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BurmaNet News: February 15, 2000
- Subject: BurmaNet News: February 15, 2000
- From: strider@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2000 06:49:00
=========== The BurmaNet News ===========
Tuesday, February 15, 2000
Issue # 1463
=========================================
NOTED IN PASSING:
1. ``I cannot -- will not -- lose hope.''
Diana Mawdsley, mother of James Mawdsley who was sentenced to 17 years
for demonstrating for democracy in Burma. (See REUTERS: JAILED BRITON'S
MUM MARCHES AGAINST MYANMAR)
2. "We can just learn from the Indonesian experience and the experience
of the Indonesian military that no matter how strong you are, if your
existence is founded on arrogance, brute force and intimidation, you
will come crumbling down very hard one day"
Jose Ramos-Horta, East Timorese Independence leader on democracy in
Burma (See AP: TIMOR LEADER: BRUTE FORCE CAN'T BLOCK FREEDOM IN MYANMAR)
=========
Headlines
=========
Burma Today in Brief--
===
Inside Burma--
NLM: MYANMAR TODAY COMES OUT
BURMANET: MYABUZZ GOES OUT
NLD: REGIME DEMANDING FORCED LABOR, BUILDING SUPPLIES FROM VILLAGERS
NLM: ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING OVERSEAS EMPLOYMENT
NLM: MINISTER INSPECTS UNLOADING OF LOCOMOTIVES FROM MV DAWEI
BURMANET: LOCOMOTIVES GET NEWER ON BOAT FROM INDIA
NLM: TEST WELL YIELDS 3.3M CUBIC FEET OF GAS DAILY
THE IRRAWADDY: MONKS ARRESTED IN TACHILEK
WEATHER UNDERGROUND: TODAY'S WEATHER IN BURMA
International--
AP: TIMOR LEADER: BRUTE FORCE CAN'T BLOCK FREEDOM IN MYANMAR
ASIAN AGE (New Delhi): BURMA ARMY ABDUCTS TEACHER IN MIZORAM
NCUB: EIGHT THAIS DETAINED, ONE KILLED BY SPDC TROOPS
THE IRRAWADDY: THAIS WARY OF BURMA ARMY EXPANSION
THE IRRAWADDY: SUSPECTED SPY EXECUTED
THE IRRAWADDY: ABSDF FACING NEW SPLIT
Opinion/Editorial--
BURMA SOLIDARITY GROUP MALAYSIA: WE NEED YOUR HELP: BURMA DEMOCRACY
ACTIVIST DETAINED BY MALAYSIAN POLICE
=========================================
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
BURMANET: BURMA TODAY IN BRIEF--February 15, 2000
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Regime allows new business publication. Regime kills new business
publication. NLD says regime demands labor and supplies for projects
inside Burma, regime says laborers must get license to work outside
Burma.
Mawdsley's mom calls for Burma activist son's release. Malaysia holds
Burma activist. Burmese troops cross Bangladesh border, kidnap activist.
Burmese troops cross Thai border, kidnap eight, kill one. Thai army
worries about Burmese army. Ramos-Horta says Burma army should learn
from Indonesian army's failures.
India sells used diesel locomotives to Burma, Burma says "new"
locomotives arrive from India. Regime discovers more gas.
Publication says spy sent by Burma to Thailand killed, doesn't say who
did it. Factions of student army may split again.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
INSIDE BURMA
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
NLM: MYANMAR TODAY COMES OUT
New Light of Myanmar
February 15, 2000
YANGON, 14 Feb - Myanmar Today (English Version) volume 3, No 1,
published by the Ministry of Information, is in circulation beginning
today.
The four-monthly magazine contains Head of State Senior General Than
Shwe_s tour of the nation and his guidance, excerpts from the address of
Senior General Than Shwe at the conclusion of Union Solidarity and
Development Association Executives_ Management Course, the conclusion of
Defence Services Institute of Medicine, General Maung Aye_ tour of Shan
State and Kayah State, Sangha Meeting of All Shwekyin Nikaya Ganas,
address by Secretary-1 Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt at closing ceremony of Special
Refresher Course for Basic Education Teachers, Seventh Myanmar
Traditional Cultural Performing Arts Competition, Literary Awards
Presentation Ceremony, inauguration of Mahasantisukha Buddhist
Missionary Centre and press conference on Terrorist Seizure of Myanmar
Embassy in Thailand, Terrorism is not democracy.
Copies of the publication are available at Bookstalls of News and
Periodicals Enterprise on Theinbyu Street, Sarpay Beikman Bookstall on
Merchant Street and Head Office of Information and Public Relations
Department on Pansodan Street.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
BURMANET: MYABUZZ GOES OUT
February 15, 2000
Myabuzz, an electronically distributed newsletter promoting business
opportunities in Burma ceased publication on December 17, 1999
apparently after losing Internet access with the regime's closure of
Myanmar Eagle IT, an Internet service provider owned by Pat James, an
long-time American resident of Burma. Myabuzz was launched in 1999 by a
Singaporean company and is patterned on Thaibuzz, a similar
business-oriented publication covering Thailand.
The reason for Myabuzz's failure came as a surprise to its backers in
that the newsletter studiously avoided publishing information critical
of the regime or reflecting bad economic news. While its
self-censorship may have limited its value as a tool for investors,
Myabuzz's editors appeared to believe their reticence-- and connections
to regime officials--would protect them. Terence Seah of Myabuzz told
BurmaNet "We do have some of the best contacts in Myanmar when we
decided to launch MyaBuzz. In fact, when it was closed in December, we
were told it would be for one week. But, the situation dragged on with
any sign of an OK."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
NLD: REGIME DEMANDING FORCED LABOR, BUILDING SUPPLIES FROM VILLAGERS
National League for Democracy
No: (97/B), West Shwegonedine Road
Bahan Township, Rangoon
Statement 5(1/00) (translation)
1. A pagoda measuring 408 feet in height is to be built under the
supervision of the District PDC on the hill near Taw-Shaw village ,
Wuntho township, Sagaing Division. The townships of Katha, Htechain,
Pin-le-bu, Wuntho, Indaw, Banmauk and Kawlin in the district of Katha
have been ordered to supply 500,000 bricks each for Kyats 2 per brick.
2. The market price is Kyats 6 per brick so they suffer a loss of Kyats
4 per brick. Each township suffers a loss of Kyats 2,000,000 and the
loss for the whole district (7 townships) is Kyats 14,000,000.
3. In the township of Kawlin there are 2 large, 6 medium and 6 small
brick-baking kilns.
Our information is that the arrangement there is that one U Tin Nyein
will be acting on behalf of all the owners of the brick baking kilns and
will have to be paid as hereunder:-
2 Large - Kyats 200,000 ( Kyats 100,000 per kiln)
6 medium - Kyats 180,000 ( Kyats 30,000 per kiln)
6 small - Kyats 90,000 (Kyats 15,000 per kiln)
4. There is apprehension also by the people that they will be required
to give their labour for the collection of wood and the supply of sand
to produce these bricks. Motor vehicle owners will be required to
transport free of charge the sand and wood for the production of the
bricks and then again the bricks to the village of Taw-shaw in Wuntho
township. Penalty for default or inability is Kyats one hundred thousand
per vehicle.
5. On 28 December 1999 forced labour was required from about 6000
inhabitants (one per household) from 23 village tracts to build a motor
road near the Okkan creek to the west of Kawlin town.
6. We have been informed that the 1999 paddy crop had to be sold at
Kyats 350 per basket calculated at 10 baskets per acre. An additional
cupful ( measured in one condensed milk tin) had to be given free for
every basket.
7. Kawlin township acreage of rice crop was over 60, 000 acres. Over
600,000 baskets of paddy had to be sold and a total of 4600 baskets had
to be supplied gratuitously. Calculated at Kyats 600 per basket (open
market rate), the loss totals over Kyats 2,760,000.
8. These people suffer from all sides. With no-land-to-escape-to,
no-money-to-give, no-food-to-eat, they are swirling-in-a-sea of misery.
We urge that projects that give rise to a life of such ill fortune be
stopped immediately. We vehemently denounce the above mentioned actions
of the authorities.
Central Executive Committee
National League for Democracy
Rangoon
13 January 2000.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
NLM: ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING OVERSEAS EMPLOYMENT
New Light of Myanmar
February 15, 2000
1. The State Peace and Development Council promulgated _The Law Relating
to Overseas Employment (Law No 3/99) on the 9th of July 1999.
2. According to Sections 9, 10 and 11 of the said law, person seeking
overseas employment or those who have secured such employment must
register themselves at the Department of Labour.
3. Those who wish to seek overseas employment on their own without the
help of Licenced Overseas Employment Agents), and apply for passports to
go overseas to take up such employment or those who have already applied
for and are in possession of valid passports for employment, shall, for
the purpose or registering themselves at the Department of Labour, apply
in the prescribed form to the Overseas Employment Branch of the
Department of Labour at No 315, Pansodan Street, Yangon. 4. Upon receipt
of such application, the Overseas Employment Inspection Committee formed
by the Department of Labour shall examine the applications and
supporting documents. If the Overseas Employment Inspection
Sub-Committee is satisfied with the authenticity of the application &
supporting documents the Department of Labour will register the
applicants either as Overseas Employment Seekers or Overseas Workers as
the case may be and issue them relevant identification cards as well as
provide help & assistance to the applicants to seek or be placed in
employment in accordance with Rules & Procedures of the Department of
Labour.
5. Those who wish to seek further detailed information may contact
Department of Labour, Ministry of Labour, Six-Storey Building. Strand
Road, at telephone No 283445.
The Department of Labour
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
NLM: MINISTER INSPECTS UNLOADING OF LOCOMOTIVES FROM MV DAWEI
New Light of Myanmar
February 13, 2000
YANGON, 13 Feb-Minister for Transport Maj-Gen Hla Myint Swe, accompanied
by Deputy Minister for Rail Transportation Thura U Thaung Lwin, Managing
Director U Khin Maung Kyi of Myanma Five Star Line, Managing Director U
Thein Htay of Myanma Port Authority, Managing Director U Aye Mu of
Myanma Railways and officials, arrived at mv Dawei at No 5 Sule Wharf
this morning.
The minister and party inspected unloading new locomotives for Myanma
Railways imported from India, maintenance of the vessel and matters
related to the loading and storage of cargo.
Then, the minister gave instructions on taking measures for loading and
unloading locomotives and cargo without loss and wastage.
The new locomotives were carried by mv Dawei from Madras Port of India
and arrived here yesterday morning.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
BURMANET: LOCOMOTIVES GET NEWER ON BOAT FROM INDIA
February 15, 2000
Burma's state press reported on February 13 that the minister for
transport inspected new locomotives arriving from Madras India. While
Burmese officials maintain the locomotives arrived new in Burma, they
left India used. The ten locomotives were excess stock that is no
longer usable in India because Indian Railways has changed the gauge of
their rails. The locomotives and spares were sold to Burma by the
state-owned Indian Railways and reconditioned by RITES, an Indian
government-owned firm. For more information, see:
http://www.rites.com/xpotec.htm
For information on railways in Burma generally, see:
http://www.steam.demon.co.uk/trains/burma96.htm
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
THE IRRAWADDY: MONKS ARRESTED IN TACHILEK
Vol.8 No 1, Intelligence Page
There were reliable reports that Burmese police and military
intelligence officers raided a monastery in the border town of Tachilek
and arrested a group of monks early in January. It was not known exactly
how many were arrested, but sources said that more than a dozen young
monks from the Aung Daw Moo Monastery were disrobed and subsequently
taken to a prison in the Shan State town of Kengtung.
The sources also revealed that about 20 automatic rifles were seized at
the monastery, where many of the monks are ethnic Arakanese from Arakan
State. The state-run media did not report the crackdown. However, a
source close to the authorities reported that the monks received
six-month sentences. Two senior monks from the temple were still at
large, according to the source.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
REUTERS: JAILED BRITON'S MUM MARCHES AGAINST MYANMAR
Feb. 14, 2000
By Lyndsay Griffiths
LONDON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - As James Mawdsley celebrated his 27th
birthday in a Myanmar jail on Monday, his mother marked the day by
protesting against the government that locked him up.
Briton Diana Mawdsley said she expected her protest outside the Myanmar
embassy in London to make life worse for her activist son -- in the
first months of a 17-year sentence -- but that it was the sort of
birthday present he would have liked.
``We have freedom of speech. We must use it. That's what James wants us
to do,'' she said of her son, who has proved a frequent thorn in the
side of the Myanmar authorities.
``James's treatment in prison has become noticeably harsher over the
past four weeks and it is our feeling in the family that they intend to
do their utmost to break him,'' she said. ``The demonstration today is
something he would want us to do.''
Mawdsley, a human rights activist on his third arrest in the former
Burma, staged a week-long hunger strike before Christmas over dissident
arrests and has apparently decided on a path of confrontation with the
military rulers in Yangon.
It is a very different route from that taken by fellow British activist
Rachel Goldwyn, who was released last year after serving less than two
months of a seven-year jail term.
Goldwyn has been slammed by some activists for appearing to cut a deal
with Myanmar and Mawdsley's mother said her son would keep fighting --
whatever the consequences.
Conditions had worsened in recent weeks. No letters had got through all
year, books had been withdrawn, food held back and visits withdrawn, the
Foreign Office confirmed.
``So his isolation is increasing,'' she told BBC radio.
The Myanmar embassy had no immediate comment, saying only that ``a lot
of people'' were protesting outside its offices.
The Foreign Office vowed to keep up diplomatic pressure on Myanmar,
saying that prison officials had agreed to pass on all books, letters
and food parcels to Mawdsley without delay.
``His daily exercise sessions have been increased from 20-45 minutes
each and following representations by British embassy officials, they
agreed to pass on all books and letters and food parcels as soon as they
were received,'' a Foreign Office spokesman said.
``Given Burma's appalling human rights record, we continue to condemn
their record and press for improvements,'' he added.
The Jubilee Campaign, a Christian pressure group backing Mawdsley, said
Diana and her husband David would both join the hour-long demonstration,
when a letter of protest would be handed to the embassy along with a
six-foot-square bamboo cell.
Myanmar's junta does not tolerate dissent and has been widely criticised
for rights abuses since taking direct power in 1988 when it killed
thousands who took part in a pro-democracy uprising.
The ruling generals ignored the 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. They have since tried to
suppress dissent by arrests and intimidation.
Mawdsley was jailed in September after illegally crossing into Myanmar
to distribute pro-democracy leaflets and his mother said she was now
relying on British officials for word of his well-being. As for an
uncertain future in which Mawdsley could spend another 16 birthdays in
jail, she vowed:
``I cannot -- will not -- lose hope.''
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
NLM: TEST WELL YIELDS 3.3M CUBIC FEET OF GAS DAILY
New Light of Myanmar
February 15, 2000
YANGON, 14 Feb - Minister for Energy Brig-Gen Lun Thi, accompanied by
Deputy Minister U Tin Tun and officials, inspected Nyaungdon (South) oil
and gas field in Nyaungdon Township, Ayeyawady Division this afternoon.
The minister and party I heard a report on the drilling of Test Well 4
presented by Chief Engineer (Drilling) U Myint Thein and the geological
condition of the area by Director U San Lwin. Minister for Energy
Brig-Gen Lun Thi presented a bonus of K 300,000 to the workers of the
test well.
The minister and party then inspected production of natural gas and
condensate at Test Well 4, feasible study and preparations to drill it.
Test Well 4 of the oil and gas field is producing 3.3 million cubic feet
of natural gas and 24 barrels of condensate daily. The gas is being
piped to factories in Yangon.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
WEATHER UNDERGROUND: TODAY'S WEATHER IN BURMA
http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/48097.html
Updated: 13:00 UTC on February 15, 2000
Observed at Yangon, Burma/Myanmar
Temperature
91° F / 33° C
HeatIndex
96° F / 36° C
Humidity
49%
Dewpoint
70° F / 21° C
Wind
WNW at 1 mph / 1.6 km/h
Pressure
29.77 in / 1008 hPa
Conditions
Haze
Visibility
5 miles / 8 kilometers
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
INTERNATIONAL
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
AP: TIMOR LEADER: BRUTE FORCE CAN'T BLOCK FREEDOM IN MYANMAR
Monday, February 14 2:45 PM SGT
BANGKOK (AP)--Myanmar's military should learn from the experience of the
army in Indonesia that brute force won't stop the people's dreams for
freedom coming true, East Timorese independence leader Jose Ramos-Horta
said Monday.
He said it was time for serious dialogue to end the deadlock between the
generals that rule Myanmar and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu
Kyi, whose party convincingly won at the polls in 1990 but was barred
from taking power.
"It's obvious that the trend of history is not on the side of those who
deny dreams of freedom and dignity," said Ramos-Horta, a co-winner of
the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize, in an interview with the Thai ITV television
network.
"We can just learn from the Indonesian experience and the experience of
the Indonesian military that no matter how strong you are, if your
existence is founded on arrogance, brute force and intimidation, you
will come crumbling down very hard one day," he said.
Indonesia was ruled for three decades by President Suharto until 1998
when, in the midst of Asia's economic crisis, major street protests for
democratic rule proved his undoing.
Ramos-Horta, in Bangkok for a major U.N. trade and development
conference, said the two political sides in Myanmar, which is also known
as Burma, should meet half way, compromise and work together to rebuild
the country.
Suu Kyi, who was kept under house arrest by the military regime for six
years and still suffers tough restrictions on her movements and
political activities, has repeatedly appealed for dialogue with the
military, which refuses to talk with her.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
ASIAN AGE (New Delhi): BURMA ARMY ABDUCTS TEACHER IN MIZORAM
February 15, 2000
Aizawl: A village teacher from Mizoram has been allegedly abducted by
Burmese Army personnel who crossed the international boundary in pursuit
of rebel activists, Mizoram's director-general of police Tumsanga said
here on Monday.
The DGP said Burmese soldiers entered Mizoram on Friday to trace CNA
activist, who had fired upon them form India side.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
NCUB: EIGHT THAIS DETAINED, ONE KILLED BY SPDC TROOPS
NCUB(HQ) [mailto:ncoffice@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Tuesday, February 15, 2000 3:03 PM
15 February 2000
Eight Thai citizens were arrested and one was later killed during an
offensive launched by Burma?s State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)
against dissident groups based in the area opposite Prachuab Khirikhan
Province in Thailand.
On February 9, a column of soldiers from SPDC Infantry Battalion No. 17
led by a Deputy Commander trespassed on Thai soil and reached Huay
Satheu village, a Thai-Karen village about five kilometers away from the
border in the Hua Hin District of Prachuab Khirikhan Province. They were
disguised as Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) guerrillas, wearing
Battalion No. 11 uniforms. The disguised SPDC troops asked the villagers
not to leave the village. They then arrested eight villagers whom they
suspected of having contact with dissident groups in the area. One of
the arrested villagers, Saw Nui, 24, later died of excessive torture
during interrogation. Three of the villagers were later released, but
the condition of the other four people is not known.
The SPDC has launched an offensive against the area where a total of 700
All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF), Karen National Union (KNU)
and Myeik Dawei United Front (MDUF) forces are stationed. This is the
SPDC's second intrusion into Thailand this year. At the beginning of
February, six SPDC soldiers were captured by Thai Authorities in
Northern Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province.
The secretariat of the National Council of the Union of Burma, (NCUB)
stated regarding about this affair, "The SPDC routinely uses deceitful
tactics to violate human rights and laws, not only in our own country
but also in the territory of neighboring states. It is very clear that
the disguised troops intended to create misunderstanding between Thai
authorities, Thai people and Burmese dissident groups in order to urge
the Thai government to tighten pressure on dissidents."
The NCUB is saddened by the detention and killing of innocent Thai
villagers. The NCUB strongly believes that the Thai Government and the
international community should work together to give immediate
protection and necessary assistance to the innocent people living on
both side of the Thai-Burma border who frequently suffer from the
systematic terrorism of the Burmese military regime.
The Information Committee
National Council of the Union of Burma
For information regarding NCUB please see:
http://www.freeburma.org/lokanat/ncub/ncub.html
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
THE IRRAWADDY: THAIS WARY OF BURMA ARMY EXPANSION
Vol.8 No 1, Intelligence Page
Gen Mongkol Ampornpisit warned some 200 officers at Thailand's National
Defense College in Bangkok recently that Burma could pose a national
security threat if its army continues to expand at its present rate.
"Though posing no threat now, Burma could change in the future. While
most countries are downsizing their armed forces, Burma keeps expanding
its military capability," said the general.
Gen Mongkol said such concerns had been voiced at a recent meeting of
supreme commanders from the Asia-Pacific region. While neighboring
countries such as Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia are not seen as a threat,
Burma was singled out as a potential menace to Thailand and the rest of
the region.
"Thais should be nervous," says military analyst Robert Karniol of
Jane's Defense Weekly, who was in Hawaii in December to present a paper
analyzing military expansion in Southeast Asia. Addressing top military
leaders from the Asia-Pacific region at the "Chiefs of Defense Meeting,"
Karniol described the Burmese army's extraordinary expansion over the
past decade.
Since 1988, Burma's military regime has more than doubled the size of
its armed forces, from 180,000 personnel to 450,000.
About 16 army commanders from the Asia-Pacific region, including Gen
Mongkol, attended the conference. According to one participant, the Thai
general found Karniol's observations about Burma "very interesting."
Karniol pointed out that while the Thais lack fighting experience,
"Burmese have been in constant wars for 50 years. The Burmese army is a
very experienced fighting force." He also noted that although the Thais
have modernized their army and now possess more sophisticated
equip-ment, they still don't know how to use it very well.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
THE IRRAWADDY: SUSPECTED SPY EXECUTED
Vol.8 No 1, Intelligence Page
A Burmese spy who had attempted to infiltrate dissident organizations
based in Thailand was reportedly "taken to the border and knocked down",
according to a reliable source. The man was one of as many as 30 Burmese
military intelligence agents sent to Thailand following last October's
embassy siege in Bangkok. The source said the man had directly contacted
the offices of several Burmese opposition groups pretending to be a
dissident. It was unclear how his identity was revealed or who carried
out the execution. According to local press reports, several other spies
have also been apprehended by Thai authorities.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
THE IRRAWADDY: ABSDF FACING NEW SPLIT
Vol.8 No 1, Intelligence Page
The All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) has been fighting
against the Burmese junta for 11 years. Now some ABSDF members are
quietly admitting that dealing with leadership problems and rampant
factionalism within the Front has become almost as much of a challenge
as achieving their ultimate political objective of ending military rule
in Burma.
Late last year, the Front's leaders, Chairman Naing Aung and Deputy
Chairman Moe Thee Zun, promised to resign from their posts by the end of
the year. So far, however, their resignations have not been officially
announced.
According to reliable sources, Aung Thu Nyein, General Secretary of the
Front, is expected to replace both former co-leaders. Aung Thu Nyein is
well respected among ABSDF members and is considered to be a rising
star.
The ABSDF's internal problems date back to 1991, when a power struggle
between Moe Thee Zun and Naing Aung split the Front into two groups. The
ABSDF remained divided until 1997, when a new power-sharing arrangement
was worked out. But this new found unity proved short-lived, and
tensions remain beneath the surface.
"Our honeymoon period was very short and we were dragged into internal
conflicts again," said an insider. "Our energy and time were lost on
these problems."
"We still have a lot of differences. I think the reunification didn't
mean anything to our members" said another insider, who added that Moe
Thee Zun's faction may leave the Front in the near future.
ABSDF members who are based along the border and inside Burma are not
happy with the ongoing power conflicts. "We need to reform the Front, if
it cares about its image and wants to carry out its objectives," said a
high-ranking ABSDF member who asked not to be named. "Our Front members,
especially in the jungle, are desperate and they have lost confidence in
our leadership." He also admitted that in 1999 many Front members in the
jungle left for Bangkok to apply for refugee status.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
OPINION/EDITORIALS
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
BURMA SOLIDARITY GROUP MALAYSIA: WE NEED YOUR HELP: BURMA DEMOCRACY
ACTIVIST DETAINED BY MALAYSIAN POLICE
kplee@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Sat, 12 Feb 2000 17:25:31 +0800
Dear friends,
One of the staunchest supporters of the Burma Solidarity Group Malaysia
(BSGM) had been detained by the Malaysian police and is currently held
in a detention camp in Langkap in Perak. Mohammed Sayed s/o Mohammed
Yunus, a Burmese Rohingya from Rakhaing state, was arrested at his home
in Kuala Lumpur on October 25, 1999 ostensibly under the Internal
Security Act (ISA).
He was held without access to legal counsel for five days at the Dang
Wangi police station and was subsequently sent to Langkap Detention
Camp, although he was and has not since been charged with any crime. As
far as we are aware, Mohammed Sayed is not currently held under the ISA.
Langkap is a camp
to temporarily house illegal immigrants to Malaysia before being sent to
their home countries and this had been Mohammed Sayed's home for the
past three months.
Mohammed Sayed is a peaceful and idealistic man who subscribes to Aung
San Suu Kyi's belief in using non-violent methods and a "freedom from
fear" when one is pursuing what is just and right. He holds a strong
hope for the future of a free Burma and appears to have an almost
single-minded goal that, with courage, effort and persistence, a free
Burma may even be a possibility in his lifetime. It is this hope and
determination, and his
misguided belief that Malaysian authorities can be fair and just, which
led him to be arrested in Malaysia. His only "crime" appears to be in
passing out "Free Burma" baloons and "Courage" badges near the Central
Market in Kuala Lumpur on September 9 last year. Perhaps for him,
Malaysia is not really very much different from Burma.
Mohammed Sayed is a refugee protected by the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He is not an illegal immigrant nor
has he committed any crime and it is therefore wrong of the Malaysian
authorities to keep him "under arrest". He should be immediately
released. Under no circumstances must Mohammed Sayed be returned to
Burma: his history as a democracy activist during the 8888 uprising
within Burma and as a campaigner against military repression in Burma
after his escape to India and Malaysia make it extremely dangerous for
him to return. He would definitely be arrested, if not tortured and
killed. Members of his family have all suffered under the regime and his
father was executed by the military junta for his beliefs.
On February 1, 2000, the Immigration authorities attempted to deport
Mohammed Sayed to Thailand. I am informed by Immigration that this was
done with the blessing of the UNHCR. The UNHCR office in Kuala Lumpur
denied this. Parties friendly to us (and not the UNHCR) managed to
obtain a temporary stay of deportation. It is my feeling that had the
BSGM and others not intervened in Mohammed Sayed's case, the UNHCR would
have been happy to see him quietly deported to Thailand, and probably
after that to Burma. It
would then no longer be "their problem" and help the UNHCR perpetuate
the current spin that the Burmese refugee problem was "being solved" as
the number of refugees was reducing. Mohammed Sayed would have made
another convenient statistic for the UNHCR to trumpet the "success" of
their refugee protection programme and the "resolution" of this
long-standing refugee problem.
Despite his stay of deportation, Mohammed Sayed's current position is
far from secure. He has applied for resettlement in Australia but the
application is pending. He can still be deported to Thailand or Burma
anyday now.
We are aware that the UNHCR has the ability and clout to make a
difference in both his Australian application and his status with
Malaysian Immigration. I am therefore asking you for a simple email to
be sent to the High Commissioner of the UNHCR (a sample copy below)
appealing that her organisation take immediate action to stop Mohammed
Sayed's deportation, to ask for his release, and take an active role in
resettling Mohammed Sayed in
Australia or another safe third country. If you can do more, especially
in assisting in his resettlement, I would greatly appreciate if you
could let me know. Thank you so much for your help. Please remember to
Cc. BSGM <kplee@xxxxxxxxxxxx> any mail you send to the UNHCR or other
parties. Please also forward this letter to others who may be able to
help.
Thank you again.
Yours in solidarity,
KP Lee
Coordinator, Burma Solidarity Group Malaysia
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Email to be sent to UNHCR - address: hqpr00@xxxxxxxx
Cc.: Burma Solidarity Group Malaysia <kplee@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
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