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The BurmaNet News: September 30, 19 (r)



Subject: The BurmaNet News: September 30, 1999

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The BurmaNet News: September 30, 1999
Issue #1369

HEADLINES:
==========
XINHUA: COURT ACCEPTS PROSECUTION AGAINST GOV'T
XINHUA: MYANMAR, THAI COMPANY LAUNCH SATELLITE LINKS
MIZZIMA: ROHINGYA MUSLIM REFUGEES IN BANGLADESH
RHODODENDRON: CHRISTIAN CHINS IN DELHI HELD PROTEST
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XINHUA: MYANMAR COURT ACCEPTS PROSECUTION AGAINST GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
29 September, 1999

YANGON (Sept. 29) XINHUA - The Myanmar Supreme Court Tuesday accepted the
prosecution by the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) against
some high-ranking government officials for their alleged abuse of power in
cracking down on the NLD.

According to the court document, NLD filed charge against the
director-general of the Myanmar National Bureau of Intelligence, Home
Minister Colonel Tin Hlaing and 27 other officials.

It has been the first time for the Myanmar Supreme Court to accept
prosecution cases of its kind filed by the opposition party since the 1990
general election and the formation of the party in late 1988.

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XINHUA: MYANMAR, THAI COMPANY TO LAUNCH SATELLITE LINKS
29 September, 1999

YANGON (Sept. 29) XINHUA - The Myanmar telecommunications authorities and a
Thai satellite company have reached a services agreement to establish
satellite links between the two countries, the official newspaper The New
Light of Myanmar reported Wednesday.

The agreement for the IDD (International Direct Dialing) intercommunication
between the two countries was signed here Tuesday between the state-run
Myanma Posts and Telecommunications and the Shinawatra Satellite Public
Company Ltd. and Telephone Organization of Thailand.

In March last year, the Thai company also initiated a contract with the
state-run Myanma Radio and Television, leasing the Thaicom-3 satellite
transponder for Myanmar's domestic satellite communications services.

Meanwhile, Myanmar is also using the Iridium satellite communication
hand-phone system installed by another Thai company, the Iridium Southeast
Asia Co. Ltd., under a contract reached between them in November last year,
enabling round-the-world communication and filling the communication gap in
Myanmar's remote border areas.

According to official statistics, there are nearly 3,000 IDD telephone lines
in Myanmar and foreign companies involved in the installation of telephone
system in the country in recent years also include those from Australia,
Israel, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the United States.

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MIZZIMA: ROHINGYA MUSLIM REFUGEES IN BANGLADESH - STILL UNSOLVED PROBLEMS
28 September, 1999

DHAKA, September 28: [Thousands of] Rohingya Muslim refugees from Burma left
the country for the Bangladesh border after 1990, citing religious
persecution by the military regime in Burma. Most of these refugees were
repatriated to Burma in 1992-1997. However, the repatriation process was
halted due to various problems. About twenty thousand refugees are left in
two camps in Cox's Bazar of Bangladesh, of which the Burmese government has
agreed to receive eight thousand in Arakan State of Burma.

In 1998, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the two
governments of Burma and Bangladesh agreed to repatriate fifty refugees
every week to Burma.

After the visit of Burmese foreign minister U Win Aung in July this year to
Bangladesh, the repatriation process was resumed on every Wednesday.

However, due to the problems arising out of disagreement between those
refugees who want to go back and those who don't, only five to thirty
refugees per week were repatriated. Some weeks, no refugee was repatriated.
Only 204 refugees were repatriated to Burma till today after his visit. The
Commissioner for Repatriation of Rohingya refugees yesterday expressed his
disappointment over the delay of the repatriation.

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RHODODENDRON NEWS: CHRISTIAN CHINS IN DELHI HELD SILENT PROTEST
28 September, 1999 by Chin Students Union

September 28, Delhi, Christian Chins in exile in India in New Delhi today
held a silent protest against the religious persecution back home in Chin
State, at Jantar Mantar in the heart of the capital. More than one hundred
activists participated in the rally which lasted from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00
p.m.

Marching along the Parliament Street in central New Delhi, the activists
carried placards and banners calling for the immediate halt of Christian
persecution and the release of two Baptist pastors and all Christian
prisoners in Chin State who were recently arrested by the Burmese military
for allegedly being responsible for the disappearance of a soldier from LIB
266 who deserted his unit while on patrol in rural Chin State of Thantlang
township.

A statement, which was sent to the Burmese Embassy and a copy of which was
sent to the US Embassy in New Delhi, called for the SPDC to respect
religious freedom of minorities and to unconditionally release the pastors
and all village headmen and block chairmen of Thantlang town.

Muslims and Buddhists communities from Burma also joined the protest and
addressed the gathering that it is not Buddhism that is persecuting other
religion but the military government that does it.

The Chin Human Rights Organization, in its latest inside report said that
all village PDC members in 12 village of Zahnak tract in Thantlang township
were arrested and taken to Hakha, the capital, and jailed following a
disappearance of soldier who reportedly deserted his unit in June this year.

The report also revealed the arrest of Rev. Thawng Kam, General Secretary of
Thantlang Baptist Association of Baptist Churches (TABC) and Rev. Biak
Kam,(60), a senior pastor of Thantlang Baptist Church by the Burmese army.
They were reportedly taken to Lungler Army outpost in the Indian border at
night on 7 September 1999 after which nothing was heard about them.

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