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Window on Burma  #4



BINA  -- The Burma Independent News Agency  -- =20

Window on Burma  #4     (unpublished news from Rangoon, June 1999):


RANGOON CITY HALL UNDER TIGHT SECURITY

Since the beginning of May, the City Hall in Rangoon has been under=
especially
tight security, as evidenced by an increase in the number of soldiers=
stationed
at the building, and the liberal use of barbed wire.  It seems that the SPDC
expects trouble soon, and is closely monitoring the organizations of=
students,
monks, and activists in the area.  They are preparing to crack down on any
public demonstrations by these groups quickly, before the general public can
get involved.


STUDENT ACTIVISTS ESCAPE BEFORE POLICE ARRIVE

A recent incident at the Shwe Maw Daw Pagoda in Pegu indicates just how
ineffective the police are at suppressing well-organized student movements. =
On
May 28th, about 50 students at the Pagoda began handing out leaflets that
discussed the various hardships the people were suffering under government
rule, exposed the economic mismanagement of the military, and also=
encouraged
public demonstrations.  The SPDC=92s Pagoda trustees, not being friends of
democracy nor of a free press, telephoned the riot police as soon as they
realized what was happening.  The police arrived quickly and surrounded the
Pagoda, but they could not find any of the well-prepared students, who had
quickly dispersed at the first sign of trouble.  The police were seen=
reading
the leaflets that were lying about, though.


THEFT OF WEAPONS IN RANGOON UPSETS THE M.I.

Adding further fuel to the flames of fear and foreboding that forever flare=
up
around the SPDC, was the theft of five Uzi submachine guns and ammunition=
from
the military=92s No. 4 Defense Industries compound near the Inya Lake Hotel=
in
Rangoon last month.  The Military Intelligence has been in an uproar. =20

One by one, workers and officials at No. 4 were interrogated at length by MI
agents, but the culprit was not found.  Next, the MI began stopping cars and
trucks in Rangoon and the suburbs for surprise checks.  They even searched
houses on the =91overnight guest=92 list, the list of people who are=
spending the
night in other than their own homes, which by law must be submitted to every
local authority in Burma on a daily basis.=20

The thief still remains free with his booty.  Meanwhile, the MI has been
obliged to increase security at all high-risk locations in Rangoon, and of
course especially in the compound of No. 4 Defense Industries. =20


WORKER=92S STRIKE BROKEN AT DAEWOO FACTORY

The complicity between certain transnational corporations and the Burmese
military dictatorship was revealed again last month, when workers struck the
Daewoo Small Luxury Industry factory, which also happens to be located=
opposite
the SPDC=92s No. 4 Defense Industries compound in Rangoon.  =91Small Luxury=
=92 is a
joint venture between the state-owned Myanmar Heavy Industry Corporation and
the South Korean global industrial giant, Daewoo.  In South Korea,
confrontations between the chaebols like Daewoo, who rule their businesses=
with
an iron fist, and masses of Korean workers, who do not hesitate to exercise
their freedom of speech, are regular events.

On May 24th, workers at the =91Small Luxury=92 factory staged a peaceful,=
silent
work stoppage to display their dissatisfaction with the long working hours,
high travel costs, and low wages, with the sky-rocketing prices of household
necessities, and with their failure to get any response from the company. =
The
Daewoo officials and their Burmese partners showed up, along with the SPDC
Generals who have their own interest in the joint venture, to listen to the
workers=92 requests. =20

Well experienced in dealing with worker actions, Daewoo advised the military
against making any direct response at that time.  But shortly afterward, all
the workers who had taken part in the work stoppage were dismissed from the
company, and many of them were then watched and individually threatened by=
the
authorities.  This is apparently the most effective way to crush workers=92
aspirations for justice.  It is said that the Chairman of Daewoo himself is=
a
close friend of certain SPDC Generals.


POLITICAL MACHINATIONS WITHIN THE SPDC

While most of Burma struggles to find some way to live on an average wage of
one half US dollar per day, the well-fed Generals who run the State Peace=
and
Development Council are busy planning the next government reshuffle. =
Expecting
Prime Minister Sr. Gen. Than Shwe to retire before September 18 this year,
Secretary One Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt is trying to arrange for Lt. Gen. Tin Hla,
currently Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Military Affairs, to=
replace
him.  Tin Hla is close to Khin Nyunt=92s Military Intelligence circle, and=
his
appointment as Prime Minister would effectively block Khin Nyunt=92s rivals,
Gens. Maung Aye and Tin Oo, from the reins of power.  It seems that Khin=
Nyunt
has been sending his MI officers out to propagandize the staff at Defense
Services, where Maung Aye and Tin Oo are supposed to be in charge. =20

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Aung Gyi, whom you may remember as the =91capitalist=92=
Vice
Chairman in Ne Win=92s =91socialist=92 Revolutionary Council in 1962, has=
written to
the aging Gen. Ne Win to complain about the economic decline in Burma since=
the
SLORC/SPDC gang took over from =91the Old Man=92.  Aung Gyi would like Ne=
Win to
order the SPDC to call a new election.  It seems that Aung Gyi thinks he has=
a
chance of winning power again if he contends a new election with his own
political party.

Fascinating stuff, isn=92t it?


GENERALS AND CRONIES LIVE IT UP AT RANGOON=92S LATEST SEX BAR

And for those of you who would like some details on how the top dogs of=
Burmese
society are enjoying themselves these days, here is a short note about a=
place
called the =91Hyper Bar=92, at the Tamwe Township Plaza in Rangoon.

Like most of the glitzy, foreign-financed enterprises in the SPDC=92s Burma,=
the
Tamwe Township Plaza is now a business disaster.  The overpriced offices and
showrooms are almost all empty, except for a bar and nightclub on the third
floor called the =91Hyper Club=92, which opened about six months ago.  What
attracts the wealthy clientele to the Hyper Club is the bevy of young
=91hostesses=92 lined up at the door.  These well-paid girls are available=
for
drinking, dancing, or more intimate pleasures, to be consummated in special
rooms on the premises, or taken home to the hotel or apartment of your=
choice.=20

Who is rich enough and bold enough in economically bereft, politically
oppressed Burma to indulge in such pastimes?  Here is a partial list of the
people seen frequenting the Hyper Bar:   =20
=B7       family members of the SPDC Generals =20
=B7       the business associates of these people=20
=B7       drug kingpin Khun Sa=92s men=20
=B7       leaders of groups who signed cease-fire agreements with the SLORC=
or
SPDC=20
=B7       and, of course, officers of the Military Intelligence Service

Although the neighbors complain regularly about the noise and the goings-on=
at
the Hyper Club, neither the Ward PDC, the Township PDC, nor the local MI=
Unit
#12, have taken any action.  Could this be because the Hyper Club is owned=
and
operated by a close business partner of certain SPDC Generals, and because=
MI
Unit #12 is one of the investors in the club?

Another sex club for the SPDC elite is a guesthouse on Pinlon Road in the=
north
of Dagon New Town, called the =91Dagon Yeiktha=92.  This one is controlled=
and
frequented by the MI Unit #26 and their friends.  Drop by for a good time=
the
next time business takes you to Rangoon.


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BINA  -- The Burma Independent News Agency  --  

Window on Burma  #4     (unpublished news from Rangoon, June 1999):


RANGOON CITY HALL UNDER TIGHT SECURITY

Since the beginning of May, the City Hall in Rangoon has been under especially
tight security, as evidenced by an increase in the number of soldiers
stationed
at the building, and the liberal use of barbed wire.  It seems that the SPDC
expects trouble soon, and is closely monitoring the organizations of students,
monks, and activists in the area.  They are preparing to crack down on any
public demonstrations by these groups quickly, before the general public can
get=20 involved.


STUDENT ACTIVISTS ESCAPE BEFORE POLICE ARRIVE

A recent incident at the Shwe Maw Daw Pagoda in Pegu indicates just how
ineffective the police are at suppressing well-organized student
movements.  On
May 28th, about 50 students at the Pagoda began handing out leaflets that
discussed the various hardships the people were suffering under government
rule, exposed the economic mismanagement of the military, and also encouraged
public demonstrations.  The SPDC=92s Pagoda trustees, not being friends of
democracy nor of a free press, telephoned the riot police as soon as they
realized what was happening.  The police arrived quickly and surrounded the
Pagoda, but they could not find any of the well-prepared students, who had
quickly dispersed at the first sign of trouble.  The police were seen reading
the leaflets that were lying about, though.


THEFT OF WEAPONS IN RANGOON UPSETS THE M.I.

Adding further fuel to the flames of fear and foreboding that forever flare up
around the SPDC, was the theft of five Uzi submachine guns and ammunition from
the military=92s No. 4 Defense Industries compound near the Inya Lake Hotel in
Rangoon last month.  The Military Intelligence has been in an uproar.  

One by one, workers and officials at No. 4 were interrogated at length by MI
agents, but the culprit was not found.  Next, the MI began stopping cars and
trucks in Rangoon and the suburbs for surprise checks.  They even searched
houses on the =91overnight guest=92 list, the list of people who are spending
the night in other than their own homes, which by law must be submitted to
every local authority in Burma on a daily basis. 

The thief still remains free with his booty.  Meanwhile, the MI has been
obliged to increase security at all high-risk locations in Rangoon, and of
course especially in the compound of No. 4 Defense Industries.  


WORKER=92S STRIKE BROKEN AT DAEWOO FACTORY

The complicity between certain transnational corporations and the Burmese
military dictatorship was revealed again last month, when workers struck the
Daewoo Small Luxury Industry factory, which also happens to be located
opposite
the SPDC=92s No. 4 Defense Industries compound in Rangoon.  =91Small Luxury=92
is a joint venture between the state-owned Myanmar Heavy Industry Corporation
and the South Korean global industrial giant, Daewoo.  In South Korea,
confrontations between the chaebols like Daewoo, who rule their businesses
with
an iron fist, and masses of Korean workers, who do not hesitate to exercise
their freedom of speech, are regular events.

On May 24th, workers at the =91Small Luxury= =92 factory staged a peaceful,
silent work stoppage to display their dissatisfaction with the long working
hours, high travel costs, and low wages, with the sky-rocketing prices of
household necessities, and with their failure to get any response from the
company.  The Daewoo officials and their Burmese partners showed up, along
with
the SPDC Generals who have their own interest in the joint venture, to listen
to the workers=92 requests.  

Well experienced in dealing with worker actions, Daewoo advised the military
against making any direct response at that time.  But shortly afterward, all
the workers who had taken part in the work stoppage were dismissed from the
company, and many of them were then watched and individually threatened by the
authorities.  This is apparently the most effective way to crush workers=92
aspirations for justice.  It is said that the Chairman of Daewoo himself is a
close friend of certain SPDC Generals.


POLITICAL MACHINATIONS WITHIN THE SPDC

While most of Burma struggles to find some way to live on an average wage of
one half US dollar per day, the well-fed Generals who run the State Peace and
Development Council are busy planning the next government reshuffle. 
Expecting
Prime Minister Sr. Gen. Than Shwe to retire before September 18 this year,
Secretary One Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt is trying to arrange for Lt. Gen. Tin Hla,
currently Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Military Affairs, to replace
him.  Tin Hla is close to Khin Nyunt=92s Military Intelligence circle, and his
appointment as Prime Minister would effectively block Khin Nyunt=92s rivals,
Gens. Maung Aye and Tin Oo, from the reins of power.  It seems that Khin Nyunt
has been sending his MI officers out to propagandize the staff at Defense
Services, where Maung Aye and Tin Oo are supposed to be in charge.  

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Aung Gyi, whom you may remember as the =91capitalist=92
Vice Chairman in Ne Win=92s =91socialist=92 Revolutionary Council in 1962, h=
as written to the aging Gen. Ne Win to complain about the economic decline in
Burma since the SLORC/SPDC gang took over from =91the Old Man=92.  Aung Gyi
would like Ne Win to order the SPDC to call a new election.  It seems that
Aung
Gyi thinks he has a chance of winning power again if he contends a new
election
with his own political party.

Fascinating stuff, isn=92t it?


GENERALS AND CRONIES LIVE IT UP AT RANGOON=92S LATEST SEX BAR

And for those of you who would like some details on how the top dogs of
Burmese
society are enjoying themselves these days, here is a short note about a place
called the =91Hyper Bar=92, at the Tamwe Township Plaza in Rangoon.

Like most of the glitzy, foreign-financed enterprises in the SPDC=92s Burma,
the Tamwe Township Plaza is now a business disaster.  The overpriced offices
and showrooms are almost all empty, except for a bar and nightclub on the
third
floor called the =91Hyper Club=92, which opened about six months ago.  What
attracts the wealthy clientele to the Hyper Club is the bevy of young
=91hostesses=92 lined up at the door.  These well-paid girls are available for
drinking, dancing, or more intimate pleasures, to be consummated in special
rooms on the premises, or taken home to the hotel or apartment of your
choice. 

Who is rich enough and bold enough in economically bereft, politically
oppressed Burma to indulge in such pastimes?  Here is a partial list of the
people seen frequenting the Hyper Bar:    
=B7 famil= y members of the SPDC Generals  
=B7 the business associates of these people 
=B7 drug kingpin Khun Sa=92s men 
=B7 leade= rs of groups who signed cease-fire agreements with the SLORC or
SPDC 
=B7 and, of course, officers of the Military Intelligence Service 
Although the neighbors complain regularly about the noise and the goings-on at
the Hyper Club, neither the Ward PDC, the Township PDC, nor the local MI Unit
#12, have taken any action.  Could this be because the Hyper Club is owned and
operated by a close business partner of certain SPDC Generals, and because MI
Unit #12 is one of the investors in the club?

Another sex club for the SPDC elite is a guesthouse on Pinlon Road in the
north
of Dagon New Town, called the =91Dagon Yeiktha=92.  This one is controlled and
frequented by the MI Unit #26 and their friends.  Drop by for a good time the
next time business takes you to=20 Rangoon.



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