be neutral nor
expecting him to lean their way.  Having no directive from up
high to give way, the PTT negotiators had no incentive to try to
reach a compromise.

The construction will now accelerate to compensate for the time
lost while the talks proceeded.  Tensions have reached a peak in
the confrontation and violence cannot be discounted.  No one
wants to see violence break out but the presence of 200 armed the
armed troops to "safeguard the pipeline route and keep the peace
cannot help but give people the jitters.  It was a bad decision
on Mr Chuan's part to involve the military rely civilian affair.

Although the PTT tried to deflect the blame from Mr Chuan by
arguing that the troops were there as part of an agreement it
reached with the Banharn Silpa-archa government, this does not
help the situation.  The troops' presence only serves to increase
tensions. Any wrong move will inevitably lead to unpredictable
results.

The dispute reached an impasse after an academic from Khon Khen
University failed in an earlier attempt to mediate.  If violence
is to be diverted and damage is to be kept to a minimum, an
alternative must be found at once.

Time is of the essence.  We cannot afford a more deliberate,
full-fledged conflict resolution process that will take months. 
More mediation should be tried.  This time prominent figures
forming a tribunal should be given the task of continuing the
talks until an agreement is reached.  The situation warrants the
involvement of the most respected people acceptable to all sides. 
Some names that immediately spring to mind are economist Ammar
Siamwalla, former prime minister Anand Panyarachun, political
scientist Chai-Anan Samudavanija and Dr Prawase Wasi.

If success is to have a chance, both sides of the dispute and Mr
Chuan must commit themselves sincerely to." the process and abide
by the eventual resolution.  And that resolution must not only
protect the nation's economic interests but its environment as
well.

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS

WHAT'S IN A NAME?
January 15, 1998
   
AFP - As of Monday, January 19, AFP is changing its style for 
Burma to Myanmar and for Rangoon to Yangon. Only exception will be in
direct quotes, when we shall keep the speaker's original formulation.
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CALL FOR ACTION ON MYERS SELLING VAN HEUSEN SHIRTS MADE IN BURMA 
January 14, 1998

Free Burma Coalition, Australia

Myers department stores are also selling shirts made in Burma by the
company Van Heusen.

Please fax, tel and write!!!!!!!!!!

Mr Terry McCartney
Managing Director, Myer Grace Bros.
PO Box 869J, Melbourne 3001
Australia
Tel: 03 9661 1111
Fax: 03 9661 3004

Mr Peter Oliver
Manager, Van Heuson
3/7 McPherson Street
Banks Meadow, NSW 2216
Australia
Tel: 02 9316 7444
Fax: O2 9316 7207
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UPDATED LIST OF AUSTRALIAN BASED BURMA PRO-DEMOCRACY GROUPS
January 14, 1998

Free Burma Coalition, Australia

I would like to compile an updated list of legitimate Australian based
Burma pro-democracy groups.  In the past two years or so many groups have
been formed which may not be getting good coverage by the media and may not
be appearing in international and national publications.

If you work for or know of Australian based Burma prodemocracy
organisations please email me the following information.

1. Name of organisation
2. Executive for contact.  ie Chairperson, Secretary or spokesperson
3. Email Address
4. Telephone
5. Fax
6. Address

Once I have compiled this list I will email it in it's entirety through this
address list, add the organisations to Burma Office mailing list, send it to
our media contacts and have it on hand when people ask who they can work
with in a particular city.

I would be most grateful for your assistance.

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