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BurmaNet News October 12, 1995




------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: October 12, 1995
Issue# 249

Noted in Passing:
In time, we shall need investment and we hope we shall have a
lot of very good, productive investment in Burma. But we do not 
want to encourage any form of investment that goes against the 
process of democratization. - Aung San Suu Kyi in videotaped
speech at Manila Conference (qutoed in BKK POST: AUNG SAN 
SUU KYI SUGGESTS IT'S TOO EARLY TO INVEST IN BURMA)


HEADLINES:
==========
NATION: BURMA'S SUU KYI REINSTATED AS NLD GENERAL SECRETARY
BKK POST: AUNG SAN SUU KYI SUGGESTS IT'S TOO EARLY TO INVEST IN BURMA
BKK POST: CONSULT SEES WORTHWHILE LONG-RANGE OUTLOOK FOR BURMA
JAPAN TIMES: l.625 BILLION YEN GRANTED MYANMAR NURSE SCHOOL 
ASIAWEEK: MYANMAR IS NOW OPEN FOR INVESTMENT
BKK POST: OVERTURES TO BURMA NOT FAVOURED BY ALL 
BKK POST: BURMA PREPARES FOR TOURIST INFLUX
BKK POST: VETERAN BURMESE JOURNALIST PAYS PRICE FOR BEING 'NEUTRAL'
NATION: SUU KYI CALLS FOR STRONGER LABOUR UNIONS
NATION: A BURMA FREED FROM NE WIN'S DREAMSCAPE?
BKK POST: BURMESE SET NEW CONDITION FOR WORK RESUMPTION
BKK POST: AIR MANDALAY HELPS BUILD CHIANG MAI'S HUB STATUS

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

NATION: BURMA'S SUU KYI REINSTATED AS NLD GENERAL SECRETARY
October 11, 1995 Associated Press (also printed in Daily Yomiyuri, Bkk Post)

RANGOON _ Dissident leader Aung San Suu Kyi was yesterday
formally restored to her former position as general secretary of
the party she helped found, the National League for Democracy,
party sources said.

Suu Kyi, who was released from six years of house arrest in July,
regained her position when a new 10-member party central
executive committee was chosen.

The current party chairman Aung Shwe kept his post, while Kyi
Maung and Tin Oo, two prominent party leaders who were released
from prison in March, became vice chairmen.

The new list of central executive committee members has been
submitted to the government's election commission, said the
sources, who insisted on anonymity.

Suu Kyi, who was detained but never tried on charges of
endangering national security, has been focusing since her
release on rebuilding the party.

The original central executive committee was forced to change its
membership after Tin Oo, then chairman, and Aung San Suu Kyi were
detained in July 1989. Many other senior party members, including
central executive committee member Kyi Maung, were also later detained.

Aung Shwe replaced Tin Oo as chairman in 1990, while Suu Kyi's
general secretary post remained vacant.

Under Aung Shwe's chairmanship, the party had to expel Tin Oo,
Kyi Maung and Aung San Suu Kyi in 1991, in order to retain its
status as a legal party since political parties were not allowed
to have members charged with offences by the government.

The National League for Democracy was formed as a vehicle for
pro-democratic forces to contest a 1990 general election. The
party won a landslide victory, but was not allowed to take power
when the military government refused to convene parliament. In
the post-election period many of the league's leaders, and other
Burmese opposed to the junta, were either imprisoned or fled into exile.

The junta, which took power in 1988 after violently suppressing pro-
democracy demonstrations, has not set a date for a return to civilian rule.

Meanwhile an investigator for the United Nations Human Rights
Commission met Suu Kyi and senior members of her National League
for Democracy yesterday.

It was the first time in five missions to Burma that Prof Yozo
Yokota was able to meet Suu Kyi. The country's military
government had turned down his previous requests to meet her.

In reports from his previous missions, Yokota has been very
critical of the government for abusing human rights and failing
to make democratic reforms.

# Kyodo reports from Manila: 

Sein Win, leader of Burma's outlawed New Democracy Party, on
Monday opposed the immediate entry of Rangoon into the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, saying it would be
tantamount to rewarding Burma's poor human rights record.

Sein Win, "prime minister" of the, National Coalition Government
of Union of Burma, told reporters that human rights violations
continue to be committed by Burma's military junta despite the
release in July of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi after six
years of house arrest.

He is in Manila to attend a conference on labour union repression
in Burma. His party has been banned by the ruling State Law and
Order Restoration Council (Slorc).

Sein Win also accused China of selling almost US$2 billion worth
of armaments to Burma and helping Rangoon set up a weapons factory.

"We are very much disappointed about that," he said as he urged
Beijing to use its influence over the Slorc to improve the
situation in Burma and hasten the national reconciliation process.

In July, Burma acceded to Asean's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation
in Southeast Asia, which is a step toward l gaining observer
status, and later, membership in the association.

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

BKK POST: AUNG SAN SUU KYI SUGGESTS IT'S TOO EARLY TO 
INVEST IN BURMA
October 11, 1995   (similar version in The Nation from AP)  Manila, AFP

OPPOSITION leader Aung San Suu Kyi suggested yesterday that it
was too early for foreign investors to put their money in Burma
and that the* entry could hurt the democracy campaign there.

"In time, we shall need investment and we hope we shall have a
lot of very good, productive investment in Burma,

Aung San Suu Kyi, released from six years of house arrest in
July, said in a videotaped message to a labor and human rights
conference in the Philippine capital.

"But we do not want to encourage any form of investment that goes
against the process of democratization," she added without giving
specific examples.

"Investments should be made in the right way at the I right time.
To go into it too early will not only hurt the process of
democratization, it could also go against sustained economic
democratization," the Nobel peace laureate said.

"In the long run, it will be the businessmen themselves who will
be hurt by investing at the wrong time."

Aung San Suu Kyi also called for the organization of independent
trade unions, "not only to help democracy but to help the workers
themselves."

"We need organizations to protect the rights of our people," she
added.

Britain, France and Singapore are among the top investors in oil-
and resources-rich Rangoon, whose military Junta refused to
accept general elections won by the opposition m May 1990 placing
its leader under house arrest and cracking-down on other members.

An exiled Burmese opposition leader, Sein Win, said China was
helping the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC}, the
official name of the ruling junta, set up an arms factory there.

He called on Beijing to stop selling arms to Rangoon and said it
was too early to contemplate integrating his country into the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN ).

"We are very much disappointed that China has sold almost two
billion dollars worth of arms to Burma, Sein Win told reporters,
adding that Beijing was also helping Rangoon build an arms

Sein Win the self-declared prime minister in exile of Burma, said
"we would like to have China (adopt) a more constructive policy
toward Burma."

"If they (the Chinese leaders) told SLORC that they could not
have this situation going on, they have to find a national
reconciliation, then China, as our big neighbor, could use its
influence very much for constructive engagement," said Sein Win,
here to attend the labor and human rights meeting.

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

BKK POST: CONSULT SEES WORTHWHILE LONG-RANGE OUTLOOK 
FOR BURMA            October 10, 1995

REPORT: Special Correspondent

IS BURMA on the threshhold _ of a new era of economic development
now that Aung San Suu Kyi has been freed and I the country is on
its way to I ASEAN? Or will the promise wilt in the bud as in the past?

The most accurate answer is probably that there is light at the
end of a long tunnel, according to consultant Christopher Bruton.

The managing director of Dataconsult Ltd recently told an
Economist Conferences meeting in Bangkok that economic
restructuring and privatisation was under way, but that investors
lack confidence and the government's credibility is improving
only slowly.

According to official figures, GDP growth was an impressive 6.8
per cent last year, but when inflation of 23.2 per cent is taken
into account it does not amount to much.

"Real growth will remain flat until multilateral funding is more
available, which means waiting until the country is more
integrated into the world environment. Only then will the full
potential for infrastructure construction and natural resource
exploitation be set free," Bruton said.

The brightest aspect is the agricultural performance which,
despite the lack of funding, grew 7.2 per cent last year.

"Myanmar used to be one of the most developed countries In
Southeast Asia," the consultant noted.

"In the early 1960s there were 18 international banks in Rangoon,
compared to only a dozen in Singapore.

"Myanmar probably isn't going to be the banking centre of
Southeast Asia again, but it should become a major agricultural
supplier," he said.

Even without funding the country is one of the world's major rice
producers and it is catching up on the leaders.

Meanwhile, investors, particularly from Europe, Japan and
Singapore are showing increasing interest, although there is
hardly a stampede.

"Investment has surpassed US$2.5 billion not much different to
the $4 billion or so actually invested in Vietnam as opposed to
only approved, and which will grow more rapidly."

Most of the investment is going into oil and gas with the biggest
single item being the $1 billion gas pipeline with Unocal and
Total working jointly with Myanma Oil & Gas and the Petroleum
Authority of Thailand to supply gas for Thailand to use in
generating electricity.

There is also strong investment in the hotel and tourism industry
which will take off with Visit Myanmar Year in 1996.

"But to attract more manufacturing investment, the foreign
investment law requires upgrading to improve incentives,
including longer privilege times, wider sectoral coverage and
better tax breaks."

The current tax holiday is only three years and it dates from the
commencement of production, not the date when profits are earned.
And when the holiday ends, profits are taxed at the standard rate
of 30 per cent.

Other basic problems include the foreign exchange rate disparity.
Officially, the Burmese Kyat trades at six to the US dollar, but
Foreign Exchange Certificates, the currency which visitors must
purchase, trade at 100 to the dollar, close to the street rate.

The recent announcement of more relaxed foreign exchange terms
for tourists will still not help investors who, as things stand,
are effectively prevented from remitting funds into the country.

However, in principle the country is very. attractive, according
to Bruton, despite the fact the political risk factor is never
far from investors' minds. With 45 million people (compared to
Vietnam's 75 million) and 767,500 square kilometres
(significantly bigger than Thailand and over twice the size of
Vietnam) "there's not going to be much pressure on land or the
abundant natural resources even through to 2010-2020.

The business infrastructure is also attractive with the 1914
British India Company Law still applying and English, widely
spoken. European investors in particular quickly feel at home,
especially as they can now obtain one year unlimited entry visas
the same day they apply.

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

JAPAN TIMES: l.625 BILLION YEN GRANTED MYANMAR NURSE SCHOOL 
TO GET AID       October 12, 1995, by Hisane Masaki , Staff writer

Japan will provide 1.625 billion yen in grant aid to Myanmar
for the repair of a nurse training school in Rangoon, government officials 
said Monday, in yet another sign of the gradually warming
economic relations between the two countries.

The officials, who requested anonymity, said the decision on
the grant aid - the largest official development assistance to be extended 
by Tokyo to Rangoon since the military coup there in 1988 
will be formally approved at an Oct. 24 Cabinet meeting.

The aid will also be the first ODA granted to the Southeast
Asian country since the release in July of democracy leader Aung
 San Suu Kyi from nearly six years of house arrest.

Following the 1988 military coup in Myanmar, Japan effectively froze 
all types of ODA - yen loans, grants and technical cooperation.

As a result, disbursement of low - interest official yen loans
committed earlier by Japan for several infrastructure projects, including 
some 25 billion yen for repair and extension of an international
airport in Rangoon, were suspended.

In March, Japan took the first significant step toward gradually unfreezing
 ODA for Myanmar, providing 1 billion yen in grant  aid to help the country
 increase agricultural production in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities.

Japan has stressed the need for a policy of "constructive engagement" with 
Myanmar aimed at encouraging changes toward democratization and improvements 
on human rights records through dialogue, rather than international isolation.

The government officials said, however, that grant aid for
agricultural production and repair of the
nursing school is for purely humanitarian purposes.

Such aid should not be taken as a signal Tokyo will turn the
aid tap on freely for Rangoon, given the lack of further progress 
on democratization and human rights protection, the officials added.

Following Suu Kyi's July 10 release from house arrest, Japan
began to prepare for a resumption of the yen loans it had already 
committed before the military leaders took power in the 1988 coup.

Japanese officials say, however, that the suspended loans will
not be resumed during the current fiscal year for technical reasons, 
such as the need to re-evaluate the projects to be financed by the money.

In addition, Japan seems in no hurry to resume the frozen
yen loans because the West, especially the
United States, insists that Suu Kyi's freedom alone is far
from sufficient and opposes any economic aid to Myanmar.

Suu Kyi herself has made remarks in interviews with the
foreign media that are critical of Japanese economic aid, especially 
large amounts of yen loans, although she does not seem to oppose aid for
humanitarian purposes.

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

ASIAWEEK: MYANMAR IS NOW OPEN FOR INVESTMENT
October 13, 1995

The Last Frontier

The release of oppositionist Aung San Suu Kyi three months
ago has sparked a burst of investment
activity in Myanmar --  touted as perhaps the last get - rich -
quick frontier in Southeast Asia.  Among
the pioneers is the Myanmar Fund launched by a subsidiary
of Malaysian billionaire Robert Kuok's
Kerry Group.  Richard Neville, 34, is the manager of the
Hong Kong - based fund, which started with
$28 million in capital a year ago.  Neville studied for a
Bachelor of Arts (Commerce) degree at the
Royal Military College of Canada and got his M.B.A. from
the University of Western Ontario before
embarking on a career in corporate finance and investment
management.  Last week, he spoke with
Asiaweek's Senior Correspondent Assif Shameen.

Why invest in a place like Myanmar?

In the 1950s, Burma as it was then called, was the leading
economy in Southeast Asia and the biggest
rice exporter.  Myanmar is a reasonably large, resource-rich
country with 45 million people.  A higher
proportion of people there have a university degree than
Thailand.  It has a British legal system which
is a bit rusty but is still considered better than Vietnam's or
China's.  There are international
accounting rules in place.  Myanmar has all the same
attributes that Thailand had 15 or 20 years ago. 
If you had invested in Thailand then, you would be a very
rich person today.

How are fundamentals?

They have not been this good in decades.  The economy is
starting off from a very low base.  Between
1962 and 1989 the country was closed, with no private
investment and no foreign investment.  Even
the corner grocery store and laundry were nationalized. 
Reforms started in 1989 and have taken root
only in the last three years.  The private sector has gone from
2% of the economy in 1988 to 73% of
the economy this year and the government is continuing to
privatize its holdings.  Last year, GDP
growth was 7.7% and this year it will again exceed 7%.

What sectors are soaking up foreign investments?

Two big offshore natural gas projects have been announced
that will bring in investments worth $1.6
billion over the next two and half years.  The first consortium
has Unocal, Total and PTT of Thailand. 
There is a second, smaller project with Texaco.  But tourism
has taken the biggest chunk of
investment so far - not just in hotels and resorts but also in
transportation and other infrastructure. 
Last year 98,000 tourists came through Yangon airport; this
year 150,000 tourists will visit Myanmar
and next year the number should be close to 250,000.  Three
years ago there just 300 decent hotel
rooms in Myanmar.  By the end of 1997 there will be 5,000
rooms in Yangon alone, if all projects are
completed on time.  There are two joint venture airlines,
controlled by Singapore companies, now that
the government has opened up aviation services.  Another
area soaking up investment is the
agribusiness.  The government has freed the price of rice,
and better irrigation will make more land
available for the crop.  Myanmar has the potential to become
the bread basket of Southeast Asia.  It
has the same climate as Thailand, with similar soil and
one-tenth the labor costs.
Are investors worried about political risks in Myanmar?   

Lack of western-style democracy has not prevented foreign
investments from flowing into Asian
countries before or slowed down economic growth. 
Investors took at stability and returns.  They
worry whether their assets will be protected and whether
they will be able to take out their profits in an
efficient and timely manner.  The Myanmar government has
gone a long way in assuring investors that
their assets will not be nationalized, that stability will be
maintained and that they will be able to
repatriate profits.

Where are the best opportunities for investors?

Because Myanmar hasn't had a private sector for 28 years
you can go into industries where you are the
only provider of goods and services and where annual
growth is phenomenal. The manufacturing of
consumer goods as well as the processing of commodities
offer the best potential. Manufacturing is
just 9% of GDP now compared to 20% - to - 30% for most
Southeast Asian countries. The food - and
- beverage sector is one area for growth, particularly
seafood, prawns, shrimp and chicken processing. 
Investors are also looking at packaging, textiles and light
industries.

Where has the Myanmar Fund invested so far?

We are raising $28 million over the next few weeks, since
projects are increasing in size.  We have
invested in two four - star hotels, and have a stake in a
company that has a polypropylene bag
manufacturing plant, a small paper mill, timber processing
and a warehouse in Yangon.  We are
investors in a consortium that is developing a business
district on the outskirts of Yangon that will
have offices, a convention center, a hotel, shopping mail and
apartments spread over a 34 - acre site. 
We have assets that have appreciated 30% - to - 40% over
the past 12 months.  Yangon property has
appreciated 50% in the past year or so.  We are getting in on
level zero.  There is no stock market in
Myanmar, but there is some over - the - counter trading in
about 30 state companies.  I believe the
Yangon market will start trading in early 1997, well before
the Ho Chi Minh City stock market opens
that year.  
 
***********************************

BKK POST: OVERTURES TO BURMA NOT FAVOURED BY ALL 
October 11, 1995 

         Some people think Thailand is paying too high a price 
                       for better ties with Burma.
                                    
Nussara Sawatsawang reports.

THAILAND has taken steps over the past month on issues that have
soured ties with Burma. A Thai delegation leaving for Rangoon
today is hoping to find out whether the leadership there sees
enough progress on the issues to warrant better relations.

Gen Pat Akhanibutr, as adviser to Deputy Premier and Defence
Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, is due to meet the first
secretary-general of the ruling State Law and Order Restoration
Council (SLORC), Lt Gen Khin Nyunt, during his stay in Rangoon
through tomorrow.

In what is an all-time low in Thai Burmese relations, Burma has
closed three border check-points and stalled construction of the
Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge.

The preconditions for improving ties _ as were made clear to Gen
Chavalit in early September by SLORC chairman Gen Than Shwe _
include Thailand's removal of structures Burma sees as
encroaching on an agreed no-man's land in the Moei River shared
by the two countries.

Gen Than Shwe also made clear that Burma wants Thailand to
centralise security control along the northern part of the
border, and to bear responsibility for the murder of Burmese
fishermen three months ago.

The SLORC leader made plain Rangoon's preconditions during a
visit by Gen Chavalit that showed the Banharn Silpa-archa
Government's special attention to relations with Burma. The
defence minister's trip took place only five weeks after the
Government came into office.

Thailand has acted on all three issues Rangoon has identified.
What worries doubters is whether Thailand has paid too high a
price in terms of national dignity, and legal principles, and
whether that it will get what it wants after all.

The most visible and controversial step was the demolition of the
16 shophouses on a small island in the Moei River which led Burma
to suspend construction of the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge in
June.

Officials defending the move point out that the shophouses were
not demolished just to meet Rangoon's demands, but also to clear
the way for a legal 'ruling on the matter.

At a date yet to be set, a factfinding mission made up of
officials from the two countries will discuss the disputed area
on the basis of the 1868 Thai-British Convention, according to a
foreign ministry source.

The treaty provides for the respective river banks to demarcate
the two countries' border lines, and it will be considered
violated if the mission finds that encroachment was manmade
rather than caused by natural events, the source noted.

After an initial appeal, owners of nine of the 16 shophouses
agreed to have their structures knocked down under an order from
provincial authorities in Tak.

But the owners of the six others only agreed to follow suit after
the Commerce Ministry gave them total compensation of 600,000
baht. Deputy Commerce Minister Montri Danpaibul also promised to
find these shophouse owners a new place nearby to resume their
businesses.

Local officials maintain that the shophouse owners should have
been evicted without compensation because they went against the
Building Regulation Act.

According to Mae Sot District Chief Kasem Wattanatham, the
merchants built permanent structures in the area despite
provincial authorities only allowing them to set up temporary
stalls. That permission was given to help relieve them of the
difficulties caused by floods last year, he said.

Local as well as central officials also objected to the fact that
the compensation was drawn from the Export Promotion Fund.

The fund, derived from taxes levied on exporters, is intended to
promote export activities, not law-benders, said one official who
requested anonymity.

The money was taken out of the fund without the acknowledgment of
executive committee members, most of whom disagreed, a Commerce
Ministry source added.

Mr Montri, an MP for Lamphun Province with Gen Chavalit's New
Aspiration Party, argued that giving the shophouse owners
compensation was tantamount to indirect export promotion because
Tak served as a potential export centre for trade with Rangoon.

Thailand could not afford the losses in trade that might stem
from: the six shophouse owners holding out against further
appeals, his party supporters said.

Meanwhile, Gen Than Shwe's call for more centralised control of
security along the northern stretch of the border found an
effective response on October 1, when the Defence Ministry put
the Army's Fourth Infantry Division in charge.

Previously, a joint command made up of army and border patrol
police units did the job.

Rebels loyal to Shan warlord Khun Sa, who earlier found easy
access to Thai hospitals in times of need, are said to have
already felt the pinch of the change of guard.

Rangoon closed the Myawaddy-Mae Sot and Tachilek-Mae Sai border
checkpoints in March in response to what it saw as Thai help for
ethnic Karen and Shan rebels during SLORC's drive to crush them.

Regarding the murder of the Burmese fishermen who boarded Thai
vessels in August, all three suspects including a skipper who is
said to have ordered the beating of the Burmese crewmen with a
water pipe, are now on trial.

SLORC's closure of the Victoria Point-Ranong border checkpoint
soon after the incident was seen as intended to punish Thailand
for the murders.

But some officials remain skeptical whether the steps taken by
Thailand will improve bilateral relations given the different
interests and diehard suspicions.

Rangoon still suspects Thailand of supporting Karen rebels, who
constitute the main ethnic group resisting its rule after the
Mons became the 16th group to agree to a ceasefire earlier this
year.

Rebels with the Karen National Union (KNU) have relocated along
the border after their stronghold at Kawmoora was overrun early
this year. The rebels are believed to have found new shelter in
several camps that have long been home to some 70,000 Karen
civilians.

Burmese Ambassador to Thailand Tin Winn, in a recent interview
with Bangkok Post, confirmed the SLORC's perception, saying most
ethnic people living on Thai soil are not genuine displaced
people but families of the KNU.

Part of Rangoon's stalling on the construction of the
Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge could be due to the SLORC's view
of the link as another aid to KNU rebel in continuing their
struggle for autonomy, sources point out.

The bridge also does not promise as much for the SLORC in terms
of border trade as it does for Thai entrepreneurs.

Thailand is the far stronger partner in an activity that is
estimated at some 10,000 million baht a year for legal
transactions, and six times more than that for illegal trade.

To regulate the trade flow, the Foreign Ministry and other state
agencies are pressing ahead with the drafting of a border trade
agreement with Burma.

Improving business with Burma was the mission of Deputy Commerce
Minister Pairote Suwanchawee, who returns from Rangoon today just
as Gen Pat leaves for the Burmese capital.

The next 24 hours should tell where Rangoon's interest lie.

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


BKK POST: BURMA PREPARES FOR TOURIST INFLUX
October 11, 1995       Rangoon, AFP

BURMA is churning out large numbers-of tour guides to handle an
influx of tourists expected next year, a government official was
quoted as saying yesterday.

"More and more tourist guides are needed to cope with the growing
number of tourists," the deputy minister for hotels and tourism,
Brigadier-General Tin Aye, was quoted as saying in the official
English-language New Light of Myanmar.

Tin Aye, speaking at the opening of a government-sponsored course
for tour guides, said there were now 900 licenced guides working
in Burma.

He said there had been a dramatic increase in the number of
tourists visiting Burma, citing comparative figures of 8,000 in
the 1991-1992 season and 100,000 last year.

"Even during the first six months covering the rainy season of
1995-96, more than 45,000 tourists had already visited the
country," he said.

Burma, with attractions ranging from snow-capped mountains in the
north sandy beaches in the south and an abundance of cultural
sites, was increasingly being included in Asian tour programmes,
he said.

He added that Burma would be able to attract even more visitors
once the country's tourism infrastructure _ including hotels,
transport and guide services _ was improved.

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

BKK POST: VETERAN BURMESE JOURNALIST PAYS PRICE FOR BEING 'NEUTRAL'

Press battle brings three jail terms

REPORT and PICTURE: Nussara Sawatsawang

STRONG IN mind despite advancing years, Burmese journalist Sein
Win has spent several years in jail _ the penalty for fighting
for freedom of the press in his country.

Freedom, neutrality and responsibility are his rules, he says.
They have put him behind bars three times.

The first time was in April 1960 under U Nu's civilian government
after he published an article entitled "Tension Easy Meal", which
criticised the government's traditional way of trying to deal
with the opposition by inviting them to share meals with it.

"I told the government not to concentrate too much on that
(meals) but to carry on the progress made by the military
government, because the military is watching over its shoulder,"
he told Inside Indochina.

The prime minister at the time, U Nu, allowed Gen Ne Win, the
most powerful figure in the country, to resolve a messy political
situation in 1958 as a caretaker government.

U Nu, who returned to power through a general election two years
later, charged Sein Win with disrespect to the government for
that article and jailed him for a month.

But Sein Win's warning proved timely. U Nu was ousted by a
military coup d'etat in 1962.

The new government, which introduced "The Burmese Way to
Socialism", nationalised his English-language daily, The
Guardian, and jailed him from 1965-68 without lodging a charge.
It termed the measure "protective custody" and applied it to many
prominent people, including businessmen.

Sein Win was jailed again in late July 1988 during the
pro-democracy uprising. He was detained and questioned about his
appearance at the teashop of his associate Aung Gyi, another out-
standing political figure. The detention lasted almost one month.

He explains he entered journalism, despite low pay, because he
loves freedom and independence.

As a young man, Sein Win wanted to be doctor but the university
that provided these courses was closed down at the outbreak of
World War Two. He joined his brother-in-law's New Light of Burma,
a private daily newspaper, as an unpaid translator in 1942.

During the country's struggle for independence against the
British, Sein Win was more than a reporter, he was also a spy, he
said.

Wearing an American military uniform, a 9mm pistol hidden in his
boots, and riding a motorcycle, Sein Win used to smuggle secret
letters from the British government to the freedom movement.

He also drove leaders of the movement when needed.

His job was ended soon after Gen Aung San formed a government in
1947, after independence.

"I fought for the country's independence, but as a reporter I
would never join the government," he said.

He served in various capacities as chief reporter, assistant
editor and editor at the Economic Daily The Nation, The Labour
Gazette and The New Times of Burma before taking over The
Guardian in May 1968.

One year after his release in 1968, he joined the Associated
Press as correspondent in Rangoon, where he worked for 20 years
before joining the Kyodo News Service in 1989.

The Zurich-based International Press Institute elected Sein Win
to its executive board in 1963 and the International Federation
of Newspaper Publishers in Paris awarded him the Golden Pen of
Freedom trophy the same year for his efforts in Burma.

He is now president of the Foreign Correspondents' Club in
Rangoon.

As a prominent reporter, his life is a constant balancing act.

Some people suspected he was a spokesman for the military
government, particularly on the release of Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from six years under house arrest, on
July 10.

Sein Win was first to break the news. He denied he was a
spokesman for the government, insisting the news was based on
analysis of various events and long experience in establishing
reliable sources.

The State Law and Order Restoration Council had previously
repeated the military's stand that Suu Kyi's extended detention
would be only for one year ending July 11, he said.

This coincided with a message from Col Kyaw Win, deputy director
of the Directorate of Defence Services Intelligence, a
subordinate of SLORC chairman Sen Gen Than Shwe, asking the
foreign press at a Japanese Embassy reception three days earlier
to stay in Rangoon on July 10-19. No reason was given.

"I had already written about the release with all background in
my computer. Only the time of the release was needed. After I
checked with my source, I Just added one word _ "unconditionally"
_ about her release," he said.

Sein Win reserves his right to criticise both SLORC and the
opposition leader.

He said the ruling junta, although it could build foreign
reserves up to US$ 600 million, had failed to develop the
country.

"We need good managers, technology and capital. If we have good
managers, we can pick up from where we left 30 years ago when we
were ahead of Thailand," he said.

Suu Kyi probably could devote herself to the country in social
services such as education, but could not get directly involved
in national politics unless the constitution is amended.

The new constitution, which is being drafted by the military
sponsored national convention since early 1993, already
stipulates that Suu Kyi cannot be elected to parliament because
she is married to a foreigner.

Sein Win said it would be at least two years before the
constitution could be amended. The drafting process may take
another year or so and, if elections are allowed, the new
government may or may not take up the Suu Kyi issue and through
the required process to amend the constitution.

He claims half of Suu Kyi's popularity stemmed from hatred of the
military government.

After a lifetime in the profession, Sein Win has a cautionary
word for aspiring journalists, referring to 20 cadet reporters at 
a journalism course organised by the Foreign Correspondents' Club.

"They thought that a free press means they can write anything
they want. In fact, the press has to be free and responsible. You
have to separate feelings from wisdom. Be an observer, not a
participant," he said.

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

BKK POST: AIR MANDALAY HELPS BUILD CHIANG MAI'S HUB STATUS
October 12, 1995   By Thanin Weeradet

NORTHERN Thailand's status as a regional tourism hub has received
a boost with the recent debut of Air Mandalay's service from
Chiang Mai to Rangoon.

The airline now operates two flights a week on the Rangoon-Chiang
Mai-Rangoon route and may add another in December. A Chiang
Mai-Mandalay route may be offered at the same time, according to
Sim Kok Chwee, assistant marketing manager of the Air Mandalay
Ltd.

Regional air links out of Chiang Mai are on the rise, with Lao
Aviation offering t service to Vientiane, THAI to Kunming, and
Orient Express Air to the Isan region.

The result, said Mr Sim, is that Chiang Mai is poised to become
an important base for long-haul visitors wishing to travel within
the Mekong region.

"Bangkok has long been the premier gateway for visitors into
Thailand and Indochina, but one can spot a significant trend
among long-haul visitors to give Bangkok a miss," he said.

Currently, more than one million visitors a year, particularly
from western Europe, stop in Chiang Mai and northern Thailand.
The region's history, religion, unspoiled landscape and ethnic
diversity all attract their interest. Interest could intensify if
Burma is packaged with their itineraries.

Some European tour operators as well as Thai operators based in
both Bangkok and Chiang Mai are on the verge of incorporating
Burma into their programmes, Mr Sim told Horizons.

Since its inaugural flight, Air Mandalay has detected a healthy
interest among the local population in travel into Burma. As
well, Rangoon's expatriate population is growing and seeking
nearby destinations for holidays.

"This segment will take short but frequent trips, mostly over the
weekend," said Mr Sim, noting that the airline is wooing business
travellers as well.

Air Mandalay had a very successful outing at the ITB'95 travel
show last March in Berlin, and it expects healthy passenger
volume in the coming high season. It will also be represented at
Asia Travel Mart in Singapore from October 1922, and at the
ITB'96 next March

Later this month the airline will launch Golden Flight, an
inflight magazine focussing on the history, culture, sights,
festivals, art and business climate of Burma. It will also be
mailed to major tour operators and corporate clients worldwide.

In the coming year, Phuket is likely to be another stop for the
airline, apart from route expansion within Burma. Air Mandalay
does not intend to compete with flag carriers on the main
Bangkok-Rangoon route.

"Our equipment and the nature of our operations makes Air
Mandalay more suitable as a carrier that caters to travel on
secondary routes," said Mr Sim.

The airline also serves Bagan, Heho and Thandwe in Burma, so
regional travel is a niche in which it feels very comfortable.
Its fleet allows for efficient operation or these routes, since
anything bigger than a Boeing 737 can not land ,at any Burmese
air ports except Rangoon.

Great potential also exists for Air Mandalay to cooperate with
carriers such as Silk Air and Malaysia Airlines to package
northern Thailand and Burma, Mr Sim added.

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