The BurmaNet News: September 14, 19

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The BurmaNet News: September 14, 1998
Issue #1095

Noted in Passing: "I address all the people in the army and say that
because of your love of your country it is your duty and responsibility to
provide back up support to fulfil the wishes and desires of the people. In
so doing you will gain the respect and the love of the people and the
world." - Aung San Suu Kyi (see SCMP: OFFICERS "HELD FOR TRYING TO MEET
DISSIDENT") 

HEADLINES:
==========
SCMP: OFFICERS "HELD FOR TRYING TO MEET DISSIDENT" 
REUTERS: MEDIA WARN DEPUTY NLD LEADER FACES ARREST 
THE NATION: JUNTA GRABS 187 NLD MEMBERS 
FEER: PROTEST AND RUN 
SCMP: JUNTA TARGETS STUDENT PARTY 
AFP: DOZENS OF RIOT POLICE DEPLOYED AT OPPOSITION HQ
REUTERS: SUU KYI WON'T BE HELD, DEPORTED 
THE NATION: SUU KYI "HAND IN HAND WITH TERRORISTS" 
THE NATION (LETTER): BAD BURMESE MONEY 
ANNOUNCEMENT: AI WEBSITES RE: PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE 
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SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: OFFICERS "HELD FOR TRYING TO MEET DISSIDENT" 
14 September, 1998 by William Barnes 

Fifteen military officers have been arrested in Burma for trying to meet
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to opposition sources in
Bangkok.

The officers - seven colonels from the army, three majors from the navy and
five colonels from the air force - were arrested just over a week ago,
according to the All Burma Students Democratic Front.

"We know that these officers were planning to discuss the political
situation with Aung San Suu Kyi and their actions show a growing desire by
soldiers and officers alike for genuine political reform in Burma," said
Moe Thee Zun, the Front's vice-chairman.

Such a move by members of the close-knit military would be an unheard of
signal of dissent within an organisation that praises and rewards loyalty
above all other qualities.

The ruling junta, the State Peace and Development Council, has consistently
refused to even allow the hugely popular Ms Aung San Suu Kyi to attend
political negotiations for fear of boosting her power.

But some observers have noted that there are signs middle-ranking and
junior officers are increasingly dissatisfied with the state of the armed
forces as the economy continues to spiral downwards.

"We praise these 15 officers who have the courage to stand up for their
beliefs and hope that many other members of the armed forces will now step
forward and show their desire for change and restore the tainted image of
Burma's military," Mr Moe Thee Zun said.

Ms Aung San Suu Kyi has repeatedly reminded the army that her father - the
independence hero Aung San - was its first commander. She says the army has
a duty to help the ordinary people.

Dozens of riot police were deployed around the Rangoon headquarters of Ms
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy yesterday, witnesses said. 

[from AFP, 13 September, 1998:] 

Foreign diplomats said they were unable to confirm a claim by an exiled
student group that 15 officers of the ruling junta had been arrested for
planning to meet with NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The ABSDF, in a statement issued in Bangkok, said its information came from
junta sources.

Junta officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

[BurmaNet Editor's Note:  The arrests of the military officers comes on the
heals of a statement by Aung San Suu Kyi in which she outlined the NLD's
position on the role of the military in Burma.  It was distributed in Burma
on 2 September, 1998; an unofficial English translation follows here.]

The General Secretary's, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Request

The National League for Democracy asked the authorities to convene
parliament by the 21st August. The authorities have failed to do so. As a
result, we are making preparations to convene the parliament.

This is the concern of the entire nation which includes the military
personnel. The people and the military personnel cannot be separated. We
have been accused of working to split the army, to drive a wedge between
them and the people. This is absolutely false. We have no desire for the
army to split. That is why we always claim that the people includes the army.

In order that a parliament comprising all the people's elected
representatives can become a reality, everyone must take responsibility
including the army.

The army is held in high esteem by our National League for Democracy.
Because my father founded the army I have a special attachment and regards
for it. We are aware of the false accusations that we are trying to cause
dissatisfaction amongst the personnel in the army.

I want to clarify our position in this matter. It is necessary that the
people love and trust the defence forces. The people and the defence forces
must work together to form a modern and effective army.

An effective army works and specialises in matters relating to defence of
the country and its people. Then only will they earn the love and respect
of the people.

The National League for Democracy can not accept interference in political
affairs by the army. This is not because we do not appreciate their worth.
It is only because we know their worth and do not want that value and
estimation to be diminished in any way.

When my father founded the army, it was not for the purpose of interfering
in politics. Rather, it was for the purpose of supporting the people in
their political struggle. I address all the people in the army and say that
because of your love of your country it is your duty and responsibility to
provide back up support to fulfil the wishes and desires of the people. In
so doing you will gain the respect and the love of the people and the world.

It is very obvious that the people have one desire which is to convene the
parliament. We want the army to gave the people this back-up support to
fulfil their desires. It is necessary for all to work together to bring
about the realisation of a Pyithu Hluttaw comprising all the elected
representatives of the people. It is necessary for all military personnel
to play their part in making this happen.

Whenever our National League for Democracy voices their views about their
convictions regarding the duties and responsibilities of the army we are
accused of inciting discord and disintegration. I want to make a point on
this matter. U Aung Gyi, an ex-army officer once made statements to the
press strongly denouncing the army. Everyone has full knowledge of this
event. The authorities did not react at all. They did not express any
disapproval and there was no discussion about U Aung Gyi's statements. U
Aung Gyi was not arrested or prosecuted. The authorities behaved as if it
was a non event. But, when the National League for democracy makes
statements about the duties of the army we are accused of a variety of sins.

Brave and good sons of the nation who serve in the army signify the people
as their mother, the people as their father. Clinging firmly to that belief
they will always be acting in the interest of the people and to fulfil the
people's desire. I make this plea that you all have the people's wishes at
heart and work for the good of the people.

We, people of Burma want to see our soldiers who are the product of the
people as our good sons and precious jewels. Let us endeavour to make them so.

Our political operation is national effort and includes all the people in
the nation. So we need to join hands to achieve prosperity and peace.
Again, I make this earnest plea.

As a first step, I want to urge everyone to assist in making the convening
of parliament a reality.

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

REUTERS: MYANMAR MEDIA WARN DEPUTY NLD LEADER FACES ARREST 
13 September, 1998 

YANGON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Myanmar's state media warned on Sunday that
deputy opposition leader Tin Oo faced possible arrest for trying to split
the country's powerful armed forces.

A commentary in two state-owned Myanmar language newspapers said Tin Oo,
vice chairman of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), had
been involved in distributing leaflets aimed at sowing discord within the
military.

"These days the NLD is sowing the seeds of discord among the Tatmadaw
(armed forces) by distributing the so called 'An appeal to the Tatmadaw
men'...it is quite clear that U Tin Oo masterminded these plots," it said.

The commentary, by a newspaper columnist who normally echoed the military
government's views, said the deputy NLD chairman was privileged to have had
his jail term shortened to three years by the government after he pledged
not to breach laws.

"His defiant violations of the laws, despite a full knowledge of them, can
no longer be forgiven or forgotten...state leaders out of pity released him
on March 15, 1995, to let him serve his remaining sentence outside on
bail...he is liable to the rest of his sentence for what he is doing now,"
the commentary said.

It was not clear from the commentary if the deputy of NLD leader Aung San
Suu Kyi would be arrested by the authorities.

A phone call to Tin Oo's house in central Yangon was not answered. The
deputy NLD leader had served various jail terms since the 1970s mostly on
charges of plotting against Myanmar military governments.

He was last convicted in 1992 and given a seven-year jail term for
disrupting peace and security but he was freed in 1995.

The newspaper commentary said the offending written statements, calling on
the military to help the NLD convene parliament, were written by Tin Oo who
was also accused of getting them broadcast on foreign radio media last week.

[ ... ]

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THE NATION: JUNTA GRABS 187 NLD MEMBERS
12 September, 1998 

AP

RANGOON - Burma's military government has detained another 187 members of
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party, bringing the total to 702
arrested since a crackdown began in May the party said yesterday.

If the figure is accurate, it would be the largest number of arrests of
opposition members since the nationwide democracy uprising in 1988.

More than half the arrests have taken place since Sunday, in an apparent
effort to stymie the National League for Democracy's plans to convene
parliament.

The NLD said 194 members of parliament are among the arrested party members.

The military rulers never allowed parliament to meet after the NLD won a
landslide victory in elections held in 1990.

The government avoids saying it has detained any NLD members. It claims
instead they were "invited" to government guest houses for an exchange of
news on convening parliament. 

[from Reuters, 11 September, 1998:]

(A Rangoon-based Asian) diplomat said the SPDC had hinted the detained NLD
members would be held until after the ASEAN foreign ministers completed
their special meeting in New York on September 23-24.

The SPDC feared Suu Kyi and her supporters would take the opportunity to
publicise the plight of Myanmar's opposition internationally, the diplomat
added.

``Suu Kyi had lunch with the Philippines ambassador yesterday and the SPDC
suspects that she might have passed on some kind of message to ASEAN,'' he
said.

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

FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW: PROTEST AND RUN 
17 September, 1998 by Bertil Lintner 

JUNTA FACES A NEW STRAIN OF POLITICAL DEFIANCE

The latest crackdown on Burma's main opposition party, the National League
for Democracy, was hardly unexpected. Days before the arrests of 110
members of the NLD started, the military government said it would take firm
action against the league if it continued to promote its plan to convene "a
people's parliament." The NLD stuck to its plans -- and, on September 6,
the junta began to sweep through its ranks, arresting officials and MPs.

The government may have dealt a crippling blow to what's left of the
pro-democracy party, but now there is a new challenge to its power. And
this form of opposition could be far more difficult to suppress: Small,
elusive and clandestine cells of students who are trained in the art of
civil disobedience and political defiance.

The hit-and-run tactics they used recently are typical. At midday on August
24 a group of about 100 students staged a sit-down protest at an
intersection not far from Rangoon's main university campus. The same night
another group gathered outside the Rangoon Institute of Technology, located
in a northern suburb.

The following day, during the afternoon rush-hour, a much smaller group of
students shouted pro-democracy and anti-government slogans outside the City
Hall in downtown Rangoon. Others appeared at different times and places,
distributed leaflets and then quickly melted away. Then, on September 2,
over a thousand students gathered inside the RIT to protest that they had
been allowed just a week's basic instruction to prepare for their exams.
(All Burmese universities have been closed since December 1996.)

This is all a far cry from the mass protests of 1988, which involved
millions of people -- students and others -- demonstrating against the
regime all over the country. Those demonstrations led to a massive military
crackdown in which soldiers sprayed automatic-rifle fire into crowds of
protesters, killing thousands. Other demonstrators were carried away in
army trucks as the government reasserted power. Still others fled to the
Thai border where, embittered by their experiences, they linked up with
ethnic insurgents to wage a guerrilla war against Rangoon.

Their dream of an armed uprising began to fade, however, as student
fighters died in battle and from disease. But then the new type of
non-aggressive struggle emerged, partly through the advice of foreign
sympathizers. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, civil liberties' activists
from the United States, Japan, Australia, Thailand and the Philippines were
among those who flocked to the Burmese border to help train hundreds of
students in the art of non-violent protest.

"It does seem that recent demonstrations reflect a greater understanding of
certain principles of non-violent struggle," says a Westerner familiar with
the courses and seminars conducted along the border. "Moreover, tens of
thousands of booklets on this subject have been distributed throughout Burma."

Foreign diplomats in Rangoon say signs of this new movement appeared as
early as December 1996, the last time student unrest erupted in Rangoon.
The timing of those protests wasn't a coincidence. The government started
to hold monthly press conferences in September 1996, making it easier for
foreign journalists to enter the country-and that meant that when the
students protested, foreign TV crews were present. It was those
demonstrations that led to the closure of all universities and a ban on all
but a few carefully selected foreign journalists.

Students from several campuses took part in the December 1996
demonstrations, indicating a high degree of clandestine organization in a
country tightly controlled by a ubiquitous secret police, the Directorate
of the Defence Services Intelligence, or DDSI. The current political and
economic crisis triggered a new wave of protests in August and September
this year.

"There are many underground groups," says a Burmese student close to the
movement. "They operate independently but have an understanding among each
other. When one group launches a protest and then disperses quickly, some
others, on hearing about it, will back it up with a demonstration or by
distributing leaflets elsewhere." Secrecy and speed seem to be the reasons
why the DDSI so far has been unable to infiltrate the groups or arrest any
significant number of activists.

Sources in Rangoon say that even if the students support the NLD, the party
knows little about the underground organizations that have been formed over
the past few years. "Any closer contact with the students could be suicidal
for the NLD, which still is a legal political party. And the students know
that there are DDSI agents and plants at every NLD office, so they keep a
distance too," says an Asian diplomat in Rangoon.

The authorities' inability to quell Burma's new, more sophisticated student
movement shows it strength, local sources in Rangoon say. But others also
emphasize that the students may lose their momentum, unless they get,
support soon from other segments of society. 

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

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: JUNTA TARGETS STUDENT PARTY AS ARREST SWEEP
CONTINUES 
12 September, 1998 by William Barnes 

The junta, in what appears to be a clean sweep of potential troublemakers,
has arrested more than 100 people associated with a student political
party, according to party officials.

The focus of world attention has been on the fate of members of opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD).

The party reported this week that more than 300 of its would-be MPs and
supporters had been detained following Ms Aung San Suu Kyi's threat to
convene parliament this month.

But the Democratic Party for New Society said yesterday that many of its
own members and former members had been arrested in round-ups led by
Burmese military intelligence.

The party's chairman, Aung Moe Zaw, said that some of those arrested had
already served time in prison and had washed their hands of politics. "We
want the military to know that the Junta's problems will not be solved by
putting everyone behind bars - it will only escalate tension and resentment
among the people," Mr Aung Moe Zaw said.

The party was formed in 1988 when former student protesters decided they
needed the legal cover of a political party to travel and organise
opposition to military rule.

The party fielded the minimum three candidates in that election but urged
voters to support Ms Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD.

The party was officially banned after the election but now it is "above
ground" its officials operate along the Thai-Burma border. Many of its
members were given long jail terms.

Meanwhile, the second demonstration this week by schoolchildren against
military rule was held in Rangoon yesterday, said the All Burma Students
Democratic Front.

Pupils in green and white school uniforms were often at the forefront of
protests against military rule during national demonstrations a decade ago.

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

AFP: DOZENS OF MYANMAR RIOT POLICE DEPLOYED AT OPPOSITION HEADQUARTERS 
13 September, 1998 

Dozens of riot police were deployed around the headquarters of Myanmar's
opposition National League for Democracy party Sunday, witnesses said.

The police, carrying shields and batons, stayed in the shadows of other
buildings near the Yangon NLD complex.

Witnesses said they were also equipped with mobile barriers which could be
used to quickly seal off the downtown road.

At least 200 riot police were also stationed around the Hlaing university
campus, where students have been staging anti-government demonstrations
over the past two weeks, but no incidents were reported.

"Obviously they are prepared to deal with any developments, but nothing
seems to be happening," one Western diplomat said.

[ ... ]

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


REUTERS: SUU KYI WON'T BE HELD, DEPORTED 
11 September, 1998 by Sutin Wannabovorn 

BANKGOK, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military rulers have signalled they
will not deport or arrest opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, an Asian
diplomat based in Yangon said on Friday.

But the military has indicated it would use all other means available to
block her National League for Democracy (NLD) party's plans to hold a
``People's Parliament'' meeting in the capital in the near future, he told
Reuters.

The diplomat, who declined to be identified, was told of these strategies
by officials of the ruling military State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC) during regular bilateral meetings this week.

The diplomat said the current detention of more than 328 NLD members since
Sunday, including 71 elected representatives, reflected a strategy by the
SPDC to avoid direct confrontation with her.

``They (SPDC) said they will not arrest or deport her (Suu Kyi) but at the
same time they cannot allow her to organise the People's Parliament meeting
because it is against the law,'' said the diplomat.

Suu Kyi and her NLD party have countered that convening such a parliament
was not against the law and were said by some opposition sources to have
tentatively planned the parliament meeting for September 18.

[ ... ]

Articles in the state-owned media have advocated that Suu Kyi, who is
married to a British academic, be deported for her anti-government stance
and links to Western supporters.

But the SPDC clarified this week that views expressed in the media were not
those of the government's and it had no plans to deport her.

[ ... ]

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

THE NATION: SUU KYI "HAND IN HAND WITH TERRORISTS" 
11 September, 1998 

RANGOON -- While Burma's military government continues to arrest democracy
activists, a top general has accused Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu
Kyi of working with terrorists, state-run newspapers reported yesterday.

Gen Tin Oo, one of the top four generals in the 21-member ruling military
council, said Suu Kyi was working "in collaboration with underground
terrorists and some superpower countries", the New Light of Myanmar reported.

Their goal, he said, was to cause instability and the disintegration of the
nation.

Tin Oo is army chief of staff and a leader of what is considered the
hard-line faction in the State Peace and Development Council, the official
name of the junta.

Suu Kyi and her party follow a doctrine of political change through
non-violence. She has cited US civil rights leader Martin Luther King and
Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi as her influences.

[ ... ]

In addition, the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF), an exiles
group, said the junta had arrested more than 300 students since June for
campaigning for democracy.

"ABSDF estimates that more than 900 political arrests have taken place
since May, including MPs from all opposition parties, opposition party
officials, students, Buddhist monks and other political activists," the
group said.

ABSDF's foreign affairs secretary Aung Naing Oo said 235 students had been
detained since Aug 24 in Rangoon alone.

He said 70 of those arrested were from Rangoon University, 85 from the
Rangoon Institute of Technology, 50 from the Government Technical Institute
and 30 were high school students.

Meanwhile, Burma's military government took to the Internet yesterday in an
offensive against international condemnation of its detention of hundreds
of pro-democracy opposition members.

In an apparent move to ward off criticism, the junta posted pictures on its
website of the detained NLD members eating and lounging around at various
"government guesthouses".

"Here are some photos of the NLD members who have been invited by the
government to ask for their cooperation to help maintain the current peace,
stability and development of the nation," the webpage said.

The pictures and text published on the junta's website can be found at
http://www.myanmar.com/nld/nld.htm -- and carries English, German, French
and Japanese translations.

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

THE NATION: BAD BURMESE MONEY 
11 September, 1998 

Letter to the Editor

I have recently returned from travelling in Burma and would like to warn
tourists planning to visit that country to beware of the currency they
exchange there.

I arrived in Burma in July and left in early August. During my stay, I had
changed dollars into Foreign Exchange Certificates (FECs), and on leaving,
I changed back my leftover FECs into US$ 200 (two one hundred dollar bills)
as the Myanmar Exchange Bank at Mingaladon Airport. I then spent a few more
days on holiday in Thailand, and unsuspectingly took these dollars to a
local bank to be exchanged.

To my shock, I was told that the dollars were counterfeit, and what is
more, the bank officials even called the police to interrogate me.
Fortunately, but only after long explanations and after I threatened to
call my embassy, they agreed to believe my story, and I was not arrested.

I would therefore, strongly suggest that travellers to Burma be on alert
for such fraud, and not to trust even the government banks.

An Unhappy Tourist

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ANNOUNCEMENT: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL WEBSITES RE: BURMESE PRISONERS OF
CONSCIENCE 
13 September, 1998 from Anja Sloot <ajsloot@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 

New websites - Dr. Ma Thida and Dr. Than Aung

Website Amnesty International (Israel), Health Professionals Network and
POC Dr. Than Aung:

http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/6550/

Website POC Dr. Ma Thida:

http://www.uib.no/isf/people/amnesty/thidabrv.htm

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