The BurmaNet News: September 18, 19

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------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
 "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: September 18, 1998
Issue #1099

HEADLINES:
==========
REUTERS: MYANMAR'S DEFIANT NLD NAMES PARLIAMENT HEAD 
AFP: EXILED GOVERNMENT SAYS ABUSES RISING STEADILY 
THE NATION (LETTER): ETHNIC CLEANSING 
XINHUA: MYANMAR FM TO ATTEND UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY 
BKK POST: BRIDGING THE GAP A SECOND TIME 
REUTERS: BORDER GUARDS SEIZE BANGLADESHI FISHERMEN 
ANNOUNCEMENT: AI DEMONSTRATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
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REUTERS: MYANMAR'S DEFIANT NLD NAMES PARLIAMENT HEAD 
17 September, 1998 by Aung Hla Tun 

YANGON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The winners of Myanmar's last election issued a
provocative challenge to the country's ruling generals on Thursday,
choosing a head for a parliament the military never allowed to convene.

They also declared laws introduced in the past 10 years illegal unless
approved by the body.

In a statement issued on the eve of the 10th anniversary of Myanmar's
takeover by the military, a committee formed this week by the opposition
National League for Democracy said it would act on behalf of the parliament
since most representatives elected in the 1990 poll had been detained.

``The Committee Representing the People's Parliament, which is vested with
the authority of the parliamentary representatives, shall carry out tasks
on behalf of the parliament,'' it said.

It named Saw Mra Aung, head of the Arakan League for Democracy, chairman of
parliament. He has been detained since September 6 along with hundreds of
other opposition members in a government crackdown aimed at preventing the
NLD from carrying out its vow to convene a ``People's Parliament'' this month.

The NLD, led by 1991 Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, won the 1990
election in a landslide. But the military, which seized direct control of
government exactly ten years ago on Friday by crushing a pro-democracy
uprising, refused to accept the result.

The party says that since May, when it resolved to convene a parliament,
more than 800 of its members, including 195 elected representatives, had
been detained. The government has said some NLD members had been
``invited'' to state guest houses.

The NLD formed the committee in response to the detentions and said 251 of
its 459 surviving elected representatives had empowered it to act on their
behalf.

The NLD committee said it would ``act on behalf of parliament until the
convening of parliament is accomplished in accordance with the 1990
multi-party democracy general election law.''

``Laws, bylaws, regulations, orders and announcements which were enacted
since September 18, 1988 are not legal so long as they are not approved by
the 'People's Parliament','' it said.

Parliamentary terms would last until a constitution acceptable to the
people and conforming to democratic principles was approved and adopted by
the parliament.

The statement said the armed forces were an essential national organisation
but should stick to their duty of defence and ``always put the desire of
the people at the fore.''

It said all political prisoners should be released immediately and
parliamentary representatives should be exempt from legal action when
carrying out political duties.

Earlier, two of the NLD's elected representatives in exile told a news
conference in Bangkok the party might soon form a provisional government.
They said the NLD committee was likely to make a ``crucial'' announcement
in the next few days.

``Most likely it is going to declare the forming of a provisional
government,'' NLD exile Teddy Buri said. ``I would like to take this
opportunity to appeal to the international community to support such a
government in case it is formed.''

Another exiled NLD member, Thein Oo, said a decision to form a provisional
government was made at an NLD congress in May.

``The NLD planned to hold the 'People's Parliament' to endorse the forming
of the government. But since the military continues its suppression and
detaining its members, NLD representatives then gave the mandate to the
10-member committee to form the provisional government,'' he said.

The exiles, who both won seats in 1990, said the provisional government was
a direct challenge to the military.

Teddy Buri and Thein Oo are members of the National Coalition Government of
the Union of Burma (NCGUB) which was formed by NLD members who fled to the
jungles in 1990.

``When the provisional government is formed in Yangon, the NCGUB will
automatically be dissolved,'' Teddy Buri said.

They said they had not had direct contact with Suu Kyi before the news
conference and that information about the NLD's move was relayed to them
from Yangon. 

[from AFP: 17 September, 1998:]

YANGON, Sept 17 (AFP) - Myanmar's main opposition party Thursday said it
had secured the backing of a handful of ethnic resistance groups for its
decision to convene a parliament.

In a written statement, the National League for Democracy (NLD) party's
newly-formed "representative committee" announced it held its first meeting
Wednesday and adopted four resolutions.

The fourth resolution welcomed four groups, including three which had
previously signed ceasefire agreements with the ruling military.

[... ]

The statement said the NLD's call for a parliament was supported by the
Shan State People's Liberation Organisation, which had previously agreed a
ceasefire with the junta.

The Karenni All People's Liberation Army and New Mon State Party, both of
which have signed ceasefires with the government, were also welcomed. The
fourth group was the New Kayan State Party, the committee's statement said.

[from NLD Statement 58, 16 September, 1998; unofficial translation:]

9. It is very clear that today's political, economic and social crisis will
not be solved by arresting and imprisoning, threatening and harassing the
people's representatives. It is obvious that the authorities are taking
measures to prevent the operation of law and the fulfillment of our
obligation and duty to the people to convene the Peoples Parliament.

10. Therefore, on behalf of the parliamentarians-elect, a committee
comprising the persons listed below has been formed. Out of 485
parliamentarians-elect, 26 have died and 459 remain. This committee has
been duly authorised by 250 parliamentarians-elect.

Chairman - U Aung Shwe - MP-elect from No:1 constituency, Mayangone
township, Rangoon Division
Secretary - U Than Tun - MP-elect from No:2 constituency, Taungtha
township, Mandalay Division

Members
U Aye Thar Aung - Representing the following: Shan National League for
Democracy, Arakan League for Democracy, Mon National Democracy Front, Zomi
National Congress 

U TinOo - Deputy Chairman, National League for Democracy

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi - General Secretary, National League for Democracy

U Lwin - MP-elect, Constituency 1, Thongwa township, Rangoon Division

U Hla Pe - MP-elect from No:1 constituency, Moulmeingyun township,
Irrawaddy Division

U Soe Myint - MP-elect from No:1 constituency, South Okkalapa township,
Rangoon Division

U Lun Tin - MP-elect from No:1 constituency, Moulmein township, Mon State

U Nyunt Way - MP-elect from No:2 constituency, Taungoo township, Pegu Division

11. The first meeting of this committee was held today and necessary
resolutions were made.

[from NCGUB:]

Thus far, 250 Members of Parliament, comprising 54.6% of the Parliament's
surviving members have authorized the Committee to act on their behalf.
Four parties representing a total of 41 Members of Parliament from the
Shan, Rakhine, Mon and Zomi [Chin State] ethnic groups have also announced
their support of the People's Parliament.

[from Burma Lawyer's Council Statement on Convening of People's Assembly in
Burma:]

5. According to international constitutional practices, this situation
places Burma in a state of emergency. If the MPs in Burma were to hold a
session of the People's Assembly during a state of emergency, it would
constitute a valid session of the People's Assembly regardless of the
number of MPs in attendance. Any resolutions made would have full legal
effect.

6. The best illustration of how politicians with the people's mandate can
form a legal government is the formation of the Provisional Government by
Mrs. Corazon C. Aquino in 1986 in the Philippines whilst Ferdinand Marcos
still claimed to be president. The people of the Philippines recognized
Mrs. Aquino's Provisional Government as their government. Mr. Marcos and
his administration were accordingly overthrown.

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AFP: EXILED GOVERNMENT SAYS RIGHTS ABUSES IN MYANMAR RISING STEADILY
17 September, 1998 

BANGKOK, Sept 17 (AFP) - Myanmar's exiled government Thursday said human
rights abuses in the military state have "dramatically escalated" in the
biggest crackdown on democrats since the generals seized power 10 years ago.

The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) released
its Burma Human Rights Yearbook on Thursday on the eve of the 10th
anniversary of the formation of the military government.

"The military has dramatically escalated its repression of NLD (National
League for Democracy) members and we are now experiencing the biggest
crackdown on pro-democracy supporters since the (military) seized power 10
years ago," NCGUB Justice Minister Thein Oo said in a statement received here.

[ ... ]

[The statement] said the 700-page yearbook, to be launched here later
Thursday, listed wide-scale human rights abuses in 1997-98 including
extra-judicial killings, forced relocation, forced labour, arbitrary
detention and restrictions of freedoms of movement, speech and assembly.

It said ethnic minorities including the Karen, Mon and Tavoyan also had
been subject to abuse, including rapes, forced relocations and forced
labour during military operations against guerrilla forces along the rugged
border with Thailand.

In one of the worst reported cases, the Thailand-based NCGUB said 664 Shan
people has been forcibly relocated from their villages last year and then
executed, many as they tried to return to their homes in search of food.

"The soldiers shot or beat many of them to death, while others were raped
and some beheaded," Thein Oo said.

None of the NCGUB's claims could be immediately confirmed, but the report
matches other damning human rights assessments by leading bodies including
the United Nations and Amnesty International.

[ ... ]

No comment on the NCGUB's yearbook was immediately available from the SPDC. 

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THE NATION: ETHNIC CLEANSING 
17 September, 1998 

Letter to the Editor

First and foremost, thank you The Nation for reporting what many in the
civilised world are aware of. The do nothing organisations that should move
against atrocities committed in countries like Burma also should bear part
of the blame. The evidence is clear. The Burmese tatmadaw (military) are
permitting rapes and tortures with much glee.

There is growing evidence that the senior-level officers have no control
over the soldiers because there is no proper training like other militaries
around the world. Also, high-level officers demand young virgins for their
personal pleasure. They will not admit it (but) the military is in shambles
- there is no leadership and no control.

We, the world community, should hang our heads in shame. Where is Elie
Wiesel? Where are those who claim never again, and yet Bosnia occurred. The
United Nations, including Kofi Annan, are at fault. How can anyone act like
this? Not even dogs use this type of behaviour on their own.

The Burmese State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) members are lower
than dogs. They are worms. Animals they are.

Forget what the SPDC and their sham US Embassy spokesmen say. The ruling
junta will never ever be part of the world community as long as these rapes
occur. The developed nations owe it to the ethnic races to support
democracy not just in words but with actions. And that means supplying them
with the necessary weapons to fight back.

The SPDC should now be overthrown by the ethnic races, and democratic
nations should support it.

Now I think many will see why the US Congress refuses to support the United
Nations 100 per cent. The mission is clear: ethnic cleansing wherever it
may be is wrong. And all countries are responsible for letting it happen.
God bless Earth Rights International for the marvelous work they are doing.

Dennis Greaves, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 

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XINHUA (CHINA): MYANMAR FM TO ATTEND UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY 
17 September, 1998 

YANGON (Sept. 17) XINHUA - Myanmar Foreign Minister U Ohn Gyaw left here
Thursday afternoon for the United States to attend the 53rd session of the
General Assembly of the United Nations opened at the U.N. Headquarters in
New York last Wednesday.

U Ohn Gyaw will join the two-week long general debate of the General
Assembly beginning next Monday.

At the just-ended 12th Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Durban, South Africa,
the Myanmar minister expressed that his country agrees to the UN reform
proposal initiated by Secretary General Kofi Annan, saying that the U.N.
should be strengthened and restructured in such a way that it responds to
the needs and aspirations of its membership, particularly of developing
member countries.

[from AFP, 5 September, 1998: Kofi Annan Urges Steps Toward Democracy
(unofficial translation from French):]

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan made a plea to Burma's military authorities
on Friday to take steps toward democratisation and to open dialogue with
chief opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

According to Fred Eckhard, Mr. Annan reminded the junta's Foreign Minister
of this impending need, recalling the Non-Aligned Summit in Durban, South
Africa, which ended Friday.  The FM affirmed "the necessity of Burma's
democratic process."

The source did not comment on whether Mr. Annan had, in the course of this
meeting, discussed the prospect of sending a personal envoy to Rangoon -- a
proposition which has been rejected by the junta in the past. [end AFP]

On the issue of expansion and reform of the U.N. Security Council, Myanmar
objected the move to exclude the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) countries,
claiming that the Council should be enlarged by not less than 11 new
members and that such an enlargement should be based on the principles of
sovereign equality of states, equitable geographical distribution and
rotation.

Dealing with the question of veto, Myanmar called for limited use of it,
welcoming the proposal of total annihilation of veto power, presented by
Nelson Mandela, chairman of the last 12th NAM Summit and president of South
Africa.

During his attendance at the general assembly, U Ohn Gyaw is also expected
to continue his dialogue with the Kofi Annan on the current situation in
Myanmar.

Annan proposed to Myanmar leader Senior-General Than Shwe last month to
send a special U.N. emissary shortly to look into the current political
development in the country.

However, Than Shwe responded that there was no reason for such a rushed
visit, saying that the dialogue between the Myanmar government and the
Secretary General could continue in New York in September when his Foreign
Minister joins the General Assembly's general debate.

The Myanmar government and the U.N. had maintained the dialogue since 1994.

In January this year, Envoy of the U.N. Secretary General Alvaro de Soto
visited Yangon and met with Than Shwe.

He then had discussions with the Myanmar foreign minister on matters of
mutual interest and also met with leaders of the National League for
Democracy (NLD) including Aung San Suu Kyi, the party's general secretary.

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THE BANGKOK POST: BRIDGING THE GAP A SECOND TIME 

17 September, 1998 by Saritdet Marukatat and Nussara Sawatsawang, Mae Sot,
Tak 

FRIENDSHIPS BETWEEN NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES CAN BE FRAGILE THINGS,
ESPECIALLY WHEN SYMBOLS OF THAT FRIENDSHIP, SUCH AS A BRIDGE LINKING THE
TWO COUNTRIES, ARE PUT OFF LIMITS BY ONE SIDE. BUT EFFORTS AT CLOSE TIES
CAN AND DO CONTINUE.

The reopening yesterday of the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge came amid
little excitement on the Thai side as there is no guarantee Burma won't
close it again.

A week before the reopening, many people were still not sure it would take
place as Burma abruptly postponed the earlier schedule of Sept 9.
Yesterday's reopening was a day earlier than previously planned.

"There's no certainty in Burma," said Paniti Tungphati, the president of
the Tak Chamber of Commerce.

Grai Aupagara, the manager of Siam Commercial Bank's Rim Moei sub-branch
located at the foot of the bridge, said: "I feel that I am always deceived.
Although the bridge is being reopened, there is no guarantee it won't be
closed again."

Uncertainty has beset the bridge ever since its much celebrated
inauguration on Aug 15 last year presided over by Korn Dabbaransi, the then
deputy prime minister, and Saw Tun Burma's construction minister.

Within three months, only commuters were allowed to use the bridge. Border
trade was stopped as Burma cited its need for time to revamp the tax
collection system and to prepare for the setting up of a new border trade
office to oversee imports and exports following an agreement with Thailand
to-abandon local currencies in favour of the American dollar.

Then on Apr 14, both Thais and Burmese were barred from crossing the bridge
after Rangoon closed its side. Border sources linked the decision to a bomb
planted a day earlier in the Burmese border town of Myawaddy.

Burma's repeated disruption of the bridge operation brings into question
the success of a project which cost Thai taxpayers 79.4 million baht.
Critics say the bridge has neither lived up to the friendship promised by
its name nor its potential to facilitate trade.

Analysts and traders attributed this to authorities' failure to address
security problems in an area long contested by Rangoon and Karen rebels,
and to a lack of sincerity between policymakers in Rangoon and Bangkok.

"We didn't tackle the basic problem of Burmese ethnic minorities before the
(bridge) construction," said Mr Grai.

Pornpimon Trichote, a Burma analyst at Chulalongkorn University's Institute
of Asian Studies, said the bridge's prospect remained bleak as long as
insurgents from the Karen National Union kept launching anti-Rangoon
attacks in the area.

Burma, which is aware of the bridge's importance to Thai traders and
politicians, is using the bridge as a bargaining chip to press the Thai
government to help wipe out the Karens so that its forces can secure the
frontier opposite Tak, she said.

"Burma has nothing to lose from [closing] the bridge. In fact, the Burmese
can wait for another three years to open it on a permanent basis."

But Bunpoat Kokaitcharoen, a long-time trader with Burma, argued that the
ruling military junta, known as the State Peace and Development Council,
was suffering due to mounting international pressure to isolate the country
from global trade and investment and rising economic hardship within the
country.

Problems with Western countries had prompted Burma to rely on more
commercial contacts with Thailand and other members of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations for goods, investment projects and hard currency to
cure its ailing economy, said Mr Bunpoat, who is secretary-general of the
local chamber of commerce.

Thailand and Burma are members of Asean, which also groups Brunei,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

The opening of the bridge 13 months ago brought Mae Sot a boom in trade
measured at about 450 million baht a month. The disruption of border trade
the following November cut the volume to 150 million baht, and a ban by
Rangoon on some imports and exports since Mar 20 has reduced the monthly
estimate to 30 million baht. Thailand enjoys a large trade surplus.

Burma has banned the import of 10 consumer and luxury items, including
mono-sodium glutamate (MSG), soft drinks, biscuits canned fruit and
vegetable, fresh fruits, instant noodles, liquors and cigarette. It has
banned the export of 30 Burmese products, including much needed cattle,
gems and precious stones in an effort to reverse the trade imbalance.

Siriphan Kiattikaikul, a senior customs officer here, showed optimism that
the newly established office in Myawaddy would help Rangoon collect taxes
more systematically and eventually boost its revenue from border trade.

But the ban covering key export and import products by Burma could hurt
Rangoon itself as the regulation will encourage traders to continue using
the underground route.

MSG tops Thai exports to- Burma, while cattle, gems and coals are among
major products Thailand imports from its western neighbour.

Last week Supachai Panitchpakdi, the commerce minister, proposed during
talks in Bangkok that Rangoon lift the ban on MSG, soft drinks, instant
noodles, and canned vegetable and fruits. But his Burmese counterpart Kyaw
Than maintained that the ban was necessary to trade balance.

Mr Paniti said it would be "natural" for traders to go underground in the
face of such rigid regulations.

That's the case for key products like MSG as, with or without the bridge
and the tightly controlled rules, exporters can find a way to deliver the
product to their main market in Rangoon by taking advantage of the long
border between the two countries here, which is defined by the Moei River.

It takes a day and night for MSG to be transported from the market in MAE
Sot to Rangoon, where the product is quickly snapped up by consumers. The
only difference is they have to pay 300 kyat for a 500 mg pack, more than
three times the normal price of 90 kyat before the Burmese  government
issued the ban, said one trader.

The same thing happened to soft drinks and other banned consumer goods,
whose cost rose 40 percent.

In fact, the disruption of border trade last November is taking its toll on
Burmese consumers. They are suffering a price hike as a result of rising
transport costs from three baht per kilogramme for legal trade to 40 baht
for the underground route, said another trader.

"Illegal trade has existed as long as bribes work and there is demand in
Burma," said an official who requested anonymity.

Meanwhile, there is hope for the revival of tourism with the reopening of
the bridge after a five-month closure.

The bridge site on the Thai side is seen as a place waiting for prosperity
with better prospects than Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai due to its
strategic location.

The Mae Sot pass is set to be the most important gateway to Burma's most
lucrative market in Rangoon, which is only about 400 km away. Refurbishment
has already started on the road from Myawaddy to Rangoon to promote trade
and tourism, while the two countries' industry ministries are looking at
both Mae Sot and Myawaddy as sites for industrial zones.

Expecting the bridge itself to become an attraction for Thai tourists, as
was the case with the Thai-Laotian Friendship Bridge in Nong Khai,
investors spent millions of baht to turn the site into new commercial and
shopping centres.

During the eight months when the bridge was open from August last year to
April this year, 80,340 Thai tourists crossed it, or about 330 a day on
average, according to the immigration office here. That excluded those who
stayed on Thai soil.

Everything looked promising before the bank decided to open business here,
said Mr Grai.

But the bridge closure and the country's financial crisis have left
shophouses deserted.

A male vendor however overlooked the obstacles and expressed hope that the
bridge's reopening would inject new life into his souvenir business. But he
thought it would take longer for the country's economy to revive.

During the bridge closure, the vendor's customers were other traders who
took his souvenirs for resale in other provinces.

Montha Toonhayao, who sells teak handicrafts at the bridge, shrugged off
the bridge closure and blamed the financial crisis for her business
downturn. "Before, it was easy to make 2,000 baht a day. Now some days I
don't sell  anything," she said in frustration.

But Chaiwuti Bannawat, a Democrat member of parliament from Tak, was
confident that the bridge would benefit the two countries in the long run.

"Whether or not the bridge should have been built is not the question,-" he
said. "Now the two countries should concentrate on how to make it work."

The bridge can still promote friendship, local contacts, tourism and trade
between the two countries, he said. But it would be up to diplomatic ties,
security along the border and proper management by Rangoon to boost Burma's
economy.

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REUTERS: MYANMAR BORDER GUARDS SEIZE BANGLADESHI FISHERMEN 
16 September, 1998 

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Myanmar border guards have
seized seven Bangladeshi fishing boats with 60 crew in the Bay of Bengal,
police said on Wednesday.

The police said the Myanmar border guards took the fishing boats and
arrested the fishermen at gunpoint on Tuesday night from near Bangladesh's
St. Martins Island.

They said Bangladesh border guards on Wednesday protested the ``illegal
intrusion'' of Myanmar border guards into Bangladesh territorial waters and
demanded immediate release of the fishermen.

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ANNOUNCEMENT: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL DEMONSTRATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN BURMA 
17 September, 1998 from <ajsloot@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 

Amnesty International (Israel) plans a demonstration in front of the
Burmese Embassy in Tel Aviv around Human Rights Day, December 10. We would
like to increase its impact by having demonstrations by human rights
activists in other countries in front of Burmese embassies at about the
same time. People/groups wanting to join this international demonstration
for human rights in Burma may contact:

Daniel Weishut
Amnesty International (Israel) -Health Professionals Network
Home-page: http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/6550
E-mail: aihealth@xxxxxxxxxxx (network); weishut@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (private)
Home-address:   P. O. Box  3093,  Jerusalem  91030,   Israel
Tel/fax: -972-2-6427519

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