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The BurmaNet News - 17 February, 19



------------------------------ BurmaNet -----------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The BurmaNet News, 17 February, 1998
Issue #936

Noted in passing:

"As long as even one person remains in Burma who is not going to give up,
than I am not going to leave that person and abandon the cause for my own
peace of mind." - Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
(see THE NATION: SUU KYI: NEVER SAY NEVER)

HEADLINES:
==========
THE NATION: SUU KYI: NEVER SAY NEVER
THE ASIAN AGE: IS BURMA'S HEROINE BAD NEWS FOR HER
THE TIMES OF INDIA: WEAPONS SEIZED WERE FOR NORTH-
BKK POST: 1,800 KAREN REFUGEES TO RETURN TO BURMA 
THE NATION: 23 THAI INMATES DIED IN BURMA JAIL SINCE 1994
BKK POST: PUSH FOR NEW TRADE ROUTE 
BKK POST: HELP SOUGHT FROM BURMA FOR SCHEME
BKK POST: SUKHUMBHAND TO DISCUSS IMPORT RULES IN
THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: BRIEFS

ERI PRESS RELEASE: BURMESE MILITARY IS A TRAINING GROUND FOR RAPISTS, SAYS
NEW REPORT

Announcements:
NCGUB CCN: NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE IN BURMESE
NEW VOA BURMESE WEBSITE
NEW INCORE WEBSITE
---------------------------------------------------------------------

THE NATION: SUU KYI: NEVER SAY NEVER
17 February, 1998

THE NATION'S STEVEN GAN TALKS TO NOBEL PEACE LAUREATE AUNG SAN SUU KYI LAST 
WEEK IN RANGOON ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT IN BURMA. THE
FOLLOWING ARE EXCERPTS OF THE INTERVIEW.

The Nation's Steven Gan talks to Nobel peace laureate Aung San
Suu Kyi last week in Rangoon about the future of the democratic
movement in Burma. The following are excerpts of the interview. 
It has been 10 years since the 1988 uprising and eight years since
the annulled elections. The National League for Democracy [NLD] 
has called for a dialogue with the military junta, but there has been 
little response from them. What are you going to do to break the 
impasse?

All sides have to realise that the impasse is not doing anybody
any good. Ten years is not much compared to the length of time
which other countries had to struggle for democracy. So I do not
think there is any cause for too  much despair or disappointment
at  this stage. It is quite normal for authoritarian regimes to be 
intractable for long periods. One just perseveres.

But as time goes by, the people may get complacent.

No, I don't think so. As time goes by, the people will realise more 
and more that the present state of affairs is just going to get worse. 
The economy has deteriorated visibly in the past years. Actually we 
have been saying- since 1995 after I was released from house arrest -
that this is going to be the way the economy is going to go, and we 
said that not because we were astrologers, but by listening to the
people who have the courage to tell us what is really going on.

Will there be another uprising during these hard times?

I don't know, quite frankly. I have never been someone who claims
to be able to foresee what is going to happen. Also I have never been 
fond of predicting the future. I am confident there will be change, but 
I do not know exactly how change will come. But certainly the 
discontent of the people will count a big deal.

Will the NLD be tapping this discontent to put pressure on the ruling 
State Peace and Development Council [SPDC]?

It is not a matter of trying to take advantage of a very difficult situation. 
We are doing the work of a legitimate opposition, and opposition parties
everywhere are there to point out the problems that exist in the country
and to urge the government to do something about it and, more or less, 
to say to them that if you cannot do that, then you have got to let other 
people have the chance to do it. The ironic thing about our situation is 
that we should not be an opposition at all, because the people elected us 
in 1990.

But the SPDC continues to ignore the NLD. How long are you going
to wait?

It is not a matter of waiting. It is not as if we are sitting and doing 
nothing. It is a matter of working. We try to find ways and means 
of persuading the authorities to understand that what they are doing 
is not good for the country.

Will you be organ sing any civil disobedience?

Civil disobedience in the sense of demonstrations? We have never done such
a thing. We have not been forced to consider such measures. We think that 
the people's movement must come spontaneously. We can only demonstrate to 
the people what we are prepared to do for democracy. It is quite obvious 
that our people are willing to do a lot, but these people just go into 
prisons all the time. It is not for nothing that they are going to prison.

Given the deteriorating economic Situation in Burma, do you foresee
the country becoming like Indonesia, where people become more discontent?

I have come across people who always claim that they can predict
what is going to happen. I am not talking about astrologers; I am not 
talking about those people who think that they are in a position to 
analyse the situation ..

Like journalists?

 ... [laughs] and some others. But I think I will forgive the jounalists 
for doing that. It is part of their job.

Will there be any possibility of spontaneous demonstrations soon?

I cannot say. That is your job. You have to find out. But in a society 
like ours we just have to listen to  rumours, and that is very difficult.

How would the NLD respond to a spontaneous demonstration?

We are a political party, and as such we are in a position to or 
organise and discipline our people.

What if the SPDC wants a dialogue on the condition that you are
not part of the NLD negotiating team?

We want a genuine political dialogue without any preconditions. A
genuine political dialogue involves equality. This means that they 
choose their own representatives and we choose ours, but if they 
choose their own representatives and ours as well, that is not a 
dialogue on an equal basis. For that reason we will not accept this. 
It is not just a matter of me. They cannot say [NLD Chairman] Aung 
Shwe should not take part either, and according to the mandate by 
the NLD,, Aung Shwe and I have to handle this together.

If you do have genuine dialogue, what would you say to the SPDC? 

I do not think I could say this to you. It would not be quite right for 
me to say to the press exactly what we are going to discuss first before 
we could even inform members of the NLD.

If SPDC says it wants to form a coalition government with the
NLD, would that be acceptable to you?

We are keeping all our options open. It is very important never to say 
never in politics.

So the option of forming a government with SPDC is there.

We are always prepared to consider different options.

Why did the State Law and Order Council (Slorc) change its name to SPDC? 

There are those who say that it is because some astrologers said Slorc would
not last for more than nine years, so they decided to change the name. There
are those who say that some public-relations company advised them that the 
name Slorc was not very nice.

There has been speculation that certain Slorc generals were punished for
corruption.

We have heard that several of them are virtually under house arrest, 
and they have certainly not been seen in public. We do not know 
exactly what has been done to them. One hears that some have been interrogated
and dismissed from their jobs. In a society like ours where there is no
freedom
of the press, one has to talk simply in terms of what one has heard.

There are also rumours about a split between the young and old
members within the NLD.

Of course there are people with different opinions, and that is
democracy. There are bound to be people with different opinions,
and I think we have to accept that as part of the democratic
procedure.

When will you say "I am giving up"? 

Why should I say that? As long as even one person remains in Burma who is 
not going to give up, than I am not going to leave that person and abandon 
the cause for my own peace of mind.

Some say economic sanctions only harm the people of Burma.

I stand by economic sanctions against Burma because I do not think 
that economic sanctions have hurt anybody except the richest people, 
and it is partly because of these people who have become rich 'over 
the last few years that we are not achieving genuine progress. They 
are not interested  in the kind of change that is necessary for the rest 
of the country to prosper.

The most current international issue is -the threat of a military strike 
against Iraq. What are your opinions on this? 

We are a non-violent group, and we have never encouraged violence. 
I know that the problem with Iraq has gone on for longer than it should, 
and I know that the people of Iraq are suffering. It is always very 
difficult when there is a regime which makes it impossible for others 
to help the people without propping up the regime as well. 
     
But the situation in Burma is different because the sanctions against 
Burma are not the kind that hurt the people at all. It only hurts the 
richest of the rich. The gap between the rich and poor has widened 
greatly, and the economic sanctions will only help to close the gap.

You must have heard about Indonesia's opposition figure Megawati
Sukarnoputi.   Yes

Some go as far as comparing her to you: you were both daughters
of well respected historical leaders; and both of you are fighting 
against military regimes.

I do not know her personally. Of course I could see that people would
draw similarities between her and me, but I am always a bit wary, 
because if she had been a man people would not have drawn the similarities. 
It is simply because we are both women that people start drawing the 
comparison. People do not usually compare me so much to other men.

Thailand is facing a debilitating economic crisis, and there are talks 
of expelling some of the Burmese refugees and migrant workers.

Thais are Buddhists, are they not? I think they should be able to
demonstrate lovingkindness and compassion. It is very easy to be
compassionate and kind 
when things are going well, but when things are not going well for you your
kindness and compassion is really valuable. If you have a lot to eat it
doesn't matter much if you toss a cake for somebody, but if you are
prepared to share
your last bowl of rice with somebody, that is very kind and compassionate.

I don't think that Thailand is in a state that people are being forced 
to share their last bowl of rice with the refugees, So would like to 
appeal to the Thai government to do what they can to alleviate their 
suffering, and if they themselves cannot do it, to allow those who are 
prepared to help the refugees, such as the United Nations High Commission
for Refugees and the NGOs.

Do you have a message for Asean governments? 

I would like to appeal to them to do  what they can to help bring about
democratisation of Burma, because we do believe that once there is an 
accountable and transparent government in this country we shall be able 
to improve our economic situation, and we shall be able to make our 
contribution to the region., So whenever there are problems connected 
to the region Burma would not be a dead weight but a source of help. At 
the moment of course we  are needing help, but we look forward to the 
time when we can contribute to the  progress and peace in the region. 

A few months after your release from house arrest in  1996, you said 
that Burmese were still prisoners in their own country. Has the 
situation changed?

The economic situation is much worse ' That means that the people are 
suffering more. Our civil freedom has not increased. The political 
situation has not improved. So compared to 1995 we are worse off now.

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

THE ASIAN AGE: IS BURMA'S HEROINE BAD NEWS FOR HER NATION? 
15 February 1998
by Justin Marozzi

Is Aung San Suu Kyi, beautiful pro-democracy and human rights activist,
bad news for Burma? It is the question the West has preferred not to ask.
It is time it did so. The 50th anniversary of the country's independence,
celebrated in hollow fashion last month, provides an opportune moment 
for reflection. 
 
Burma has suffered under the military junta that seized power in the coup
of 1988; of that there can be little doubt. The economy is in the shambles, 
the Kyat fluctuates widely up and down against the dollar, and political 
freedom is as distant a prospect as ever. Those brave enough to express 
opposition to the regime are likely to be handed seven-year prison
sentences for their pains. In the face of this thuggish, incompetent and
hopelessly corrupt regime, Ms Aung San Suu Kyi has emerged as the tireless 
and charismatic head of the democracy movement. Since 1990, she has been 
separated from her husband and two sons, has been subjected to continual
harassment and persecution and has shown remarkable courage throughout. 
That much is controversial. (?) 

But Burma is also suffering from a striking absence of debate on the methods 
she is using to improve this dreadful situation. In particular, her call for
the international community not to invest in Burma and her discouragement
of foreign aid are having profoundly damaging effects on her country.
Critically, they are having no discernible effects on the regime beyond
increasing its intransigence.
 
Over lunch in her guarded compound in Rangoon, I asked Ms Aung San Suu Kyi 
why she was so resolutely opposed to foreign investment with the regime. In 
her recently published 'Letters from Burma,' She described businessmen 
investing in the country as "passers-by in an orchard roughly stripping 
off blossoms for their fragile beauty, blind to the ugliness of despoiled
branches, oblivious of the fact that by their action they are imperilling 
future fruitfulness and committing an injustice against the rightful owners 
of the tree." It is a fine picture, but it is one painted by a poetical
visionary. Aid is desperately needed for roads, bridges, telecommunications,
civil aviation, health and education, but promoted both by the regime's
incompetence and Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, the United States continues to block 
World Bank and IMF lending to Burma.
 
The problem, she said, was that "the economic changes that the Slorc
(the ruling body), brought about were not building up a middle class. It 
just meant that some people got terribly wealthy, and the great majority 
got poorer". Economic development is never that simple. In neighboring
Indonesia, one of the world's most obvious kleptocracies, growth has
helped create a middle class is a more appropriate ingredient in the 
recipe than a poor peasantry. What, I asked Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, had 
her movement achieved in the decade since she returned from England 
to Burma?

"We have had our ups and downs, but certainly our democracy movement
is far better known and supported throughout the world now than it was 
in 1988," she replied. In other words, Burma has successfully been 
established as a pariah state consigned to economic ruin. As one observer 
in Rangoon remarked, "I find it astonishing that anyone can think that by 
keeping a country poor you advance the cause of democracy. All you do 
is keep the peasant knee-deep in mud when the country is crying out for
industrialization, modernization, a manufacturing base and a middle class
with economic leverage that will stand up to the government." The
unpalatable truth about sanctions, particularly hard to digest for those
adhering to the isolationist approach, is that they offer no magic fix.
The example of South Africa, so beloved by those who call for sanctions 
In Burma, is not conclusive. Sanction against Iraq have certainly damaged 
the regime's ability to wage war, but they have also devastated an entire
population without in any way weakening the position of the murderous
Saddam Hussein. In Cuba, four decades of the US embargo have merely
reinforced the position of Fidel Castro. The bearded revolutionary
routinely blames the country's economic morass on his imperialist
neighbor.
 
But with Iraq, a dangerous and recalcitrant regime that the International
Community collectively agreed to punish, there is at least a debate on
whether sanctions are correct approach. The Burmese people are owed a
similar debate on whether the methods of one opposition leader and 
western governments to prevent foreign aid and investment are either 
appropriate or helpful.  But for western politicians, who prefer certainties 
to potentially intractable problems, showing off on the human rights and
democracy platform is easier than acknowledging their limited ability to
bring about desired political change oversea.
 
Quite simply, Burma offers them cheap political capital. The country is 
Of no strategic interest and, having strangled itself by almost three 
Decades of economic isolation, it has few large western business interests 
to contend with. The limited US sanctions enacted last April, were driven 
by domestic politics. By ensuring they prohibited only new investments, 
the ban safeguarded Unocal, the only significant investor in Burma.
 
Branding the Burmese government as a deeply repugnant regime is the 
Easy part. More challenging is to identify a way forward. It is unclear 
whether discouraging investment will work. Burma may, as many hope, prove 
to be another South Africa. It is equally debatable whether foreign 
investment will in time fuel the emergence of a more politically assertive 
middle class to replace the military junta. There is nothing wrong with 
such uncertainties, they are part of the political debate. The point, of
course, is that there should be one. The jury on Ms Aung San Suu Kyi
should still be out.
 
*******************************************************

THE TIMES OF INDIA: WEAPONS SEIZED WERE FOR NORTH-EAST MILITANTS
13 February, 1998 [abridged]
by Dinesh Kumar

NEW DELHI: The consignment of weapons intercepted on Longoff island in the
Andamans on Wednesday originated from Cambodia and was transported via
Thailand.  It was headed for Bangladesh for onward distribution to
insurgent groups in 
the northeast, particularly the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) 
and the People's  Liberation Army(PLA), highly-placed sources here said.

Preliminary interrogation, the sources added, revealed that many of the
74 gun-runners caught during the operation were Cambodians, Myanmarese
and Thais.

The sources said that the NSCN is known to have established bases in
Thailand from where they have been bringing weapons along a land route
via Myanmar, notwithstanding the current ceasefire with the NSCN.  These
weapons, they added, could have been sold to the LTTE, Kashmir-militants
and religious fundamentalist groups in the country.

The 145 guns seized included US-made M-16, M-61 and M-79 rifles, AK-47
rifles, rocket launchers and .50inch heavy machine guns, 10 communication
sets and 
40,000 rounds of assorted ammunition.  The two trawlers and two smaller 
boats used by the gun-runners were fitted with anti-aircraft guns.

Although this is the first joint operation against gunrunners in the
Andamans, the Rear Admiral said he could not rule out past use of this
route. Speaking to journalists here, Rear Adm Singh said a major
surveillance operation was mounted, all escape routes were sealed and Army
and Marine 
commandos pre-positioned on the island in the joint operation involving 
the Army, Navy, IAF and the Coast Guard after rveceiving specific
information about the gun-runners from the military intelligence.

"We learnt that gun-runners coming from east of the Andamans were headed
for an uninhabited island located about 120 nautical miles from Port
Blair and less than 50 nautical miles from Myanmar.  The island was
meant to be a transit point from where weapons were to be put on smaller
boats for onward delivery elsewhere," he said.

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

BKK POST: 1,800 KAREN REFUGEES TO RETURN TO BURMA 
MOVE SEEN AS BID TO BAR ILLEGAL LOGGING 
15 February, 1998 [abridged]
by Chewin Sattha

MAE HONG SON -- Over 1,800 Karen refugees at Ban Sop Ngae in Tambon Sao Hin 
of Ma Sariang district have agreed to move back into Burma by March 1, 
according to Col Sanchai Chaeuwan, commander of the 7th Infantry Regiment 
Task Force.

These refugees are part of the 12,000 Karen refugees to be relocated 
from various villages in the Salween National Park to a holding centre 
at Ban Ma Lama Luang in Sop Moei district as a measure to prevent 
illegal log cutting.

Col Sanchai said the refugees at Ban Sop Ngae agreed to move back
into Burma in 15 days. The Thai military will send a letter to the 
Burmese government to ensure safety for those who return
voluntarily, he added.

The refugees in other villages will be asked to do the same, he said.

The officer maintained that all the refugees who do not agree to
voluntary repatriation must move to the holding centre at Ban Ma
Lama Luang. If they insist in not moving, foreign aid organisation 
to cut food supplies to them.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) officials
observing  the relocation agreed to the plan, reasoning that Ban Ma 
Lama Luang was where aid agencies can fully give the refugees
assistance. Moreover, it is where the military can provide protection.

Army chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro earlier said although the Karen
refugees refused to cooperate, their relocation must be carried out 
as planned as it is a way to prevent illegal logging in Salween 
National Park.

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

THE NATION: 23 THAI INMATES DIED IN BURMA JAIL SINCE 1994
13 February, 1998 [abridged]
 
TWENTY-THREE Thai inmates in Burma's Inseng Prison have died
since 1994 because of poor conditions, three recently released
prisoners said yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference, Yord Yooon said that some
prisoners who had been very ill died recently after medical aid
supplied by Thai authorities through Army Commander Gen Chetta
Thanajaro was instead used to help only Burmese inmates.

He said 82 Thais, most of whom are trawler crewmen convicted of
trespassing in Burmese waters, are still detained in the prison,
which is located in a Rangoon suburb.

Yord said many had  begun to experience early stages of paralysis
as a result of long detainment in a very confined space as well
as a prison restriction denying them exercise.

He also called on Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai to ask the Burmese
authorities to shorten jail terms for Thai inmates who had been
given long-term sentences starting with those with sentences of
10 years or more.

Rachane Plengwitthaya, head of a trawler crewmen's group who
organised yesterday's press conference, said he thought that the
use of Thai-supplied medical aid and equipment on only Burmese
inmates might have stemmed from poor communications between the
general and Burmese authorities.

Later on, a senior Army officer close to Chetta dismissed
Rachane's speculation regarding the miscommunication between the
general and Burmese authorities, saying that the nearly one tonne
of supplies might not have been efficiently distributed among
inmates.

Col Niphat Thonglek also cited Burma's "courtesy" over the
prisoner issue extended regularly to Thailand, saying that 300
Thai inmates have been released over the past few years, in
addition to 99 others released in December to mark His Majesty
the King's 70th birthday.

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

BKK POST: PUSH FOR NEW TRADE ROUTE 
15 February, 1998 [abridged]
by Preecha Srisathan 

KANCHANABURI -- Six provinces in the upper western of Thailand 
want to make their presence felt in the global trade through a project 
designed to promote their potential in agriculture, industries and tourism.

Investors are looking to expand their trade and business by "linking the 
west with the world."

Six porvinces of the upper western part -Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburim, 
Phetchaburi, Khiri Khan and Chumphon- have comprehensive plant of
agriculture, industries, trade and tourism under the western seaboard
development project.

Private businesses in these provinces, with cooperation from the House
Committee on Tourism, are pushing for actual implementation of the project.
      

A recent seminar on the development of the upper west agreed Kanchanaburi
lay at the heart of the development. The province would 
act as a springboard for the promotion of Thai exports via Burma.

Manu Sattayateva, a director at the Office of the National Economic 
and Social Development Board, said the wastern seaboard would 
broaden Thailand's opportunities to strengthen trade and investment 
relations with countries in the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Mr Manu, who oversees the Central Development Centre, said the
feasibility study of the western seaboard development project,
conducted by the Cooperation, placed emphasis on the role of the
private sector.

The study, he said, concluded that Kanchanaburi had the potential
for the development of eco-tourism, intensive farming and food
processing.

Ratchanaburi would be best as a service and product distribution 
centre. Samut Songkhram would be good as a free trade zone and
Phetchaburi's Khao Yoi district as an industrial promotion zone.

Somphob Theerasan, vice chairman of the Kanchanaburi-Tavoy Development Co
Ltd, said Thailand's desire of opening its western part its to the world
would 
never be fulfilled without a road from Ban Bongti in Sai Yok district,
Kanchanaburi, to Tavoy region in Burma.

The country also needed to open a border checkpoint at Ban Bongti
upon the completion of the road to facilitate trade and travelling.

The road, Mr Somphob said, would be 110 km long. Initially, it
would have only two lanes but would be expanded to seaport in
Tavoy now under a feasibility study.

Mr Somphobo said Kanchanaburi would be suitable for tourism,
cattle raising, sugar production, food processing and leatherware
production. The business sector also had plans to open sugar
refineries in border areas and to buy cheap seafood from Burma.

Under its development plan, proposed as part of the western
seaboard project, Kanchanaburi wanted border checkpoints to also
be opened at the  Three-Pagoda pass in Sangkhla Buri and I-tong
pass in Thong Pha Phum, in addition to the one at Ban Bongti.

A budget of over 300 million bath was needed for the construction
of a 5.2 km road from Ban Bongti to the border, a road to link
Kanchanaburi with the northern and southern regions, which has
already been 80 percent completed and a new road from Bangkok 
to Kanchanaburi via Nonthaburi and Nakhon Pathom.

Problems concerning land ownership for rights should also be cleared 
to increase confidence of investors.

The plan also called for state support for the Thai-Burmese gas
pipeline project which it said would help guarantee sufficient
energy supplies for the development.

The pipeline would bring natural gas from Burma to a power plant
in Ratchaburi.

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

BKK POST: HELP SOUGHT FROM BURMA FOR SCHEME 
15 February, 1998 [abridged]

Plans to turn landlocked Kanchanaburi into a goldmine of
Thailand's upper west would hardly succeed if Burma did not
cooperate.

A road to link Ban Bongti in Sai Yok district with the port town
of Tavoy in Burma would bring Thai exports right at a frontgate
to the world. Shipments, however, would be another story if Burma
did not lower its "drawbridge."

A deep seaport in Tavoy has still been on the drawing board, let
alone Burma's political situation which has been unfavourable to
foreign investors and ongoing border clashes between Burmese
troops and minority rebels.

Budget constraints at home could also prevent the plans from
being materialised.

Kanchanaburi Tavoy Development Co Ltd, which recently undertook a
joint venture with KLN Co of Burma, won a 30 years concession to
built and operat the 110-km Bongti-Tavoy Road worth US 40 million
dollars from the Burmese government.

Company chairman Pattana Silpakanchaamalai said the road would
help make the development of the western seaboard possible.

We must start with giving Kanchanaburi access to the sea,
although that would be a sea of Burma," Mr Pattana said.
 
Goods are usually shipped put via the Straits of Malacca.
Studies, however, found that a new route from Bangkok to Tavoy
via Kanchanaburi would help save costs worth thousands of
billions of bath a year and cut the transportation time by 12
days.

The road would also transform Kanchanaburi into a tourism hub of
the upper western part. It would lead tourists into Burma in just
a few hours and at the end of the day take them back to hotels in
Kanchanaburi.

The Bongti-Tavoy Road, however, would be useless if a border pass
in Ban Bongti was not opened.

The Kanchanaburi provincial administration has supported the
opening of a border checkpoint at Ban Bongti bit state agencies
concerned have been slow to take action out of concern over
threats to national security.

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

BKK POST: SUKHUMBHAND TO DISCUSS IMPORT RULES IN RANGOON
14 February, 1998
by Bhanravee Tansubhapol

PLANS TO SOLVE THAI EXPORT PROBLEMS

Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra and Deputy Commerce 
Minister Pothipong Lamsam plan to visit Rangoon next month to discuss 
a relaxation of import regulations to solve Thai export problems.

Their visit follows Burma's suspension since last November of the import 
of Thai goods at three border checkpoints -linking Mae Sai - Thachilek in
(Chiang Rai, Mae Sot-Myawaddy in Tak; and Ranong- Kawthaung in Ranong - 
citing plans to improve the import duty system.

Although there are no figures, officials said the move has reduced
substantially the volume of border trade normally amounting to about 10
billion baht a year.

M.R. Sukhumbhand said Burma also suspended imports from India citing
improvements of its internal system.

"We will convince Burma about the joint benefit of reopening the
Thai-Burmese checkpoints," the deputy minister said after chairing a 
meeting of related agencies and private businessmen as part of 
preparations for talks with the Burmese government. 

A source said the Burmese government issued new regulations for importing
foreign goods last October following a trade deficit and 
reduction in foreign currency reserves, now amounting to US$300 
million. Last year, Burma earned about, US$800 million from exports 
and spent US$1,500 million on imports, the source added.

The new regulations specified that Burmese traders could not import 
goods worth more than their export value. The regulations also 
prohibited companies which exported less than US$ 50,000 per year 
from importing goods, the source said.

The regulations, which will be applied to exporters trading more than
US$20,000 worth of goods, will reduce Thai exporters' income by more than
half, the source said.

Under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), Burma is entitled to 
put a temporary halt on imports if it suffers a trade deficit, the source
said.

"M.R. Sukhumbhand and Mr Pothipong have to establish a time-frame 
of the new regulations to help resolve the problem of Thai exporters," 
said the source. 

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

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: BRIEFS
[abridged]

ENTERTAINMENT ARRANGED FOR TATMADAWMEN BUILDING KENGTUNG-MONGPHYAT-TACHILEK 
ROAD AND LOCAL RESIDENTS
16 February, 1998

YANGON, 15 Feb- Secretary-l of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen 
Khin Nyunt addressed a meeting on entertaining the Tatmadawmen building 
Kengtung-Mongphyat-Tachilek Road and local residents at the Ministry of 
Defence this morning. 

In his address, Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt said Kengtung-Tachilek-Mongphyat Road is 
being built with the labour of the Tatmadawmen with a view to ensuring smooth 
and secure transport in the area east of the Thanlwin River, Shan State. 

He said the purpose of the meeting is to make arrangements for the
entertainment programme with the aim.of enabling artistes to meet local
people and the Tatmadawmen who are building the road. 

The trip is aimed at not only presenting the entertainment programme but 
also enabling the artistes to see, with their own eyes, efforts made by the 
Government, the Tatmadaw and local national people in collaboration for the
regional development work and the advancement of the social life of local 
people, he stated and added as, a result, they will gain knowledge of
development work in border areas, arrangements for the development of the
State and efforts for the elimination of narcotic drugs made by the
Government, and will see the way of life of national brethren.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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MYANMAR DELEGATION LEAVES FOR BRUNEI
15 February, 1998

YANGON, 14 Feb-A Myanmar delegation led by Minister for Education U Than 
Aung left here this morning to attend the meeting of South-East Asia Ministers
of Education Organization to be held in Brunei from 15 to 17 February.
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MYANMAR WILL HOST FAO'S 24TH REGIONAL CONFERENCE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
14 February, 1998

YANGON, 13 Feb - A meeting to discuss hosting of the FAO's 24th Regional
Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Myanmar was held at the Ministry of
Agriculture and Irrigation this afternoon, with an address by Secretary-1 
of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt.

Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt said Myanmar will host the FAO's 24th Regional Conference 
for Asia and the Pacific in April 1998.

He noted that it will be the highest international level meeting organized in
the time of the State Peace and Development Council and that a great number
of ministers from foreign countries are expected to attend it.

Participants from 33 member countries of Asia and the Pacific, observer
countries, UN agencies, NGOs and the Conference Secretary's group and 
staff to be sent by FAO totalling over 200 are expected to attend, he said.

He said that as Myanmar is an agro-based country, food is sufficient but it 
still needs to cooperate with FAO for modernization and development of the
agriculture sector.

The Secretary- 1 noted that by hosting the Conference, Myanmar will gain
more international experience, strengthen friendly ties with member
countries and 
show Myanmar's abundant food supplies.

He said the member countries, after witnessing good potentials and
resources in the agriculture sector, will understand that Myanmar is a
potential country 
which can supply food sufficiently to the South-East Asian and Asian countries
and they will provide technology and support.

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MEPE, YMEC SIGN $ 250M MOU FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PAUNGLAUNG HYDROPOWER PROJECT
13 February, 1998

YANGON, 12 Feb- Memorandum of Understanding for implementation of
Paunglaung Hydropower Project involving a loan of US $ 250 million was
signed between 
Myanma Electric Power Enterprise and Yunnan Machinery and Equipment Import
and Export Corporation (YMEC) at MEPE Head Office this morning.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

MYANMAR CARBONIX PRODUCES CARBON DIOXIDE FOR INDUSTRIAL USE
13 February, 1998

YANGON 12 Feb - Myanmar Carbonix Ltd, a Joint-venture between Myanma
Petrochemicals Enterprise and Nur Investment and Trading Pte Ltd of
Singapore, opened a factory producing liquid and solid carbon dioxide for
industrial use.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LONDON MYANMAR OPEN HEADS FOR BAGAN
10 February, 1998

YANGON, 9 Feb-Press Conference on London Myanmar Open 1998 was held at 
Inya Lake Hotel today.

The 225,000-dollar professional golf tourney will be jointly held by Myanmar 
Golf Federation and Asian Professional Golfers Association in Bagan,
Mandalay Division, from 5 to 8 March.

Asia's leading professional golf tour tees off for the 1998 season next 
month when the region's finest players descend on the ancient Myanmar 
capital of Bagan for the 1998 London Myanmar Open.

Attracting professionals from over 15 different countries, the US$ 225,000
London Myanmar Open at Bagan Golf Club from March 5-8 represents the first 
leg of the 1998 Omega Tour and the third time the Asian PGA has staged an 
event in Myanmar.

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ERI PRESS RELEASE: BURMESE MILITARY IS A TRAINING GROUND FOR RAPISTS, SAYS
NEW REPORT
17 February, 1998

School For Rape: The Burmese Military and Sexual Violence, a new 
report released by EarthRights International (ERI), says the Burmese military 
regime is creating an army of rapists through its brutal practices and 
policies.  A harsh indictment of SLORC, the repressive regime, the 
report examines the origins of the widespread rape of ethnic women by 
Burmese soldiers.  "Based on our first-hand interviews with Burmese 
army defectors and villagers living under military occupation, it is clear 
that the Burmese army's violent culture promotes rape by teaching soldiers 
how to become brutalizers of women," states ERI director Tyler Giannini.

According to School For Rape, the Burmese army is well over 300,000 strong
and still growing, in a country of 46 million.  Many of its soldiers are
younger 
than 17, uneducated, unsophisticated, and desperate for employment. The
young recruits, often kidnapped into the army, are trained inadequately in
the art of war.  Instead, they are brutally beaten by their officers and by
each other, sometimes to death.  They are starved, medically neglected,
forbidden contact 
with their families, indoctrinated into a "hierarchy of domination," and in 
some cases, drugged.  They are then set loose among the country's ethnic
minorities, constituting one-third of the total population of Burma, many of 
whom are de facto enemies of the state because they oppose the current
regime. "The result of this brutal army environment is predictable," says ERI 
Director Ka Hsaw Wa, a long-time human rights activist and member of the 
Karen ethnic group from Burma.  "The soldiers rape vulnerable women, 
especially ethnic women, on a massive scale with no punishment."

Burma (renamed Myanmar by the illegal junta that seized power in 1988) has 
come under increased fire recently by the world community for its abysmal 
human rights record.  In 1997, the United States effectuated sanctions
against 
the Burmese administration, forbidding new business contracts between
American companies and the military regime.  The widespread democratic
movement, led 
by 1991 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi and comprised of activists 
both within and outside Burma, has called for tripartite dialogue between
the regime, the coalition National League for Democracy, and the ethnic
groups.  School For Rape  reiterates this call and contends that until a
legitimate, civilian government is in place, the wide-scale rape of Burmese
women will 
likely continue.

ERI is a non-governmental, non-profit organization which combines the power 
of law and the power of people to protect human rights and the environment. 
ERI currently focuses on Southeast Asia, where exploitation of natural 
resources, human rights abuses, and the destruction of indigenous cultures 
are inextricably connected.  School For Rape is produced by the Women's
Rights Project of ERI.  Additional copies of School For Rape are available
from ERI 
for $10 or 400 Thai baht.

Contact in Thailand:
Tyler Giannini, EarthRights International, Bangkok
Telephone: 66 2 512 2051

Contact in USA:
Katie Redford or Ka Hsaw Wa, EarthRights International, Washington DC
Telephone: 202-785-8700
email: eri@xxxxxxxxxxx

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ANNOUCEMENTS:

NCGUB CCN: NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE IN BURMESE
13 February, 1998

Dear all
CCN has printed a few copies of two books in Burmese.
1. Independence Day (25 pages, 6" x 8")
2. Union Day (40 pages, 6" x 8")

These are policy statements and relevant speeches of the NLD.
Those who want to read can request by email.

NCGUB Communication Center
----------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW VOA BURMESE WEBSITE
9 February, 1998

VOA Burmese Service now has a website as part of the International
Broadcasting Bureau Home Page.  It is: http://www.voa.gov/burmese/

We would also like to inform BurmaNet and other readers that the main
VOA phone number (202 619 1417) is now fax capable.  Our other
previously listed fax (202 619 1840) remains available as a backup.
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NEW INCORE WEBSITE
13 February, 1998

This is just a short note to inform you that INCORE (Initaiative on
Conflict Resolution and Ethnicity) has relaunched its website!

URL: http://www.inncore.ulst.ac.uk

We would like to welcome you to the new look and hopefully easier to use
INCORE website. For those of you who are our regulars, we have kept all the
favourites from the old web site and your previous bookmarks should still
work. For the new user, and regular users alike, we have re-structured the
website into distinct sections and provided a navigation bar at the top and
bottom of every page so that the wealth of information contained in this
site can be accessed with greater ease.

We hope you find our service useful, and if you require assistance, please
check out our 'Help Page' at http://www.incore.ulst.ac.uk/help/index.html

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