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The BurmaNet News: July 8, 1999



------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
 "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: July 8, 1999
Issue #1310

Noted in Passing: "After the referendum we will form immediately a
committee of solidarity with the Burmese." - Xanana Gusmao (see THE NATION:
GUSMAO) 

HEADLINES:
==========
REUTERS: EU DELEGATION MEETS INTELLIGENCE CHIEF 
REUTERS: EU DELEGATION MEETS DEMOCRACY LEADER 
XINHUA: MYANMAR REVOKES LICENSES 
THE NATION: GUSMAO - WE WILL HELP SUU KYI 
KYODO: JAPAN DONATES 78,000 DOLLARS FOR HOSPITAL 
ANNOUNCEMENT: JUNE ISSUE OF THE IRRAWADDY 
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REUTERS: EU DELEGATION MEETS MYANMAR INTELLIGENCE CHIEF 
7 July, 1999 

YANGON, July 7 (Reuters) - A European Union delegation aiming to
re-establish dialogue with Myanmar in the interests of human rights has met
the country's military intelligence chief and is expected to meet
pro-democracy leaders on Wednesday. 

Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, who is also a senior figure in the ruling
military council, met the mid-ranking delegation in Yangon on Tuesday
evening, a Western diplomat in Yangon said. 

Myanmar's tightly controlled state media has not mentioned the visit by the
delegation, which has sharply criticised the military for its human rights
record and failure to democratise. 

Diplomats in Yangon said the delegation was due to meet on Wednesday with
leaders of the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy
(NLD), and some other parties, including the Shan Nationalities League for
Democracy, which represents an ethnic minority. 

The NLD, led by 1991 Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, won Myanmar's
last general election in 1990 by a landslide but the military ignored the
result. 

The military's harassment of the opposition, including the arrest and
detention of hundreds of its members, led the European Union to bar senior
government officials from its borders. 

This ban has created problems for Europe's relations with the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations, which Myanmar joined in 1997. 

Earlier this year, a meeting in Germany of the foreign ministers of the two
blocs, which is supposed to take place every two years, was cancelled
because of the restriction. 

The mid-level EU mission comprises a representative of Finland, the current
holder of the EU presidency, Portugal which will hold the next presidency,
the European Commission, and the secretariat of the European Council of
Ministers. 

Tauno Kaaria, Finland's ambassador to Thailand and Myanmar, told Reuters in
Bangkok on Tuesday that its main purpose was to revive dialogue with
Myanmar and that it hoped at the same time to encourage a dialogue between
the military and the opposition. 

The military and the opposition blame each other for a lack of dialogue. 

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REUTERS: EU DELEGATION MEETS MYANMAR DEMOCRACY LEADER
7 July, 1999 

YANGON, July 7 (Reuters) - A European Union delegation met Myanmar's
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic leaders on Wednesday as
part of a mission to promote human rights and a dialogue between the
opposition and ruling military.

The mid-ranking delegation, which had met the powerful military
intelligence chief on Tuesday, spoke with leaders of four ethnic political
groups, including the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD).

SNLD leader Khun Tun Oo told Reuters after the meeting that he favoured
talks between the opposition and the ruling State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC).

``We don't want to blame each other for what is happening at the moment, we
just want to have talks,'' he said. ``It depends of the response of the
SPDC.''

``I sense the EU is very serious about the findings of this delegation. I
think it will have a very strong impact on the EU's future attitude
toward's Myanmar.''

Myanmar's state media have not mentioned the visit and diplomats from the
European Union, which has sharply criticised the military for its human
rights record and failure to democratise, have remained tight lipped.

Diplomats said the delegation met 1991 Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi in the
afternoon at the residence of the British ambassador but details of the
talks did not emerge.

On Tuesday, the delegation met intelligence chief Lieutenant-General Khin
Nyunt, who is regarded as the most powerful figure in the ruling military
council.

Khun Tun Oo said the delegation had told him its role was fact-finding and
was not acting as an intermediary.

An EU ambassador said on Tuesday the main aim of the mission was to try to
establish a dialogue with the government in order to promote human rights
and democratisation.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won Myanmar's last election in 1990
by a landslide but the military ignored the result. Its subsequent
harassment of the opposition, including the arrest and detention of
hundreds of its members, led the European Union to bar Myanmar officials
from its borders.

This has strained Europe's relations with the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations, which Myanmar joined in 1997. This year, a scheduled meeting
of the two blocs in Germany was cancelled. 

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

XINHUA: MYANMAR REVOKES LICENSES OF TWO TOUR COMPANIES 
7 July, 1999 

YANGON (July 7) XINHUA - The Myanmar tourism authorities Wednesday revoked
the licensees of two private tourism companies that allegedly violated the
rules and regulations of the country's hotels and tourism law.

The two companies are the Everest W Travels and Tours Co. Ltd. and the New
Butterfly Travel Services, sources at the Myanmar Directorate of Hotels and
Tourism Services said Wednesday.

In February last year, a total of 135 local private tourism companies had
their licenses revoked for the same reason.

There are now one foreign company, 12 joint ventures and 508 local private
companies running tourism services in the country.

There were 21 foreign-invested hotels and 439 local-invested motels, hotels
and inns at the end of March this year, according to official statistics.

Other official statistics show that at the end of April this year, foreign
investment in hotels and tourism projects in Myanmar amounted to 1.1
billion U.S. dollars.

A total of 340,123 foreign tourists came to Myanmar in 1998, the statistics
show. 

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THE NATION: GUSMAO - WE WILL HELP AUNG SAN SUU KYI 
7 July, 1999 by YINDEE LERTCHAROENCHOK 

**East Timor's resistance leader  Xanana  Gusmao, who is under house arrest
in Jakarta, is to keep a close watch on the recent Indonesian elections and
the upcoming UN-sponsored referendum in East Timor. The Nation's Yindee
Lertcharoenchok met him twice, and the following are excerpts from the
interviews.**

You predicted that the military-backed Golkar would win the general
elections in East Timor. Will that have an impact on the referendum in East
Timor?

I don't think so. Golkar's victory in East Timor will become, temporarily,
a matter of propaganda for the Indonesian government, but I don't see any
impact on the referendum, because we are trying our best to ensure that the
people will have security and a peaceful atmosphere during the campaign in
this process of consultation. [The Indonesian government prefers the term
"process of consultation" instead of "referendum".]

It seems the referendum is a tricky process because the questions to be
asked are not a straightforward preference between independence and
integration. The term "autonomy" will be used instead.

Yes, there will be two questions: Do you accept autonomy, which means do
you accept a continuation of integration with Indonesia, or do you reject
autonomy, which, using the Indonesian government's word, means separation
from Indonesia. It's a diplomatic way, but everybody knows that a rejection
of autonomy is the same as independence. The issue of autonomy is not a new
issue: The issue of autonomy appeared in 1984, 15 years ago. Our people
already know the difference between independence and autonomy. The
important thing is that "for autonomy" you want to be with Indonesia.
"against  autonomy" it is  independence.

What about the process of informing the people of these two questions?

There is a calendar of programmes of action to be done by the United
Nations. There will be a period when the UN will go everywhere to educate
the people on the referendum and the way in which the consultation will
continue. After that there will be two weeks of campaigning.

Do you think it is a good idea to have a campaign period?

A good question. On our part, we will not campaign. Maybe the Indonesians
will campaign on the advantages of autonomy. For us, our campaign has been
done over the past 23 years, so we will not campaign. We have been talking
to the people for 23 years.

What is your estimation of the population in East Timor?

It is about 600,000.

Are there a lot of Indonesian settlers in East Timor? What is the
percentage of these settlers?

There is a very small number of settlers, but this is not an important
issue. There are a few rules in the referendum process which state that
only people born in East Timor and of 17 or 18 years of age can vote.
During the war from 1975 to 1980-81 there were not many  Indonesians in
East Timor, so their children would not be a big number. Only from 1982 to
today is there a big increase in the number of settlers, but there are not
many Indonesians born before 1982 to be eligible for the voting. We are
more worried about the border areas. We know that the Indonesian government
will try to send Indonesian people from the border areas of West Timor into
East Timor. People living along the frontier speak the same language, the
same dialect, and that could create some problems.

So do you see the need for registration for the referendum?

The United Nations will do that There will be a census of the people;

Has there been any sign of a withdrawal of the Indonesian armed forces from
East Timor?

Not yet. We are hoping that the United Nations can play a role in this
matter. I am glad that the Indonesian armed forces chief, Gen Wiranto, said
the Indonesian government has accepted the presence of UN military
personnel as liaison officers. It will diminish the Indonesian armed
forces' influence on the pro-integration armed militia groups which have
been attacking pro-independence East Timorese.

You mentioned that your release depends on a "global solution" on East Timor.

This is the perception of Indonesia. When the question of my release is
asked, Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas and

President BJ Habibie always say the matter will be dealt with in a global
solution after the referendum. It means I will be free after the
referendum. I personally don't demand my release. It's not only me who is
imprisoned. My friends and all the people in East Timor are also imprisoned
by Indonesia. We are in this prison because we are against the Indonesian
occupation. We all want to get out. The release of my people is more
important than my own release.

The votes in the Indonesian general elections will be split among five key
political parties. Do you know what is the policy on East Timor of these
five parties?

The National Mandate Party of reformist Amien Rais is in support of the
referendum. In their statements, the National Awakening Party of popular
Muslim leader Abdurrahman Wahid and the United Development Party [which was
one of the three existing political parties during the Suharto era] say
they will respect the decision of the people, despite the fact that they
say it will be better if the East Timorese choose integration. We
understand that. Regarding the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle of
Megawati Sukarnoputri, it is a very  complicated question. There are many
speculations about her statement made on June 1 during her campaign m the
East Timorese capital Dili. She stated that everybody had to face reality.
She agreed that there was an agreement between Indonesia, Portugal and the
United Nations, although in her view it is better for East Timor to remain
a part of Indonesia. From her statement we see that she is beginning to go
m the right direction. In principle, if these parties support the
referendum, it is enough. Since the beginning of the war in 1975 we have
been asking for a referendum. I used to say that if the East Timorese
people want integration, we will surrender, because what we fight for is
for our people to have their right to speak, to choose, and we will respect
their decision, but in our innermost feelings we know what our people want.
I have met Amien Rais and Abdurrahman Wahid. I tried very hard to meet
Megawati Sukarnoputri, but she is always very busy I would like to see her
soon.

You  mentioned that East Timor is part of Southeast Asia. What do you want
Asean countries to do?

Asean  can help during the referendum process. They can help the East
Timorese to understand that the process has to be conducted in peaceful and
democratic conditions. We also appeal to our friends in Asean to watch the
manoeuvring of Indonesian armed forces, because we know that the process of
the ceasefire and disarmament will be very difficult.

Gen Wiranto said the pro-integration militia had-already surrendered some
of their weapons but the pro-independence faction hadn't yet done so.

We are ready to lay down our arms, but we want to surrender our arms to the
United Nations and not to the  Indonesian police. There is still a problem
in the concept of disarmament. We have been fighting against the Indonesian
occupation for over 20 years, thus we cannot be treated the same as
pro-integration armed militia groups which were formed just a few months
ago. We agree to disarm if all the East Timorese, no matter what
organisations they belong to, are to disarm as well We are only a few
hundred troops fighting against several thousands of Indonesian troops.

Why are you very sympathetic to the Burmese pro-democracy movement?

It is the question of feeling the same suffering as the Burmese people. We
know that we are part of Asean and Asia. I followed the popular revolution
of the Burmese when I was in the jungle, I followed the political change in
Thailand when I was in prison, and now we are watching the political
changes in Malaysia and Indonesia. Because we, the East Timorese, suffer
very much, we can understand more the suffering of other peoples. As part
of Asean and Asia, we are very grateful to the solidarity offered by the
peoples in Asia, and we know that nobody can feel happy if our brothers are
still under repression. It will be our responsibility, our moral
obligation, for us to play a role as important and as big as this small
island can contribute. When we are free from Indonesian military
dictatorship, we promise we will give all our attention to help the Burmese
people. This is our moral obligation. We will try to help Burma's democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whom we admire and whom we have been inspired by.
We have to fight. After the referendum we will form immediately a committee
of solidarity with the Burmese.

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KYODO: JAPAN DONATES 78,000 DOLLARS FOR MYANMAR HOSPITAL 
2 July, 1999 

Japan will fund the construction of a Myanmar hospital's water purification
system costing 77,970 dollars, the Japanese Embassy in Yangon said Friday.

A nongovernmental organization will implement the water supply construction
project.

The system will provide clean water to the hospital in Meiktila, 500
kilometers north of Yangon, and local residents, it said.

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ANNOUNCEMENT: JUNE ISSUE OF THE IRRAWADDY 
7 July, 1999 from waddy@xxxxxxxxxxxx 

In the June issue of the Irrawaddy: 

An editorial on Aung San Suu Kyi's status as a political icon; 

A feature on Nelson Mandela's possible role in resolving Burma's political
impasse; 

An article on the pressing need for dialogue to avert disaster; 

An interview with Dr. Thaung Htun, UN representative of Burma's
government-in-exile; 

A special report from Europe, where oil companies are facing protests over
investments in Burma; 

An in-depth analysis of Indonesia's political scene in the wake of historic
elections, from a special correspondent in Jakarta; 

A look at the careers of Dr. Cynthia Maung and Ka Hsaw Wa, whose efforts to
promote human rights in Burma have recently won international recognition; 

An examination of the role of underground activism in creating civil society; 

A new Culture, Society and Arts page, this month featuring a brief history
of Burma's performing arts; 

And regular features, including Quotes, News in Brief, Business,
Intelligence, and the new Regional Briefing. 

The Irrawaddy is published by the Burma Information Group (BIG). BIG was
established in 1992 by Burmese citizens living in exile and is not
affiliated with any political party or organization. 

The Irrawaddy seeks to promote press freedom and access to unbiased
information. 

Subscription Information 

For subscribers in Southeast Asia, the subscription fee is US $15 per year;
for those who receive the Irrawaddy outside of Southeast Asia, a fee of $25
per year is requested. Please send a bank draft or postal money order
payable to "Irrawaddy".  (Please be sure to ask if it can be cashed in
Thailand.)

Thank you. 

Contact address: 

P.O. Box 242 
Chiang Mai University Post Office 
Chiang Mai 50200 
Thailand
(Please note the change of the postal code from 50202 to 50200) 

P.O. Box 14154 
Silver Spring 
MD 20911 
USA 

waddy@xxxxxxxxxxxx 

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