The BurmaNet News: January 11, 1999

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"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: January 11, 1999
Issue #1182

Noted in Passing: " Let us not look back to a long time ago. We cannot live
in the past. Let us see the future and the present. Right now, we are
marching forward on the right track " - Win Aung (See ASIAWEEK: WE CAN
STAND CRITICISM)  

HEADLINES:
==========
SCMP: BURMA- JUNTA HAS DEMOCRATS ON THE ROPES 
KNU: STATEMENT RE: THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR 
ASIAWEEK: 'WE CAN STAND CRITICISM' 
NLOM: SECT-2 INSPECTS CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS 
AP: ETHNIC REBELS DEPLOY ORPHAN FIGHTERS 
CNN: GOLDEN TRIANGLE OPIUM REPORT 
BKK POST: THAI- BURMA TALKS 
REUTERS: ASIA AMPHETAMINE RING TARGETING EUROPE 
ANNOUNCEMENT: MELBOURNE- INVITATION FOR BURMA LUNCH
*************************************************

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: BURMA -JUNTA HAS DEMOCRATS ON THE ROPES
9 January, 1998 by William Barnes 

The generals in Rangoon have effectively smashed opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi's political party, diplomats in the Burmese capital said yesterday. 

Yet they doubt the junta has the courage to ban the party outright or
deport popular leader Aung San Suu Kyi. 

Civil servants have been going door-to-door across the land demanding to
know if National League for Democracy (NLD) members support "The Lady" or
remained members of the party. 

Anyone who does not disown the opposition is told bluntly that their family
will see job and education opportunities melt away. 

"They've been very thorough. They've really tried to lay waste to the party
structure," one diplomat said. 

The regime said a few days ago that 257 party members in the Shan state and
in Ayewaddy division had "voluntarily" resigned. Hundreds more are believed
to have been pressured into signing similar papers purporting to burn their
political links. 

The operation appears designed to humiliate party members with their own
weakness and portray Ms Aung San Suu Kyi and senior colleagues as isolated
heretics. 

The government-run media warned yesterday that Ms Aung San Suu Kyi might be
put on trial for what it said were anti-national activities. 

The New Light of Myanmar newspaper said she had broken the law by divulging
state secrets to foreign nations and kept in contact with outlawed
expatriate and rebel groups. 

"She not only divulges secrets of the state to foreign nations but also
called for destruction of the state openly," an article said. 

"She is breaking the existing laws, keeping in contact with outlawed
expatriate groups that rebelled with arms and the Karen National Union
group, declared as an unlawful association." 

A series of mass rallies - or "expressions of the people's desires" - were
held around the country last year to join the state media in its vicious
attacks against dangerous "axe-handles" - Burmese who work with foreigners
to attack their own people. 

Officials from the Union Solidarity and Development Association have also
been handing out questionnaires demanding to know if people would or would
not like to join the military organisation, according to opposition sources. 


The pogrom is a stinging reply to the NLD's provocative attempt to convene
parliament late last year along the lines of a 1990 election when it won an
overwhelming majority. 

Some observers suspect the secretive regime may be particularly loath to
permit any strong challenge now because its hand-picked National Convention
may be allowed to produce a constitution this year, paving with way for
some kind of "soviet" election. 

But this does not necessarily mean that Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, who suffered
six years of house arrest until 1996, will be detained again or her party
banned outright.

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

KNU: STATEMENT REGARDING ARTICLE IN SPDC NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR
9 January, 1999  

An article in the "New Light of Myanmar" newspaper, dated January 8, 1999
[See BurmaNet News issue #1181, AP: Myanmar Leader, Insurgents Linked], the
SPDC alleged that Daw Suu and the KNU are in contact. In regardful this
matter, the KNU has to make a statement as follows. 

1. On august 23, 1998, The SPDC stated that it had to block the trip of Daw
Suu to the delta, because there was the danger of the KNU assassinating
her. Now ,again it is saying that she is in contact with the KNU. Both the
unjustifiable allegations, fabricated by the SPDC , are totally groundless. 

2. Daw Suu is not the one who has been making war, killing and destroying
the Karen people. She is neither the enemy of either the KNU or the Karen
people. Therefore, there is no reason for the KNU to try to assassinate Daw
Suu. Since the KNU well knows that the SPDC has been, constantly, attacking
and finding fault with Daw Suu, the KNU has never tried to establish
contact with Daw Suu. Daw Suu also has never tried to do so. We ,the KNU ,
strongly condemn the SPDC for fabricating, wishfully, such falsehood and
escalating, a stage higher, its attack against Daw Suu. 

3. Time and again, the KNU president has explained to the media that there
has never been contact between the KNU and Daw Suu, though the political
stand of Daw Suu and that of the KNU has the same basis. Accusation Daw Suu
by the SPDC again in such a manner, shows that the SPDC is preparing to
perpetrate more heinous acts. 

4. Currently, the SPDC has increased its military offensive again the KNU
and the ethnic forces. At the same time, it is preparing ground for
escalating wanton attacks against Daw Suu. These are irrational acts of the
SPDC dictatorship. They show that the SPDC is gearing up, insanely, to go a
step further for more attacks against the entire people comprising of all
the nationalities. 

5. In fact, the NLD led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, is a legally instituted
party, and the people elected it to victory in the May 1990 general
election. Therefore, the existence and activities of Daw Suu and the NLD
are legitimate, where as the existence, the clinging to power and all
activities of the SPDC are illegitimate. In conclusion, we, the KNU , would
like to urge all the forces, opposing the military dictatorship, and the
people in the country to be politically alert and united, and to go further
and courageously demolish the lawless activities of the SPDC military dictator


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

ASIAWEEK: 'WE CAN STAND CRITICISM': FOREIGN MINISTER WIN AUNG ON THE DEFENSE 
25 December, 1998 by Roger Mitton 

Win who? Unlike most leaders staying at Hanoi's Daewoo Hotel during the
recent ASEAN summit, Win Aung was not mobbed by a media scrum when he
arrived. In fact, no one recognized him. More than a month into the job,
Myanmar's new foreign minister is a genial, deep-voiced man who laughs
easily and whose affable style contrasts with his rather rigid and
thin-skinned predecessor, Ohn Gyaw. Win Aung, 54, is a former army officer
who has served as a diplomat in top posts in Laos, Singapore, Germany and
Britain. In Hanoi, he spoke with Senior Correspondent Roger Mitton in one
of his first interviews since taking up his latest job. Excerpts: 

Is your shock appointment part of a move by Myanmar to present a more
acceptable face to the world? 

Some people might say that, others something else. It is a surprise to me
too. I did not expect to be made foreign minister. But my predecessor had
been in the job 10 years. He did his best in his own style. I am younger
and I have my own way. I don't say it's better, but I can be much more
media-friendly. Why not give the younger generation a chance to tackle our
problems with new ideas? 

Is it hard defending your policies to ASEAN colleagues? 

They may have a different stand [over] certain things, but we are all
members of a family. There might be disagreements, but they are settled
within the family. Myanmar can withstand criticism, so long as we are given
a chance to explain. 

Explain your lack of progress toward democracy. 

We respect democracy and human rights. But they come with responsibility
and respect for the rule of law. Unfortunately, some people in my country
think democracy gives them the right to do whatever they like. If they
cross the line of the law, then the law will take its course. And then
other governments will accuse us of violating human rights. 

You feel pro-democracy groups like Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy have crossed that line? 

Our goal is the same as theirs: to build democracy. But it is wrong for
them to think only they can achieve it. The government also wants it;
meanwhile, it is trying to raise living standards. As it does so, all the
NLD does is denounce and belittle every move we make. They write letters
urging foreign governments not to have any relations with us, asking them
to punish and suppress us, not to trade or invest with us, telling tourists
not to come and so on. If instead they calm down and work with us, we will
have no problems. 

You have treated them pretty harshly. 

No, it's not heavy-handed, not harsh. If they had not threatened to convene
parliament and set up a parallel government, there would have been no need
to take this action. Had they done that, it would have caused all kinds of
problems. 

So there is no dialogue . . . 

To have a dialogue you need common ground. It won't work if one side
loftily denounces the other all the time, saying that if you don't talk
there will be "utter devastation" -- that was the phrase used by the NLD.
You cannot threaten like that. The government tried very hard to have
meaningful contacts in order to develop confidence-building measures. But
there were these statements from the other side, orders from above not to
have this person, that person, things like that. If you approach everything
in a confrontational way, denouncing and pressuring, then you can imagine
the government's reaction. 


And no progress . . . 

The Myanmar people understand how sincere we are in building the nation.
Only Suu Kyi does not appreciate what we are doing. She denounces
everything we do. She does not give priority to the people. We do. We would
like to see the people have a better living standard. We are trying, please
believe me. 

But Suu Kyi's NLD massively won the 1990 election, proving the people
support her, not you. 

Let us not look back to a long time ago. We cannot live in the past. Let us
see the future and the present. Right now, we are marching forward on the
right track. 

Have you ever met Suu Kyi? 

No, I have not.

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

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: SECRETARY-2 INSPECTS CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN
MAGWAY DIVISION
10 January, 1999 

Secretary-2 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen Tin Oo
inspected construction projects in Magway Division yesterday. 

First, the Secretary-2 inspected the sites designated for construction of a
bridge across Ayeyawady River between Magway and Minbu yesterday morning.
Chairman of Magway Division Peace and Development Council Col Thein Zaw and
the Superintending Engineer and officials of Magway Division Public Works
reported to the Secretary-2 and ministers and deputy ministers on the sites
located between Nyaung-koebin-seik and Kywethomyaung and near Shweyaungdaw
Pagoda, Kingywa, and waterways of the river with the aid of charts and maps. 

After giving instructions ,n the sites, the Secretary-2 proceeded to the
Yin Creek 3ridge Project which will be he biggest on Taungdwingyi Magway
Railroad. 

In the briefing hall of the project site, Commander of No-88 Light Infantry
Division Brig-Gen Aye Kyway explained to the Secretary-2 and party about
building of the railroad section between Kaungdwingyi and Magway, saying it
is being built by Tatmadaw members only. 

It was followed by a report of Deputy General Manager U Moe Naing of
Myanmar Railways on Yin Creek Bridge Project.

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

ASSOCIATED PRESS: EMBATTLED MYANMAR ETHNIC REBELS DEPLOY ORPHAN FIGHTERS
10 January, 1999  

KAW LONG CHO, Myanmar (AP) -- A teen-ager living in a rebel camp -- one of
countless orphans produced in a half-century of conflict -- tells of
watching the Burmese army kill his father, a Christian pastor. "They
laughed when they shot him in front of me," said Peterson, 15, who goes by
one name. "I'm fighting to avenge his death." 

Peterson is among 30 boys under 16 in a Karen National Liberation Army
battalion of 300 fighters at Kaw Long Cho, a hilly camp just inside
Myanmar, also known as Burma, near the Thai border. The Karens, a largely
Christian minority in an overwhelmingly Buddhist country, have fought for
more autonomy since Myanmar's independence from Britain 50 years ago. Boys
like Peterson typically arrive in rebel areas wanting to become soldiers.
They are put to work in the camps, gathering firewood and hunting before
being taken out on operations to learn fighting on the job. 

Many say they have seen their parents killed, part of a pattern followed by
the Myanmar army that human-rights groups and refugees say includes rape,
torture, murder and the burning of villages. The Karens call it ethnic
cleansing; the government denies it. 


The Karens and other minorities who have refused or broken cease-fires
with the military regime can expect the brunt of the army's annual
dry-season offensive, according to the rebel and Thai military officers who
monitor events inside Myanmar. Orphaned boys are being deployed alongside
older rebels to face the military, the Karens say. 

Kaban, one of Peterson's comrades, said Friday that he joined the rebel
army -- the military wing of the Karen National Union -- after soldiers
slaughtered everyone in his village. "The soldiers killed my parents," said
Kaban, who has a look in his eyes far older than his 15 years. "The KNLA is
now my family." 

The military has ruled Myanmar since 1962, and the Karen National Union is
the largest of a score of rebel outfits. Karens are the biggest minority
group in Myanmar, about 3.4 million people among a population of 47
million. Most rebel groups in recent years have reached cease-fires with
the government, though a couple appear to be breaking down. 

The Karen have never signed one, though their long-time capital, Manerplaw,
was overrun in 1994. They have shifted to guerrilla tactics and say they
operate from about 300 mobile bases along the frontier. 

Battalion commander Capt. Go To estimates there are perhaps 2,000 boy
soldiers in the KNLA. He claims the rebels can field about 20,000 fighters,
though independent analysts put the figure at less 10,000. 

Kaban and Peterson have joined attacks on an army base in the middle of
hostile territory, Go To said. "There, the enemy is surrounded and we
ambush them every time they come out for supplies," Go To said. "We kill
about 20 soldiers each month." The claims cannot be verified and both sides
use propaganda as a weapon. 

A government spokesman said Sunday there is no offensive under way since
the Karens and other groups no longer control any land and large troop
concentrations are not needed to fight guerrillas. 

"This is their way of attracting attention and sympathy from outside the
country, by deliberately creating fabrications," the spokesman said on
condition of anonymity.

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

CNN: GOLDEN TRIANGLE OPIUM REPORT
6 January, 1999  

Transcript: 

HENDERSON: Is a crusade underway in Myanmar? That country's military 
government says it plans to wipe out production of opium poppy. Critics
have their doubts. The country, formerly known as Burma, is one of the
world's biggest producers of the crop, which is used to make heroin. 
Bangkok bureau chief John Raedler has been given rare access to the former
opium poppy fields in Myanmar and filed this report. 
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) 

JOHN RAEDLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Children of the golden
triangle. Kokang children, an ethnic group in the mountains of northeast
Myanmar, next to the Chinese border. For generations the Kokang have known
only one line of work, growing opium poppy. 

Along with neighboring tribes in Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, they occupy
the infamous golden triangle, source of much of the world's heroin. But by
the time these youngsters reach adulthood, maybe the product of their
labors will be more wholesome. 


Already the Kokang are growing buckwheat on hillsides where only a year
ago, opium poppy flourished. Nearby, they and other tribes are said to be
growing tea, coffee, sugar cane, rubber, and assorted fruit crops as
substitutes for poppy. 

At a ceremony to expand the buckwheat project from the experimental stage
to commercial production, Myanmar's most visible leader, the man they call
Secretary-1 Khin Nyunt, gave this undertaking. 

KHIN NYUNT, SECRETARY-1, MYANMAR: We in Myanmar are committed to entirely
eliminated menace to mankind as a national and international responsibility. 

RAEDLER: Japan is backing the buckwheat project and has contracted to buy
the entire yield for now. That should see the Kokang farmers make about the
same income from buckwheat as they made from poppy. But there are doubts
about the long-term viability of these crop substitution programs. 

RICHARD DICKENS, UN DRUG CONTROL PROGRAM: Unfortunately, without outside
assistance, we are afraid that pot farmers will go back to poppy cultivation. 

RAEDLER: And what of the tribal leaders, the so-called lords of the golden
triangle, who make the most money from poppy? Why would they give up a
near-monopoly on such a sought-after crop? All we have is their word that
they will. 

CNN accompanied secretary-1 on a visit to the nearby Wa (ph) tribe. Like
the Kokang, the Wa have been growing opium poppy for generations. But the
Wa leader told secretary-1, if we have any more poppy here after 2005, you
can come back and chop my head off. 

Of course, there are lingering suspicions that Myanmar's military junta is,
or has been, involved in the drug business. 

LT. COL. HIA MIN, SPOKESMAN, MYANMAR GOVERNMENT: I would challenge the
world and say, show us one piece of evidence so that we are involved, the
government is involved in this drug business. 

RAEDLER: The U.N.'s point man on drugs in Myanmar sides with the regime. 

RICHARD DICKENS, UN DRUG CONTROL PROGRAM: I would not agree that the
government countenances a drug trafficker. 

RAEDLER: But at least one Western diplomat raises another concern about the
junta and drugs. 

KENT WIEDEMANN, US CHARGE D'AFFAIRES MYANMAR: Unfortunately, we see too
much of the ill-gotten gains from narcotic trafficking being openly
encouraged by the government to come back to be reinvested in the legal
economy here. 

RAEDLER: Back in the village of Thar Shwe Tan (ph), the Kokang carry on
harvesting buckwheat, an activity which might change their lives, they
hope, for the better. 

(on camera): The challenge now for this project is to move from limited
experiment to commercial reality. But the challenge of making a buck out of
buckwheat is going to take ongoing local, national, and international
cooperation. 

John Raedler, CNN, Thar Shwe Tan, Northeast Myanmar. 
(END VIDEOTAPE) 

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

BANGKOK POST: THAI- BURMA TALKS
9 January, 1999 by Subin Khuenkaew and Thirawat Kamthita

Cooperation against drugs tops agenda, Joint interrogation and raids proposed 
A joint operation to suppress narcotics along the Thai-Burmese border will
top the agenda when Thailand and Burma kick off their two-day meeting on
Monday. 


The meeting, which is to be held in Burma's Tachilek town, will be
attended by anti-narcotics officials from both countries, said Pornthep
Iem-prapai, chief of Chiang Rai's narcotics suppression office. 

Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) Deputy Secretary-General
Sorasit Sangprasert and his delegation will represent Thailand in the talks
with their Burmese counterparts to be led by Pol Maj Hla Tun, deputy police
director-general. 

According to Mr Pornthep, Thailand will propose that both countries launch
a joint operation to root out narcotics along the border areas. The
proposed joint operation will also cover the participation of Thai and
Burmese representatives in interrogating drug suspects. 

"Illicit drugs have posed a threat to the national security of both
countries. To efficiently wipe out narcotics, Thailand and Burma must join
forces in tackling the problem. The proposed joint operation will cover all
procedures, including joint raids, exchange of information and joint
interrogation of drug suspects," said Mr Pornthep. 

The proposal on the joint operation follows a recent successful raid by
local anti-narcotics suppression officials from Chiang Rai and Tachilek in
which large quantities of amphetamines and chemical substances used in the
manufacture of the drugs were seized. 

A Taiwanese woman identified as Julie Ju Wao, holding both Thai and Burmese
national identity cards, was arrested in the raid on January 4 after police
found 400,000 amphetamine tablets, chemicals and a drug-making machine in
her factory located in Tachilek. Mrs Wao's husband, identified as Sengkhoo
Sae Jao, managed to flee. 

The raid led to a search at Mrs Wao's house in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai
district where police found a large number of falsified passports and ID
cards. 

Mr Pornthep admitted that dual citizenship has opened the way for
traffickers to flee arrest, adding that anti-narcotics agents have been
keeping a close watch on suspected dual-citizenship traffickers in Mae Sai
district. 

According to Thai officials, there were 11 drug-producing factories along
the border opposite Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son provinces. But
Burmese authorities said there were as many as 22 factories along the border. 

It was estimated that about one million amphetamine tablets were smuggled
from Burma into Thailand a month. Large quantities of heroin and opium also
flooded into northern provinces of Thailand. 

Meanwhile, Pol Maj Issawan Khwanmuang, Chiang Rai superintendent, has vowed
to get tough with police found to be involved in the illicit drug business. 

So far, about 200 local police have been blacklisted on alleged involvement
in narcotics trading, he disclosed. He said the use of drugs has also
spread among youths living along border provinces which are prone to
narcotics. 

To prevent teenagers from becoming slaves to drugs, police have joined
hands with schools and public health officials to launch an anti-drugs
campaign among young people, he added.

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

REUTERS: ASIA AMPHETAMINE RINGS TARGETING EUROPE
9 January, 1999 

BANGKOK, Thailand (Reuters) -- Europe is the new target destination for
amphetamines produced in the notorious Golden Triangle straddling the
borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, a Thai newspaper said on Saturday. 

The English-language Nation quoted international anti-drug officials as
saying that recent seizures of amphetamines indicated that Golden Triangle
cartels were becoming major suppliers to the world. 

Unlike heroin, Golden Triangle amphetamine trafficking was perceived, until
recently, as being contained in Southeast Asia. 

"There is growing evidence that the situation is changing," said the
official who asked not to be identified. 

"There is mounting concern that the large-scale production of amphetamine
tablets in Southeast Asia will lead to growth in smuggling and abuse of the
substance in other regions, including Europe," he said. 

The first known seizure outside Asia of amphetamines originating in the
Golden Triangle was reported in Switzerland, the paper said. They arrested
a Thai national and seized 28,500 tablets in July last year. 

According to the Lisbon-based Europe Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug
Addiction, amphetamine use is on the rise in Europe.

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

ANNOUNCEMENT: MELBOURNE- INVITATION FOR BURMA LUNCH 
10 January, 1999  

Dear Friends, 

Kew Uniting Church has a plan to do "Burma Lunch" with Burmese and
Australian Food, Traditional Dancing, Music, Photo Exhibition on Burmese
refugees and so on. They did the first Burma Lunch successfully with lots
of participation by Australian people, Burmese community and Burmese
students in Melbourne in 1997. 

For this year, they would like to invite you to participate in the "Burma
Lunch" and welcome to the first meeting that will be held at Kew Uniting
Church, Melbourne, Australia. 

Time: 12:30 PM Date: 24th January 1999 (Sunday) Place: 142 Nirmanby Road,
East Kew, Melbourne, Australia Contact: Barbara Urie on (03) 9859 4811 or
(03) 9859 2540 

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