BurmaNet News: December 13, 2000

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______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
________December 13, 2000   Issue # 1683_________

NOTED IN PASSING:  ?Members of the security forces continue to use 
torture as a means of extracting information; to punish political 
prisoners and members of ethnic minorities; and as a means of instilling 
fear in anyone critical of the military government.?

>From Amnesty International: Myanmar--The Institution of Torture

INSIDE BURMA _______
*AP: Official: Myanmar working to improve prison conditions
*Shan Herald Agency for News: Situation in the north tense following 
Mongkoe massacre
*AFP: Thai military chief meets Myanmar junta leader in Yangon 
*Reuters: INTERVIEW-Myanmar says premature democracy risks anarchy
*Shan Herald Agency for News: Junta Commander provides opium subsidy

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*The Hindustan Times (New Delhi): NSCN-IM trying to revive 'China link'
*Bangkok Post: NAP to Seek Better Ties with Rangoon

ECONOMY/BUSINESS _______
*AP: Trade Plummets At Key Checkpoint On Thai-Myanmar Border

OPINION/EDITORIALS_______
*Computer Journal: ISPs in Yangon--Internet services from Bagan 
Cybertech
*Amnesty International: Myanmar--The Institution of Torture

OTHER______
*The Nation: A Historical Divide

The BurmaNet News is viewable online at:
http://theburmanetnews.editthispage.com


__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________


 AP: Official: Myanmar working to improve prison conditions 

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Stung by an Amnesty International report 
alleging widespread torture, Myanmar's military regime said Wednesday it 
was cooperating with the international community to improve conditions 
for prisoners and promote human rights.   London-based 
Amnesty said Myanmar's estimated 1,700 political prisoners and other 
detainees were at high risk of torture by military intelligence 
interrogators, police and prison guards. Ethnic minorities were also 
vulnerable to mistreatment by the army.   

The report was released Tuesday, as Southeast Asian and European 
ministers in Laos rounded off their first meeting in three years. 
Relations have been snared over Myanmar's human rights record and 
suppression of democracy.  

 In a move seen as a concession to European critics, Myanmar Foreign 
Minister Win Aung indicated that the regime would ``at an appropriate 
time'' release prodemocracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, currently under 
virtual house arrest.   But there was no sign Wednesday that 
restrictions imposed since late September had been eased. Suu Kyi was 
confined to her house after trying to travel outside Yangon on party 
business. Her National League for Democracy party won 1990 general 
elections but has never been allowed to take power.   A Myanmar 
government spokesman contacted in Yangon said he was sure Amnesty meant 
well in trying to improve treatment of prisoners, but claimed it had 
been misled by false information from antigovernment rebels living in 
border areas of Myanmar, also known as Burma.   

``The Government of Myanmar shares the same concern and interest as 
Amnesty International,'' said the spokesman, in a fax from Yangon. ``We 
are in full cooperation with the International Committee of the Red 
Cross to improve in the areas where improvement is needed.''   ``At the 
same time Myanmar is also in cooperation with the Australian Human 
Rights Commission,'' he added.   In May 1999, the Myanmar regime allowed 
the ICRC access to prisons, leading to some reported improvements in 
conditions. Earlier this year, Australia began running courses on human 
rights for Myanmar officials. But that move was criticized by many 
critics of the regime as a largely cosmetic gesture.   In its report, 
Amnesty expressed concern that, as far as it knew, the ICRC had not been 
given access to military intelligence detention centers where torture 
often occurs when political detainees are taken for interrogation.   

Torture techniques used included rolling an iron bar repeatedly up and 
down the shins until the skin peels off, near-suffocation and electric 
shocks applied to various parts of the body, the report said.   Amnesty 
said that torture had been used since the military took power in Myanmar 
in 1962, but the situation had worsened since the current regime, the 
State Peace and Development Council, took power in 1988 after crushing a 
popular uprising for democracy.  

 In the past 12 years, thousands had been arrested for opposition 
activities and the use of torture had increased, the report said.   Many 
detainees were NLD members. Civilians from ethnic minorities such as the 
Karen, Karenni and Shan were also subject to ill-treatment and torture 
by Myanmar army on counter-insurgency operations, it said.   








____________________________________________________



Shan Herald Agency for News: Situation in the north tense following 
Mongkoe massacre

Dec. 13, 2000


A source from the north told S.H.A.N. today that the situation in 
northern  Shan State has been on edge since a month long fighting 
between two rival  factions of a ceasefire group was bloodily put down 
by Rangoon late last  month.

Following orders in Muse, Shan town opposite Ruili (Mongmao in Shan), 
that  ceasefire grops operating there surrender their arms to the 
military  authorities, Wa and Kokang officers were believed to have 
taken off from  their "liaison offices."

"There are some Kachin, Palaung and the SSNA (Shan State National Army 
of  Gunyawd) offices still open, but they don't carry arms in town," he 
said. 
Unfortunately, Maj. Pernmao of the Shan State Army "North" of Loimao,  
together with Capt. Sway Jawng, Sgt. Sangleun and a civilian were found  
with some side arms on 6 December and arrested, according to the source.
 
Lt-Col Yapi, a staff officer from the SSA "North" high command, was  
reported to have met Capt. Kyaw Hlaing Oo of MI 23 (Muse) on Monday to  
solicit for Pernmao's release. "He went back empty-handed," said the 
source. 

The source, however, was not sure whether action taken on Pernmao 
together  with the brutal crushing of the Mongkoe ceasefire group of 
Mong Sala could  be interpreted as a message to all groups that have 
been enjoying ceasefire  pact with Rangoon since 1989. "While it 
appeared that the arrest of Pernmao  was an individual case that have 
nothing to do with the SSA "N", reports  are coming that Peng 
Chia-sheng's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army  (Kokang) and 
Sakhong Ting Ring's National Democratic Army (Kachin) had been  given 
"ultimatum" to disband. (Reports from the south, however, indicate  that 
Wa expansion east of the Salween and Pa-O expansion in the west have  
been moving "at liberty" with official sanction, said Maihoong.) 

"As for Mong Sala, the survivor from the fighting, there are rumors that 
he  might be tried for drug offenses," he said. "Foreign diplomats were 
flown  to Mongkoe yesterday, that might mean that the operation may be 
trumpeted  as an anti-narcotics campaign."

Meanwhile, Chinese authorities, at least on the local level in Yunnan,  
expressed disappointment with the way the operation was carried out. "At 
 least 250 were killed, that included the Burmese (junta), the MDA 
factions  and the civilians caught in the crossfire," he said. "As most 
of the  civilians were of Chinese origin, it's not difficult to see why 
the Chinese  were unhappy about it."

Mongkoe used to be under Peng Chia-sheng before mutiny broke out in 
1990.  It fell into Mong Sala's control during the in-fighting. The 
latest mutiny  took place, after Mong Sala was accused of practising 
favoritism,  preferring Kachins over members of other racial origins


____________________________________________________


AFP: Thai military chief meets Myanmar junta leader in Yangon 

BANGKOK, Dec 12 (AFP) - Visiting supreme commander of the Royal Thai 
Armed Forces General Sampao Chusri held talks in Yangon on Tuesday with 
Myanmar junta leader General Than Shwe, state-run Myanmar media 
reported.   Than Shwe is also prime minister and the chairman of the 
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the official name of the 
ruling military regime.   The talks were also attended by the SPDC's 
Vice Chairman General Maung Aye and senior Myanmar military officials, 
including commanders of the army, navy and air force, TV Myanmar said in 
a broadcast monitored here.   

The report gave no details of the meeting which was also attended by 
military attaches from both sides.   General Sampao, who was heading a 
high-ranking Thai military delegation, arrived in Yangon Tuesday for an 
official two-day goodwill visit at the invitation of General Maung Aye, 
it said.   In earlier reports, General Sampao had told Thai newspapers 
that he would raise drug issues with Myanmar military leaders and seek 
co-operation in preventing the manufacture and flow of narcotics in the 
region.   

Myanmar is a major source of amphetamines and opium and some western 
states have accused the junta of turning a blind eye to the production 
and trafficking of the drugs.   Although the Thai military estimated 
some 600 million of these amphetamine pills flooded into Thailand last 
year, army sources have said that an increasing number of pills and 
heroin are supplying the internal Myanmar market.



____________________________________________________


Reuters: INTERVIEW-Myanmar says premature democracy risks anarchy


By Andrew Marshall 

 VIENTIANE, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung 
insisted on Tuesday his military-ruled country was committed to building 
democracy, but warned that if it moved too fast it could descend into 
disintegration and anarchy.   In an interview with Reuters after a 
meeting of European and Southeast Asian ministers dominated by the issue 
of human rights in Myanmar, he said the international community should 
help Myanmar develop rather than condemn it to isolation.   

``We have lived in a shell for 30 years. We have lived in isolation,'' 
he said after the meeting in Laos.   ``Now, we are trying to get out of 
isolation. I hope that the international community will not force us 
into a corner. We can stay in the corner, but we don't want to.''   
Myanmar faced fierce criticism at the meeting from the European Union 
over its human rights record.   The opposition National League for 
Democracy (NLD) won elections in 1990 by a landslide but has never been 
allowed to govern. Its leader, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has been 
under house arrest for nearly three months.   

Win Aung said restrictions on Suu Kyi would be lifted ``at an 
appropriate time.''   ``The restrictions are not forever, and not for a 
long time. It will be for a short time, and we are hoping that it could 
be soon, but it depends on the situation,'' he said.   ``If not soon, 
then it will be very much at an appropriate time. We hope it could 
come.''  

 Win Aung said he believed there could be reconciliation with the NLD -- 
if the opposition stopped criticising the government and admitted that 
it was in the wrong.   ``If they discard their approach of confrontation 
and devastation, and if they admit they have been wrong all along, I 
think that this will pave the way for the possibility of reconciliation, 
and much quicker,'' he said.   

OLIVE BRANCH 

 In an olive branch to the EU, Myanmar invited a European troika to 
visit the country in January with no restrictions.   ``Please meet 
everybody, and ask also, and listen to us very carefully, and then you 
can judge what we are, which direction we are taking...whether we are on 
the right track to democratisation,'' Win Aung said.   

``We will one day have democracy. All the people, including the generals 
in the army, would like to see the country develop in a democratic way. 
We are not undemocratic. We are not anti human rights. What we are 
trying to achieve is to successfully build a new democratic nation with 
a strong constitution.''   Wim Aung said that given Myanmar's diverse 
ethnic composition it could collapse if it rushed into democracy, adding 
there was a ``fine line between democracy and anarchy.''  

 ``The number one concern for us and for everybody in the country is the 
disintegration of the union into pieces,'' he said. ``We don't want to 
see the military taking over again and again to save the nation. What we 
want to see is a durable constitution which works.''   Win Aung said 
Myanmar had not been badly affected by the economic isolation imposed by 
Western nations.   ``But to some extent of course (there has been 
damage). If the Americans and Europeans would come and invest, there 
would be a rapid transformation of the economy,'' he said.   ``People 
are enjoying peace for the first time. Please let them enjoy peace. Let 
them work together. We cannot remain poor forever. We would like to 
catch up.''  

 The declaration issued by the meeting of European Union and Association 
of South East Asian Nations ministers on Tuesday said it hoped for early 
dialogue between the government and NLD.   Win Aung said accusations by 
the International Labour Organisation that Myanmar employed forced 
labour were false. The ILO has called for sanctions against the country.

   ``The ILO was used as a political means to pressure us,'' he said. 
``It's an unprecedented act. We regret that this act has been done to 
us. We hope it will not do too much damage.''   He said that, given time 
and understanding, Myanmar would prove its critics wrong.   

``The world will see that our country will be one of the most democratic 
countries in Southeast Asia.'' 


____________________________________________________


Shan Herald Agency for News: Junta Commander provides opium subsidy

13 December 2000

Reporter: Maihoong

According to sources who arrived at the border recently, one junta  
commander has been actively involved in the opium production by handing 
out  grants to the local farmers.

Sources said Lt-Col. Tin Maung, commander LIB 513 (Panglong, Loilem  
District, Southern Shan State) called a meeting of village headmen on 7  
October at the battalion post, where he informed his audience that he 
was  sympathized with the people who were forced relocated to Panglong 
in 1997.  He knew most of them were living from hand to mouth and would 
like to help  them by allowing them to grow poppies. Those who did not 
have capital would  be granted K. 5,000 per acre. The only condition was 
that they would have  to sell it to authorized buyers at prevailing 
market price. Selling opium  to unauthorized buyers would be severely 
punished, a fine of 1 viss of  opium fine for each K. 100 that the 
farmer made.

Many, recommended by respective village headmen, received grants from 
Col.  Tin Maung. Among them were Zai Nya, 47, originally from Wankung, 
Sanien  Tract and Wayama, 47 from Panghu Tract.

On 1 December, as poppies began to sprout and flower, a patrol from the  
neighboring Laikha arrived at the poppy fields and shot to death 6 of 
their  hired laborers:

1. Awta, 37, male, Wankung, Sanien Tract
2. Khattiya, 31, male Wankung, Sanien Tract
3. Hpawka, 41 male, Hwezu, Sanien Tract
4. Mint, 26, male, Kungkart, Sanien Tract
5. Mawn, 41, male, Khonglarng, Panghu Tract
6.Mala, 33, male, Hpailern, Panghu Tract

When the farmers notified Col. Tin Maung of the incident, he said the 
only  way to resolve this problem with the other units was to collect K. 
2,000  for each acre from the farmers and he would see that all went 
well. 
K. 6 million, as a result, was collected and handed over to Col. Tin 
Maung  on 7 December and since then "everything seems to be at peace," 
said sources. 
Related News:
PYNG also reports poppy fields surrounding the town of Kutkhai in 
northern  Shan State. "Nobody, not even MI-9 in Lashio and MI-23 in 
Muse, appeared to  mind," reported Panglong Youth Network Group.

It also said 3 policemen were sentenced to jail for destroying a poppy  
field in Panhsay Village, Namkham Township, Muse District. One of them,  
Policeman Nyanlu, died in Lashio prison in August.

"Their crime was they were wrecking the fields owned by Kyaw Myint, an  
influential militia leader of Chinese descent," said PYNG. 


___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
				

The Hindustan Times (New Delhi): NSCN-IM trying to revive 'China link'


December 11, 2000

The North-East militant groups, under pressure following army crackdown, 
could revive their links with India's immediate neighbours, official 
sources in Guwahati said. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland 
(NSCN-IM) had been trying to revive its 'China link', they said. 
Officials sources said NSCN-IM leader Thuingaleng Muivah was trying to 
strike an arms deal with his "old contacts".

The sources said an understanding had emerged between the NSCN-IM and 
the military regime in Myanmar. They indicated that any such development 
could not really come without "help from the northern neighbour" of 
Yangon. But India, keen to improve ties with China, does not want to 
confront Beijing on this issue.

An official in New Delhi said reports of understanding between militant 
groups and china could be "speculative".



____________________________________________________


Bangkok Post: NAP to Seek Better Ties with Rangoon

 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2000



Boasts of agreement with junta leader
Wassana Nanuam


The New Aspiration party plans to establish a Thai-Burmese friendship 
association with the Burmese junta to facilitate bilateral trade and 
tourism.

A key party figure will co-chair the association with Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt 
of the Rangoon junta.

Gen Sanan Kachornklam, a former defence spokesman who is the party's 
international co-ordinator, said party leader Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and 
another key member Gen Pat Akanibut had agreed with Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, 
secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council, to set up the 
first Thai-Burmese friendship association.

"The Thai-Burmese friendship association will be a small 
organisation that will help mend our souring relations," Gen Sanan 
noted.

According to him, Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt agreed with the plan during Gen 
Pat's visit to Burma in mid-October. Gen Pat has sent the draft of the 
agreement to Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt and it should be signed early next year.

The association will have offices both in Bangkok and Rangoon. Both 
offices will have direct phone lines for effective co-operation.

Meanwhile, the Thai Rak Thai party is also actively working to restore 
relations with Burma.

Gen Chettha Thanajaro, a former army chief who is now a Thai Rak Thai 
party-list candidate, met Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt on Dec 1. Their discussion 
included Thai investment in Burma and the resumption of fishing 
concessions for Thai fishermen after the change of the Thai government.

Military ties would also be given a boost when Supreme Commander Gen 
Sampao Chusri, accompanied by the navy and air force chiefs, begins his 
two-day visit to Burma today







_______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
 


AP: Trade Plummets At Key Checkpoint On Thai-Myanmar Border

Tuesday, December 12 3:17 PM SGT 



MAE SOT, Thailand (AP)--Trade has plummeted at a key checkpoint on the 
Thai-Myanmar border after Myanmar customs stopped clearing imports and 
exports from Thailand, Thai officials and merchants said Tuesday.  

Barrels of edible oil and boxes of other Thai goods awaiting export were 
piled on jetties at the Moei River frontier at Mae Sot, 370 kilometers 
northwest of Bangkok, witnesses said.  
Chatchai Theerawarodom, a Thai customs officer at Mae Sot, said 
authorities at the adjacent Myanmar checkpoint of Myawaddy banned all 
imports and exports Nov. 24, without prior notification.
  
The reason for the ban wasn't clear. Trade had nevertheless continued in 
smaller volumes through informal channels in the past two weeks. But 
since Monday, only local residents buying goods for personal use have 
been crossing the border, witnesses said.  
Jaimar Khianpek, a Thai municipal councilor who runs a jetty used for 
shipping goods over the Moei River, said all eight jetties on the Thai 
side of the border had stopped operating.  
Thai customs officials at the two other major checkpoints on the more 
than 2,000 kilometer-long Thai-Myanmar border, reported no problems.
  
But Ronnarong Sukthavorn, chief of the customs office at Mae Sai 
checkpoint in northern Thailand reported the Myanmar central government 
had ordered changes to customs procedures from Sunday. This had not 
affected trade, he said.  

At Mae Sot, Chatchai said Thai exports dropped from 240 million baht 
($1=THB43.470) in the week before Nov. 24 to THB100 million in the week 
after the ban. Imports dropped from THB16 million to THB2-3 million 
baht.  

Trade at Mae Sot has been in limbo for the past year, after Myanmar 
authorities stopped issuing legal documents for exports and imports, 
merchants say. Recently, Myanmar authorities have reportedly transferred 
customs officials who allegedly allowed commodities through the 
checkpoint without collecting duties. 






______________OPINION/EDITORIALS_________________


Amnesty International: Myanmar--The Institution of Torture

13 DECEMBER 2000	
AI INDEX: ASA 16/24/00


Torture and ill-treatment have become institutionalized in Myanmar.  
They are practised by the  army as part of counter-insurgency 
activities; by Military Intelligence (MI) personnel when they 
interrogate political detainees; by prison guards; and by the police.  
Patterns of torture have remained the same, although the time and place 
vary.  Torture occurs throughout the country and has been reported for 
four decades. Members of the security forces continue to use torture as 
a means of extracting information; to punish political prisoners and 
members of ethnic minorities; and as a means of instilling fear in 
anyone critical of the military government.

	Torture and ill-treatment of political prisoners and ethnic minorities 
in Myanmar are commonplace and have been reported by Amnesty 
International for over 12 years.  However, the State Peace and 
Development Council (SPDC, Myanmar's military government) consistently 
denies that torture occurs in Myanmar, stating that it is against 
domestic law.  Articles 330 and 331 of the Burmese Penal Code of 1957, 
which are believed to remain in force, prohibit torture and 
ill-treatment during interrogation. However to Amnesty International's 
knowledge, no one has been charged or tried under these provisions.

	Political prisoners, believed to number some 1700,  are at risk of 
torture during the initial phases of detention when they are often 
interrogated for hours or even days at a time by rotating teams of 
Military Intelligence (MI) personnel.  They are also vulnerable to 
torture and ill-treatment after sentencing, when they can be punished 
for breaking arbitrary prison rules such as possessing writing paper.  
Moreover, criminal prisoners are used by the authorities to work in 
labour camps breaking up stones or constructing roads, where conditions 
are so harsh that hundreds, perhaps thousands, have reportedly died due 
to ill-treatment, overwork, and lack of food and medical care.  

	 Former torture victims refer to specific torture techniques which are 
employed consistently by MI personnel during initial interrogation.  
These methods include having an iron bar rolled repeatedly up and down 
the shins until the skin peels off, known as the "iron road"; 
near-suffocation; and electric shocks applied to various parts of the 
body.  An extensive network of Military Intelligence centres operates 
throughout the country where these practices are common.  When political 
detainees are arrested, they are usually taken first to these centres, 
which are known by their assigned numbers.  After sentencing they are 
normally transferred to one of 20 of Myanmar's 43 prisons, where 
conditions vary, but in general amount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading 
treatment. 
	
	Ethnic minority civilians living in areas of counter-insurgency 
operations by the Myanmar army, or tatmadaw, are also at risk of torture 
and ill-treatment. Members of ethnic minorities in areas where armed 
opposition groups are active have been seized by the tatmadaw and 
interrogated and tortured to extract information about the whereabouts 
of armed ethnic minority groups.  In addition they  face torture and 
ill-treatment when they are taken by the tatmadaw and forced to carry 
heavy supplies as porters for days or weeks at a time.  If they are not 
able to keep up with the military column, they are often severely beaten 
and kicked by troops.  Ethnic minority women in areas of 
counter-insurgency activities can also be at risk of rape if they are 
taken to porter for the military.
 
	Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment 
is universally condemned in international human rights and humanitarian 
law. 	In order to prevent torture in Myanmar, Amnesty International 
recommends that the SPDC issue clear orders to all security forces to 
stop the practice; initiate prompt and impartial investigations into 
allegations of torture and ill-treatment; bring those found responsible 
to justice; and accede to the Convention against Torture and Other 
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.


This report summarizes an 18-page document (7,842 words), : MYANMAR THE 
INSTITUTION OF TORTURE (AI Index: ASA 16/24/00) issued by Amnesty 
International on 13 DECEMBER 2000. Anyone wishing further details or to 
take action on this issue should consult the full document. An extensive 
range of our materials on this and other subjects is available at 
http://www.amnesty.org and Amnesty International news releases can be 
received by email:  http://www.amnesty.org/news/emailnws.htm



______________________OTHER______________________


Computer Journal: ISPs in Yangon--Internet services from Bagan Cybertech

[BurmaNet adds?This document was posted to the Myanmar-list on December 
12, 2000 and while it looks plausible  on its face, its authenticity has 
not been verified.]

December, 2000

I. FTP (File Transfer)
- one or more accounts/company
- 100 MB/FTP account
- can keep data up to five days
- data transfer charges 0.4 FEC/1MB

II. Web Access
- offline
- two kinds of membership

(A) class membership
- only for IT companies/ organizations
- currently 60 members
- can access (FTP, Web) from home/office through telephone line - Setup: 
150 FEC; 50 FEC/month for unlimited access (six months charges in 
advance)

(B) class membership
- individuals, teachers and students learning on IT related subjects - 
currently 100 members
- cannot access from home
- Setup: 10000 kyats; 3000 kyats/month for 50 hrs access (one year 
charges in advance); 500kyats/x'tra hr.


___________________________________________________



The Nation: A Historical Divide

December 12, 2000, Tuesday 

 SUBHATRA BHUMIPRABHAS 


THAI historical figures Queen Suriyothai and Phra Supankanlaya are 
popular legends whose heroic deeds rival the courage of Joan of Arc. But 
at a recent meeting of Thai and Burmese historians, there was no common 
ground about the historical accuracy of these tales. A respected Thai 
film director spent six years conducting research into the life of an 
Ayutthaya queen and is making an epic movie about her. A local 
businesswoman claims to have been visited in her dreams by another 
Ayutthaya heroine and subsequently commissioned research into the life 
of that princess.  

Both these heroines - Queen Suriyothai and Phra (or Princess) 
Supankanlaya - have recently been introduced to the Thai public as 
historical characters, brave and defiant defenders of their country. 
Queen Suriyothai is said to have been killed on the field of battle 
during the short-lived Burmese siege of Ayutthaya in early 1549. 
Princess Supankanlaya was married off to King Bayinnaung of Burma in 
1571 in exchange for the release of her brother, Prince Naresuan, whom 
the Burmese king had been holding as a hostage to ensure their father's 
good behavior. She is later thought to have been murdered either by her 
husband or by his successor, King Nandabayin.  

Yet when Thai historians came to face to face with their Burmese 
counterparts at a rare meeting in Bangkok recently, they failed to reach 
a consensus on the fate of these two women. While explaining that there 
was no mention in Burma's written history of either Queen Suriyothai or 
Phra Supankanlaya, the Burmese delegates did, however, note that there 
are references in their literature and folklore to the presence in Burma 
of an unnamed princess of Ayutthaya.  
Entitled "From Fact to Fiction: A History of Thai-Myanmar Relations in 
Cultural Context", the seminar was organized to discuss how the history 
of both countries has been represented, particularly in movies, plays, 
novels and other fiction. 
 
The Burmese delegates also spoke about a home-grown heroine of their 
own: Queen Suphayar Lat, wife of the last king of Burma. After the 
British took complete control of Burma in 1885/6 , Suphayar Lat, her 
husband and many courtiers were sent into exile in British India. She 
too was the subject of a historical movie (see related article on page 
C8) which was screened at the recent seminar.  

Although the exploits of her brothers Naresuan and Ekathosarot (both of 
whom became kings of Ayutthaya) are glorified in official histories of 
the period, Phra Supankanlaya gets scant attention (the first written 
reference to her occurring in a history written by Prince Damrong 
Rajanubhab). Why then has her name and legend been bandied around so 
much in the last few years?  

One night in 1995, Dr. Nalinee Paiboon, owner of a Bangkok-based 
cosmetic company, claims to have had a dream in which she was visited by 
Phra Supankanlaya who told her of the suffering she had had to endure as 
a "war bride", living far from her own people in the midst of an alien 
culture. Nalinee subsequently funded research into the life of this 
forgotten princess by Chulalongkorn University's Thai Studies Center. 
 
Dr. Myo Tnant Tyn, a Burmese historian who attended the seminar, said 
that several Burmese chronicles mention a princess from Ayutthaya who 
was one of King Bayinnaung queens. He wasn't however able to recall this 
woman's name. 
 
"But her name wasn't Supankanlaya. No one knows what happened to her. 
She disappeared from our literature later on and we don't know why. But 
we didn't kill her."  

Also attending the seminar was Myint Way, a native of Pegu who now lives 
in exile in Thailand. He remembered a legend about a Thai princess who 
was the beloved wife of King Bayinnaung. "Elderly people in my hometown 
in Kawa district like to tell stories about her," he said.  
The legend told to Myint Way was that King Bayinnaung, taking pity on 
his homesick Thai wife, ordered a new village built for her in the Pegu 
area and populated it with Ayutthaya war captives. "We call this village 
Yodia a corruption of 'Ayutthaya' . King Bayinnaung tried to create an 
environment which would make his Thai wife feel like she was living in 
her homeland."  			

However, this legend doesn't describe the eventual fate of this 
princess.  

"Our history books say that Phra Prince Naresuan was taken as a hostage 
to Hongsawadee the kingdom of which Pegu was the capital ," said Sen 
Hurng, a Burmese woman living in Bangkok, "and that his sister was later 
sent to be a wife of the king of Burma after which Naresuan was released 
and returned to Ayutthaya."  

According to Sen Hurng, the Shans remember Naresuan as a hero because he 
helped them repel an invasion launched by the Burmese. She said that 
while Shan folklore and history also mention Naresuan's sister, they 
don't indicate what happened to her after her marriage to King 
Bayinnaung.  

Also attending the seminar was award-winning film director MC 
Chatrichalerm Yugala, better known as Than Mui. At the gathering he 
screened an excerpt from Suriyothai, a movie on a grand scale which he 
is making about the life of this queen. It is due for release in mid 
2001.  
Although Thai historical sources disagree on the details of Queen 
Suriyothai's demise (some say it was her daughter who was killed on the 
battlefield; others say both women perished), Than Mui says that as a 
result of the extensive research he conducted, he is convinced that his 
portrayal of her in the movie is accurate. 
 
The Burmese historians present at the seminar said Queen Suriyothai is 
not mentioned in either the history or the popular fiction of their 
country. 
 
Regardless of the veracity of the legends which have grown up around 
Phra Supankanlaya and Queen Suriyothai, many Thais acclaim the two as 
heroines and victims of war. And Burmese history also has its share of 
controversy. Participants at the Bangkok seminar also got the rare 
opportunity to see Never Shall We Be Enslaved, a popular Burmese film 
which mentions Suppayar Lat, last queen of that country. And while she 
has often been portrayed as over-emotional and supremely arrogant, this 
woman had at least one thing in common with Queen Suriyothai and Phra 
Supankanlaya: a determination to defend her country's independence.  
"But Queen Suppayar Lat didn't have an opportunity to show her love for 
her motherland like Queen Suriyothai did," said Tatkatho Phone Naing 
(aka Khin Maung Tint), who wrote the novel on which the movie was based. 
 

"All human beings have black and white parts in their life," he added.  

According to the Burmese historians present at the seminar, the dark 
side of Queen Suppayar Lat was her immaturity and jealousy.  

"She eliminated other consorts of King Thibaw because she loved her 
husband so very much," said one historian.  

On November 28, 1885, British forces took control of the city of 
Mandalay and the royal palace. The following day, the king, queen and 
many of their courtiers were packed off to British India. Queen Suppayar 
Lat lived to be an old woman. After her death, her remains were returned 
to Burma for funeral rites.  

"From Fact to Fiction: A History of Thai-Myanmar Relations in Cultural 
Context" was organized by the Institute of Asian Studies and the Faculty 
of Arts, Chulalongkorn University. It was held at the university from 
November 27 to 29.  

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