Fw: Burma Today Special May 22nd

[tinkyi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

>Burma Today Weekly
>Published by PD Burma
>$B(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!!!(B
>PD Burma-Japan Special              May 22nd 1999
>$B(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!!!(B
>Burma Embassy in Japan launched a new suppression -- concert as their new
>weapon
>
>Gang three were appointed as SPDC agent in Japan
>
> Former pro-democracy activists are working for the Burmese embassy in
>Japan collecting fund for a concert. Their weapons are to deprive the
>nationality of Burmese living in Japan controlled by their military
>embassy.  The gang three had granted refugee status in Japan to build up
>their fund disguising as if they were pro-democracy activists.  Now, they
>started to suppress the Burmese in Japan collaborating with the military
>embassy.
>                                                                Tin Win
>Journalist
>
>
>Welfare by Burmese Embassy?
>     When Burmese living in Japan learned that the Burmese Embassy in Japan
>was going to assist with their welfare and social problems, they were
>stunned.  It was absolutely unbelievable for them.
>     Under the current military junta, the Embassy has been wresting money
>from Burmese people in the names of various taxes, extorting a lot of money
>to extend their passports, which is illegal under the sovereignty of
>Japanese laws.  Threatening and scolding whenever they visit the Embassy.
>The Embassy never assists or helps regarding any social problems of Burmese
>community.  Last year, a request to revalidate the passport of a
>middle-aged man, who was dying with AIDS and wanted to go back to Burma to
>meet his family before he died, was bluntly rejected by the Embassy. They
>even refused to consider the case on humanitarian grounds. The only given
>reason for the rejection was that, the very ill man, who could not work,
> >had not paid the so-called taxes. The Japanese immigration authorities
did
> >not allow him to leave Japan and later, he died in Japan.
> >
> >Exploits Burmese fear
> >
> >     The extremely severe persecution and economic mismanagement forced
> >Burmese to leave their country.
> >They became political and economic refugees. Most of them have a very
hard

> >life in foreign countries.  The lives of Burmese living in the East Asian
> >countries, became harder when the financial and economic crisis hit on
the
> >East-Asian nations. The Burmese living in Japan had to suffer most.  Many
> >Burmese lost their jobs, and when Japanese authorities started cracking
> >down more severely on illegal foreign workers, their lives became more
> >insecure. Some Burmese dissidents believed that when the declination of
> >Japanese economy started to bottom out and the stock markets of the East
> >Asian countries started to show some stable gains, the military junta
> >seemed to think that the situation would change in favour of the Burmese
> >military junta. They tried to change their policy toward Burmese living
in
> >overseas.
> >
> >Concert tickets as a tablet of crucifix
> >
> >     They invited Burmese storekeepers, reassurance owners, religious,
> >cultural, and social organization members to ask them to help the Embassy
> >which stages a concert to raise funds. In return, the Embassy promised
> >Burmese community to assist their problems.  In fact, their promises do
not
> >seem to be very sincere. Many Burmese have doubt on the Embassy's true
> >intentions. They explained that it was a part of the junta's grand
strategy
> >to raise their declining image, to get some favour from Japanese people
and
> >business community.  As they cannot use their tactics of intimidation,
> >which is suppressing and persecuting the people to do what they are told,
> >in Japan they do not dare to use such tactics. They are trying to
organize
> >Burmese by offering some assistance and incentives. As the Burmese living
> >here have a lot of difficulties and are prone to be taken actions by the
> >Japanese immigration authorities, they were considered as an easy target.
> >The Burmese Embassy tried to offer some comfort and assistance in
exchange
> >of support from them.
> >
> >USDA practice in Japan
> >
> >     Burmese dissidents believe that if the Embassy succeeds in
organizing
> >the concert and persuades Burmese to work with them, they would go one
step
> >forward. They will try to stage some kind of public rally, which supports
> >the military junta.  This kind of rally can raise their image and they
can
> >urge the Japanese government to resume economic aid and investment fully.
> >The Japanese business community, which is very eager to invest in the
> >Burmese virgin market, can get a chance to pressure the government to do
> >so.
> >     The Embassy readily has some very useful collaborators. Daw Mya Mya
> >Win, Dr. Win Naing and Dr. Htun Aye had been the most prominent leaders
> >when the Burmese democratic movement started in Japan.  They were very
> >successful and became famous when they started their campaign.  They
> >received a great deal of support from Burmese community as well as from
> >Japanese people and business community.  They made the democratic
movement
> >very popular among Japanese community and amassed a lot of funds, which
was
> >totally controlled by them.  As they were very popular among Japanese
> >community and had good connections, they managed to amass a fortune for

> >themselves.  When the democratic struggle was prolonged and there seemed
no
> >quick solution available, they betrayed the democratic cause and started
> >collaborating with the junta.  As they have good connections with
business
> >community here in Japan, they became brokers.  They renounced their
refugee
> >status and went back to Burma where they were received as heroes by the
> >junta.  The military strongman General Khin Nyunt received them and
praised
> >them for betraying the democratic forces and joining the military.  They
> >wrote a lot of articles in Burmese newspapers, which was the mouthpiece
of
> >the junta, criticizing the democratic opposition, including Daw Aung San
> >Suu Kyi.  According to reliable sources, they discussed with the military
> >leadership to draw a strategy to crush the international democratic
forces,
> >especially those in Japan.  They went back to Japan as agents of the
> >military junta.  But as soon as they arrived in Japan, they faced a
bitter
> >opposition from Burmese community and they were dismissed from the
Burmese
> >Association in Japan (BAIJ), the most powerful and the largest Burmese
> >organization in Japan.  Consequently, they lost all of their influences
> >over Burmese community.  However, they never lost their good connections
> >with some Japanese businessmen, who want to invest in Burma with no care
> >about the problems and the genuine wishes of Burmese people.  As they
lost
> >all of their influences over Burmese community, they were seeking a new
> >method to regain their influences.  At last they found the way.  They
know
> >very well that how insecure and despair the Burmese living in Japan, how
> >easy it is to influence them by offering some assistance.
> >
> >Wearing a democratic air
> >
> >    According to some internal resources of the Burmese Embassy, they
were
> >called in to advise the Embassy.  They agreed to offer some assistance to
> >Burmese community in hope of building influences upon the community.  As
> >the Embassy is very unpopular, they have to stay behind the scenes.
> >Sometimes the Embassy has to openly deny that they even met or saw the
> >three collaborators, in fear of loosing the trust of the Burmese.
Japanese
> >community has very little knowledge about this situation, therefore, the
> >collaborators can disguise themselves as democratic activists.  That is
why
> >Dr. Win Naing and Daw Mya Mya Win can work openly within the Japanese
> >community, for their so-called music concert as genuinely cultural
> >exchanges. This is the very reason why the Burmese democratic activists
are
> >fervently opposing the music concert.  They know very well what will be
> >next.  They are afraid if they fail to stop the Embassy and the
> >collaborators in the first attempt, things will go beyond their control.
> >
> >
> >
> >Tin Win
> >Born in 1954. Graduated from Rangoon Economic University.
> >Attend the 1988 uprising as a central committee member of upper Burma
> >General Strike Committee. Detained for six months. After the release,
> >joined the NLD belonged to the Research Bureau. Journalist.
> >

> >
> >
> >$B!|(BPD Burma is an international network of politicians supporting the
> >democratization of Burma. Its' HQ is located in Oslo.    Contact numbers
in
> >Japan:  phone 048-771-8103  fax 048-771-8179  e-mail:
> >schus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >
> >
> >
> >PD Burma-Japan
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> >
> >
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