The BurmaNet News: May 5, 1999

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

The BurmaNet News: May 5, 1999
Issue #1265

HEADLINES:
==========
AFP: NLD SIGNATORIES RETRACT CALL FOR TALKS 
NLD: EXTRACT FROM SPEECH GIVEN BY SUU KYI 
AFP: BURMA BLOCK ADVANCES IN MEDIA FREEDOM 
VBA: VERMONT BURMA BILL PASSES HOUSE AND SENATE  
BKK POST: THANANIT TO PAY VISIT TO BURMA 
BKK POST: SECURITY AT BORDER TO BE TIGHTENED 
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AFP: NLD SIGNATORIES RETRACT CALL FOR TALKS
4 May, 1999 

Party Leaders Issue Harsh Condemnation

Some of the 25 Burmese opposition members who signed a letter calling for
dialogue with the junta, have retracted the statement following a sharp rebuke
from opposition leaders, sources in Rangoon said.

Diplomatic sources said "most" of the National League for Democracy (NLD)
members had withdrawn the statement which drew official condemnation from the
party.

"They said they were led to believe it was a discussion paper of suggestions
rather than a 'call' for the NLD to do something in particular," one diplomat
said.

The NLD under Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Saturday attacked the three
instigators of the letter, calling - them "lackeys" of the junta for urging a
dialogue with the military regime.

"Three of our parliamentarians, who have vowed to fight for democracy and
human
rights, have now become lackeys of the military intelligence," an NLD
statement
said.

It said they were "attempting to sow disunity" within the party, an act
described as "despicable".

The three MPs targeted by the statement, Than Tun, Tin Tun Maung and Kyi Win,
are long-standing NLD members-elected in the party's crushing 1990 general
election victory which the junta has never recognised.

Than Tun is understood to have been expelled from the NLD about two years ago
for refusing to sign a mandate giving the central committee authority to
act on
behalf of the party.

At the time he was quoted as saying: "We must get dialogue ... the [junta] is
ignoring us all the time. They [the NLD] want to stick to principles. To get
compromise you must not always stick to principles."

Sources said it was unclear to what extent the letter was the result of
coercion by military intelligence. They said many of the signatories had been
held in government custody in recent months.

"From what we understand Than Tun was taken to see the detainees in the
government guesthouses and he circulated this paper, which some of them
signed," the source said, adding he had been unable to speak to the
signatories.

The letter, plus the vehemence of the response from the usually cautious NLD,
has added to speculation that the party is fraying at the edges under constant
harassment and intimidation from the military, although Aung San Suu Kyi seems
as strong as ever.

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NLD: EXTRACT FROM SPEECH GIVEN BY NLD GENERAL SECRETARY, DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI
ON 29TH JANUARY
6 April, 1999
 
These are my views on the subject of students and the impossibility they face
regarding entrance to the universities.

Broadly speaking there are three groups. Children of a very privileged class
(as far as I know) go abroad for their education. This highly privileged class
will not let their children suffer the educational disadvantages that exist
here.  But that is a small minority.

Next, there are those who are not on the highest rung of the privileged class
but at times when they have the financial means they send their children to
classes to obtain special qualifications in such subjects as English,
Japanese,
Computers and Finances, Accountancy and LCOI which seem to be very popular
now.
Though it keeps the children's minds occupied and they get some education its
value is limited. Why?  Because if you cannot put to use the knowledge you
have
acquired, you are liable to forget .  You have to be constantly studying and
practicing the subject to advance .Of course you will have a certificate to
show that you have studied these subjects but if you cannot put the knowledge
to practical use, the question we will have to ask is "Has one really gained
knowledge?"

The third group consists of the majority of the children.  Their parents reach
a point when they can do no more and the children are left to live on the
streets, or they are required to assist their parents.  What can we do for
these children?  This is a very important issue that faces this country. These
children will shape the future of the country.  Those who have gone abroad for
their education -how much will they do for their country? Their parents are
the
ones who have disregarded the needs of the country - only thinking of their
own
children's education - they have shut down the universities. It is food for
thought.  How will this kind of people work for the good of the country.

The children from the second group may have the good of the country at heart
but their education being limited, how much can they do. We must think about
the education of the majority of children.  An author once wrote that when a
young tree is damaged it grows up to be a big damaged tree.  It cannot
flourish
as it should.  The effect continues from generation to generation. We need to
think how all this will effect the future of our country.

Teachers should be examining the issue and asking themselves whether they do
not have a responsibility. I personally believe that masters and teachers have
a big responsibility.

I have referred to the Czech Republic.  It used to be known as
Czechoslovakia. 
Before the separation of Czechs and Slovakia, the communists were in control. 
During that period, the academics had their own personal political convictions
and rather than teaching the people what they were ordered to do by their
communist masters, they took to doing manual labour by becoming sweepers,
gardeners, painters etc.  They did not sacrifice their principles and would
not
allow their knowledge and expertise to be misappropriated. We need to examine
how many university teachers and lecturers today have remained loyal and
steadfast to their high ideals and convictions.  Since 1988 some have
retreated
and left. Those who remain as teachers in the schools and universities -- are
they prepared to tell the authorities (for the sake of the future of our
country and at great risk to themselves) that it is time to stop the position
they have taken.

We all need to ask this question.  We can only ask the question. Each
individual must find the answer. What value do you place on your profession? 
Do you only see it as a means of earning wages?  Do you see yourselves as
transmitters of knowledge for the future of the country?  You need to make
your
own decision.  The decision cannot be made for you.  As University teachers
and
professors who are more knowledgeable than the ordinary man you can think and
come to conclusions of your choice. Do you want to be known as a person who
has
the future good of the country at heart or do you just want to be known as a
monthly wage earning civil servant.  Make your own decision - this is what I
have to say.

Central Executive Committee National League for Democracy

Rangoon

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AFP: CHINA, BURMA BLOCK ADVANCES IN MEDIA FREEDOM
4 May, 1999 

BANGKOK - Press freedom in Asia is improving but China and Burma are still
among the worst countries in the world .for the oppression of journalists, a
leading international journalists' organisation said yesterday.

Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), or Reporters Without Borders, said
journalists
in Asia had enjoyed better conditions in 1998, especially with the collapse of
the Suharto regime in Indonesia.

But it said dozens of reporters remained in prison or had died doing their
jobs
in the region last year.

"Whatever changes may have been observed in 1998 ... the Asia and the Pacific
area has the sorry distinction of including the country keeping the most
journalists in prison _ China, and the country with the most appalling prison
conditions _ Burma," RSF said.

In a report to mark World Press Freedom Day yesterday, RSF said 14 journalists
were in prison in China and "at least" seven in Burma, as of Jan 1 this year.

China and Ethiopia vied for the distinction of being the country with the most
journalists in jail, ahead of Syria, Burma and Turkey.

Reporters in military-run Burma were imprisoned for a range of reasons but all
were close to the opposition party of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

"It was not possible last year to obtain any official or independent
information about what has happened to them," RSF said, adding that some
previously had been held in cages reserved for prison dogs.

Journalists were also jailed for alleged "crimes" committed during their work
in India, Nepal, South Korea and Vietnam, RSF said.

Four reporters had been killed while working in Asia in 1998, in Thailand, the
Philippines, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.  The report said journalists in North
Korea and Laos were "merely mouthpieces for authoritarian governments".

In Vietnam the communist government had released some reporters from prison
but
still kept a tight grip on the press.

Self-censorship was a factor in other Asian countries, especially Singapore
and
Malaysia.

Cambodia, Indonesia and Hong Kong provided the greatest cause for optimism,
especially Indonesia where all jailed reporters had been freed and about 100
newspapers launched since the fall of Suharto in May.

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VERMONT BURMA ALLIANCE: VERMONT'S BURMA BILL PASSES HOUSE AND SENATE
4 May, 1999  from: Jordan@xxxxxxxxxx

Montpelier, VT.  May 4, 1999.  In an action that supporters are calling
"precedent setting" and "simply the right thing to do" elected officials have
stepped forward to support the economic isolation of Burma's military-style
government. Last week, H-34 passed the House; just yesterday it passed the
Senate. The bill is now on its way to the governors desk, where it is expected
to be signed into law. During hearings, David Rocchio, assistant to the
governor for legal affairs, spoke strongly in support of its passage.

Vermont's bill is aimed at helping restore democracy in the Southeast Asian
country of Burma (known by its rulers as Myanmar), and reducing the amount of
Heroin found on Vermont's streets. Modeled in part after legislation which
helped bring down apartheid in South Africa, the bill requires the state to
vote in favor of shareholder resolutions which oppose companies doing business
in Burma. Vermont's three retirement funds own shares in many of the 50 U.S.
companies presently doing business in Burma.  Each year, a handful of these
companies face shareholder proxy resolutions effectively urging them to
discontinue their business.

Actions of this type, which help isolate the military regime, have been urged
by the National League for Democracy.   The NLD is the party  which won over
80% of parliamentary seats in 1990 during the last democratic election. 
Immediately after the election, the military junta (which still rules Burma),
stepped in and prevented the parliament from convening.  According to reports
by the U.N. and various human rights sources, the military regime is among the
most brutal in the world.

"Burma might seem far away, but some of the streets in our country are filled
with its heroin." said Representative Mary Sullivan, a lead sponsor of the
bill.  "Burma's people have been crying out for our help in restoring
democracy
to their country."

Vermont's law is the first to focus on using shareholder proxy ballets as a
means to discourage companies from doing business in Burma.  New York City,
Los
Angeles, San Francisco, and nineteen other cities and counties around the U.S.
have passed laws which would similarly isolate Burma.  Supporters of these
laws
say that they are crucial because the Burmese regime profits from business
enterprises in the country.  Burma's leading spokesperson for democracy, Nobel
Peace Laureate, Aug San Suu Kyi., has repeatedly called for sanctions, saying
"please use your democracy to help us restore ours."

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BANGKOK POST: THANANIT TO PAY VISIT TO BURMA
4 May, 1999 by Wassana Nanuam

ACM Thananit Niamthan is going to Burma this week to renew ties between the
air
forces of the two countries after two decades of no contact.

He will be the first Thai air force chief to visit his Burmese counterpart in
20 years.

An air force source said ACM Thananit would leave on Thursday and spend three
days in Burma. He is to be accompanied by AM Thares Poonsri, assistant
chief-of-staff.

ACM Thananit, who has been invited to visit Burma by his counterpart AM Kyaw
Than, will meet Burma's Prime Minister Gen Than Shwe and army chief Gen Maung
Aye.

The source said ACM Thananit wanted to renew ties between the two air forces,
adding an acquaintance with Burmese leaders would help efforts to tackle
problems between the two countries.

AM Kyaw Than is known to be personally close to AM Thares because they went to
the same military school in England.

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BANGKOK POST: SECURITY AT BORDER TO BE TIGHTENED
4 May, 1999

Soldiers begin search for Karens

The Naresuan Task Force has moved in artillery to ensure security around Ban
Nam Piang Din following an attack on a police station by foreign troops on
Saturday.

Soldiers have also begun a search for the Karen rebels believed responsible.

More soldiers would soon be deployed to police the border, an informed source
said.

About 20 intruders surrounded the police station, a stone's throw from the
border, on Saturday and opened fire with grenade launchers and automatic
weapons.

The policemen manning the station escaped unhurt, but it has since been under
heavy guard around the clock.

It was reported that another Karen rebel group planned to shell the refugee
camp sheltering ethnic Karen of the Kaya origin in Ban Pang Kwai, Ban Pang
Tractor, and Ban Nai Soi in Muang district.

Col Tomorn Kitisophon, the Naresuan Task Force deputy commander, said the
aatack on the station attack was likely the work of Burmese troops backed by
influential elements and the incursion was meant as a "show of force" to
threaten local residents.

The situation was now under control and the army would launch swift
retaliatory
measures against any further intrusions.

The border problem could be solved through enhanced dialogue between
local-level authorities in Thailand and Burma. Lack of communication would
escalate tension and result in friction, he said.

Col Tomorn conceded that budget cuts had compromised the army's capability to
police the border.

He opposed closing the Ban Nam Piang Din border pass, saying the situation was
still far less violent than other areas despite Saturday's attack.

A Thai villager reportedly abducted during the attack on the police station
was
released yesterday.
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