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The Nation 1 &2,3,4 Bangkok post (



Subject: The Nation  1 &2,3,4 Bangkok post (1-9-99)

Headlines 
Burmese rebels claim six students arrested
BURMESE dissidents in exile said yesterday the Burmese military rulers
arrested
six high school students last week for distributing pamphlets calling on
people
to join an anti-government uprising on Sept 9. 
The All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) said the six were arrested on
Aug 27 in Rangoon. 
ABSDF quoted sources inside Burma as saying that security at high schools in
the capital was tightened following persistent student protests in Tamwe high
school. 
According to an ABSDF press release, local teachers have been assigned duties
to guard students and check for pro-democratic posters. 
They have also been instructed to protect the military regime's propaganda
signboards, which have been placed in every school compound, from students
armed with stones and paint, ABSDF said. 
Dissidents in exile say more than 150 people have been detained in the past
month over their call for an anti-government revolt on Sept 9, 1999 -- the
so-called ''four nines day''. 
Dissidents have chosen the four-nines day for its numerical significance after
the ''four eights day'' -- Aug 8, 1988 -- when democracy activists launched an
uprising which was crushed by the military. Thousands were killed. 
The Students' Democratic Front said authorities in Rangoon had tightened
security at schools and called an unscheduled two-week holiday for schools and
colleges from the start of September. 
The group said last week that 29 students, most of high-school age, who took
part in an anti-government protest in the southern town of Mergui on Aug 12
had
been charged under an emergency law and faced seven years' jail with hard
labour. 
The government said it had arrested 36 people in connection with the uprising
call. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the
dissidents' latest statement. 
On Monday, the government said the call for an uprising was an ''exercise in
futility'' and accused Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace laureate who
leads the main opposition party, of acting recklessly in voicing support for
the campaign. 
''While there is no reason to doubt her protestation that her party did not
mastermind the four-nines campaign, she cannot be absolved of
responsibility,''
it said in a statement. 
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won Burma's last election in 1990 by a
landslide but was never allowed to govern. She was held under house arrest for
six years to 1995. 
Political analysts say the military is better prepared for trouble than in
1988
and they doubt ordinary people will be willing to risk their lives again in
open street protests. 
The Nation, Reuters
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Border units told to monitor traffickers
Army chief Gen Surayud Chulanont has ordered all border units to continue to
keep strict surveillance of drug traffickers.
The army chief told unit commanders at yesterday's meeting to keep abreast of
any changes in drug trafficking routes and coordinate closely with concerned
agencies.
"Gen Surayud also told his men to verify a report that drug traffickers have
turned to smuggling drugs into the country via Laos," said army spokesman Col
Somkhuan Saengpataranet.
The army chief briefed the unit commanders on the progress of the
relocation of
Karen refugees from two camps in Mae Sot district to a deteriorated forest
area
near the Mae Sot-Umphang road in Tak's Phop Phra district
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China's investment plans
The cabinet yesterday recognised China's investment plans in Thailand,
including
the new Bangkok international airport, eucalyptus plantation and potash
mining.
Government spokesman Akapol Sornsuchart said the cabinet discussed the Chinese
investment, as it expected to make more progress on the issue during the
official visit of Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who arrives tomorrow.
China is interested in bidding for a stake in the development of the new
Bangkok international airport, also known as Nong Ngu Hao, and airport experts
from Hong Kong are likely to represent China in the contest.
China also plans to rent acreage to grow eucalyptus for the production of pulp
in Thailand. Thai farmers would benefit because they would be able to sell
eucalyptus to feed production through contract farming, Mr Akapol said.
The Thai government has begun detailed discussions with China and it is likely
Thailand will export pulp directly to China, he said.
Also, the Industry Ministry was discussing potash mining with Chinese
authorities and further negotiations are expected during Mr Jiang's visit, Mr
Akapol 
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Tak firms to discuss plan to relocate
Businessmen eyeing Burma as location
Supamart Kasem
Entrepreneurs from Tak will today meet the Burmese ambassador in Bangkok for
talks on the feasibility of relocating their industrial plants to Burma in the
wake of labour shortage.
Panithi Tangphati, Tak's Chamber of Commerce chairman, said deputy
director-general of the Foreign Trade Department Pitsanu Rianmahasarn will
lead
entrepreneurs and industrialists to meet Ambassador U Hla Maung in Bangkok
today to seek information about Rangoon's investment policies.
The move followed last week's seminar on border trade problems in which many
participants agreed to consider a proposal to relocate factories from Tak to
Myawaddy to ensure the availability of raw materials and Burmese labour.
After the seminar, the participants inspected a 10,000-acre plot marked as
Burma's border economic zone in Yi Poo, a village in Myawaddy, about 5km from
the border.
Mr Pitsanu, who chaired the seminar, said local Burmese officials would help
Thai entrepreneurs with the relocation of factories from Thai border areas to
the new economic zone.
"Should the Burmese policies and conditions prove favourable, Thai
entrepreneurs would be ready to move there. This will enable Thai factories to
find ample raw materials and labour.
Planning to relocate include furniture, jewellery, garment and leather goods
industries," the deputy director-general added.
The industrial factory relocation plan is in line with the Thai-Burmese
industrial co-operation programme along the Mae Sot-Myawaddy-Moulmein-Rangoon
route.
According to Mr Pitsanu, the Chuan government has a policy to target a 4%
growth in exports and plans to boost exports to regional markets amid the
dwindling orders from erstwhile major export markets like the United States,
Japan and Europe.
In another development, Somphop Thirasarn, secretary-general of Kanchanaburi's
industrial council, said Rangoon had agreed to allow the private sector to set
up job placement companies to find overseas jobs for Burmese and ethnic Mon.  
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