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BurmaNet News October 3, 1995




------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: October 3, 1995
Issue#244

Noted in Passing:
As the process is going very smoothly, we don't need dialogue
with anybody. 
-  Tin Winn, SLORC ambassador to Thailand
on why the SLORC has not started a dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi.
(quoted in: BKK POST: SLORC 'WON'T DISCUSS REFORM WITH 
SUU KYI')


Headlines:
========
BKK POST: SLORC 'WON'T DISCUSS REFORM WITH SUU KYI'
WSJ: BURMESE FAMILY RETURNS FROM EXILE WITH KEYS 
BKK POST: SLORC'S KHIN NYUNT TO VISIT THAILAND  
BKK POST: MOEI RIVER RECLAMATION BEGINS
FRDC: UPDATE FROM MASSACHUSETTS
LETTER: ON MAKING "BEYOND RANGOON"
ANNOUNCEMENT: PROTEST BEFORE THE UNITED NATIONS 
----------------------------------------------------------
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BurmaNet regularly receives enquiries on a number of
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[Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage]
*************************************
BKK POST: SLORC 'WON'T DISCUSS REFORM WITH SUU KYI'
October 2, 1995

BURMA'S military government will not discuss political reforms
with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to Rangoon's
ambassador to Thailand.

Reforms would continue to be undertaken solely by the as National
Convention, Tin Winn said yesterday.

The ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council would leave
the future of the country to the convention that las been
drafting a new constitution since 1993.

"As the process is going very smoothly, we don't need dialogue
with anybody," he said.

Earlier, there were expectations of talks between the regime and
the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate to reform Burmese politics
following her release from house arrest in July.

Talks appeared possible when Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, sectary of the
military regime, told United States Ambassador to the United
Nations Madeleine Albright early last month that the government
[s considering political dialogue with Suu Kyi.

Convention members, criticised by opposition groups for being
hand-picked by military leaders, will gather for a new session on
October 24-25 to continue work on the draft.

The ambassador said he could not anticipate when the task would
be finished, but the next president needed military "knowledge"
because his country required a strong government to unite 155
minority groups.

"It is not true that the president must have a military
background, but must have military knowledge, he said. Civilians
who met this qualification would not be ruled out.

The military would hold one of the two vice-president posts
because of its right to take part in politics, although it did
not have a party, he said.

The SLORC seized power in 1988. It refused to step down and
accept the result of the 1990 election in which Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy won by a landslide, although she
was under house arrest for a year before people voted.

The SLORC refused to recognise the result, claiming the winning
party did not live up to its promise to draw up a new
constitution but instead called for the transfer of power from
the military to the civilian administration, Tin Winn claimed.

Burma had no constitution at that time as people refused to
accept the 1974 constitution written during Ne Win's one-party
system.

The ambassador claimed that before the election all parties
political leaders and the government discussed the drafting of
the constitution and agreed the party that won j must initiate
the draft. However, after the NLD won it asked for the transfer
of power.

Opposition groups dispute this, saying SLORC's declaration on the
drafty came almost a month after the election and was a tactic by
the military to retain power.

The election was held in May. The announcement that elected
members would draft a new constitution was dated July 27 and
signed by then Brig-Gen Khin Nyunt.
****************************

WSJ: BURMESE FAMILY RETURNS FROM EXILE WITH KEYS 
TO UNLOCK RECLUSIVE NATION
 September 27, 1995            By Jeremy Mark

RANGOON, Burma -- As Asia's more-reclusive socialist states
emerged from isolation in the past 20 years, the role of
reintroducing them to the world was often played by countrymen
who found their fortunes as emigres.

Now it's Burma's turn.  The closeted nation is trying to
catch up with booming Southeast Asia, and a group of Burmese
whose families once chose exile are coming home to help show
Burma the way.

"It's a chance of a lifetime," says Halpin Ho, the scion of
a Burmese-Chinese family that left three decades ago after
its businesses were nationalized.  Now he's sitting on the
veranda of a lakeside Rangoon hotel run by his family,
discussing plans for millions of dollars in future investments.

"I know the situation inside [Burma]," Mr. Ho says, "I know
the situation outside.  I have the backing of foreign companies.
If I can make a contribution to my country, I will make my mark
in history."

Mr. Ho's family, which controls the Ho Group of gem and
real-estate businesses in Thailand, is working closely with
Kerry Financial Services Ltd. of Hong Kong, which itself is
a part of the empire of Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok.  Kerry
and Ho Group are partners in Irrawaddy Advisors Ltd., a small
Rangoon-based company that is overseeing direct investments
in Burma by the $28 million Myanmar Fund, listed in Dublin.
One of the Myanmar Fund's investments is in the Hos' Kandawgyi
Lake Hotel, which is completing a $20 million, 234-room expansion.

The Ho family lost everything when the Burmese military took
power in the early 1960s and launched the country down the
road to economic stagnation.  The family was split up for years,
with some children staying behind.  "We had a lot of businesses
and property, and then we were refugees with nothing," says the
40-year-old Mr. Ho.

The family eventually fetched up in Bangkok, where it started over.
Mr. Ho worked in the family business, sweeping floors and sorting
stones as a child and eventually presiding over its expansion
into property development in Thailand.

"For a long time we were scared to come back.  Then I came back
three and a half years ago and it wasn't like everybody was saying.
Burma has its faults, but there are also good sides."

The family is now planning a $200 million commercial center in
Burma, complete with offices and a convention center.  Mr. Ho
hopes to bring together major corporate investors from around
Southeast Asia to build the center.  An industrial park is also
in the works.

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

BKK POST: SLORC'S KHIN NYUNT TO VISIT THAILAND BEFORE 
ASEAN SUMMIT               October 2, 1995

BURMA'S key military figure Khin Nyunt, will pay an official
visit to Thailand before the ASEAN summit starts on December 15.

Rangoon's ambassador Tin Winn said yesterday the visit might take
place just after the third week of October when Ohn Gyaw returns
from the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Tin Winn said the Thai Embassy in Rangoon on September 7
officially invited Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt to visit Thailand as guest
of Deputy Prime Minister Amnuay Viravan.

Thailand hopes the visit by the Secretary No.1 of the State Law
and Order Restoration Council will improve strained ties.

Tin Winn said the delay in accepting an invitation from Mr Amnuay
two years ago was not because of problems along the border but
because of the effect the change of foreign minister in
Thailand's previous government had on the timing.

Burma supported a meeting of leaders of all 10 Southeast Asian
countries as part of the ASEAN summit, but it would not consider
attending until it received an official invitation from the host,
Thailand, he said.

The meeting would be a fundamental step toward all 10 nations
becoming ASEAN members, he said.

Burma acceded to ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in July
and is seeking observer status from the group. 

ASEAN has made clear that Rangoon will not be given automatic
observer status upon accession. The treaty is the first step for
countries in the region to apply for membership.

Tin Winn said Burma would not rush to join the group until it was
ready to play a part in the organisation.

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

BKK POST: MOEI RIVER RECLAMATION BEGINS
October 1, 1995

MAE SOT _ Thai border authorities have been dismantling all
structures on reclaimed land along the Moei River to complete the
work by today's deadline.

Mae Sot District Chief Kasem Wattanatham yesterday instructed
deputy district chief Chalee Inket to monitor the dismantling of
the remaining structures encroaching on the river banks and to
inform Burmese authorities in Myawaddy border town, opposite the
site, of the work.

Local Mae Sot officials said they hoped the Burmese would be
satisfied with Thailand's move and subsequently resume
construction the Thai-Burmese bridge across the Moei River which
was suspended early this year after the land encroachment on the
Thai side.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Montree Danpaibool on Wednesday went
to Mae Sot to hand over Bt600,000 in compensation to owners of
the 16 structures.

*****************************************************************
Typed by the Research Department of the ABSDF {MTZ}    2.10.95
*****************************************************************

FRDC: UPDATE FROM MASSACHUSETTS
September 27, 1995

MASSACHUSETTS BURMA ROUNDTABLE

The next Roundtable will take place on Tuesday, October 10.  It makes sense
not to meet on Columbus Day Monday... The meeting will start at 7pm at the
office of Franklin Research & Development at 711 Atlantic Avenue 4th floor,
just across the street from South Station and opposite the Greyhound Bus
terminal.  

Massachusetts Burma Roundtable Draft Agenda

1.	Massachusetts Selective Purchasing Legislation (H2833)
	update by Simon Billenness

2.	Student Activism Update
	update by Dorothy Chan, Miriam Leibowitz, Adam Richards

3.	Cambridge Selective Purchasing Legislation
	update by Ann Stewart

4.	Future Activities Brainstorming


· BURMESE STUDENT LEADER VISITS BOSTON

Moe Thee Zun, the Chairman of the All Burma Students Democratic Front, will
be in the Boston area next week and making several speaking engagements.  In
1988, Moe Thee Zun took part in the 1988 pro-democracy uprising and was
forced to flee to the Thai-Burma border in 1989.  You can meet him at the
following events:

October 2; 7pm-9pm. 
Alumni Lounge, Student Center, Brandeis University
contact: Miriam Leibowitz:	(617) 736 8250	st931523@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

October 4; 8pm-10pm
Emerson 105, Harvard Yard
contact: Adam Richards	(617) 491 7510	arichard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx       

Moe Thee Zun and Simon Billenness will be guests of Amnesty International on
Be Live, Channel 55, Cambridge Community TV from 6pm-6.30pm on October 2.

· Final Push on Massachusetts Burma Bill!

On September 18, the Massachusetts Senate Ways & Means Committee favorably
reported out H2833, State Rep. Byron Rushing's bill that would bar the state
from buying goods or services from companies doing business in Burma.

The bill is scheduled to be debated by the Senate Steering & Policy
Committee on October 18.  If it is reported out of this Committee, the bill
will go to the Senate floor for its final vote.  *** Please use the enclosed
letters to write your State Senator and Governor Weld in support of the
bill. ***

Simon Billenness, Franklin Research, 711 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 423 6655 x225	simon_billenness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------
SEND A LETTER TO YOUR STATE SENATOR...

Senator ________
Massachusetts Senate
State House, MA 02133-1053

Dear Senator __________:

I am writing to ask your support for H2833, Representative Byron Rushing's
bill that would bar state purchasing managers from buying goods or services
from companies doing business with the ruling Burmese military junta. The
bill has already passed the House and was favorably reported out of the
Senate Ways & Means Committee on September 18. Specifically, I am requesting
that you write to Senator Edward Clancy, the Chairman of the Steering &
Policy Committee, to ask him to report H2833 out of committee quickly and
favorably so that it can come to a floor vote.

(Include a personal paragraph here. If possible, mention your personal and
family history in Massachusetts and in your State Senator's district.
Explain your interest in Burma.)

Despite the recent release of pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the struggle for democracy in Burma is not over.
It was not until two years after the release of Nelson Mandela that he
called for a lifting of economic sanctions on South Africa.  As a recent
Boston Globe editorial noted: "Efforts to isolate the junta must continue
until the colonels permit the Burmese to retrieve a legitimate,
representative government. The world can be certain that Suu Kyi will demand
no less."

Other cities and states are also considering laws that would effectively bar
the purchase of goods or services from companies doing business in Burma.
In February, Berkeley, California, became the first city to pass such a law.
In August, the City of Madison, Wisconsin, passed similar legislation. On
the federal level, Senator Mitch McConnell (Rep. Kentucky) has introduced
the Free Burma Act (S1092), a bill imposing tough federal economic sanctions
on Burma.

Massachusetts has a proud history of support for democracy and human rights
both at home and abroad. The Massachusetts legislature played a leading role
in the successful struggle against apartheid in South Africa and continues
to press for peace in Northern Ireland.  I ask you to build on this
tradition by supporting H2833. 

You can obtain the name of your state senator by calling the State House at
(617) 727-2121 or by calling CPPAX (address below).

Please send a copy of your letter to Citizens for Participation in Political
Action (CPPAX), 25 West Street, Boston, MA 02111.  If you have any
questions, contact Julia Carpenter at CPPAX at (617) 426 3040 or cppax@xxxxxxxx
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------
 ...AND DON'T FORGET TO WRITE GOVERNOR WELD TOO!

Governor William Weld
State House, MA 02133-1053

Dear Governor Weld:

I am writing to ask your support for H2833, Representative Byron Rushing's
bill that would bar state purchasing managers from buying goods or services
from companies doing business with the ruling Burmese military junta. The
bill has already passed the House. It was favorably reported out of the
Senate Ways & Means Committee on September 18 and will soon come to a floor
vote.

(Include a personal paragraph here. If possible, mention your personal and
family history in Massachusetts and in your State Senator's district.
Explain your interest in Burma.)

Despite the recent release of pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the struggle for democracy in Burma is not over.
It was not until two years after the release of Nelson Mandela that he
called for a lifting of economic sanctions on South Africa.  As a recent
Boston Globe editorial noted: "Efforts to isolate the junta must continue
until the colonels permit the Burmese to retrieve a legitimate,
representative government. The world can be certain that Suu Kyi will demand
no less."

Other cities and states are also considering laws that would effectively bar
the purchase of goods or services from companies doing business in Burma.
In February, Berkeley, California, became the first city to pass such a law.
In August, the City of Madison, Wisconsin, passed similar legislation. On
the federal level, Senator Mitch McConnell (Rep. Kentucky) has introduced
the Free Burma Act (S1092), a bill imposing tough federal economic sanctions
on Burma.

Massachusetts has a proud history of support for democracy and human rights
both at home and abroad. The Massachusetts legislature played a leading role
in the successful struggle against apartheid in South Africa and continues
to press for peace in Northern Ireland.  I ask you to build on this
tradition by supporting H2833 and signing it into law at the earliest
possible opportunity.

Please send a copy of your letter to Citizens for Participation in Political
Action (CPPAX), 25 West Street, Boston, MA 02111.  If you have any
questions, contact Julia Carpenter at CPPAX at (617) 426 3040 or cppax@xxxxxxxx
*****************************

LETTER: ON MAKING "BEYOND RANGOON"
Professor U Kyaw Win

Dear Paul Haakenson:

You better believe that "Beyond Rangoon" is realistic.  I was the special
advisor on location in Malaysia for five months and acted as the monk at
the huge reclining Buddha and ASSK's elder escort at the rally when troops
impeded our path with orders to shoot.
Every incident in the movie's Burma background was true even though they
were transplanted at other locations exercising artistic license.  I made
sure of that.  Burmese witnesses to the events of Aug/Sep 1988 faulted me
for not showing much more blood than was done by John Boorman.  Story of
Laura is, of course, fiction.  But many Aung Ko's lost their jobs for
aiding students in earlier uprisings.


Professor U Kyaw Win
Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
e-mail: win@xxxxxxxx
phone: (714) 432-5860
****************************

ANNOUNCEMENT: PROTEST BEFORE THE UNITED NATIONS 
ON THE 3RD OF OCTOBER

A demonstration will be staged before the United Nations in New York on the
3rd of October,1995.The demonstration will be attended by the Burmese
students and members of NCGUB and all interested paties are cordially invited
to present themselves before UN at 12 noon on the 3rd of October.The
demonstration will be staged with a view to protest against the Burmese
government's delegation to UN and influence the UN to modify its stand
towards Burma.