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OKKAR (r)



Dear Burmanetters,

As a journalist following events in Burma I think it is important that 
the BurmaNet remains a source of factual information, and not a forum 
for mud-slinging. However, it is equally important that we in the media 
know who we are dealing with, and this is where Okkar's identity becomes 
an important issue. No journalist can quote his material without knowing 
who he is (regardless of his claiming that he is "a Karen elder", "a 
Shan elder", "a Bangkok-based professor" or whatever).

1) It is worth noting that press releases from the Burmese embassy in 
Washington are usually headed "From: Thuriya." See for instance the 
latest press releases posted by Okkar. No doubt "Thuriya" is an 
information/intelligence officer at the Washington embassy who sends 
these press releases on to Okkar to be posted on the net.

2) Usually, no recipient is named for "Thuriya's" messages, but 
Ambassador Tin Winn's letter to the editor of the Washington Post is an 
exception. The heading, as Okkar posted it on the Net, says:

"Subj: The Letter to the Editor (Washington Post)  (sic)
Date:  98-3-17 16:59:34 EST
To:     KMTTO"

Thus, KMTTO is the source of Okkar's material, or more precisely, it 
must be Okkar himself since there is no other e-mail entry between 
"Thuriya", "KMTTO" and, on the Net, "OKKAR." So who is KMTTO? An address 
list compiled by Bain & Associates on behalf of their client "Zay Kabar 
Co. Ltd Account #16" contains, among many other names, the following:

"Lt.Col. Hla Min
011-951-246981 (office)
011-951-246980 (fax)
KMTTO@xxxxxxx"

Lt.Col Hla Min is the chief information officer of the Office of 
Strategic Studies (OSS) in Rangoon, which is a "think-tank" run by Lt. 
Gen. Khin Nyunt and the DDSI. I hope this clarifies matters. For us in 
the media, it would be preferable if "Okkar" posted his messages and 
statements under the name of the OSS, or the Washington embassy. In that 
way, we could actually use (and quote) their material.

Sincerely,

Bertil Lintner
Bangkok