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______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________

May 19, 2000

Issue # 1534


This edition of The BurmaNet News is viewable online at:

http://theburmanetnews.editthispage.com/stories/storyReader$404


NOTED IN PASSING:

"We have a couple kind of crazy rogue states like North Korea and 
Burma, but they're marginal."

Mark Headley, Matthews International Funds (See CNN: INVESTMENT 
OPPORTUNITIES IN ASIA)

	
*Inside Burma

DVB: MERGUI MONKS JOIN PROTEST, 29 DETAINED BY MILITARY INTELLIGENCE

NLM:  SECRETARY-L RECEIVES ADVISER TO THAI PM 

MICB: CHURCH DEMOLISHED IN KAREN STATE

US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT: AN UNHAPPY ANNIVERSARY

ABSDF: TWENTY-FIVE NLD MEMBERS ARRESTED AND SEVEN JAILED IN  
TAUNGDWINGYI

*International

AFP: ILLEGAL WORKERS FROM MYANMAR DIE IN DEPORTATION

BURMA COURIER: TRADE UNIONS GEAR UP FOR CAMPAIGN ON WORKERS' RIGHTS




*Economy/Business

CNN: INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN ASIA

GOVT OF FRANCE: LETTER TO TOTAL RE BURMA FROM MIN FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
	
*Other

SPDC: PRESS CONFERENCE ON ARREST OF NLD LA EXPATRIATE ABSCONDER





__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________
	

DVB: MERGUI MONKS JOIN PROTEST, 29 DETAINED BY MILITARY INTELLIGENCE 


Translation by BBC Summary of World Broadcasts
May 18, 2000

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1245 gmt 16 May 
00 

Text of report by Burmese opposition radio on 16th May

Dear listeners. Monks from Mergui have been protesting peacefully 
since 9th May and there have been reports that the SPDC [State Peace 
and Development Council] Military Intelligence [MI] personnel have 
been arresting them. DVB correspondent Myint Maung Maung filed this 
report. 

[Myint Maung Maung] Mandalay Sangha Thatmathi Association's 
announcement and declaration on monks' unity have been receiving 
tremendous support from the monks in Mergui. On 5th May, the monks in 
Mergui decided to put the declaration into action by refusing to 
attend religious functions outside their respective monasteries. 
Monks from all Sartintaik monasteries and six other monasteries 
simultaneously started the protests on 9th May.

Capt Nyunt Maung and party from MI-19 in Mergui District arrested 10 
monks on 12th May for their refusal to beg for alms and to give 
religious sermons outside their monasteries. Those arrested were from 
Kanbwayathti Yadanabommi Pariyatti Sartintaik and
Naukleyathti Wettaikkyaung Sartintaik in Mergui.

With the 19 monks detained lately and the recent arrest of 10   more 
monks, it has been learned that 29 monks have been detained so far by 
the MI.





____________________________________________________


NLM:  SECRETARY-L RECEIVES ADVISER TO THAI PM 

YANGON,17 May-Secretary-l of the State Peace and Development Council 
Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt received the adviser to the Prime Minister of 
Thailand Squadron Leader Prasong Soonsiri and party at the guest 
house of Ministry of Defence this morning.  

Also Present at the call were Minister for Foreign Affairs U Win 
Aung, Director-General of ASEAN Affairs Department U Aye Lwin, 
Director-General of Protocol Department Thura U Aung Htet and 
Ambassador of Thailand to the Union of Myanmar Mr Pensak Chalarak. 
	

____________________________________________________


MICB: CHURCH DEMOLISHED IN KAREN STATE

May, 18  ,2000

On January, 01, 2000, a church in Pa-an township, Karen state of 
Burma was demolished by the officers of the ruling  State Peace and 
Development Council(SPDC) and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army( DKBA).  
According to a Karen trader, the officers, led by Lt.(Bo) Soe and Lt. 
(Bo) Kya of DKBA, and a group of  forced labourers with them, entered 
the village and ordered the group to destroy the church. The name of 
the village where the church situated is Naung-ta-loon. 

Muslim Information Centre of Burma (MICB) 
P.  O. Box 85, Maesot, Tak  63110, Thailand: P. O. Box 96, Chiang mai 
50000, Thailand.

____________________________________________________


US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT: AN UNHAPPY ANNIVERSARY

22.05.2000


By Thomas Omestad

Ten years ago this month, the people of Burma flocked to the polls to 
elect a new, democratic parliament. It never got a chance to take 
office. Surprised at the opposition's landslide victory, the ruling 
military junta balked at ceding power. It has been all downhill for 
Burma ever since.

Instead of joining the growing ranks of Asia's democracies, Burma 
remains a repressive anachronism. Security forces have been stepping 
up arrests of opposition activists. Some 1,300 political prisoners 
languish in jail. A government-controlled newspaper suggested this 
month that pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize 
winner, could face the death penalty for alleged contacts with 
outlawed rebel groups. The generals refuse even to talk with her.

And while the nearby Asian "tigers" are exporting their way to 
prosperity, the average personal income in resource-rich Burma-also 
known as Myanmar-has fallen to $300 a year. Universities, once 
hotbeds of dissent, have been shut for nine of the past  12 years. 
The Army uses forced labor, according to the United Nations. And 
clashes with the ethnic Karen minority have pushed 100,000 refugees 
into Thailand. 

U.S.- and European-led sanctions have so far proved futile at getting 
the regime to ease up. The European Union last month tightened its 
penalties, and the Clinton administration plans to continue its own. 
But cracks are appearing elsewhere: Japan, for one, may offer limited 
economic aid. And Burma's Southeast Asian neighbors, which reject 
sanctions, are pressing for a more conciliatory line.

As the May 27 election anniversary comes around, Suu Kyi's supporters-
in Burma and abroad-have little to celebrate. "It's very depressing," 
says one State Department official.

____________________________________________________
  

ABSDF: TWENTY-FIVE NLD MEMBERS ARRESTED AND SEVEN JAILED IN  
TAUNGDWINGYI

[Abridged]  
 
May 17, 2000
  
 On May 10, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) 
authorities jailed 7   National League for Democracy (NLD) members, 
including the Taungdwingyi township   NLD chairman, for attending a 
NLD meeting in Taungdwingyi, Magwe Division, central   Burma. 
Altogether 32 NLD members were arrested for attending this meeting. 
They were   mostly young people and included two women.
  
  Following a local level NLD meeting held in Taungdwingyi township 
on April 29, 32   NLD members including township's NLD chairman U Mya 
Saing, were taken to the   headquarters of the locally-based Light 
Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 103 for   investigation. Seven of the 32 
NLD members were charged and prosecuted by local   police and 
sentenced to imprisonment at the Taungdwingyi court on May 10. On May 
11,   all 32 arrested NLD members were transferred to Thayet Prison. 
The remaining   uncharged 25 NLD members in detention are undergoing 
further interrogation.   

  The jailed NLD members were all charged under the 1950 Emergency 
Provision Act   Section 5 (J) and sentenced to the maximum penalty of 
7 years imprisonment with hard   labour. They include: U Mya Saing, 
NLD (chairman), U Tin Win (secretary), U Sai San   (township level 
organizer), U Ya Tin (village level organizer), U Htay Lwin (member), 
U   Sein Maung (member) and Aung Kyaw Moe (NDL-Youth).
  
  The 1950 Emergency Provision Act Section 5 (J) is generally used 
against acts  committed "with the aim to undermine the morality and 
alter the behavior of the people,   or of a group of people, in order 
to threaten national security and the restoration of law   and 
order". The maximum penalty is seven years' imprisonment or a fine or 
both.   



__________________ INTERNATIONAL ___________________
		

AFP: ILLEGAL WORKERS FROM MYANMAR DIE IN DEPORTATION

   BANGKOK, May 19 (AFP) - At least 15 illegal workers from Myanmar 
were killed in a road accident on Friday as Thai authorities 
transported them to the border in a routine deportation, police said.

   The bus carrying 65 Myanmar workers to the border crossing at Mae 
Sot, some 423 kilometers (262 miles) northwest of Bangkok, left the 
road and plunged into a ravine.

   "It happened at 6:30 am (2330 GMT) while it was raining, making 
the road slippery," said Mae Sot's immigration police commander, 
Lieutenant Colonel Soraphol Phayungweeranoi.   Soraphol said officers 
had so far reported 15 dead and more than 30 injured, but rescue 
efforts in the 100-meter deep ravine were still taking place.



____________________________________________________


BURMA COURIER: TRADE UNIONS GEAR UP FOR CAMPAIGN ON WORKERS' RIGHTS

No. 230           Apr 30 - May 6, 2000


RANGOON -- The head of one of the world's largest trade unions marked 
International Workers Day this week by denouncing the Burma's 
military government for its malicious attack on worker freedom and 
human rights. 

In a letter to Burma's Head of State, General Than Shwe, United Auto 
Workers' President Stephen Yokich said the international labour 
movement could not sit idly by while fellow trade unionists and their 
families in Burma were under the constant threat of violence, arrest, 
or worse for exercising their right to organize unions and protect 
workers rights. 

Khin Kyaw, President of the All Burma Workers Union, is under 
sentence of 17 years for his efforts in organizing workers in the 
country and  Myo Aung Thant, Executive Officer of the Federation of 
Trade Unions û Burma (FTUB), has been sentenced to life imprisonment 
for his union activism.  Both reportedly have been beaten and 
tortured, their families have been interrogated and threatened.  Aye 
Ma Gyi, wife of Myo Aung Thant, is serving a 10-year jail sentence 
for assisting her husband.  The couple has two young daughters.

The UAW president said the international labour movement has launched 
a campaign, Labour Rights Now! to fight for the immediate and 
unconditional release of the union activists and all other detained 
workers in Burma. "We will continue to fight until brothers
Khin Kyaw, Myo Aung Thant and all other union detainees are freed, 
and labour and human rights are respected in Burma," he said. 

In his May Day message to workers in Burma, General Than Shwe warned 
against attempts by "neo-colonialists" and others to tarnish the 
country's image through false accusations.   Burma's military junta 
is facing severe censure at a meeting of the International Labour 
Organization later this month for its failure to comply with demands 
that it clean up its record on the use of forced civilian labour for 
public works projects and military portering.  Than Shwe's remarks 
were not published in the English language edition of the state-
controlled New Light of Myanmar, which paid no attention at all to 
the internationally celebrated workers' day. 
The May Day edition of the privately published Myanmar Times didn't 
figure it was worth a mention either, although the business section 
of the new journal did point out that 'cheap labour' costs are one of 
the few factors that make Myanmar competitive in selling its 
manufactured goods on world markets.  In an article on the garment 
trade in Burma, it quoted Hyung Joo Kim, manager of the recently 
established Yangon Pan-Pacific International, a company in a Rangoon 
suburb with over 2,000 employees: "There are several reasons to 
choose Myanmar for investment, most important of those, perhaps, is 
the relatively cheaper, abundant and well-qualified work force," 

Another article in MTBR's well-written business section quoted Daw 
Mary Linn of the International Trade Promotion Department of the 
Ministry of Commerce: "To manufacture value-added items for export, 
we have nothing but labour and natural resources.  The failure of 
local businessmen to adopt ethics is an issue we have to face."


______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS ___________________
 

CNN: INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN ASIA
 
Cable News Network Financial
SHOW: STREET SWEEP 16:00:00 pm ET 
May 18, 2000; Thursday 4:46 pm Eastern 
Time                                
GUESTS: Mark Headley 
                                
JAN HOPKINS, CNNfn ANCHOR, STREET SWEEP: Federal Reserve Chairman 
Alan Greenspan today endorsing a new trade deal with China. Normal 
trade relations with China may translate into a good investment 
opportunity for U.S. investors. Joining us once again is Mark Headley 
of Matthews International Funds. Welcome back, Mark.

MARK HEADLEY,   MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL FUNDS: Thanks a lot. 
                                
HOPKINS: A lot of U.S. investors have gone into Chinese Internet 
stocks. China.com and some of the other ones. Is that a good place to 
be investing, or is that really tricky given the way China has 
control over the Internet? HEADLEY: I think there's real problems 
looking at what China's going to do. It's very hard to say how 
they're going to deal with the issues. I think by and large they'll 
be rational about. It's just so difficult to value these things and 
you watch the prices swing around at light speed. To us it's a little 
speculative at this point.                                  

HOPKINS: So what would you be investing in? Telecom stocks? There are 
a lot of phones that     are needed in China. 
                                
HEADLEY: Yeah. We find mobile phones pretty compelling. One our 
largest holdings is China Telecom and it's now one of the largest 
listed stocks in Asia outside of Japan. Almost $100 billion, and they 
have about 17, 18 million subscribers looked up already. They're 
already starting to deliver Internet services in some of the big 
cities like Wong Jo over their cellular phones. And the demand is 
just tremendous. Again it's an expensive stock at about 50 
times          earnings, but the potential is huge. 
                                
HOPKINS: Now let me play devil's advocate for a moment. This is a 
Communist country and the government does still control a lot of 
things, and the government could kind of change the picture. 
Nationalize, perhaps, companies. Why would you invest at all in 
China? Why don't you just invest in U.S. companies that might do well 
selling to China?                                  

HEADLEY: You know, our belief is watch what they do more than what 
they say and what we've seen is that the state sector in China and 
obviously the Communist party still rules China, but we don't think 
they're very Communist. You now have about 30 percent of the economy 
in private sector, pure and simple, and only about 40 percent of it 
is state sector, and the rest is agriculture and utilities and 
whatnot. So China is becoming a very much a capitalist economy, and I 
don't think the Communist party is anything but you know a fairly 
autocratic regime, which I wouldn't compare it one to one with a 
Singapore <Company: Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.; Ticker: SGTCY; 
URL: , but it's not entirely different, either. They want a 
capitalist system, but they want to rule it. And frankly I don't 
think they'll succeed in that in the long term, but right now the 
Chinese people are very happy to go out there and make money and 
start businesses and work with the outside world and I think the next 
stage, as we've seen in Korea and Taiwan will be the demand to vote. 
That may be 5, 10, 20 years down the 
road.                                  

DOUG CLIGGOTT, J.P. MORGAN: Mark, hi. It Doug Cliggott. Are there 
other Asian economies that would stand to benefit sort of 
disproportionately that would benefit more than  their neighbors from 
more open trade with China? 
                                
HOPKINS: Can you can hear him, Mark? 
                                
HEADLEY: I'm afraid, I can't. 
                                
HOPKINS: He's asking if there are other Asian countries that might 
benefit from trade with China. 

HEADLEY: Absolutely. I think the more trade you see with China, the 
more you're going to see products moving around the region. I think 
Taiwan and Hong Kong are the most obvious beneficiaries. A lot of 
business in China has been driven by Korea, Singapore, the other more 
developed Asian countries investing in China, believing that it will 
open. And I think China's opening is good for the Asian economic 
region in general, especially as long as we have a Japan that remains 
sort of dormant with so much potential, but so many troubles of their 
own.    
                              
HOPKINS: Now what about all of the political machinations nations in 
the region? Concerns about Taiwan. Concerns about U.S. defense 
systems in the area. I mean, this is still a hot spot of   the world. 
                                
HEADLEY: Yeah, it is although it's been -- I've been following 
politics in Asia since I was in college 20 years ago and everybody 
always thought Korea would be the next war zone and North Korea 
didn't say a lot, but South Koreans don't even pay any attention 
anymore. I think that the likelihood of any sort of major conflict in 
Asia is pretty low. By and large, most of these societies are geared 
towards improving their standard of living. We have a couple kind of 
crazy rogue states like North Korea and Burma, but they're marginal. 
So by and large, I don't think politics is the important thing here. 
I think seeing Asia continue to develop as a region and most 
importantly seeing the rules and regulations of business practices 
developing.                                  

HOPKINS: Thanks very much. Mark Headley of the Matthews International 
Fund.                        


____________________________________________________

GOVT OF FRANCE: LETTER TO TOTAL RE BURMA FROM MIN FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS



[Document provided by InfoBirmanie]

The Minister,
Ministry for Foreign Affairs,
Paris.

17th April 2000

Dear Sir,

I am writing to you regarding the political situation in Burma, a 
country where your group has invested heavily.

As you know, the junta in power for many years carries out a policy 
of repressing the democratic forces.  It refuses to take into account 
the results of the last legislative elections held in 1990, and 
labours to stifle all opposition.  The widespread disapproval 
resulting from its practice of forced labour has now led the 
International Labour Conference to suspend co-operation with that 
country.

The attempts at persuasion that the international community has 
pursued without respite have, to date, produced no effect.  It is in 
this context that, on the 10th April this year, the European Union 
deemed necessary to renew its joint stance on the question of Burma 
and in certain respects to reinforce it.  Thus the export of all 
equipment for internal repression and terrorism will be forbidden; 
the list of persons who are forbidden visas will be extended and made 
public; and the assets held abroad by those figuring on that list 
will be frozen.  These various measures are a sign of the increasing 
frustration of the international community at the immobility of the 
powers in place in Rangoon.

Under the present conditions, it is obvious that your group will 
continue to be subject to innumerable criticisms and to increasing 
pressure to withdraw from Burma.  You have doubtless noted that the 
British government has requested of the Premier Oil Company that it 
withdraw from the country.  The French government, however, does not 
believe in the effectiveness of economic sanctions which would have 
as sole result to slow down a little bit more the opening to the 
world of a country already too closed upon itself.

In these circumstances, I think that your group should continue to 
practise a policy of frankness and should intensify yet more its 
public relations with regard to its activities in Burma.  It would 
seem to me equally interesting, for example, that initiatives be 
taken by your group to support NGOs present in Burma whose activities 
have public recognition.  In a more general manner, I believe that 
everything that serves to associate your group's name with practical 
activities aimed at bettering the living conditions of the people of 
Burma, can only be favourable to the permanence of your investments.

I wanted to share these few thoughts with you and should be happy to 
know your viewpoint on these matters.

Yours sincerely,
Hubert Vedrine



_____________________ OTHER  ______________________


SPDC: PRESS CONFERENCE ON ARREST OF NLD LA EXPATRIATE ABSCONDER

Date:   18th May,2000
Time:   9:00 am ( Local Time)
Place:  Myanmar Television and Radio Department


Activists involved in communications between the National League for  
Democracy Headquarters and expatriate-absconder NLD (LA) Group 
apprehended  
With Documentary Photos 

Full text and photos browse at- 
         http://www.myanmar-
information.net/infosheet/2000/0005181.htm 


_______________


Acronyms and abbreviations regularly used by BurmaNet.


AVA: Ava Newsgroup.  A small, independent newsgroup covering Kachin 
State and northern Burma.

KHRG: Karen Human Rights Group.  A non-governmental organization 
that  conducts interviews and collects information primarily in 
Burma's  Karen State but also covering other border areas.

KNU: Karen National Union.  Ethnic Karen organization that has been 
fighting Burma's central government since 1948.

NLM: New Light of Myanmar, Burma's state newspaper.  The New Light of 
Myanmar is also published in Burmese as Myanmar Alin.

SCMP: South China Morning Post.  A Hong Kong newspaper.

SHAN: Shan Herald Agency for News.  An independent news service  
covering Burma's Shan State.

SHRF: Shan Human Rights Foundation

SPDC: State Peace and Development Council.  The current name the  
military junta has given itself.  Previously, it called itself the  
State Law and Order Restoration Council.


________________


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