The BurmaNet News: November 19, 199

[strider@xxxxxxxxxxx]

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

The BurmaNet News: November 19, 1998
Issue #1142

HEADLINES:
==========
REUTERS: INFLATION-HIT MYANMAR TO ISSUE 1,000 KYAT NOTE 
THE STRAITS TIMES: WILL WATSON CASH IN AGAIN AT ASIA'S RICHEST TOURNAMENT?
ABSDF: "APPEAL TO THE ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT REGARDING THE PLIGHT OF
TWENTY-FOUR DETAINED STUDENTS IN THE SPECIAL DETENTION CENTER"
ANNOUNCEMENT: ABBESU ELECTED MEMBERS LIST
*****************************************************************

REUTERS: INFLATION-HIT MYANMAR TO ISSUE 1,000 KYAT NOTE 

Nov 18, 1998 Eastern 

YANGON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government, battling
galloping inflation, said on Wednesday that it would put 1,000 kyat
banknotes into circulation from November 25. 

The country's state television, in making the announcement, gave no reason
for the new issue. 

The government has put the country's annual inflation rate at around 20
percent, but independent analysts have said it exceeds 50 percent,
depending on the basket of goods used to measure price increases. 

Myanmar already has kyat banknotes in denominations of 500, 200, 90, 50,
45, 20, 15, 10, five and one. There is also a 50 pya note. One kyat
comprises 100 pyas. 

The official kyat exchange rate is about 6.35 to the dollar but the
currency trades at semi-government-controlled exchange centres at between
250 and 300 to the dollar and on the black market at about 340 to the U.S.
currency. 

When the government levies taxes on imported goods it calculates the kyat
at 100 to the dollar. 

The kyat has hit lows of around 420 to the dollar in recent months and the
government has resorted to temporary detentions of unauthorised currency
dealers to control the market rate. 

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

THE STRAITS TIMES: WILL WATSON CASH IN AGAIN AT ASIA'S RICHEST TOURNAMENT? 

November 19, 1998

DUNLOP PHOENIX GOLF 
By GODFREY ROBERT IN MIYAZAKI 

THE Dunlop Phoenix tournament, the pro-am of which teed off yesterday with
Japanese corporate chiefs each paying a reported US$7,500 (S$12,225) for a
slot, has not lost any thunder despite being sandwiched between two other
leading competitions. 
Time difference sees the Grand Slam Cup in Hawaii starting first and the
World Cup in Auckland teeing off last, but there is as much attention on
the Dunlop Phoenix tournament, which celebrates its 25th anniversary. 

A strong international field of 28 players from 14 countries, including the
defending champion Tom Watson, and 56 prime Japanese golfers have met the
strict selection criteria of the organisers in the richest tournament in
Asia with a total purse of US$2.08 million. 

The eligibility list highlights winners of major championships, the leading
players from the Japanese Tour and golfers who have earned more than 300
million yen (S$4.08 million) since 1973. 

And that can only mean the cream of the crop despite the obligations of
Grand Slam winners Mark O'Meara and Vijay Singh, who were in Japan only
last week but had to jet off to Hawaii for the four-man showdown which also
involved Lee Janzen and Tiger Woods. 

Watson heads the US field, which includes Jeff Sluman, Corey Pavin, Fred
Funk, Paul Stankowski, Brian Watts and Brandt Jobe. 

If Watson, 49, who won the Phoenix event in 1980 and last year, brings
together two generations of champions, he will also take delight in seeing
Isao Aoki, seven years his senior, raise a pitch for the seniors. 

Aoki, the 1998 BellSouth champion and runner-up of the this event in 1991,
has a strong following here and he will provide the encouragement for his
younger colleagues such as Tommy Nakajima, Jumbo Ozaki, Shigeki Maruyama
and Naomichi Ozaki. 

Watson and the Japanese will be keeping a close watch on Briton Lee
Westwood, winner of last week's Taiheiyo Masters and at 25 already a winner
in tournaments in the US, Europe and Asia, including a triumph in the
Malaysian Open. 

South Africa has two strong contenders in Ernie Els and Retief Goosen while
Australia will parade the 1979 Dunlop Phoenix winner Graham Marsh, a
regular face in Singapore in the 70s, Craig Parry and Roger Mackay. 

The European challenge comes from Jose Maria Olazabal, Darren Clarke,
Thomas Bjorn and Miguel Angel Jimenez while Singaporean interest will be on
former Japan Open winner Peter Teravainen, Filipino Frankie Minoza, a
regular in the Republic until he won a Japan Tour card and Myanmar's Zaw
Moe, who lives in Singapore. 

The tight, pine tree-lined 6,846-yard course has newly re-modelled greens
which are enlarged and undulating. While many of the golfers find this more
challenging, some are quite unhappy with the raised fairways -- apparently
to help drainage at the coastal course -- which could spin the ball towards
the trees. 

The three-year programme to renew all 18 of the 25-year-old green bed was
completed only two months ago and the new sand greens are designed to
provide equal compactness but faster and smoother surfaces. 

The total length of the course is also 43 yards longer than in previous
years. 

That would certainly make the best player, who stands to win US$321,429, a
worthy champion after four rounds of what is expected to be an exciting
tournament for a glittering cast from around the world. 

A beaming Watson, who enjoyed his six birdies in his pro-am round of
one-under 70, said: "The new rough makes the ball play short and the larger
greens have made the going tougher. 

"I'm expecting a lot of three putts on the undulating greens." 

A 45 per cent increase in the total size of the greens could prove Watson
right, but he is hoping that he will not be affected much. 

Then part in jest but with a serious ending, he added: "I'm becoming a
part-owner of the Kansas City Royals baseball team and I hope to win the
Phoenix again to help me defray some of the cost." 

Watson is part of a consortium which forked out US$75 million for the
Royals which he said was worth double the amount now. 


DUNLOP PHOENIX EVENT: ASIA'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS 

The Dunlop Phoenix Tournament is Asia's richest golf event boasting US$2.08
million (S$3.3 million) in prize money. 

The eligibility list highlights winners of major championships, the leading
players from the Japanese Tour and golfers who have earned more than 300
million yen (S$4 million) since 1973. 

Among the top names playing this week in Miyazaki, which is an hour's
flight from Osaka, are Americans Tom Watson, Jeff Sluman, Corey Pavin and
Fred Funk, Englishman Lee Westwood and Japan's Tommy Nakajima and Jumbo
Ozaki. 


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

"APPEAL TO THE ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT REGARDING THE PLIGHT OF TWENTY-FOUR
DETAINED STUDENTS IN THE SPECIAL DETENTION CENTER"


-Media Release- November 18, 1998

The following statement is the joint statement by the Burmese student\
groups around the world. We are planning to present this letter to the
Royal Thai embassies in our respective countries. We also appeal the
democratic community to voice your concern regarding the fate of those
students in the detention center. We thank you for your support.

Mr Chuan Leekpai
Prime minister
Royal Thai
government                                                         Date.
November 18, 1998

Dear your excellency,

We are Burmese students fighting to restore justice and freedom in our
mother land. We are writing this letter to appeal to your government's kind
consideration regarding the fate of twenty four Burmese students detained
at the Special Detention Center(SDC) in Bangkok. They are incarcerated not
for threatening the property and lives of Thai citizens, but for their
courageous act to tell the world that there is no justice and freedom in
Burma. Among them, Ko Shwe Hla the vice-chairman of the Burmese Student
Association (Safe Area) has been in the detention center for more than one
year. He was arrested in front of the Indonesian embassy while he was
trying to express BSA's opinion against ASEAN's constructive engagement
policy. We are also very concerned about their health and well being,
especially Ko Shwe Hla's.

We appeal to your government to give thorough consideration to the plight
of students in the SDC. We strongly urge Thailand, a leading
democratic country in the south east Asia, to take this opportunity to
show its commitment to the Burmese struggle for freedom and human
rights. They have been punished more than enough even though no crimes
have been committed. Putting the Burmese students in the detention
center for long prison term, for two years in Ko Shwe Hla's case, does
not help Thailand's image in the eyes of the international community.

We also understand that some of the detained students have not been
recognized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee as
"Person of Concern" for various reasons. However, we plea your
government to kindly grant the same treatment to them since they
deserved to be treated equally as others. Thailand has shown its
sympathy towards Burmese students' struggle in the past and we petition
your government to continue. Please give them freedom every human being
deserves. . We are more than happy to assist you in anyway we can in
this matter including their well being after release. We thank you for
your consideration in this matter.

All Burma Basic Education Student Union (Thailand)
All Burma Student Democratic Organization (Australia)
All Burma Student League (India)
Burmese Student Democratic Organization (Canada)
Democratic Burmese Students Organization (USA)
Student Organization for Liberation of Burma (Japan)
Oversea National Student Organization of Burma (Thailand)
Working Group for Democracy in Burma (VIC-Australia)


*********************************************************************
ANNOUNCEMENT: ABBESU ELECTED MEMBERS LIST

ALL BURMA BASIC EDUCATIONS STUDENTS UNION (THAILAND)
  
    We are a body of Burmese students, striking and protesting against the
dictatorship and military elite in Burma, for the restoration of democracy
and human rights in our country .Burma is presently ruled by SPDC. 
  
The 10th conference of All Burma Basic Educations Stucents' Union id
holding in the promise of our members. On October 10, 1998 we held
successful elections and the democratically ecleced Central Committee
Members are as follows:

DESIGNATIONS							NAME
  
CHAIRMAN								MAUNG MAUNG
VICE-CHAIRMAN							AUNG ZAW
GENERAL SECRETARY						MOE MIN AUNG
FOREIGN AFFAIRS							YAN SOE AUNG
FINANCIAL AFFAIRS						YAN MYO AUNG	
NEWS AND INFORMATION AFFAIRS				TIN AUGN MOE
ALLIANCE RELATION COMMITTEE					SAW AYE MIN	
POLITICAL ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE				KYAW LAY
WORKING INSPECTION COMMITTEE				MAUNG MAUNG OO
OFFICE-IN-CHARGE							HLA HTWE



CENTRAL COMMITTEE
ALL BURMA BASIC EDUCATIONS STUDENTS UNION (THAILAND)
*********************************************************************