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Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse   
                              Agence France Presse 
 
                          February  13, 1998 13:40 GMT 
 
SECTION: Financial pages 
 
LENGTH: 203 words 
 
HEADLINE:  Myanmar,  China sign 250 million dollar power loan memorandum 
 
DATELINE: BANGKOK, Feb 13 
 
 BODY: 
    Myanmar  and China have signed a 250 million dollar loan deal under which 
Beijing will provide funds for a badly-needed hydroelectric plant for the 
military-run state, the media said Friday. 
 
   The two sides Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to help 
launch the Paunglaung Hydropower Project near the city of Mandalay in the
centre
of the country, the official New Light of  Myanmar  said. 
 

   The project, near the town of Pyinmana, will have an installed capacity of 
280 megawatts and will annually generate over 900 kilowatts of electricty to
be 
distributed through the national grid. 
 
   The deal was signed between the scheme's operator,  Myanmar  Electric Power
Enterprise and the Yunnan Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Corp. 
 
   Power Minister major General Tin Htut said talks for the scheme had been 
underway for months and the signing constituted an "important milestone" for
the
implementation of the scheme. 
 
   A shortage of power to help industrialise the nation is one of the key 
problems afflicting  Myanmar's (Burma's)  troubled economy. 
 
   Foreign investors from the west are reticent about investing in  Myanmar  
amid bad publicity over the junta's human rights record. 
 
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Agence France Presse 
 
                          February  14, 1998 04:16 GMT 
 
SECTION: International news 
 
LENGTH: 394 words 
 
HEADLINE: Aung San Suu Kyi appeals for mercy on refugees 
 
DATELINE: BANGKOK, Feb 14 
 
 BODY: 
    Myanmar  opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called on foreign 
governments and humanitarian organizations to give priority to aiding refugees
who have fled military oppression. 
 
   The Nobel peace prize laureate asked governments to help ethnic refugees to
make a new life in foreign countries, a statement from the Alternative ASEAN 
Network on  Burma  received here Saturday said. 

   "I would like to appeal to NGOs to do what they can to help our Karen and 
other ethnic refugees who have had to leave their homes and try to scrape 
together a form of living in foreign lands," she said. 
 
   "I would also like to appeal to all governments concerned to alleviate the 
suffering s of our refugees abroad," she added. 
 
   The statement said Aung San Suu Kyi, who heads the National League for 
Democracy in  Myanmar,  made her appeal in the run-up to celebrations of the 
country's 51st anniversary of national union on Thursday. 
 
   The anniversary marks the day when General Aung San, father of the Nobel 
laureate and a leader in the country's struggle for independence from Britain,
signed an agreement with  Myanmar's  ethnic minorities to work towards 
independence. 
 
   Aung San Suu Kyi appealed in particular to neighbouring Thailand, which has
recently threatened to expell all foreign workers in order to make room for 
jobless Thais. 
 
   "We would like the Thai government to do what they can to alleviate the 
sufferings of our refugees. We are very distressed by their plight," she said.

   The statement comes in the wake of a bid by Thai authorities to shift more 
than 10,000 refugees who fled  Myanmar's  military regime to a new camp, which
ran into trouble when the first batch of refugees refused to leave. 
 
   More than 100 residents of the Mae Yae Hta camp in northwest Thailand
staged 
a protest Thursday and Friday as the Thai military and provincial authorities 
attempted to load them and their possessions into lorries. 
 
   Men in ski masks working with the authorities began ripping down some of
the 
grass huts in a bid to move the camp residents after last-ditch negotiations 
between the two sides failed, witnesses said. 
 
   According to exiled  Myanmar  student leaders, the Thai army has said it
will
shift the inhabitants of four camps in the area and warned the refugees on 
Thursday that if they did not move they could face deportation back to 
 Myanmar.  
 
   de/bl 
 
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH 
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Asiaweek 
 
                               February  13, 1998 
 
SECTION: THE NATIONS;  Myanmar;  Pg. 20 
 
LENGTH: 382 words 
 
HEADLINE: Five Who Call the Shots 
 
 HIGHLIGHT: 
Sketches of the strongest of the strongmen 
 
 BODY: 
    Myanmar  is ruled by a 19-man State Peace & Development Council. In truth 
five members run the show, perhaps guided occasionally by former ruler Gen. Ne
Win. The power quintet: 
 
   Lt.-Gen. Khin Nyunt. At 58, the thin-lipped Secretary-1 of the ruling
Council
(known as S-1) appears to be the top man for affairs of state and policy-
making.
Still sometimes derided, however, as "the little guy under Ne Win." Charming, 

intelligent, wry sense of humor, excellent English, but shy and cautious with 
strangers. Intelligence services head since 1983. Seen as robustly 
anti-corruption. Weakness: no real power base among active army units, which
may
be fatal to his vision to open up  Myanmar.  Likes to read. Avoids pork and 
beef, and every Monday goes strictly vegetarian. 
 
   Gen. Maung Aye. Council vice chairman and, more importantly, head of the 
armed forces, the single most important job in the country. Charmless but 
respected by fellow officers and liked by ordinary grunts. Admired for holding
together the army's many factions and often recalcitrant regional commanders
-- 
and for making sure its budget is not cut. In his early 60s. 
 
   Senior Gen. Than Shwe. Council chairman and head of state. On paper, the
most
powerful man, but in reality seen as a portly father figure whose main role is
to balance the Khin Nyunt and Maung Aye factions. Genial and speaks good 
English. Now 65, he tires easily, though rumors of his questionable health are
overstated. 
 
   Lt.-Gen. Tin Oo. Secretary-2 of the Council. In his 60s, Tin Oo is aligned 
with the more dogmatic Maung Aye camp. Last year he was the victim of at least
one assassination attempt. In April, his daughter was killed by a letter bomb 
intended for him, and rumor has it that in December he received a light flesh 

wound from a gun attack at his home. Tainted with allegations of corruption, 
partly due to opulent lifestyle of family and partly due to the attempts on
his 
life -- which some feel may be from businessmen whom he has crossed. 
 
   Lt.-Gen Win Myint. Secretary-3. Cheery and plump. Has retained his powerful
post as adjutant-general, which gives him clout to control appointments in the
military. Avoids limelight, but is regarded, aside from his soulmate S-1, as
the
brightest man in the top five. In his late 50s.
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Asiaweek 
 
                               February  13, 1998 
 
SECTION: THE NATIONS;  Myanmar;  Pg. 22 
 
LENGTH: 400 words 
 
HEADLINE: A Man of Some Influence 
 
 HIGHLIGHT: 
What Ne Win wants may still matter 
 
 BODY: 
   Although he officially stepped down amid growing turmoil in 1988,
Myanmar's 
former dictator, Gen. Ne Win, 86, continues to cast a shadow over the country.
Did the reclusive Ne Win really order the current military junta to make last 
November's dramatic changes? Says an Asian diplomat: "The jury is still out on
that." The generals themselves deny it. Cabinet minister Gen. David Abel says:
"He is a man of very clear decision. When he left, he just got up on the stage
and said, 'I am responsible for what is happening and I'm out. Thank God, I've

turned my back on politics.'" 
 
   Others disagree. Says another diplomat: "He's involved, definitely." Some
say
he should become more involved and suggest he promote a rapprochement between 
the NLD's Aung San Suu Kyi and the junta. Says a top civil servant: "Everyone 
hopes he can bring Khin Nyunt and Suu Kyi together, since he is close to S-1
and
he knew her father." Military men dismiss the idea. 
 
   Just who is Ne Win? He was born in a town north of Yangon to an ordinary 
family. His real name is Maung Shu Maung but, like other independence
fighters, 
he adopted a nom de guerre; "Ne Win" means "bright sun." While working as a 
postal clerk, he was swept up in the fight for freedom. Ne Win came to power
by 
force in 1962 and ruled with an iron fist for 26 years. 
 
   Economic problems led to widespread unrest in 1988 and by July the general 
stepped down. Many wish he had done so sooner. Says Ba Thaung, a former U.N. 
ambassador: "He has always been a very stubborn man." 
 
   And one unbothered by conventions. The number of his wives is a matter of 
jovial conjecture -- most say between four and six. His second and most 
influential wife was the American-educated Khin May Than. They had three 
children, including his favorite daughter, Sandar Win, a hotelier and powerful

figure in Yangon. 
 
   Last September, Ne Win visited his old chums, Singapore Senior Minister Lee
Kuan Yew and Indonesia's President Suharto, both of whom reportedly complained
about the rampant bribery in  Myanmar.  Afterward, Ne Win told Khin Nyunt that
corruption had to be rooted out. So it came to pass on Nov. 15. 
 
   It may well have happened. Even if it didn't, the generals may not mind the
rumors. They prefer the military to believe that Ne Win has approved, if not 
directed, their more portentous decisions. Such is the wily old dictator's
clout
these days.
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Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
 
                      February  13, 1998, Friday, BC Cycle  
                          04:15 Central European Time 
 
SECTION: Financial Pages 
 
LENGTH: 196 words 
 
HEADLINE: Foreign workers stage sit-in to protest unpaid wages in Singapore 
 
DATELINE: Singapore 
 
 BODY: 
    More than 100 foreign labourers from  Burma,  China, India and Thailand 
staged a sit-in at the Singapore Labour Ministry after their hearing on 
allegedly unpaid wages was postponed for a third time, police said Friday. 
 
    "They were basically just sitting down, waiting for this thing to be 
resolved," police spokesman John Chang said of Thursday's incident. "We were 
just there to maintain peace and order. They settled it peacefully." 

    The labourers claim that construction firm Kol-Shang Pro Builders had not 
paid their salaries for three months. "Until today, we have not been given any
money," a southern Indian worker said, according to the Straits Times
newspaper.
"I don't even have money to eat." 
 
    The Labour Ministry said it had contacted the employer "to provide an 
advance payment to the workers and to arrange for their accommodation, pending
the settlement of their claims". 
 
    Singapore, a small city-state, depends heavily on low-cost imported
labour, 
mostly from other Asian countries. In 1997 there were more than 450,000
foreign 
workers legally employed in Singapore - which has a population of 3 million -
up
from 200,000 in 1992. dpa dv fz 
 
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH 
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AP Worldstream 
 
                 February  12, 1998; Thursday 03:22 Eastern Time 
 
SECTION: International news 
 
LENGTH: 585 words 
 
HEADLINE: Burmese general calls Suu Kyi lackey of West in holiday celebrations
 
DATELINE: RANGOON,  Burma  
 
 BODY: 
    Gen. Than Shwe, the leader of  Burma's  military government, branded Nobel
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi a tool of Western powers seeking to subjugate the 
country, during Union Day celebrations Thursday. 
 
   Suu Kyi, meanwhile, was permitted by the government to hold a gathering of 
450 supporters at her Rangoon compound for the holiday which honors unity 
between  Burma's  many ethnic groups. 
 

   The democracy leader had invited more than 1,500 of her party members and 
supporters to attend, but government security personnel turned away hundreds. 
 
   ''Internal and external destructive elements are harming the sovereignty of
the union and attempting to disrupt national solidarity with the use of their 
lackey at a time when the union spirit is flourishing,'' Than Shwe said during
a
speech. 
 
   The general and other leading members of the military regime attended a 
flag-raising ceremony in People's Park, across from the golden Shwedagon
Pagoda.
 
   Than Shwe urged members of  Burma's  ethnic minorities to ''further 
consolidate national unity and work for the emergence of a new constitution.''
 
    Burma  has eight major ethnic groups and 135 subgroups, many of which have
waged decades-long wars for independence from successive governments in
Rangoon.
 
   The only time they were truly united with the Burmese was under the 
leadership of Suu Kyi's father, Gen. Aung San, who convinced them to sign the 
Panglong Agreement on Feb. 12, 1947. 
 

   The treaty united the ethnic groups and the Burmese in the struggle for 
independence from Britain and promised a federal state guaranteeing minority 
rights. 
 
   Aung San was assassinated by a political rival shortly before  Burma  was 
granted independence on Jan. 4, 1948, and without his leadership, civil wars
and
insurgencies soon erupted. 
 
   The insurgencies were the pretext for the military ousting a 
democratically-elected government in 1962. It has been in power ever since. 
 
   During the past eight years, the military government has used a combination
of force and economic incentives to induce many war-weary rebel armies to sign
ceasefires. 
 
   However, despite the agreements, fighting continues in several ethnic areas
such as Shan State, Karen State, Kayah State, Mon State and Kachin State. 
 
   A confederation of various ethnic groups signed a statement last year
calling
on the government to open a dialogue with them and Suu Kyi. 

   The government responded by launching a massive military offensive against 
the Karen ethnic group, which organized the statement. 
 
   In her speech to supporters Thursday, Suu Kyi repeated her call for a 
dialogue with military leaders and the restoration of democracy. 
 
   ''Only a genuine democratic nation can ensure the security and basic rights
of all nationalities,'' Suu Kyi said. 
 
   She read a statement from Bohmu Aung, one of  Burma's  founding fathers,
that
also called on the military to open a dialogue. 
 
   Diplomats from the United States, Australia, Great Britain, France,
Germany, 
Italy, Thailand, the Philippines, Korea and Japan attended the ceremony held
in 
a thatched meeting hall inside Suu Kyi's compound. 
 
   The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner appeared pale and thin. Reports have 
circulated around Rangoon of disagreements among leaders of her political
party 
over what tactics to employ in their pursuit of democracy and their fight 
against government repression. 

   The regime has steadfastly refused to open a dialogue with Suu Kyi and
other 
party leaders and has barred foreign journalists from meeting them. 
 
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH 
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