BurmaNet News: October 21, 1994

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************************** BurmaNet ************************** 
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
************************************************************** 
BurmaNet News: Friday, October 21, 1994
Issue #38

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Contents:

BKK POST: BURMESE OPPOSITION LEADER SAID TO HAVE GIVEN UP POLITICS
BURMANET: ZARGANA REARRESTED?
NATION: DISSIDENT COMIC STILL ABLE TO RAISE A CROOKED SMILE
BKK POST: BURMESE REBELS POSE THREAT TO GAS PIPELINE
BURMANET: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES?
NATION: NSC CHIEF DENIES AIDING, ABETTING CAMBODIAN COUP
TORONTO STAR: METRO MAN DOCUMENTS ATROCITIES IN BURMA
KHRG: RECENT INCIDENTS IN THATON DISTRICT
BKK POST: BRIDGE'S FIRST STONE LAID
AIRES: [INDIAN] RELATIONS WITH BURMA "BACK ON RIGHT TRACK"
REUTERS: NEW BURMA AIR SERVICE
BKK POST: LIGHT PLANE JOINS HUNT FOR KARENS, HOSTAGES
BKK POST: AMERICAN STANDARD [TOILETS] AIMS FOR GROWTH IN SE ASIA

************************************************************** 
BKK POST: BURMESE OPPOSITION LEADER SAID TO HAVE GIVEN UP POLITICS
Friday, October 21, 1994
AFP

A PROMINENT Burmese opposition figure, seen by many as the catalyst for the
1988 democracy movement, has announced he has  given up politics, and will
never return,  according to a Burmese-language journal.

Former Brig Gen Aung Gyi, 75, told the Rangoon-based economic publication 
Kyeebwaye  that his popularity was at an end, and he had decided to become
a businessman. 

 As a good politician, I know that this is the time to leave politics, 
Aung Gyi was quoted as saying in the latest edition of the monthly.

The state-sanctioned journal said Aung Gyi had also abolished the Union
National Democracy Party (UNDP) which he founded in December 1988, and had
cancelled its registration. 

The former army officer has set up a private company called the Dinger
Company Ltd, and signed a total of 25 agreements with Kuala Lumpur-based
Napos Lions Group, Kyeebwaye said.

The firm and its partner have agreed to invest in banking, construction,
communications, industry and agricultural projects in Burma, he was quoted
as saying.

Aung Gyi s official retirement marks the end of an incendiary political
career which spanned more than half a century.

Born in 1919, Aung Gyi participated in the country s earliest independence
bid and, in 1945, fought against the Japanese occupation army under Ne Win
s command.

He later became a deputy in Ne Win s military regime which seized power in
1962, but was sacked one year later for his economic policies which
deviated from the hard-core socialism espoused by his chief.

He was sentenced to three years in prison in 1965 for his political
activities and, in 1973, served another year.

He left active politics and opened Rangoon s best-known tea shop, but was
catapulted to prominence again in 1988 when he wrote a series of widely
distributed letters which criticized Ne Win s f for its economic policies
and human rights abuses.

Many have credited him with planting the seeds of the pro-democracy
movement which eventually resulted in Ne Win s resignation and the official
end of one-party rule in Burma.

Aung Gyi co-founded the main opposition party, the National League for
Democracy (NLD), with Nobel peace price-winner Aung San Suu Kyi in
September 1988.

But three months later, he stepped down as NLD chairman, accusing several
other party members of being communist sympathizers. He set up the UNDP in
December.

************************************************************** 
BURMANET: ZARGANA REARRESTED?
October 21, 1994

The Burma Information Group has picked up an as yet unconfirmed report that
Burmese comedian Zargana has been rearrested.  When more information
becomes available it will be posted.

************************************************************** 
NATION: DISSIDENT COMIC STILL ABLE TO RAISE A CROOKED SMILE
Friday, October 21, 1994
Aung Zaw

[Photo caption: ZARGANA: duelling with the censors]

The latest film by popular Burmese comedian Zargana is proving a hit among
video-watchers in Rangoon, despite heavy cuts ordered by censors working
for the ruling military regime.

Zargana s Ha Tha  (humor) follows several earlier productions by the
well-known performer and pro-democracy campaigner who has had numerous
run-ins with the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) and was
released from his most recent term in the notorious Insein prison last
March.

In May, Zargana appeared at the Kandawgyi Hotel in Rangoon to publicize the
film, the title of which then contained a double meaning in Burmese --  I
am doing nothing/I have not done anything. 

But later Zargana was summoned by the Press Scrutiny Board (PBS) and also
by military intelligence officials. The authorities questioned him about
the film and it is believed that he was asked to remake it.

Slorc leaders do not want him to make any jokes about them,  said one of
Zargana s admirers. As a result, Zargana and his director Mee Bwar (Khin
Zaw) changed the name of the film.

Viewers who have seen the film say there has been  a lot of censorship . In
some parts Zargana could be seen speaking but no voice is heard.  It is
ugly and so obvious that they cut a lot,  said one Rangoon resident.  But
it is good. At least we could see him. 

The film reportedly ridicules Slorc s ongoing construction activities in
Rangoon and Mandalay. Recently Slorc demolished some well-known cinemas in
central Rangoon in order to build hotels and supermarkets. Zargana
reportedly says the film:   Shait-zuang  [leader] is no good,  Thanada 
[president] is also shaky,  -- implying the two well-known but old cinemas
in centre of Rangoon might be demolished. But Burmese saw a different
meaning in Zargana s word play.


************************************************************** 
BKK POST: BURMESE REBELS POSE THREAT TO GAS PIPELINE
Friday, October 21, 1994

Armed rebels operating around Ye and Tavoy regions in southern Burma sought
payments from companies, which are to build gas pipelines from the coast to
Thailand, in return for not being harassed, according to a rebel source.

The groups are not only Karen and Mon, but also remnants of the now-defunct
Burmese Communist Party under the new name of the Democratic Patriots Army.
Several hundred of them were still armed and posing a threat to the
pipeline construction, the source said yesterday.

Another group of armed rebels who would also jeopardize the pipeline
construction was the Arakanese, who had moved from northwest Burma, near
Bangladesh, to the coastal area of Tavoy and Mergui.

They made their income by collecting fees from foreign fishing boats,
mainly from Thailand, operating in Burmese territorial waters, the source
said.

In addition, former Burmese students now in the jungle were also
endangering pipeline construction unless they were offered satisfactory
payment, the source claimed.

Thai intelligence officers from many units, especially the National
Security Council, failed to persuade the Burmese rebel groups to hold peace
talks with the ruling junta in Rangoon.

Rebel patrolmen who travelled to Yadana natural gas field in the Gulf of
Martaban reported that Burmese soldiers had stepped up security in the
area. At least three Chinese-made patrol boats, with machine guns,
patrolled regularly.

Earlier, some armed rebel groups threatened to sabotage the gas field
unless they were paid by the company drilling for gas in the gulf.

The source said representatives of the companies contacted to build the
pipelines had approached some rebel groups with an offer, but did not give
details.

In a related development, nearly 50 Mon ethnic villagers from eight
families who fled from Ye township, where a railway is being built, told
Mon rebels near the Thai border that Burmese soldiers had begun to recruit
villagers to build the railroad.

Rail construction had been halted for several months during the rainy
season but is expected to resume soon.

The 50 Mons, who now stay at the Mon refugee camp in Halockhani which
accommodates 6,000 refugees, said they were afraid of being recruited as
unpaid labourers.

************************************************************** 
BURMANET: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES?

The preceeding article has some of the hallmarks of a plant by Thai
intelligence sources.  The Post has an unfortunate record of passing
unattributed articles like this straight into print without checking to see
if they correspond with reality.  On previous similar occasions, the
reporter who filed the story has privately admitted that the story came
from Thai army or intelligence sources.  Likely plants in recent months
have included stories about an attempted coup in Mannerplaw (didn't happen)
and the KNU working with Khun Sa to smuggle heroin down the Salween River
(not physically possible given the rapids on the river).  If the source of
this article can be tracked down, BurmaNet will provide more details later.

On the subject of Thai intelligence agency activities, the following story
about the NSC Chief's troubles in connection with the Cambodian coup
attempt is included here because there are possible links between NSC
personnel involved on the Burma border.  Again, stay tuned for details.

************************************************************** 
NATION: NSC CHIEF DENIES AIDING, ABETTING CAMBODIAN COUP
Friday, October 21, 1994

NATIONAL Security Council Chief Gen Charan Kullavanijaya denied yesterday
that he and his close aides were involved in an abortive July coup in
Cambodia.

He also pleaded with the Thai media to report news on the subject 
carefully as the controversy could badly affect Thai international
relations. 

Charan, who has been keeping a low profile since he and some of his
subordinates were recently implicated in the attempted coup, broke his
silence to comment that Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai was keeping abreast of 
all the truths relating to the failed putsch.

He alleged that  a network exists  which had been conspiring to tarnish his
reputation, while the Cambodian government has never mentioned anything
about the allegations.

When asked yesterday, Chuan made a brief remark saying that he believed
that  the National Security Council had probably not been involved nor have
known  anything about the coup.

Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Wimol Wongwanich made the same statement as the
premier, saying that he was  confident that the National Security Council
did not have a hand  in the putsch.

Charan said he did not know if the premier would call for a probe into news
reports aimed against the National Security Council (NSC), but that his
agency had already established a committee to investigate the affair.

I want to reiterate that we [the NSC] were not involved. Those who reported
the allegations should check their information and be more responsible for
their news coverage. This is not a joke, but a matter that could badly
affect Thai international relations. They should report this matter very
carefully,  he said.

The general said what was reported in the Thai press here  was not
consistent with the information sent by Phnom Penh to the Thai Foreign
Ministry. 

He alleged that the accusations against him and his aides came from  a
network inside our own country .

Phnom Penh has sent to the Thai government a list of 14 Thais including
Thai businessmen and Charan's aides whom they wanted to interview for
alleged complicity or knowledge about the failed power seizure and made a
request in the Oct 12 note to interview them here.

In an interview early this month with The Nation, two of Charan s aides,
Col Vivat Vissanuvimol and Col Supong Srichamnong whose names were
mentioned in the list, admitted to having been in Phnom Penh during the
putsch, but denied any involvement in it.

Supong claimed to be in the Cambodian capital for  a visit to Cambodian
friends  while Vivat for a leisure trip and for an observation of the
general political situation there which he described as  ripe for a coup
bid at any moment.

Col Supong was one of the three Special Warfare Centre Army officers whom,
Army Commander in Chief Gen Wimol announced on Wednesday, were put on 
probation  pending punishment for making a private visit to Cambodia. The
two were a lieutenant colonel and a sergeant.

Wimol said yesterday they were punished because they visited Cambodia
without officially requesting leave.  To go abroad, you have to ask for
leave or it is against the rules and regulations,  he said.

Wimol has denied that the Army sent them to Phnom Penh and that they were
involved in the putsch. But the Special Warfare Centre had recently made an
investigation into their Cambodian trip.

************************************************************** 
TORONTO STAR: METRO MAN DOCUMENTS ATROCITIES IN BURMA

[POSTED TO THE NET COURTESY MICHAEL BEER] 
October 17, 1994, Monday,
HEADLINE: Metro man documents atrocities in Burma
He uses the voices of victims to tell the world
about a nation's horror
BYLINE: BY ALLAN THOMPSON TORONTO STAR
DATELINE: OTTAWA
BODY:    Kevin Heppner is a soft-spoken former
computer programmer from Metro who carries on his
back a tattered knapsack full of other people's
misery.

The knapsack is jammed with horrific
photographs and written testimony telling of
people who have been tortured, enslaved, raped and
murdered by soldiers of the so-called State Law
and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) now ruling
Burma.

Heppner has lived since 1991 in Burma - renamed
Myanmar by the ruling junta - and has made it his
mission to document and publicize the suffering
inflicted upon ordinary people in the southeast
Asian country by the SLORC regime.

"I'm a foreigner, so I just want to let the
people there tell their own story," Heppner said
in an interview last week. He's in Canada for his
first visit in five years, to meet family members
and seek financial support for his work. He will
return to Burma in a month.  

"Whole villages are wiped out, or they force
villagers to do labor in shifts, digging trenches,
washing clothes, cooking and cleaning for the
officers. Then they rape the women," Heppner said.

"The whole place is becoming a slave camp. In
the central Burma plains, they're now using slave
labor for virtually everything. In ethnic minority
areas, it's horrific and getting worse."    And
yet, "nobody seems to know where Burma is," he
lamented, admitting he finds it frustrating to
watch the flurry of international attention to
such countries as Haiti and Iraq while Burma
suffers.

Since 1962, the country has been ruled by
military governments. In 1988, the government
slaughtered thousands of pro-democracy
demonstrators but finally relented in 1990 and
allowed free elections. Then the SLORC refused to
relinquish power, having placed Nobel Peace Prize
winner Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest, where
she remains.

Myanmar's ruling generals, led by Lt. Gen. Khin
Nyunt and by the former dictator Gen. U Ne Win,
are blamed for a reign of terror by SLORC troops
in the Burmese countryside that has since claimed
thousands of lives.

Since early 1992, Heppner has taken it upon
himself to put a human face on those rights
violations.

"As much as possible, my reports are in the
voices of the victims," Heppner said.

He hadn't planned on becoming a human rights
activist.

The 33-year-old Oakville native worked with a
small computer software company in Toronto after
graduating from the University of Waterloo.

But in 1988 he needed a change and, with little
more than a knapsack and a few belongings, left
his job to roam the world, travelling to
Australia, New Zealand, and southeast Asia.

By 1991, he had settled down for a while in
Karen state, in southern Burma near the border
with Thailand. He learned the language of the
Karen, a minority group in Burma, and started
teaching English and math.

In early 1992, his life took another turn when
the SLORC junta, on an offensive against Karen
rebels and pro-democracy forces, shelled
Maelethta, the village where Heppner was living.

"They were shelling and we all had to be
evacuated. They were shelling from Swiss bomber
planes with Canadian-made Pratt & Whitney engines
in them," Heppner said.

White phosphorus artillery shells razed the
village.

Heppner moved to Manerplaw, a larger regional
centre, where he met hundreds of others who had
fled the SLORC onslaught or escaped forced labor
as munitions porters for the army.

"I started talking to them, getting their
stories."

That was the beginning of the Karen Human
Rights Group, headed by Heppner, which now
operates from a base in Karen state. Heppner
gathers most of his information from about 20
locally recruited human rights monitors, whom he
trains in using tape recorders and cameras. He is
often wary of going himself into so-called "gray"
areas where SLORC troops sometimes operate.

"If SLORC gets word a foreigner has been there,
they'll start torturing village heads to get
information," he said.

Heppner and his monitors interview and
photograph the victims or witnesses of rights
abuse, then catalogue their stories in exhaustive,
verbatim transcripts that tell a horrific tale of
slavery, rape and mayhem.

In a June 24, 1994, report, 21- year-old Naw
Ler Wah tells how she was abducted by a SLORC
soldier who insisted on making her his wife. He
raped her repeatedly, stole and sold her
belongings and forced her to move with him to
Rangoon, the capital.

When Naw Ler Wah escaped, the man tracked her
down, again terrorizing her and threatening her
life. "Tonight you will be killed and I'll drink
your blood," the man said, as recounted in the report.

Another document, published Sept. 30, describes
an attack by the junta on a village in Thaton
district of Burma. Three men were captured by
SLORC soldiers and executed through the night.
Heppner's report, based on oral testimony by
surviving villagers, includes pictures of the
bruised and blackened bodies of the dead, throats
slashed, bones broken.

His reports also include copies of SLORC army
documents ordering villagers out for forced labor
or, in another case, to produce a rifle and
walkie-talkies in return for the lives of
kidnapped villagers.

Heppner's reports are sent to such
organizations as Amnesty International, Asia
Watch, the United Nations, foreign governments and
journalists. He operates on a shoestring budget,
cobbled together with funding from some European
human rights groups and such organizations as the
Canadian Friends of Burma.

Canadian Friends of Burma, which operates
jointly with the Ottawa-based Peacefund Canada,
1recently raised enough money to buy Heppner a
computer on which to compile his reports.

For Heppner, the sheltered life of Metro has
been replaced by a tenuous existence in the
jungles of Burma. He sees his family only rarely
now and is reluctant to say, even in a Canadian
newspaper, where they live, for fear of reprisal.
For the same reason, Heppner asked not to be
photographed.

But he admits his work is now his passion.

"Burma tends to be a bit of an addiction," he
said, joking his private life has been put on
hold. "I don't know who would put up with me right
now, living over there eating rice and fish
paste."

And some days there's not much job
satisfaction, days when he's unsure what happens
to the meticulously documented reports he mails
out.

"A lot of times I do wonder if I'm accomplishing 
anything, but it's a story that needs to be told 
and these people often don't have a voice."

He added, "I know I'm not going to bring about
any changes in Burma single-handed, but someone

(sorry i cut these last three words).

**************************************************************
KHRG: RECENT INCIDENTS IN THATON DISTRICT
An Independent Report by the Karen Human Rights Group
September 30, 1994     /     KHRG #94-29


The following account of some recent events in Thaton District
was brought in by one of our independent human rights monitors
in the area.  Where noted, some details have been omitted to protect
the people involved.  Please use this report in any way which
may help the people of Burma.
_________________________________________________________________

One of our human rights monitors in Thaton District obtained the
following report in testimony from villagers in the area.  He
also saw and photographed the bodies of 3 of the victims (the
photos are being distributed as part of a KHRG photo mailout).
 We already reported the first incoming information on this incident
as a KNU radio message in "Incoming Field Reports: 9/94", p. 5.

On 11 September 1994 at 8 p.m., SLORC #33 Light Infantry Division,
#27 Battalion, Company #1 (Battalion Commander Chit Thaung, Second
in Command Zaw Myint, Company #1 Commander Captain Win Tint) entered
Kru See village [called Kyaun Sein village by the Burmese].  All
the villagers ran away because they were afraid to be taken as
porters.  The Company opened fire.

Tee Toh Po, a 38-year-old Karen Buddhist farmer of Kru See village,
was hit in his leg by a bullet.  The bone of his left lower leg
was broken, but he managed to escape even though wounded.  Maung
Than Oo (father's name Tee Der Day), age 26, married with 2 children,
was hit in the jaw by a bullet during the shooting and died the
evening of September 11.  Three other men were captured by the
SLORC soldiers, and all of them were executed at 4 a.m. on 12
September 1994.  They were Moo Ko (father's name Maung San Win),
age 21, single;  Ko Naing (father's name U Than Ngwe), age 23,
single;  and Thein Win (father's name U Aung Shwe), age 18, single.
 All of these men were Karen Buddhist farmers from Kru See village.

The villagers never recovered Maung Than Oo's body, but they recovered
the other three.  Moo Ko, age 21, had been stabbed with a knife
in his throat.  His entire body had been broken all over - it
was black, and the villagers could barely recognize him.  Ko Naing's
nose had been cut off and he had been stabbed in the eyes and
in both of his ears.  His body had also been broken all over and
it was black.  Thein Win had had all his teeth broken and his
left arm was broken.  The left side of his face had been cut with
a knife, and his body had also been broken all over.

While the soldiers were in the village, they also looted all of
the villagers' belongings from their homes: clothes, rice, pots,
etc.  They also took and ate all the chickens, fruit and vegetables
they wanted.  The village headman went and begged the company
commander, Captain Win Tint, to release the four villagers, but
he was beaten up and couldn't dare ask again.  One of the four
killed, Moo Ko, was the village headman's son.  On 12 September
at noon, the villagers returned and found the bodies, then prepared
them for cremation.

After the bodies were found the human rights monitor attempted
to interview the mother of one of the four killed, but she could
only cry and say "Oh my misfortune ... my youngest son is dead
 ... misfortune ... my son is dead ...", again and again and again...
___________________________________________________________________________

The following testimony was given by a sawmill owner, but for
his safety none of his personal details can be given:

In July this year, the SLORC ordered us to make planks for bridges.
There are 57 bridges between Ba Nwe Kla and Lay Kay, 5 large
ones and 52 smaller ones.  These bridges are used for trucks.
I had to make 700 tons of planks.

The SLORC paid 7,000 Kyat for 1 ton of planks but we had to deliver
them all to Lay Kay.  We lost money this way.  I had to pay 3,000
Kyat to hire elephants, 3,500 Kyat for costs at the sawmill, 150
Kyat in workers' salaries and 1,000 Kyat to hire bullock carts
for each ton.  So I lost 650 Kyat on each ton.  For 700 tons,
I lost hundreds of thousands.  The 5 large bridges are being built
by SLORC, but all the villagers who live near the road have to
build the 52 smaller ones.
___________________________________________________________________________

Following are the direct translations of some typed, signed and
stamped orders which were sent to villagers in the area with regard
to the forced labour building bridges which is mentioned above.
 Copies of the original orders in Burmese may be attached to the
end of this report, and if not they are available on request.
 Items in the orders which must be blanked out to protect people
are written as 'xxxx', 'yyyy', etc. in the order translations.

Order #1

[Note:  The original of this order is just over 2 pages long.
It is the minutes of a meeting about forced labour - however,
this copy was not obtained from anyone who attended the meeting,
but from other people who had access to a copy.  'LIB' = Light
Infantry Battalion]

July 21, 1994 - 12:30 p.m. - Win Ta Pat Camp
Minutes of the second meeting about bridge construction on the
road from Hlaing Chaung (excepted) to Lay Kay

Attendance:
1)  The following people are attending:
     Major Tin Aung, Commanding Officer(B), Strategic Cmd 1, 
     Southwest Command
     Capt. Kyaw Win  Commanding Officer (C)  Administration / Supply
                             Strategic Cmd 1, Southwest Command
     Lt. Myat Min Seik    Camp Commander          Win Ta Pat camp, LIB #308
     Lt. Kyi Maung     Engineering Officer     Frontline Engineers 
                                Battalion #907
     M. xxxx                                      aaaa village
     M. yyyy                                      bbbb village
     M. zzzz                                      cccc village
     M. wwww                                      dddd village
     M. vvvv                                      eeee village
     Sgt. Than Lwin                               Recorder

Aim:
2)      To discuss the construction of bridges on the road from Hlaing
Chaung (excepted) to Lay Kay and distribution of duties.

Discussions:
3)      As soon as the meeting started, Commanding Officer (B) Major
Tin Aung spoke about the construction of the bridges on the road
from Pain Neh Daw village to Lay Kay village:  The bridges over
100 feet long are the responsibility of the State government,
but the bridges under 50/60 feet are the responsibility of the
surrounding villages.  They are responsible for sharing these
duties according to their respective areas.  That's why I called
this meeting.  After the construction of these bridges is completed,
they will provide good transportation and development to these
villages.  These bridges will be used for trucks and must have
a long life, so hardwoods such as pyin kadoh [ironwood] will be
needed.  Lay Kay sawmill and Win Ta Pat sawmill will be responsible
for cutting and splitting the timber.  Each village will ask their
expert carpenters to estimate how many lengths of timber will
be needed and the length of each timber, make a list and submit
it to us.  Also, required materials such as nails, bolts, nuts
and other items should be estimated.  After that, the village
headmen have to submit these lists to Win Ta Pat army camp as
soon as possible.

[Note:  there is no item 4) ]

[Page 2]

5)      The engineering officer, Lt. Kyi Maung, will explain the types
of bridges needed.  He will observe the Win Ta Pat bridge.  Right
now the water level is at its highest, so we will use these measurements
to determine a standard level to build the bridges.

Decisions:                                             Action required by
6) The situation regarding collection of timber must be
   submitted to the nearest outpost.                  | All village headmen

7) Sa Kyo Kloh river (alias Kya Kat river),           |
   Ka Thi Paw Kloh river and Na Win river, including  |
   3 other streams, will be the responsibility of:    | Lay Kay vlg headman

8) From Ne Meh Aung to Ta Moe river there will be 1 large|
   bridge and 1 small bridge, altogether 2 bridges.   |Me Meh Aung headman
These will be the responsibility of:                 |Talaing Kayin headman

9) From Win Ta Pat to Thit Day Gone, including Nat Kyi |
   river and 4 smaller streams, will be the            | Win Ta Pat headman
   responsibility of:                                  |

10)The Than Pan Pya river bridge will be the 
   responsibility of:                                  | Ye Aye vlg headman

11)Tee Po Nya river and Thu Kloh river will have       | Kah Meh vlg
headman
   2 bridges, which will be the responsibility of:     | Ha Te Leit vlg
headman

12)Wa Taw Kloh river, Taw Ka Lar river and Ye Pyone   |
   river, altogether 3 river bridges, will be the     | 
   responsibility of:                                 | Pa Lan Taung vlg
headman

13)Thin Baw Myaut, Taung Pyo, Kyaun Sein Lah Kwe    
   and Taung Zun rivers, altogether 4 rivers, the bridges|
   will be the responsibility of:                   |Pa Yet Ko vlg headman

14)Two rivers near the Pa Yat Ko cemetery, also the |
   Pa Yat Ko Lay river and the Pa Yat Ko river,     |
   altogether 4 rivers.  The bridges will be the    |
   responsibility of:                               |Kyaun Sein vlg headman

[Page 3]

15)Between Win Ta Pat river and Ha Te Leit river,  | 
   to fill in the gullies and lay concrete piping for
   water diversion will be the responsibility of:  | Naw Oh Lah vlg headman

16)At 1400 hours, the meeting ended.

                                        [Sd.]
                                        Recorder
Reference No.:    1/4/3/Ye 2
Date:  1994 July 22

Distribution:
No. 33 Light Infantry Division Headquarters, Thaton Town
All attending people

[Notes:  Although the bridges over 100 feet long will be 'the
responsibility of the State government', rest assured that when
the time comes these will also be constructed with the slave labour
of the same villages.  During the process, the building materials
mentioned or money to buy them will also be extorted from the
villagers, as well as 'bridge money' which is simply to line the
pockets of military officers.  Then when the bridges are finished,
they will probably be mainly used for military traffic.  However,
the villagers will likely be forced to guard and maintain them,
and if any are destroyed in fighting the villagers will be forced
to pay 'compensation' to SLORC as well as rebuild the bridge.]
___________________________________________________________________________

Order #2

           Stamp:
No. 1 Military Strategic Command                To:     Chairman
Southwest Command Headquarters                  xxxx village

Subject:  Summoning the chairman

We want to ask some questions about the Hlaing Chaung bridge situation,
the construction and water drainage [this was then crossed out
by whoever wrote the order] to Mr. xxxx of xxxx village.  Come
to the Strategic Command urgently.
                                   [Sd.]
                          Commanding Officer (A) (Admin/Supply)
                               No. 1 Strategic Command
                           Southwest Command Headquarters
___________________________________________________________________________

Order #3

         Stamp:
Frontline #36 Infantry Battalion     To:
     Column Headquarters             Village Head
                         xxxx village            Date: 6-7-94

Subject:        The village head must come and see us

Regarding the above subject, we want you to collect the number
of houses and the population figures for your village and come
to Talaing Kayin camp, no later than 7-7-94 at 7 a.m.  If you
are absent we will take severe action.
                                                   [Sd.]
                           Frontline #36 Infantry Battalion
                              Column 1 Headquarters

[Notes:  These figures are required to assign slave labour duties
- they will probably demand approximately one forced labourer
per household.  The threatened 'severe action' probably means
arrest and torture of the village headman, though it sometimes
includes burning or shelling of part of the village.]


**************************************************************
AIRES: [INDIAN] RELATIONS WITH BURMA "BACK ON RIGHT TRACK"
ALL-INDIA RADIO EXTERNAL SERVICE

New Delhi, in English 1010 gmt 16 Oct 94
BODY:    Excerpts from commentary

[POSTED TO THE NET COURTESY MICHAEL BEER]

After a brief so-called bad patch in bilateral
ties, relations between India and Myanmar [Burma]
seem to be back on the right track now. The recent
Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, signed by the
Confederation of Indian Industries with Myanmar
Industries Association, speaks a volume for
changing trend in the bilateral relations. The MOU
is expected to pave the way for expanding Indian
commercial and economic activities in Myanmar.  

Starting from the days of pro-democracy
agitations in Myanmar till about a couple of years
ago, the relations between the two countries were
anything but cordial. Prolonged house arrest of
pro-democracy leader, Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, could
cause concern in India as in other democratic
countries and along with them, India did raise her
voice for her freedom and negotiations with her.
India has realized now after her own sorry
experience on the issue of alleged violations of
human rights in Kashmir that expression of views
on human rights violations would amount to
interference in the internal affairs of the
country. In fact, it is being acknowledged
worldwide that in democratic societies like India
there is bound to be (?talk) on the issues such as
human rights and democracy, and in the case of
Myanmar, the continued detention of Ms Suu Kyi.
But the important thing is the government to
government contact and the pursuing a foreign
policy that is based on national interests. While
India has made it clear that it remained
sympathetic to the democratic aspirations of the
people of Myanmar, this is also firm commitment to
the principle of strict non-interference in the
internal affairs of Myanmar...

Stability on the borders in Indian's northeast
would seem quite imperative and vital. It is not
merely on the question of border smuggling but on
the problem of narcotics transborder (?intrusions)
and insurgencies. The period of no contact for
about three years from 1988 proved
counterproductive. But, since then there has been
an improvement in the political and economic level
culminating among other things in the signing of
the border trade agreement in January 1994 and an
MOU in civilian border contacts...

There is hope that there would not be only an
enhancement in quantum of trade but also in its
diversification in times to come. Many major
Indian automotive companies have shown their
interest in exporting their vehicles to Myanmar.
Future seems to be bright for joint ventures also
now considering improving relations between the
two countries. One promising area for cooperation
between the two sides is exploration of oil. India
has been looking for oil in the Andaman offshore
region of the prospects along the Myanmar coast
are regarded as promising. [sentence as heard] It
will be, therefore, worthwhile for the two
countries to consider the setting up of the joint
ventures for petroleum exploration and refining on
mutually advantageous terms. Agriculture is
another area where both can exploit each other's
capabilities...

**************************************************************
BKK POST: BRIDGE S FIRST STONE LAID
Friday, October 21, 1994

[Photo caption: Transport and Communications Minister Vinai Sompong and his
Burmese counterpart, Construction Minister Khin Maung Yin, left, at the
foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Thai-Burmese friendship bridge
across the Moei River in Tak province.]

OUTGOING Communications Minister Col Vinai Sompong yesterday joined Burmese
Construction Minister Khin Maung Yin in the foundation stone-laying
ceremony for the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge.

The bridge, 420 metres long and 13 metres wide, will link Mae Sot district
of Tak province and Myawaddy town in Kachin [the author s error; Karen]
state of Burma. Construction is expected to complete within 18 months from
now.

Col Vinai said the friendship bridge would link with Highway A1 which
connected India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.

The Thai Government, to reach the goal, had approved a four-lane road
construction from Mae Sot to Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, Khao Khor in
Phetchabun, Chumpae in Khon Kaen and Mukdahan provinces, he said.

The entire project would cost 46,000 million baht and would take up to two
years to complete, Col Vinai said.


**************************************************************
REUTERS: NEW BURMA AIR SERVICE

SINGAPORE, Oct 18 (Reuter) - Air Mandalay Ltd, a joint venture between
Singapore and Burmese firms, on Tuesday opened its first domestic air
route in Burma, airline sources said. 
``It starts the inaugural Mandalay-Yangon-Mandalay flight today,'' a
source told Reuters. No other details were given. 

Aviation sources said this is the first time Rangoon (Yangon) has
allowed a carrier controlled by foreign interests to fly a domestic route.

Air Mandalay's 60 percent equity is held by Singapore's Techmat
Holdings Pte Ltd. The remaining 40 percent is owned by state carrier
Myanmar Airways, sources said. 

Singapore newspapers have said the airline had also planned to operate
flights to Pagan and Heho, in Burma, and Phuket and Chiang Mai, in
Thailand. 

Air Mandalay is using two Avions de Transport Regional (ATR) 72-210s.
The Franco-Italian twin turboprop aircraft is capable of carrying up to 72
passengers. 

**************************************************************
BKK POST: LIGHT PLANE JOINS HUNT FOR KARENS, HOSTAGES
Friday, October 21, 1994
Kanchanaburi

AN Army light plane yesterday joined ground forces in a manhunt for a gang
of Karen bandits and their two Thai hostages.

On Tuesday, about 20 heavily-armed bandits kidnapped five Thai villagers
from Ban Pilokkee, Tambon Pilok, Thong Pha Phum District, near the
Thai-Burmese border.

The hostages were identified as Daoruek Sricharoen, Prayad Sricharoen, Nay
Mungkung, Kasee Yindee and Boonchuey Thongpaknok.

The next day, the kidnappers released Boonchuey and asked him to fetch
money to pay ransom for the four others. Two hostages, Nay and Kasee, were
later released after Boonchuey brought 60,000 baht in case to pay the
abductors.

The Karen kidnappers have demanded 500,000 baht for the freedom of the two
remaining captives, Daoruek and Prayad.

Political Col Somchai Poyen, chief of Task Force 33 set up to rescue the
two hostages, said yesterday that he had sent Boon chuey to try to talk the
Karen into releasing the two victims. However, he said the kidnappers had
insisted that the ransom be paid before the victims were freed.

Mr Madae, father of the two victims, told the Bangkok Post yesterday that
he had been trying to raise money to pay the ransom. He said he might have
to sell his house and cattle to raise enough money.

However, he said he would like government forces to rescue his two sons.
Tambon Pilok village headman Chamnong Chitpraklam said he suspected the
abduction stemmed from business conflict between the Karen kidnappers and
some of the victims.

He said he believed the Karens would release the two hostages if only half
of the required ransom was paid.


*****************************************************************
BKK POST: AMERICAN STANDARD [TOILETS] AIMS FOR GROWTH IN SE ASIA
Friday, October 21, 1994

AMERICAN Standard Thailand (AMT), a subsidiary of American Standard Inc, a
sanitary ware manufacturer which celebrated its 25th anniversary on
Wednesday, is looking for regional growth.

The company is looking at investment in Vietnam, but that will take some
time. In the meantime, it will look at opening new markets in Indochina and
in Burma. AMT will play a leading role in expanding to that region,  said
Raymond Pipes, group vice-president. American Standard Inc, who was in
Bangkok to attend the celebrations.

There are opportunities for Thailand to transfer its know-how and skills to
other American Standard companies in the region,  said George Kerckhove,
senior vice-president for global plumbing products.

A product development and research centre will be set up at Rangsit with a
staff of 25. The ground-breaking ceremony will be next January 1.

 In four months from then, we will have the facility,  said David Van Hise,
managing director of AMT. The company recently redrew its entire product
development process, halving the time taken to introduce new models,
Mr Hise said.

We can draw on American Standards worldwide resources so that we will not
have to reinvent the wheel product design or process enhancement,  he said.

AMT was founded in 1969.  From a simple kiln 25 years ago, continuous
investment has increased that to 11 kilns today with an annual production
of more than 1.4 million large ceramic pieces. From a small revenue base 25
years ago, today we project revenue of 1.7 billion baht for 1994,  he said.

In Thailand, investment in expanding capacity has been continuous, but
larger capacity expansions are in the pipeline.

Once the proposals we have are cleared by the board, we will announce the
details,  Mr Kerckhove said.

AMT is also going in for re-engineering to increase the speed at which we
work. We are looking at fundamental changes, at improvements of 50% to 90%, 
Mr Hise said.

**************************************************************
ABBREVIATIONS USED BY BURMANET:

 AP: ASSOCIATED PRESS,  AFP: AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
 AW: ASIAWEEK,  AWSJ: ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL
 Bt.: THAI BAHT; 25 Bt.=US$1 (APPROX), 
 BBC: BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION,  BI: BURMA ISSUES
 BIG: BURMA INFORMATION GROUP,  BKK POST: THE BANGKOK POST
 BRC-CM: BURMESE RELIEF CENTER-CHIANG MAI
 BRC-J: BURMESE RELIEF CENTER-JAPAN
 CPPSM: C'TTEE FOR THE PUBLICITY OF THE PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE IN MONLAND  
 FEER: FAR EAST ECONOMIC REVIEW,  KHRG: KAREN HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP
 NATION: THE NATION (DAILY NEWSPAPER, BANGKOK)
 S.C.B.:SOC.CULTURE.BURMA NEWSGROUP S.C.T.:SOC.CULTURE.THAI NEWSGROUP
 SEASIA-L: S.E.ASIA BITNET MAILING LIST,  XNA: XINHUA NEWS AGENCY 

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