The BurmaNet News: November 9, 1999

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The BurmaNet News: November 9, 1999
Issue #1397

Noted in Passing:=20

HEADLINES:
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
SCMP: WAHID MEETS JUNTA BUT NOT DEMOCRAT
REUTERS: BRITON FLIES HOME FROM MYANMAR JAIL
BC-UK: RACHEL'S DISSERTATION MORE IMPORTANT
SHAN: JUNTA'S KEY DRUG FIXER PROMOTED
ASIAWEEK: A TALE OF TWO COUNTRIES
BKK POST: BURMESE TROOPS RAPED 15
NCUB: APPEAL TO THAI GOVERNMENT
NATION: BURMESE GUNMEN SEEK HAVEN IN AUSTRALIA
AFP: THAILAND, UN DISCUSS MYANMAR REFUGEES
ANNC: DEATH OF TERRY COTTAM
***************************************************

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: WAHID MEETS JUNTA BUT NOT DEMOCRAT
8 November, 1999

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE IN RANGOON=20

Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid held talks with Burmese military
rulers yesterday during a brief official visit, but did not meet democratic
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to avoid offending the junta.=20

Mr Wahid acknowledged some had expected him to meet the Nobel laureate.=20

"It is true that there are wishes that I come to meet her, but I have said
from the beginning that all depends on the local Government. We will not
interfere in the affairs of the local Government."=20

Despite representing a new democratic era in Indonesia and earlier
expressing "sympathy" for Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, Mr Wahid said their views
diverged and he also had to respect the Burmese regime's wishes. Failing to
visit Ms Aung San Suu Kyi was not a problem for him "because a struggle
does not depend on one mere meeting and secondly, it is not even certain
that our stands are similar", Mr Wahid said.=20

"In my view, the success of someone's struggle does not depend on others
but on their own independent efforts to mobilise force and political
opinion."=20

Mr Wahid added that he had held "open talks" with junta chairman General
Than Shwe. He said they talked about their countries' economic development
and how to further develop their countries "to promote the resurgence of an
Asian economy, not only the Asean economy".=20

Burma's generals for years drew comfort from former president Suharto's
military-backed rule of Indonesia.=20

They also drew strength from Jakarta's presence on the conservative wing of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which Burma joined in
1997 and which espouses non-interference in members' internal affairs.=20

The country has been under the iron grip of the military for decades and
its generals, who prevented Ms Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy taking power following a 1990 election victory, have watched
Indonesia's recent democratic reforms with alarm. But Mr Wahid said that as
a partner in Asean, "our country can understand the political system in
Myanmar [Burma]".=20

"Indonesia will never force what is prevailing [in Indonesia] to other
Asean members," he added.=20

Last week Mr Wahid admitted he sympathised with Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, and
that it would be up to the military regime "whether or not I could meet=
 her".=20

The junta fervently denies there are any similarities between the current
climate of change in Indonesia and the situation in Burma. Yet, like
Indonesia, Burma faces calls for independence from its ethnic minorities
and, to the fury of Ms Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition, appears to have
modelled a new constitution on Suharto-era Indonesia.=20

On arrival, the partially-sighted Mr Wahid was quickly escorted, amid
extremely tight security, to a waiting limousine and taken to a government
guesthouse on the shore of Inya Lake.=20

Mr Wahid was heading a delegation of 10 senior officials.=20

They stayed for only a few hours before flying to Bangkok, where he was to
have an evening meeting with Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai focusing on East
Timor and Indonesia's ailing economy.

[Reuters adds:]

Indonesia's new president President Abdurrahman Wahid asked Thailand on
Sunday to help strengthen democracy in Myanmar and elsewhere in the ASEAN
region.=20

Wahid was in Bangkok to meet Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai as part of a
an inaugural tour of nine fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations.=20

"Both leaders have agreed that we wish to see positive developments with
regard to Burma (Myanmar) on both political and economics and other
issues,"Thai government spokesman Akapol Sorasuchart told reporters after
the meeting.=20

"He (Wahid) stressed very clearly that he wished to seek Thai support in
strengthening democracy in the region, not only for Burma but for the ASEAN
region as a whole."

[ =85 ]

Last week, Wahid caused a stir by saying he would like to see Suu Kyi in
Yangon if he got the opportunity, a meeting that would have broken ASEAN
leaders' tradition of shunning dissidents active in member countries.=20

Chuan reiterated Thailand's support of the ASEAN principle of
non-interference in the affairs of a fellow member state, Akapol said.=20

"But we said we are prepared to open doors and windows for the Burmese to
contact the open world and for the open world to see inside Burma,"he said.=
=20

"As ASEAN members and fellow ASEAN members who are democracy advocates, we
will try every way we can to support Burma along the route towards
improvement in every way possible."

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

REUTERS: PROTEST BRITON FLIES HOME FROM MYANMAR JAIL
8 November, 1999 by Lindsay Griffiths

LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - A 28-year-old Briton jailed in Myanmar for
staging a solo protest flew home on Monday, pledging to keep fighting for
democracy with dialogue instead of confrontation.=20

Rachel Goldwyn, who won freedom last week after serving less than two
months of a seven-year sentence for staging a protest in the capital Yangon
on September 7, appeared calm as she recounted her ordeal inside the
notorious Insein Prison.=20

She recalled the tears, jokes, loneliness and anger of jail, but said she
remained committed to democracy and would soon be heading back to the
former Burma.=20

"I chained myself to a street sign on a busy downtown Rangoon (Yangon)
intersection. I sang songs, shouted slogans and displayed banners to a
crowd of 600 to 1,000 people," Goldwyn told reporters at London's Heathrow
airport.=20

"After 13 minutes I was arrested. My interrogation lasted late into the
night and continued into the next day," she said. "At times I could handle
the situation well. At others, I became depressed."=20

Goldwyn, who looked fit and tanned, described a regime of constant
surveillance yet intense isolation in which use of a pen was supervised and
trips to the toilet were never alone.=20

"I learnt to be patient and how to get myself heard," said Goldwyn, who
comes from an affluent suburb in southwest London.=20

Myanmar's military junta does not tolerate dissent and has been widely
criticised for rights abuses since taking direct power in 1988 when it
killed thousands of people at a pro-democracy uprising.=20

GOLDWYN TO RETURN TO MYANMAR=20

The ruling generals ignored the country's last election in 1990 which the
opposition National League for Democracy, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner
Aung San Suu Kyi, won by a landslide.=20

The government has since tried to suppress dissent through arrests and
intimidation.=20

The British government said "quiet diplomacy" won Goldwyn's freedom.
Goldwyn said it was a case of cutting deals with the regime after some
gentle persuasion from her parents.=20

"When Mum and Dad visited it was an absolute delight," said Goldwyn, who
was flanked by her beaming parents. "They reminded me that there was a
world out there that I had chosen to exclude but I could do much more on
the outside of jail."=20

Goldwyn said she wrote to the Myanmar authorities suggesting a deal under
which she would conduct independent research on the poor.=20

"The offer was accepted. I was released. And I'm shortly to return to the
country to examine the counter-narcotic measures there," she said. "This is
an unprecedented situation."=20

One of Goldwyn's bail conditions was an agreement not to interfere in
internal politics. She urged the press not to push her into playing
full-blown activist once again.=20

"Do not look to me to pass critical comments. I am still committed to
democracy but I am now going to take on a dialogue role rather than a
confrontational role," she said.=20

Still in jail in northern Myanmar is James Mawdsley, a 26-year-old Briton
from Lancashire jailed for 17 years in September, also for pro-democracy
activism.

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

BURMA CAMPAIGN-UK: RACHEL'S DISSERTATION MORE IMPORTANT THAN SUFFERING=
 BURMESE
8 November, 1999 by Yvette Mahon

Statement by Yvette Mahon, a Director of The Burma Campaign UK:

"Rachel Goldwyn who arrived back in the UK from Burma last night after
serving only two months of a seven year prison term has shocked human
rights activists by refusing to speak out against Burma's brutal regime or
the appalling human rights abuses the regime is best known for.

Instead she has let it be known that 'doors have been opened to her' by the
military junta to enable her return to Burma to conduct research for a
possible university dissertation, and that she now foresees a 'dialogue
role' for herself with the military authorities.

Human Rights activists internationally have expressed outrage at what they
see as a 'selfish betrayal' of Burmese people.

Rachel entered Burma with the intention of getting arrested against all
advice and despite a plea from Burmese activists inside Burma that such a
move would be counter-productive. Having sought and gained media attention
she has since failed to use the privilege of her position to tell the story
of Burma's suffering.

Despite her claims there are in fact no legal restrictions that prevent her
speaking about the human rights abuses that are routine in Burma. Her
priority however appears to be her dissertation and ensuring her return to
Burma and that is utterly shameful.

The irony is that Rachel was arrested for singing a song about never
forgetting the thousands who have died for democracy in Burma. It appears
she's been among the first to forget."

For more information contact:

Yvette Mahon -  Tel: 0171 281 7377; Mob: 07957 301 346

John Jackson - Tel: 0171 281 7377; Mob: 0961 357 391

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

SHAN HERALD AGENCY FOR NEWS: JUNTA'S KEY DRUG FIXER PROMOTED
5 November, 1999

It has been recently learned by S.H.A.N. that an officer known to be a key
facilitator of drug production and trafficking in eastern Shan State has
been promoted during the latest reshuffle.

An informed source told S.H.A.N. that Maj. Nyan Myint, special affairs
officer of IB 225, Mongton Township, Monghsat District, has won promotion
as the new commander of the battalion. His erstwhile boss, Ltc. Chit Hla,
is reported to have been transferred to Maungdaw in the Arakan (Rakhaing)
State.

Nyan Myint, now a lieutenant-colonel, is believed to be a protege of Gen
Khin Nyunt, the all-powerful Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development
Council.

He has been known to enjoy close relationship with key drug operators in
the township. He was reported to have told a group of drug operators in
Mongtaw, Mongton Township, "The State's goal is he make the trans-Salween
areas a drug-free zone by the year 2005. It implies that people can engage
in drug activities for the next 5-6 years. Opportunity comes to those of
you who are astute. I'll be happy to render my assistance and cooperation
to anyone of you who needs me". (Junta Officer: Dealing in Drugs Okay Until
2005", S.H.A.N., 23 October 1999)

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

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

ASIAWEEK: A TALE OF TWO COUNTRIES
12 November, 1999 by Roger Mitton

[BurmaNet Editor's note: Because this article is lengthy, it is being
posted in the BurmaNet news in two segments.  Part 2 will appear in
tomorrow's issue.]

Our correspondent goes on assignment to ASEAN's No. 1 pariah - and
discovers that nothing is quite as it seems

Part 1

I taxi from Yangon's Traders Hotel to the National League for Democracy
headquarters to arrange an interview with Aung San Suu Kyi. It is the start
of my fourth trip to Myanmar in 18 months. When I arrive, one of the
party's daily meetings is under way and the crowded room is hot and sticky.
Vice-chairman Tin Oo pumps my hand and gestures at all the supporters. "You
can see we are still operating," he says. The interview tentatively
arranged, I go outside and wait to be swooped on by military intelligence
officers. I have a media visa so I am not overly concerned, although the
stern questioning and repeated picture-taking is always unnerving. Nothing
happens. I gaze around, somewhat surprised, then head down busy Shwe Gon
Taing Road.

I stroll to the teashop across the road where the spooks station
themselves. Still nobody approaches me. Over the next week, I return to the
NLD offices, sometimes twice a day, and talk with party leaders and
supporters flocking in and out. No official meddling. Later, I ask Yangon
mayor, Col. Ko Lay, about the policy of allowing what is, in the regime's
view, an opposition party to hold daily meetings (without a permit, it
would be unheard of in Singapore, let alone Hanoi and Vientiane). "Oh, they
can do that in the NLD headquarters," he says, blithely. "We don't bother
them. They are a political party."

In case you hadn't guessed it already, a lot of nonsense is written about
Myanmar. As a veteran colleague told me when I began covering the beat:
"The first thing you must do is disabuse yourself of all your previous
notions about this place. It is not what you think it is." That is an
understatement. On my first visit, I wandered around Yangon in a state of
nervous anticipation - looking for fierce, gun-toting troops on street
corners and gaunt people cowering in doorways. But I couldn't see
policemen, let alone soldiers. Now I am back to dig deeper - and bust a few
myths. Among them:

- Foreign publications are unavailable.

On the drive from Yangon airport, kids run up waving copies of Asiaweek and
other international magazines. In my hotel, I get the International Herald
Tribune and the Asian Wall Street Journal delivered to my room (as well as
the government's New Light of Myanmar). CNN and BBC World are on TV. I have
no problem e-mailing from my room. John Chen of Eagle IT, Myanmar's only
private e-mail provider, expects Internet service by year-end.

- The regime has banned condom sales to spread AIDS among the youth and sap
their potential for rebellion.

Daft, you say. But in Myanmar I learn not to dismiss anything out of hand.
Late one afternoon I visit a pharmacy. It is staffed by three young women.
I ask for condoms. They giggle and direct me to one of Yangon's ubiquitous,
open-fronted, all-purpose convenience stores. There, the jovial owner
floods me with options. Onlookers gather as boxes and boxes of condoms
shower around me: Malaysian, Thai, Korean, Japanese and the local Burmese
brand, Aphaw, which comes in a spiffy four-pack, allegedly "Tested in the
U.S.A." It carries clear, graphic instructions in Burmese, together with
advice that condom use prevents the spread of AIDS and other sexually
transmitted diseases. I buy a pack for 200 kyat (60 cents). There are
murmurs of approval. "Yes, good. Burmese is best." (Don't bet on it.)

- Suu Kyi is under house arrest.

She is not. Yangon people routinely see her out and about - at the
supermarket, at the hairdresser's, at the pagoda, at embassy receptions, at
party meetings.

- No one without official authorization is allowed to travel the streets of
urban centers between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m.

I stroll around all hours of the day and night. On a typical evening in
Yangon I get a 200-kyat (60-cent) haircut at 8.30 p.m., and there are other
customers waiting. After a beer at a nearby pub, I head for supper at the
50th St. Bar & Grill. The roads fanning out from the landmark Sule Pagoda
are teeming. The cinemas are packed. It is much the same outside the
capital - even at the Kyaikto Hotel at the top of the tortuous path to
Myanmar's famous balancing-boulder stupa at Kyaiktiyo, 160 km southeast of
Yangon. Despite the bucolic setting deep in the hills, the settlement
bustles with people well after 8 p.m.

Of New Bridges and Closed Campuses=20

I have also heard that there are travel restrictions for journalists. I
soon discover that this is another canard. When I tell the regime's main
spokesman Col. Hla Min that I plan to travel outside of Yangon, he says:
"Go where you want. If you need a visa extension, let me know."

I decide to hire a car and driver and visit the former capital Mawlamyine,
a small port city 120 km south of Kyaiktiyo. We leave at 6 a.m., quickly
clearing the almost empty streets (Yangon is a slow-starting city). The
journey takes seven hours, and we do it with only one short break. The road
is fine as far as Bago, then it deteriorates a little, then improves again
- although remaining narrow. I see no other Caucasians during the whole of
this trip, so I am bemused when, halfway to Mawlamyine, we pass a large
sign in Burmese and English that says: "Please give all assistance to
international travellers."

But it is surprise rather than bemusement that I feel when, in the final
stretch, we pass over a couple of new suspension bridges, obviating the
need to take the old car ferry at Mottama. Painted a pastel orange shade,
they are long and sleek, and again beg the question: How do they do this?
Forced labor? Surely not for such skilled engineering work? Certainly, the
regime denies it; although Burmese exiles claim it continues. All I can say
is that on my travels, the various road crews I see are invariably military
men not civilians. On the drive, we pass squads of uniformed conscripts
doing maintenance work and clearing the verges.

As for Mawlamyine itself, I suspect Kipling would find it little changed.
They still smoke whacking white cheroots and the temple bells still call.
Down in the sidestreets around the jettys, however, it is not so nice.
There is an overpowering air of desolation and squalor, only marginally
mitigated by the silent dignity of the people. Yet the bounty of produce in
their market is astonishing: meat, fish, rice, fruit, vegetables and
wonderful arrays of fresh flowers. People buy big bunches of them! It is
hard not to feel optimistic surrounded by flowers. But before I get too
intoxicated, I decide to visit the local university.

Perhaps the most telling thing about Myanmar is that the campuses remain
closed. Even Foreign Minister Win Aung looks sad when he talks about this.
And frankly it is an area where the regime has been less than honest. Last
year, I was assured that the universities would reopen soon. Some
departments have, but by and large most are still dormant. The campus of
Mawlamyine University, a relatively new building, is in utter neglect.
Lecture rooms are untouched since they were padlocked three years ago.
Moldering papers and specimen jars gather dust in musty rooms. The
quadrangles are littered with the ashes of open fires and dog excreta. The
regime can talk all it likes about securing ceasefires with rebellious
minorities, but if it can't risk opening the universities to allow its
youth to get an education then there is no real stability.=20

[End Part 1]

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

THE BANGKOK POST: BURMESE TROOPS RAPED 15
8 November, 1999

Burmese soldiers have been accused of raping 15 women deported from
Thailand and left stranded on an isle in the middle of the Moei river after
they were prevented from re-entering Burma.

Sanda Win, 16, and Ma Aye, 17, said yesterday they were among nearly 2,000
Burmese who had been forcibly repatriated from Mae Sot district in Tak
province on Saturday.

The deportation was part of the government's campaign against illegal
migrants. Their entry was blocked by Burmese troops on the other bank.

About 400 of them managed to sneak back to Ban Mae Kuluang village in Mae
Sot late Saturday night.

The girls said they and many others planned to spend the night on the isle,
but armed Burmese troops followed them.

They selected 15 good-looking girls and made them accompany them to the
Burmese bank of the river, where they were raped.

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

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE UNION OF BURMA (NCUB): APPEAL TO THAI GOVERNMENT
8 November, 1999 from ncoffice@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

An appeal to the Thai Government concerning the forced repatriation of
Burmese workers

The NCUB would like to appeal to the Royal Thai Government to carefully
reconsider, on humanitarian grounds, the current arrests and deportation of
Burmese workers initiated last week and continuing on a daily basis.
Of the total 1 million migrant workers in Thailand, 700,000 are Burmese who
fled their home due to political repression, forced labour, forced
relocation, forced potering, heavy taxes, instability, economic crisis,
lack of security, rare job opportunities and high prices of the
commodities/food under military rule in the country.=20

The NCUB realises that ever increasing numbers of Burmese immigrant workers
and refugees are a huge burden for Thailand. We also appreciate the support
and humanitarian care given by the Royal Thai Government and the Thai
people to those who fled difficulties in Burma. The ongoing brutality of
the regime in Burma continues to cause people to flee to Thailand, making
it necessary for us to ask for ongoing support. The current unilateral
closure of the Thai-Burma border imposed by the SPDC, and the actions being
taken against those who return, are leading many Burmese workers to hide in
jungle on the border after their release by Thai authorities. Many of those
who are deported back to the Burma side will be faced with torture, rape,
confiscation/looting, arrest, imprisonment, being taken as porters, forced
labour and other forms of severe human rights abuses which continue=
 unabated.=20

"It is important for Thailand to be aware that the current suffering of
Burmese workers will have no impact on the Generals in Burma, who continue
to show contempt for human dignity and fundamental rights," said a NCUB
spokesperson.=20

"Thailand is handing those who fled oppression back to the Junta who
gravely mistreated them. Under this given situation we are gravely
concerned that history will view the Royal Thai Government's current
attempts to forcibly deport Burmese workers as a sign of support and
collaboration with the inhuman behaviour of the regime. The NCUB worries
that the reputation of Thai people and the Thai Government for sympathetic
treatment of the Burmese will be damaged by the current inappropriate
actions."=20

Forced deportation is not a long term solution to the difficulties caused
by migrant workers in Thailand. Until the underlying cause is addressed,
namely the brutality and repression carried out by Burma's Junta, workers
will continue to flee over the border to Thailand. "Sadly, we can learn a
lesson from the recent incident at the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok. The lack
of democracy, human rights, stability and sound economy in one country can
affect neighbouring countries and the stability of the region as a whole,"
said a spokesperson of the NCUB. "Brutality committed by dictatorial
regimes not only inflict suffering on their own people, but also create
dilemmas for neighbouring countries," he added. "The problems in Burma are
of regional concern, and we would therefore urge Thailand to cautiously
deal with the issue of Burmese workers."=20

The NCUB would like to appeal to the Royal Thai Government to seriously
reconsider the policy and implementation of forced deportation of Burmese
workers and to discontinue these inappropriate measures immediately. We
also want to urge the Royal Thai Government to cooperate with the
international community to take appropriate actions that will encourage the
restoration of democracy.=20

Thailand only stands to benefit from a democratic, peaceful nation on its
western border.  "Long live Thai-Burma friendship based on the will of both
peoples".

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

THE NATION: BURMESE GUNMEN SEEK HAVEN IN AUSTRALIA
8 November, 1999

MANEELOY, Ratchaburi -- Five Burmese gunmen who stormed Burma's embassy in
Bangkok will resume their negotiations with Thai authorities with the hope
of being granted permission to relocate to a third country, one of their
fellow exiles said yesterday.=20

Aung Soe, a Burmese refugee at the Maneeloy holding centre who was called
in by Thai police to help during the 25-hour standoff with the five
dissidents, told The Nation yesterday that they had indeed established
contact with the Thai authorities to negotiate their surrender in return
for passage to a third country.=20

They all wanted to go to Australia and expressed willingness to be tried by
an Australian court, Aung Soe said.=20

They did not say why they did not want to be tried by a Thai court, he
said. Aung Soe said he helped draft a letter, as requested by Kyaw Ni --
the ring leader of the five -- and was told that Prime Minister Chuan
Leekpai had ordered Border Police Unit 137 at Ratchaburi's Suan Phung to
handle the surrender.=20

However, the five dissidents backed off after Thailand refused to cut a
deal with them.=20

Chuan has said the students had violated Thai laws and would be dealt with
accordingly. There will be no negotiations with them, he said.=20

He has also said they would not be deported to Burma. The two countries do
not have an extradition treaty.=20

Nevertheless, the five students will make another pitch to the Thai
government to consider their request. The group will be trying to get the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to assist as well, Aung Soe
said.=20

Last Thursday, a team of police officers were waiting for them at Suan
Phung but were stood up by them. Armed with AK-47 automatic rifles,
grenades and shotguns, the five stormed the Burmese embassy on Oct 1,
taking 38 people hostage and preventing 51 others from leaving the compound.=
=20

The event ended peacefully after the Thai authorities agreed to give them
safe passage to Burma's southern Karen state across from Ratchaburi=
 province.=20

Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart, who headed the negotiations, had
irked Rangoon by referred to the five Burmese as ''students fighting for
democracy, not  international terrorists''.=20

Rangoon responded by closing down its border with Thailand, cancelling all
fishing concessions with Thai fishermen and refusing to cooperate with Thai
authorities who are in the process of repatriating thousands of Burmese
nationals working illegally in the country.

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

AFP: THAILAND, UN DISCUSS MYANMAR REFUGEES
8 November, 1999

Bangkok - The United Nations said Monday it could work in future with
Thailand on the voluntary repatriation of refugees to Myanmar but only when
conditions in the military-ruled state are right.

"Both the Thai government and UNHCR have agreed that the time is not right
yet to concentrate on volunteer repatriation," said Jahansha Assadi, UNHCR
regional representative.

"But that there may be a time in the future when volunteer repatriation
should be planned and concentrated," he added.

There are around 100,000 displaced people from different ethnic groups from
Myanmar in the country, many of whom are believed to have fled in fear of
persecution by Myanmar's junta.

Hundreds of thousands of other people from Myanmar in the country are
classified by Thailand as illegal immigrants.

Thailand started to send home illegal workers in border regions last week
after relations with Yangon deteriorated sharply when five student gunmen
seized Myanmar's embassy in Bangkok in October.

It has also launched a drive to send Burmese student exiles from the
Maneeloy refugee camp on the Myanmar border to third countries, a process
that is going well, the UN said Monday at a workshop on Myanmar refugee
policy.

"The UNHCR is a new comer in the scene ... We are helping Thailand in
finding a durable solution" said Assadi, who complimented the Thai
government for its tolerance of Myanmar refugees.

"I would like to say that for volunteer repatriation to be possible, the
UNHCR will require access on the other side of the border."

Observers say the UNHCR is unlikely to gain the access it needs while
Myanmar is controlled by the military junta that has ruled for decades.

"In the short term our work is protection, asylum and admissions," said
Assadi.

"But in the longer term, if the conditions are right, we have been willing
to facilitate and promote solutions."

An official from the Thai Minister of the Interior, Wanida Boonpracong,
said only if the safety of refugees could be guaranteed would repatriation
be an option.

"When the situation is safe, we have to think of a new process of
repatriation," she said.

"The UNHCR and the Thai government are on the same wavelength."

Director of the Burma Border Consortium Jack Dunford told reporters that in
the short-term the Myanmar refugee programme would not improve.

"The refugee problem ... cannot be solved until something happens in
Burma," he said.

An estimated one million illegal workers in Thailand include immigrants
from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

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

ANNOUNCEMENT: DEATH OF TERRY COTTAM
8 November, 1999 from cfob@xxxxxxx

Terry Cottam=20
1958-1999

Dear friends,=20
 =20
It is with very deep sadness that we write to tell you that Terry Cottam
passed away on Friday, November 5th in his home in Ottawa. =20
           =20
Terry began to work on Burma issues over ten years ago and quickly became a
landmark figure in the Free Burma movement when he took a major lead in the
PepsiCo boycott campaign. His drive and his talent for quickly writing and
laying out flyers helped to give the campaign the creative edge it needed
to become an international force and powerful symbol of grassroots
activism. He took on many other Burma boycott campaigns as well and over
the years, developed a wide network of friends and strong rapports with
many of you around the world.  He was a great example of how the internet
could be used as a tool to fight injustice.=20

A lasting memory we, at Canadian Friends of Burma, have of him is four of
us struggling to hold up one of his famous huge banners in downtown Ottawa
as cars honked and we tried to engage bemused-looking passers-by. Wherever
Terry went, he always brought his arsenal of PepsiCo flyers. One friend can
still picture him at an outdoors music concert, sauntering through the
woods, oblivious to the music and party scene, glowing because he convinced
a soft drink vendor to take anti-Pepsi stickers.=20

With his passing, we lose a man who worked ceaselessly towards a more
humane and democratic world  - we are all the richer for having known you,
Terry, and will keep your spirit alive as we all continue to work towards a
free and just Burma.=20

If you would like to send your condolences, please visit the memorial web
site that has been set up. http://paulgross.com/terrycottam

Thank you.

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