SOME STANDARD NEWS

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	BURMA FREES EX-OPPOSITION LEADER KYI MAUNG
BURMA DISSIDENTS (CARRIED EARLIER)
   YANGON, June 8 Kyodo - Burma's ruling military junta today 
released a former pro-democracy movement leader, Kyi Maung, after a 
week of detention, according to informed sources.
	   The former acting chief of the National League for Democracy 
(NLD) was detained last Friday shortly after he held talks with the 
British ambassador to Myanmar, who was to return to London with a 
former secretary of detained NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
	   The detention followed his release in March from five years of 
imprisonment.
	   The first release of Kyi Maung, a retired colonel and leading 
spokesman for the NLD, was conditional on his not becoming involved 
in any political activity.
	   He played a leading role in the opposition's landslide victory 
in the 1990 general election. The military junta refused to accept 
the election results and remains the governing authority.
	   Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace prize laureate, has been under house 
arrest since July 20, 1989.
	   KYODO jnb
	BURMA FREES EX-OPPOSITION LEADER KYI MAUNG
BURMA DISSIDENTS (YANGON)
   Burma's ruling military junta has released former pro-democracy 
movement leader, KYI MAUNG, after detaining him for a week.
	   The former acting chief of the National League for Democracy was 
detained last Friday after holding talks with the British 
ambassador to Myanmar.
	   MAUNG played a leading role in the opposition's landslide 
victory in the 1990 general election.
	   The military junta refused to accept the election results and 
remains the governing authority.
	   KYODO jnb

	ASIA: ASEAN RESPONDS TO BURMA'S INVESTMENT MISSION
SINGAPORE BURMA
   By Ajoy Sen of Reuters
	   SINGAPORE, June 9 Reuter - Burmese Prime Minister Than Shwe, 
leading a high-powered military and political delegation to 
Indonesia and Singapore, has clinched agreements that boost ties 
with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
	   Than Shwe, a senior general and chairman of the State Law and 
Order Restoration Council (SLORC), signed an agreement in Singapore 
to strengthen relations, starting with tourism and agro-business.
	   The pact promotes trade growth through simplifying procedures 
and cooperation in shipping.
	   Than Shwe, who ends a four-day visit to Singapore on Sunday, 
arrived in the city state from Jakarta, where he signed a bilateral 
agreement to boost economic and trade relations.
	   Both Singapore and Indonesia are members of ASEAN, which also 
includes Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand and Than 
Shwe's visits were his first to ASEAN nations since he became 
chairman of SLORC in 1992.
	   As well as talks on economic cooperation, Than Shwe was also 
expected to discuss the prospect of Burma's participation in ASEAN 
activities.
	   "Singapore will help Myanmar (Burma) integrate itself into the 
region and develop like the countries of ASEAN," Singapore Prime 
Minister Goh Chok Tong said during a speech at a dinner yesterday. 
He said Burma was a country of vast resources and substantial 
growth potential.
	   But Goh also told Than Shwe that Burma should continue improving 
its economic and political climate if it wanted to attract more 
foreign investment.
	   Earlier this week, Singapore Technologies Industrial Corporation 
said it had signed a memorandum of understanding to build a $US360 
million ($A500.47 million) international airport in Mandalay.
	   Analysts said Than Shwe's visits were a sign of ASEAN's 
divergence from efforts to isolate Burma and of a desire to take 
advantage of its rich resources and cheap labour.
	   "Than Shwe's visit is in keeping with the ASEAN strategy not to 
ostracise the country because of its human rights record but to 
help it to integrate with the region," said Kripa Sridharan, a 
political scientist at the National University of Singapore.
	   "Given that there is a positive trend in Myanmar to liberalise 
its economy, and efforts by some ASEAN countries to diversify, one 
could expect strengthening of cooperation between ASEAN and 
Myanmar," said Kevin Chew, economist at Baring Securities in 
Malaysia.
	   Burma, with rich natural resources and an abundant supply of 
cheap labour, offered an opportunity to Singapore and Malaysia to 
relocate some of their labour intensive industries in that country 
to cut costs, Chew said.
	   ASEAN has adopted a policy of "constructive engagement" with 
Burma, in contrast to the policies of some Western countries which 
have pegged better relations on improvements in human rights, 
democracy and narcotics suppression.
	   Goh visited Burma last year to discuss opening up its economy 
and encouraging foreign investment. He was only the second head of 
government to visit Burma since its military rulers crushed 
pro-democracy protests in 1988.
	   Today, Than Swee called on senior Singapore leaders, including 
Senior Minister Kuan Yew and Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. 
He also rode in an underground train and met Mah Bow Tan, Minister 
for Transport and Communications.
	   REUTER pjw/de