The BurmaNet News: October 18, 1999

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The BurmaNet News: October 18, 1999
Issue #1381

Noted in Passing: "The message has been brought home that no-one is immune
from the symptoms of political conflict in Myanmar." - M.R. Sukhumbhand (see
The BANGKOK POST: DON'T ORDER US AROUND, JUNTA TOLD)

HEADLINES:
==========
MIZZIMA: KHUN SA EXPANDING BUSINESS TO ARAKAN
SHAN: SHAN LEADER CALLS FOR UNIFIED COMMAND
NATION: MAY BE TIME FOR ANOTHER COUP IN BURMA
BKK POST: DON'T ORDER US AROUND, JUNTA TOLD
NATION: ARMY, MERCHANTS OPPOSE PAYING OFF JUNTA
BKK POST: CASINO OPERATOR TO MEDIATE WITH RANGOON
BKK POST: BORDER CLOSURE BACKFIRES
NATION: CLASHES ON THAI-BURMESE BORDER
BKK POST: GENERAL MASHARRAF IS NOT ALONE
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MIZZIMA NEWS GROUP: KHUN SA EXPANDING BUSINESS TO ARAKAN STATE IN BURMA
15 October, 1999

Khun Sa, Burma's drug lord who took shelter under the military generals in
Rangoon, has been expanding his business-network in Burma with the latest
reports of investing his opium-money in water transportation business in
Arakan State of Burma. Reported by our Correspondent in Dhaka:

DHAKA, Oct. 15, 1999: Khun Sa, world infamous drug lord, is expanding his
business to Arakan State which is bordering with Bangladesh. "Malikha" ship,
which runs Sittwe-Butheedaung and Sittwae-Taung Koat, is owned by the former
drug lord and managed by his loyalists in Arakan State. The ship line has
become a flourishing business in Arakan State as the goods from Bangladesh
are transported not only to Arakan State but also to other parts of Burma
via Sittwe-Taung Koat shipping line.

Though there are government-run ships in Arakan State, the ships are mostly
occupied with the military officials and their families. Passengers who do
not have access to the military circles usually do not get the tickets for
the government-run ships. Therefore, more and more passengers are travelling
with the "Malikha", though the fare is nearly six times higher than the
government's ones.

According to business sources, Khun Sa has been trying to "lease" "Nga Pyi"
island and "Kyee" island from the Burmese government with annual pay of five
hundred millions Burmese Kyats. Both islands are strategic in border black
marketeering business. "Nga Pyi" island is situated in the East of Sittwe
while "Kyee" island is in the Nat river, which divides the maritime border
between Burma and Bangladesh. Many people in the "black market business" in
the border believe that Khun Sa will become the one who can control the
growing border trade business if he gets the two islands. The present daily
value of black marketeering along the border is estimated to be worth of
fifty million Taka (Bangladesh currency), equivalent to four hundred
millions Burmese Kyats.

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

SHAN HERALD AGENCY FOR NEWS: SHAN LEADER CALLS FOR UNIFIED COMMAND
16 October, 1999

A prominent leader of the Shan party that won elections in the Shan State in
1990 has called for the establishment of a unified body for all the diverse
groups of Shan State, according to the official announcement from the Shan
resistance quarters.

Sai Aung Mart, Joint Secretary General of the Shan Nationalities League for
Democracy, who arrived at the border last month, issued a statement on 9
October in his capacity as Chairman of the Standing Executive Committee for
the Restoration Council of Shan State, calling for the establishment of
unified command for all the movements struggling against Rangoon in the Shan
State.

The Restoration Council, with its twin goals to restore national sovereignty
and to make Shan State a flourishing democracy, is to be established at a
national gathering to be held some time in December, said the statement.

The Standing Executive Committee's immediate tasks are, the statement said,
threefold: To convene the National Conference, To draft the charter to form
the Shan State Legislative Assembly and the Restoration Council and To draft
plans for the recovery of Shan State from the junta's rule.

The statement also invites constructive suggestions from all patriotic
groups and individuals.

The SEC is composed of 15 members, elected at a meeting on 2 October. Apart
from Chairman Aung Mart, there are Sao Ternsarng (of Mongnawng House), Vice
Chairman Nang Khurh-saen (a wellknown history researcher), General
Secretary.

Those interested were invited by the SEC to contact at the following
addresses: RCSS, P.O. Box 41, Maeping P.O., Chiangmai 50301, Thailand;
E-mail <authai@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>.

Yawdserk, Commander-in-Chief of the Shan State Army, was reported to have
pledged his allegiance to this upcoming RCSS.

[S.H.A.N. is a non-profit making, independent Shan media group. It is not
affiliated to any political or armed organization.]

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

THE NATION: MAY BE TIME FOR ANOTHER COUP IN STRUGGLING BURMA
16 October, 1999

Letter to the Editor

Certainly Burmese Ambassador U Hla Maung comes off sounding like the
renowned Burmese comedian Zagana, by inviting the exiled Burmese students to
return and join in the development of their nation.

Burma, which was the most developed nation in Southeast Asia at the end of
World War II, now runs second to Afghanistan as the least developed -- the
legacy of that military clown, Ne Win, and his present coterie of fools, the
junta.

The average annual income in Burma stands at US$820 compared with US$6,285
for Thailand. Meanwhile, Burma totters on the edge of bankruptcy. Isn't it
about time for another coup?

Aung Min

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

THE BANGKOK POST: DON'T ORDER US AROUND, JUNTA TOLD
15 October, 1999

ARREST OF STUDENTS IS OUR DUTY, SAYS CHUAN

The prime minister dismissed Burma's precondition yesterday that the five
dissidents who seized the Burmese embassy on Oct 1-2 be arrested before the
border can be reopened.

The arrests were Thailand's duty and Burma could not tell Thailand what to
do, said Chuan Leekpai.

"The deputy foreign minister (M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra) has already
pointed out this is something we will take care of," said Mr Chuan.

"It's already the government's duty to take action on any unlawful conduct.
No-one can tell us what to do or what not to do," he said.

Hla Maung, the Burmese ambassador to Bangkok, said on Wednesday the five
dissident students would have to be arrested and prosecuted before there
could be any discussion closure of the sea and land borders.

"The sooner they are arrested, the sooner the problems will be solved," U
Hla Mange said after his meeting with Foreign
Minister Surin Pitsuwan.

Mr Chuan also said yesterday there is no need for Thailand to review its
relations with Burma since their conflict in the wake of the embassy siege
is "a normal problem" which can be handled by the Foreign Minister.

"We have to be mature. We must be careful before taking any step and be firm
in our position," the prime minister said.

Thailand and Burma "have to be good neighbours. The people on both sides of
the border are brothers and have been visiting one another. Thailand has to
maintain this good standard," Mr Chuan said.

It is also unnecessary to send Gen-Chettha Thanajaro, a chief who is now a
security adviser to Sanan Kachornprasart, the interior minister, to Rangoon
for negotiations since the Foreign Ministry is on the case, he said.

Mr Chuan said Thailand has done the right thing in its handling of the
embassy siege, saying the Portuguese ambassador, who called on him on
Tuesday on behalf of European envoys, praised the government for having
solved the crisis without any loss of life.

On a suggestion that other Asean members have been silent over the
Thai-Burmese conflict, Mr Chuan said what has happened is a bilateral
problem which has nothing to do with relations among Asean countries.

The foreign minister yesterday denied Burma has set any precondition for the
normalisation of ties.

Mr Surin said the Burmese embassador was invited to meet him to discuss
various issues raised by both sides.

And the ambassador did not give him any ultimatum during their meeting on
Tuesday.

"The Burmese ambassador might have said so to the press. He probably
believed doing so could create some pressure," Mr Surin said.

Meanwhile, M.R. Sukhumbhand.was quoted by AP as saying that there has been a
big change in Thai attitudes towards Burma.

"The embassy saga took place right at the nerve-centre of Thai society and
the Thai policy," M.R. Sukhumbhand said. "The message has been brought home
that no-one is immune from the symptoms of political conflict in Myanmar."

"Many Thais, including the media, before preferred us not to intervene in
Myanmar's domestic affairs. But now people are saying, 'Hey, we have to do
something'," the deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying.

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

THE NATION: ARMY, MERCHANTS OPPOSE PAYING OFF JUNTA TO OPEN BORDER
17 October, 1999

THE Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce and the Army yesterday strongly objected
to the idea of paying off Burmese generals to get them to re-open the
borders and restore cross-border trade on grounds that the move could set an
unwanted precedent.

The issue can only be resolved through negotiations between Bangkok and
Rangoon, they said.

Rachan Weraphan, president of the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce, said a
group of northern businesses in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces have so
far collected nearly Bt10 million for the payoff.

Similar efforts are being carried out by Thai exporters in another border
town in Tak province, said a senior military officer from the 3rd Army
Region.

The Army is against the idea because the dispute is too complex for the
private sector or the military to handle, said the general speaking on
condition of anonymity.

A solution could only be worked out between the two governments, he said.

The idea of giving money in exchange for opening the border checkpoints is
short-sighted and does not address the heart of the problem, he said.

Thailand's private sector has taken up such measures in the past and it did
nothing to change the attitude of the ruling junta on using the border
closing as a leverage whenever they wanted to get back at Thailand, he said.

''If they are a real friend as they say, such measures should have never
been taken,'' he said. ''They are just too demanding.''

Rachan said it just was a matter of time before the junta re-opens the
border, saying the Burmese people are suffering tremendously as the cost of
household goods and other commodities has gone up dramatically since the
border was ordered shut.

According to the officer, Burmese private sector firms lying opposite from
Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district in Muaywadee have asked the Thai authorities
for shipments of household goods but officials have urged them to take up
the matter with Rangoon.

''After all, it's their government which has closed the border,'' the Army
officer said.

The Army officer said there has been growing resentment against the
government since the closure of the San Thon Du checkpoint, linking Chiang
Mai's Mae Ai district to a Wa-controlled area in Mong Yawn where massive
infrastructure projects are being carried out.

Thai construction companies who received concessions from the United Wa
State Army said the closing of San Thon Du has made it more costly for them
to do business in the area.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Kornpoj Asawinanwijit said cross-border trade
between Thailand and Burma is relatively small, accounting for no more than
Bt30 million per day. However, the fisheries industry stands to suffer the
most as a number of Thai fishing companies were operating in Burmese waters
before Rangoon closed the border and cancelled all the concessions.

Kornpoj said the ministry is negotiating with foreign governments to grant
or increase the number of concessions to Thai fishermen. India, Bangladesh
and South Africa are among the countries, he said.

Government Spokesman Akapol Sorasuchart said if Thailand and Burma failed to
normalise their relationship before the Asean ministerial meeting in
November, the issue would be raised in the talks.

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

THE BANGKOK POST: CASINO OPERATOR TO MEDIATE WITH RANGOON
17 October, 1999

A Thai businessman with close ties to the Burmese military has agreed to act
as a go-between to resolve the conflict on fishing rights between Thai
fishermen and Rangoon.

Vikrom Aiyasiri, chairman of Andaman Club Company which operates a casino on
the Burmese side of the border, was approached by a group of owners of
fishing trawlers, fish merchants, cold storage and animal feed operators to
convince the Burmese junta to reopen its border and allow Thai trawlers to
fish in Burmese waters.

Chalit Thiemwongkhae, who operates a fishing fleet and an animal feed
factory, said they were pinning their hopes on Mr Vikrom.

Mr Chalit also urged Thai officials not to publicly air their views
regarding conflicts with Burma.

Mr Vikrom said he would raise the Thai fishermen's plight with a senior
Burmese army delegation scheduled to visit the border area opposite Ranong
tomorrow.

The Ranong chamber of commerce reported that since Burma closed the border
two weeks ago, the fishing industry and related businesses had lost about
1.5 billion baht.

Chotiwat Thongkol, manager of a Siam Commercial Bank branch, said the amount
of cash handled by the bank in the last fortnight had dropped to five
million baht a day from 20 million baht before the border closure.

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

THE BANGKOK POST: BORDER CLOSURE BACKFIRES
16 October, 1999 by Supamart Kasem and Thirawat Kamthita

Burma's border towns are running short of food, fuel and other goods since
Rangoon shut the border with Thailand two weeks ago.

Prices have soared and the black market is beginning to thrive again.

Thai officials and traders in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai, said Burmese
traders were sneaking across the Moei river from Tachilek township to buy
goods at Tha Kralam, Koh Sai and Tha Nam Ban Sailomjoi markets.

The smugglers revealed that prices of consumer goods in Tachilek and towns
in the hinterland had at least doubled since the closure.

Banchong Numkam, mayor of Tha Sai Luad, said the closure had hit the
Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, the junta's ally, which taxed goods passing
through its territory for its primary source of income.

Mr Banchong said the DKBA was considering teaming up with the Karen National
Union, its adversary, in reviving the black market trade which had brought
both a fortune.

Traders from both countries were keen to participate if the border remained
shut.

Mr Banchong said Myawaddy villagers opposite Tak were suffering a severe
shortage of essential goods.

Smuggling had intensified and the cost of fresh food and fuel had jumped
tenfold.

The mayor said Burmese, particularly on the border, were facing a worse
predicament than Thais, as goods from Rangoon could not reach them.

The border closure had boosted business for Thai vendors and restaurants
because tourists could not cross over into Burma and were spending more
here.

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

THE NATION: CLASHES ON THAI-BURMESE BORDER
16 October, 1999

MAE HONG SON -- Thai border troops clashed with unidentified armed intruders
from Burma in two incidents on Thursday, forcing them to retreat, but their
identity is still uncertain, Thai military officials said yesterday.

It was the first clash following soured relations between Rangoon and
Bangkok because of the Oct 1-2 occupation of the Burmese Embassy that
prompted the Burmese government to seal its border with Thailand.

Thai Defence Ministry spokesman Lt-Gen Sanan Kajornklam said that one
shooting incident had taken place around 5.30 pm on Thursday when 15 armed m
en crossed into Thai territory at Ban Huay Pueng in Mae Hong Son province.

''Our patrol troops found the intruders inside our territory about one
kilometre from the border. They fired warning shots. Both sides eventually
exchanged gunfire for 10 minutes, which led to the withdrawal [of the
intruders],'' Sanan said.

He said there had been no casualties on the Thai side.

Sanan said he suspected the attackers were ethnic guerillas who had been
used by the Burmese government to raid refugee camps in Thailand.

An officer in the Thai army task force in Mae Hong Son, 650 km north of
Bangkok, said on condition of anonymity that the intruders had been about
100 Burmese soldiers and that tensions remained high.

Third Army Corps Commander Lt-Gen Udomchai Ongkasing surveyed the area
yesterday after the incident.

Burmese soldiers stationed over the border from Ban Huay Phung are
reportedly conducting troop rotation along the border, particularly in the
area over from the refugee camp of Ban Pang Saktuer on the Thai side.

The Thai side of the long border is dotted with camps housing some 100,000
refugees who have fled the Burmese army's suppression of rebel groups over
the past half-century. Most refugees support the rebels.

A military source in Mae Hong Son said yesterday that another clash had
taken place at about 2 pm on Thursday when 30 Burmese soldiers invaded Thai
territory, apparently to steal food from the Thai village of Ban Maisape.

The village, about 1.5 km from the frontier, is about 4 km north of a camp
for Burmese refugees, the source said.

The Burmese troops opened fire on a group of 20 uniformed Thai soldiers who
had moved into the area after a villager said troops had crossed into
Thailand, the source said.

The Thais returned fire with mortars and small arms, and both then exchanged
small-arms fire for about 10 minutes before the Burmese troops withdrew to
their base. There is so far no report of casualties, according to the
source.

The Defence Ministry spokesman, however, said he was not aware of the Ban
Maisape incident.

''The report to Bangkok only mentioned the incident at Ban Huay Pueng,'' he
said.

A Thai army battalion reinforced the area yesterday, a military officer said
on condition of anonymity.

A Burmese junta spokesman denied both incidents in a statement.

''No such incidents occurred anywhere on the Thai-[Burmese] border. [It is]
probably a fabrication designed to coincide with Mr de Soto's visit to
[Burma],'' he said.

United Nations special envoy Alvaro de Soto arrived in Burma on Thursday on
a five-day mission expected to focus on political reforms.

Ethnic-minority leaders and Thai intelligence officials on the border
earlier reported a build-up of Burmese troops opposite Mae Hong Son and
speculated they might be preparing to attack refugee camps.

They said the move could be designed as retaliation for the 25-hour seizure
earlier this month of Rangoon's Bangkok embassy by pro-democracy gunmen.

Rangoon closed the border after Thailand bowed to the five gunmen's demands
for a helicopter to transport them to the border. The gunmen disappeared
after being flown to one of the camps on Oct 2, ending their occupation of
the Burmese Embassy, where they had taken 38 people hostage to demand
democratic rule in their homeland.

In Rangoon some 15,000 people took part in a government-organized
demonstration against terrorism and chanted slogans supporting the military
regime.

Trade and fishing between the two countries has come to a near-total
standstill.

Burma's ambassador has said the border closure will not be lifted until the
five hostage-takers are arrested and punished.

Burma said the Thai approach to the hostage-taking set a bad precedent that
would encourage similar actions but was also clearly irked by statements
from senior Thai officials who called the hostage-takers student fighters
for democracy rather than terrorists.

Pisanu Rienmahasarn, the Commerce Ministry's deputy director-general for
foreign trade, said border trade between the two countries had virtually
come to a standstill, estimating a loss of between Bt26 million and Bt30
million a day while the fishery industry was estimated to be losing about
Bt40 million a day.

Meanwhile Pol Lt-Gen Yothin Mathayomnant, commander of the Police Special
Branch, insisted the five-armed Burmese were believed to be in hiding under
the protection of the God Army, a small splinter group of the Karen National
Union of Gen Bo Mya.

The group, made up of about 100-armed personnel, is based over the border
from Ratchaburi province.

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

THE BANGKOK POST: GENERAL MASHARRAF IS NOT ALONE
16 October, 1999

Letter to the Editor

Now the Burmese Slorc has found a new friend, the Pakistani military junta
should seek advice from Rangoon as to how the latter has been able to keep a
strong grip on the power it robbed from the Burmese voters for so long.
After all, the Pakistani top brass might not need to worry much about who
should become their puppet to head the next government. Sit back, relax, and
enjoy a long-lasting reign showered with acclaim from the populace as
claimed by your propaganda machines!

You'll never walk alone, Gen Musharraf, because you are not the only pariah
around. The recent coup d'etat in Pakistan is reminiscent of the NPKC-led
move by Gen Sunthorn Kongsompong, Gen Suchinda Kraprayoon & Co in Thailand
in May 1992. Though Gen Sunthorn is now dead, his friend Gen Suchinda is
alive and well in high-profile society. So is Gen Thanom Kittikachorn, whose
buddy Gen Prapas Charusatien died some years earlier. Follow Gen Suchinda's
footsteps; maybe you should demand an honorary chairmanship in Pakistan's
biggest telecom holding company.

Or, after installing a puppet prime minister, name him your defence minister
and demand for your honorary discharge with the highest award for doing such
a fine service to your people.

The whole free world will surely refer to you and your military cronies like
we do the Burmese Slorc, the pariah of the Jurassic Age. Next time you come
near Rangoon or Bangkok pay a courtesy call on Thailand's best advisers who
are specialists in military protocol: Gen Suchinda, Gen Issarapong
Noonpakdi, as well as Gen Chetta Thanajaro of "the Burmese Desk".

Sean Esagtawski, Cambridge, Massachusetts

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