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INFORMATION SHEET NO. A.0335(I)



                                INFORMATION SHEET

                   NO. A.0335(I)                     2 March 1998

(1)		Delegation Leaves for Singapore
		A two-member delegation led by Information and Public Relations Department
left on 1 March to attend the 13th Printing and Mass Communication Meeting of
ASEAN Culture and Information Committee Working Group to be held in Singapore.
(2)		Vice-President of Myanmar Red Cross Society Leaves for Japan
		Vice-President of Myanmar Red Cross Societh Director-General of Relief and
Resettlement left Yangon by air on 1 March for Japan to attend the 2nd Asia
and Pacific Region Conference to be held in Tokyo, sponsored by UNHCR and PAR
in AC Forum.
(3)		Golfers Arrive
		Thirty-four professional golfers from Japan, the United States, Thailand,
Pakistan, Korea, India and China who will be participating in London-Myanmar
Open Golf Tournament arrived Yangon on 1 March.  The tournament to be held in
Bagan Golf Resort from 5 to 8 March was jointly sponsored by Myanmar Golf
Federation and  APGA.
(4)		First Container Vessel Berths at Thilawa Port
		Mv Kota Berjaya of Advanced Container Lines berthed at Thilawa Port (MITT)
on 1 March. It was the first container vessel moored at the port which is
providing reliable speedy service with modern gantry cranes and effective
systems.

(5)		This office is sending you the Interview with Nai Shwe Kyin, Chairman of
the New Mon State Party, by Bangkok Phuchatican at Waeprai village, in the Mon
State, Myanmar, on 12 February, Mon ethnic group?s national day for your
reading pleasure.
SUPHALAK :	Why did the Myanmar military regime have to change its name from
SLORC [State Law and Order Restoration Council] to the State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC) ?

NAI SHWE KYIN : The old name was not good. The word SLORC does not sound
pleasant. However, the new name is not as important as structural change. You
can see that the lieutenant generals and major generals who held ministerial
posts earlier have been replaced by younger brigadier generals.
SUPHALAK : Some people have pointed out that the change was made due to
international pressure.

NAI SHWE KYIN : That is untrue. The change was internally motivated. Of
course, the admission of Myanmar into ASEAN was one of the major causes.
However, corruption was so rampant that it had to be wiped out. The present
government has been trying so hard to build up the nation. Meanwhile, Aung San
Suu Kyi and outsiders are also trying to distort facts. Because the government
cannot allow the people to hold protest rallies, they claim that the country
is under the rule of anarchy. The government has to get rid of them,
otherwise, it will not be able to rule the country. I am of the opinion that
the government is in the process of developing /discipline democracy/, the
system identical to those applied by Lee Kwan Yew and Suhato. Liberal
democracy is not permissible. You can not expect to see the type of democracy
you see in the United States or Great Britain in Myanmar. Unlike Thailand,
Myanmar, Indonesia, and Malaysia are former colonies.

SUPHALAK : You think that this country is being politically developed. What
about the economy?

NAI SHWE KYIN : Ours is a close economy. Minority groups like us benefit from
foreign investment. After signing a truce agreement with the government, we
have been allowed to set up the Ramanya International Company to conduct
business with foreign countries. Recently, our company signed a contract with
Thailand?s Power P Company to build a road and seaport. Unfortunately, the
Thai company collapsed. Later South Korea?s Daewoo Company approached us. But,
again, it also has problem. Now we are holding negotiations with another Thai
group to carry out this project. I believe that the Thai Government wants to
see this project completed because Thai goods can be transported through the
Mon territory to use the Myanmar seaport so that Thai goods can compete with
those from China. Thai goods cannot be transported through other routes
because of the ongoing fighting between the KNU (Karen National Union) and
government troops.

		The KNU problem is very complicated because the KNU itself is now divided
into different factions. Thirty-five percent of the Karen population are
Christians of different sects, e.g  Catholics, Seventh Day Adventists, and
Baptists. Five percent are  spirit worshippers while the rests are Buddhists.
When the KNU Christians controlled the power, the Buddhists were denied of all
accesses to high positions. The Buddhist group is now getting stronger and
receiving government assistance. KNU leader Bo Mya wants to keep on fighting
the government and continues to maltreat the people who are so fed up with
war. Do you know that Bo Mya is a Seventh Day Adventist? The Catholics look
down on the Seventh Day Adventists. Many Catholics detest his attempts to
convert other people and have turned to join the government.

SUPHALAK : Do you think that the KNU will sign a cease-fire agreement with the
government?

NAI SHWE KYIN : The KNU will be welcome by the government. However, the KNU
will not do that. Many Karen leaders I have met believe that there should not
be any confrontation or fighting at this moment. I used to be a leader of the
National Democratic Front which comprised 11 minority groups with a combined
strength of 30,000 men. At that time, Ne Win was in power and the government
had a 180,000-strong army. The ratio was one to six. The government now has
400,000 soldiers and is very strong because it has received assistance from
China. 

SUPHALAK : Have the Mon give up their political struggle and only concentrated
on conducting business?

NAI SHWE KYIN : Right. Politically speaking, we have stopped fighting the
government. As a matter of fact, the government wants to see all minority
groups stop fighting and turn to help it build up the nation. We have had
enough fighting. If we do not stop fighting, the country will collapse. We
must rebuild our nation. I have told Karen leaders that we fought the Bamas
because we want them to know our positions and we have succeeded to a certain
extent. We should stop fighting now. But the KNU and Aung San Suu Kyi refuse
to stop because they are backed by the CIA. 

SUPHALAK: Why should the CIA support them?

NAI SHWE KYIN: Aung San Suu Kyi is their puppet. They gave her a Nobel prize
and have been financing her activities.

SUPHALAK: Is it true that minority groups have been motivated by business
interests to give up their political struggles?

NAI SHWE KYIN: Yes, we have not been talking about politics. However politics
is still in our heads. We told them that we want to use our own language and
preserve our literature and culture. They said our request was too great. I
cited Switzerland as an example. That small country uses four different
languages. How can they do that? This is possible in western nations because
they are ruled by a democratic system. You cannot even say that Thailand is a
fully democratic country. Democracy has been implanted in the United Kingdom
for some 600 years. We are only a toddler in this connection and cannot copy
the system of any country for our own use.  It  is likely that we will have to
find the system that suits our country.  Aung San Suu Kyi?s cousin, Dr. Sein
Win, says we must have democracy and human rights while the people must be
allowed to hold protest rallies. What kind of democracy is that? If the
situation is out of control, the military will have to step in. 

SUPHALAK: Will the Mon not take part in the struggle for democracy?

NAI SHWE KYIN: At this moment, Aung San Suu Kyi wants democracy and human
rights while the Mon want national liberation and the right to self-
determination. We can wait to get democracy and human rights. Unlike the Mon,
the Karen never has had a nation and they are fighting for it. The Mon have
their own nation from a thousand years before.  In ancient times, all seaports
in this region were under Mon control. We declared our independence in 1740
and were subjugated by the Bamas in 1754. We still regret today that the Mon
leaders in those days did not fight. Therefore, we have to revive the
struggle. Khun Phisan, a supporter of the Mon nation, said we will benefit
from the natural gas pipeline because is laid through the Mon State. Where is
the Mon State? We must build up ourselves and get stronger before we can raise
the issue for talks.

SUPHALAK: Can you tell me how the Mon will carry out their struggle under the
present situation?

NAI SHWE KYIN: We will proceed slowly and step by step.  You cannot say that
our target is to build up a Mon country.  A British scholar said: ?Do not ask
what your grandfather used to be, but always remember what you are now.?

SUPHALAK: Mon organizations have been divided. Younger generations do not seem
to agree with you.

NAI SHWE KYIN: Yes, misunderstanding prevails among our people. Some wanted
to support Aung San Suu Kyi but later changed their mind because it is no use
to support such a person.  Democracy, human rights, and the right to hold
protest rallies can lead to turmoil and anarchy.

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