News from the border

[NBH03114@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Burmese Relief Center--Japan
DATE:February 8, 1995
TIME:8:31PM JST
SUBJ:Letter from the border

We have just received this letter.
We would like to share it. 

7th February 1995

I have just returned from the Dawn Gwin area and want to
report what is happening along the border.  I stayed there for
five days.  During this time Manerplaw fell, SLORC and the
DKBA were storming through KNU areas, and thousands of
refugees fled to Thai soil.  I went straight to the frontline in
Dawn Gwin which is about 2 hours away from the actual
GHQ which, as you know, is now abandoned.  As usual, the
inevitable mountain was there to climb, but on the other side
were the security forces for Dawn Gwin.  There is a valley
between this side of the mountain and the next mountain.  It is
after the second mountain that the SLORC have a battalion. 
That place is called Lae Toe.

The students have been very busy since the attack on Dawn
Gwin in December.  They are conducting hit and run guerilla
tactics on the SLORC and have been able to contain not just
the battalion at Lae Toe but also four other battalions at
Papun.  However, the analysis I was given was that once the
SLORC had settled in the Manerplaw area, their troops would
move north and attack Dawn Gwin so that they would gain
control of the river from there to Mae Sam Lap and further on
south of the Salween.

The students were fine; some troops were suffering with
malaria, but still very active.  They are living in small shelters
covered with en leaves, and, when I was up there, the weather
had turned cold.  I had some discussions with the troops and
know that deep down right now people are angry.  They are
not beaten! 

I filmed the troops and I visited the Dawn Gwin HQ.  It was a
strange feeling walking through the place with it completely
empty.  The posters still on the walls of the guest house
screaming for democracy and peace, abandoned houses in the
village, the tea shops left standing as if people had only just left
the place.  I was told that it's OK to leave the place, that we
mustn't be attached to it.  Of course, they are right.  I then
visited Camp 216 and the NLD camp, both of which had been
burnt down by the SLORC.  That was hard to accept.  So
symbolic; so graphic.  Here's what the SLORC thinks of
Democracy.  But they made one mistake--they didn't burn
down the NLD sign.

After that I travelled north to a place called Bon Ya Hta where
there are now 1500 refugees who have fled.  Most are Karenni
and quite terrified.  There were so many sick children.

I joined some others and tried to get to Puebeloo, but we were
stopped by the Thai army and Thai military intelligence.  It is
now clear that the Thai authorities are making sure that
members of the Democratic Alliance of Burma (DAB) cannot
meet on Thai soil.

This evening I learned that SLORC has now occupied the area
opposite Mae Sam Lap, and also another village further north
which is close to Camp 209 and Young Ni Oo.  So far, there is
no information as to what people are doing at the village, but I
am keeping in close touch so I shall learn more in the next 24
hours.

It is not too much to say that I  have never seen a more
committed, organized and brave group of people in my whole
career.  You should feel proud.

My footage went to air this evening on Channel 4 in the UK.
Germany and the Netherlands are interested.  If Japanese TV
want anything, they should contact us here at SAIN (Southeast
Asian Information Network, tel/fax 66 53 278 549) or better
yet my production company in London, Insight News (Mr.
Ron Mculloch, 44 71 738 8344, phone/fax 44 71 498 2030)

Yours, 

Faith

/E