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Date: Sat, 16 Dec 1995 13:17:37 -0800
Subject: BurmaNet News: Free Burma Campaign Update


------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------

The BurmaNet News: Special Issue - FREE BURMA CAMPAIGN UPDATE
Issue #303
December 16, 1995


Headings:
========
FREE BURMA CAMPAIGN LIST SERVER UP
FBC: LIST OF BURMA FOCUS GROUP CONTACTS
SELECTIVE PURCHASING LEGISLATION
JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY - BURMA CAMPAIGN
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA-GREENSBORO - PEPSI
OREGON GROUP - STOP THE LAST US CLOTHING CO. IN BURMA
AFL-CIO and NCGUB: FACT SHEETS TO FREE BURMA GROUPS
CORNELL: BEYOND RANGOON SHOWING
FBC: AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S VIDEOTAPE AND FUND-RAISING
COLORADO COLLEGE: STOPPING MINING IN BURMA
BOYCOTT PEPSI STICKERS AVAILABLE
STANFORD: HUMAN RIGHTS PROXY
FLYER FOR STOPPING ALUMNI TOURS TO BURMA
INDIANA U: APPEAL TO INDIANA U ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
WRITE TO MOUNTAIN TRAVEL SOBEK
MEETINGS WITH ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS
ACTIONS AT U OF WISCONSIN
HUMAN RIGHTS DAY ON DECEMBER 10
STANFORD: BURMESE NEW YEAR SPECIAL PIZZA

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BurmaNet Editor's Note: 

BurmaNet will periodically put together special issues on the International 
Free Burma Campaign.  Anyone who wants information posted should send it 
to christin@xxxxxxxxxx and note that it is for posting in the FBC special issues.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FREE BURMA CAMPAIGN LIST SERVER UP

MISSION STATEMENT

This list has been established to improve substantially coordination of the
International Free Burma campaign and facilitate communication among our
FBC groups.  This list is NOT for discussion of issues other than the ones
directly related to our campaign activities.

LIST POLICY

Although "Free-Burma Coalition" is a *PRIVATE* list postings will NOT be
moderated by any individual.  All of us however, should make an effort to
consider the perspectives of others.  Further, it IS important to try NOT
to overwhelm our fellow activists with a huge volume of postings on the list.

In the event an individual member (or members) begins to act irresponsibly
(e.g., sending abusive, vulgar, harassing or bigoted messages) and hence
become a threat to the cohesiveness of our action-oriented grassroots
coalition, the list will be moderated temporarily by either delaying or
deleting messages that are not conducive to our campaign.  We will announce
the beginning of such moderation and its end.  The list will be moderated
only in extreme need and at the request of a substantial number of list users.

LIST DISCLAIMER:

Content of all posts is that of the contributing author and does NOT
necessarily reflect the Free Burma Coalition as a group, unless otherwise
stated openly.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE

Send an email to:

listserver@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

With the body of the email to read:

subscribe free-burma YourFirstName YourLastName


HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE

Send an email to:

listserver@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

With the body of the email to read:

unsubscribe free-burma

******
Please note that this is the UW-Madison chapter of Free Burma Coalition (per
Phil Cooney, Student Organization Office).

Listowner: Zar Ni (zni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FBC: LIST OF FOCUS GROUPS

1) Coordination and outreach

  International Coordination and Outreach

        Christine Harmston (Canada) at cfob@xxxxxxxxxxx
        U Nyunt Aung (UK) at naung@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Dr. Khin Ni Ni Thein (Netherlands) at nin@xxxxxx
        Christopher Dietrich (France) at cd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Aung Myo Min (Thailand) at caroline@xxxxxxxxxx
        Win Min (Thailand) at lurie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Tapani.Ojasti (Finland) at ojasti@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Western activists (India) at burtu.atubdo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Ko Soe Myint (India) at nvp!shar@xxxxxxxxxxxx
        Ko Aye Chan Naing (Norway) at  absdf@xxxxxxxxxxx
        Ken and Visakha Kawasaki (Japan) at brelief@xxxxxxx
        Ko Maung Maung Than (Australia) at hazell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

        U Nwe Aung (Germany) at a2639408@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Nick Thompson (West Coast, USA) at nickt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Liz Abercrombie (EAst Coast, USA) at thompsrc@xxxxxxx
        Yuki Kidokoro (West Coast, USA) at yuki@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Simon Billenness (East Coast, USA) at simon_billenness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Ko Htun Aung Gyaw (East Coast, USA) at hag2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Ko Tun Myint (Midwest, USA) at tmyint@xxxxxxxxxxx
        Ma Khin Ohn Mar & Ko Zaw Zaw (East Coast, USA) at freeburma@xxxxxxx
        Brian (East Coast, USA) at BGL103@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Brad Simpson (Midwest, USA) at simpsonb@xxxxxxx
        Ko Zaw Oo (East Coast, USA) at  zo1@xxxxxxxxxxxx
        Zarni (Midwest, USA) at zni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Jane Jerome (West Coast, USA) at jjerome@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Kathy Polias (East Coast) at kpolias@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

2. Media Group

        a) Larry Dohrs at dohrs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        b) Ko Aye Chan at  dvb@xxxxxxxxxxx
        c) Dr. Christina Fink at christin@xxxxxxxxxx
        d) Todd Price at taprice@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        e) Betty Morse at 74750.1267@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        f) David Horne at dhorne@xxxxxxxxxxx
        g) David Wolfberg at freebrma@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
        h) Alex Turner at alturner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        i)  Rick Voithofer at rjvoitho@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        j)  Mike Ewall at MXE115@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
        k) Christine Harmston at cfob@xxxxxxxxxxx
        l) Glen Norris via Free Burma Webpage (UNC Site)
        m) Douglas Steele  at douglas.steele@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

*****Media herein refers to webpage management, and audio- and
video-production,                    print, TV, and radio.

3) Oil Group

        a) David Wolfberg at freebrma@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
        b) Dr. Carol Richards at 73030.64@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        c) Martial Cosette & Yvette Pierpaoli (France) c/o Carol
        d) Dorothy Hill (Canada) (tel) 416-631-3576; (fax) 416-971-2292
        e) Christopher Dietrich (France) at cd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        f) Jane Jerome at jjerome@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
        g) Gregory Lennox Wright at mauddib@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        h) Pam Wellner at pwellner@xxxxxxxxxxx
        i) John Peck at jepeck@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        j) Jon Shay at erc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        k) Don Erickson at Tel: 312-421-5513 (o); fax 312-421-5762

4) Tourism Group

        a) David Wolberg at freebrma@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
        b) Liz Trantowski at Elizabeth.A.Trantowski.3@xxxxxx
        c) Brad Simpson at simpsonb@xxxxxxx
        d) Rachel Kleinfeld at rachel.kleinfeld@xxxxxxxx
        e) Yuki Kidokoro at yuki@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        f) Ko Tun Myint at tmyint@xxxxxxxxxxx
        g) Paul Michels at pauglm@xxxxxx
        h) Linda  Kwon at lkwon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        i)  Andrew Miller at AEM125@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
        j) Nicholas Greenwood (Tel &Fax: 011-44-171-223-8987)
        k) Sue Wheat (Tourism Concern, UK)  Tel: 011-44-181-944-0464: Fax
	181-944-6583

5) Pepsi Group

        a) Brian Schmidt at brischmidt@xxxxxxx
        b) Terry Cottam at cfob@xxxxxxxxxxx
        c) Reid Cooper at ai268@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Tel: 613 788-2757)
        d) Teresa Ivey at TLIVEY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        e) Mike/Andrew/Brian at AEM125@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
        f) Lynda Kellam at lmkellam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        g) Kathleen Kasben at klkasben@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
        h) Pamela Kearfott at clapton@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        i)  Dale Sharkey  at DS232624@xxxxxxxxx
        j) Peter Apple at prapple@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

6) Divestment/shareholder resolution/selective purchasing Group

        a) Simon Billenness at simon_billenness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Franklin R&D)
        b) Conrad MacKerron (tel:) 800-786-2998 (Progressive Asset Management)
        c) Gregory Lennox Wright at mauddib@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        d) Chritopher Yu at YucFCAA@xxxxxxx
        e) Larry Dohrs at dohrs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        f) Beth Kempton at bkempton@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

7)  A section on guest speakers (or speakers bureau)

                suggested by Christian (Canadian Friends of Burma)
                        want to help?? Pls. contact her at cfob@xxxxxxxxxxx


For any further suggestions, feedback, or discussion, please post them to
the list server at free-burma@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thank you.
Free Burma Coalition
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SELECTIVE PURCHASING LEGISLATION

People interested in working on selective purchasing legislation can 
contact Simon Billenness for a large packet of information which
he can send to people via snail mail.  He can also put people in touch
with local Burma activists in their city or state.  They can call or
write him at Franklin Research for more details.

Simon Billenness
Franklin Research & Development 
711 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02111
(800) 548 5684, (617) 423 6655
(617) 482 6179 fax
<simon_billenness@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

---------------------------------------------------------

JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY - BURMA CAMPAIGN

The Burma Action group at James Madison University (VA) is planning to do 
a major Burma campaign at Virginia Student Environmental
Action Coalition to be held in January.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA-GREENSBORO - PEPSI

The Uiversity of North Carolina-Greensboro group has a Burma campaign
"Kick-pepsi-off-campus" and if you have any relevant info or would like to
help, please contact lmkellam@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OREGON GROUP - STOP THE LAST US CLOTHING CO. IN BURMA

  Columbia Sportswear is producing clothes in Burma, the only American
company I know for certain to be there. They are Portland-based so our group
the Burma Action Committee is trying to deal with them. We've given them a
Dec. 15 deadline to make some kind of commitment to withdraw. NOW is the best
time to influence their decision before positions harden.
  Burma Action Committee is asking other activists to call, write, or fax
Columbia to ask them to withdraw and to say you will work with our group if a
boycott becomes necessary.
  Contact Columbia's President Tim Boyle at 6600 N. Baltimore, Portland OR
97203, (503) 286-3676, fax 289-6602. If you call and can't reach him, try
Angie Dubrowsky at 286-3676 ext. 4328.
    And PLEASE contact our group if you contact Columbia. Contact the Burma
Action Committee at brischmidt@xxxxxxx, or (503) 786-9517 (Matt Donahue).
    With luck this will be resolved without a boycott- with your help it can
happen.
--------------------------------------------------------------

AFL-CIO and NCGUB: FACT SHEETS TO FREE BURMA GROUPS

AFL-CIO and the National Coalition Government of Burma, headed by Dr.
Sein Win, have undertaken a joint project on disseminating fact sheets on
Burmese politics, human rights, and economy to all our Free Burma Groups in
the US.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CORNELL: BEYOND RANGOON SHOWING
from Shwe Htee (8.8.88)

        Yesterday I was invited to speak at the Beyond Rangoon premiere at
Cornell University.  Prior to the beginning of the film, I spoke about the
1988 Uprising and the current situation in Burma.  I introduced myself as a
Burmese student and spoke of the terrible cruelty of the Burmese military
dictatorship.  I passed out flyers encouraging people to write to their
Congressman and boycott companies like Pepsi-Cola, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut,
Texaco, and other companies which still invest in the military regime.

        If Beyond Rangoon is playing at your university or in your area, I
encourage you to talk with the theater personnel and ask if you can speak
prior to the showing and/or pass out flyers.  We need everyone to know and
participate in the international embargo against the SLORC!!!  We must
continue to fight for a free Burma!!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FBC: AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S VIDEOTAPE AND FUND-RAISING
from Zarni

 We have a copy of Aung San Suu Kyi's videotaped keynote address
(originally smuggled out of Burma) and will make duplicates and sell them
as a part of fundraising campaign for the larger project such as NYT ad.
We also have up-to-the minute Burma documents (Senate testimony, human
rights reports, UN reports,  city council resolutions, etc.) and are ready
to put together a Burma info packet.

We'll distribute a copy of the tape and an info packet to Free Burma groups
for $25.

The benefits of doing this are several:
A).  We can hold events at our localities using Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's tape
(like viewing the tape plus a brief talk on Burma).
B).  We can approach local stations to see if they would be interested in
broadcasting the entire tape (16 minutes). (media campaign) (Given the
recent developments in Rangoon this has a strategic advantages as well.)

Please let us know if you are interested and send a check to "Free Burma
Coalition." 

Free Burma Coalition
c/o Department of Curriculum and Instruction
225 North Mills Street., University of Wisconsin,
Madison, WI 53706

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COLORADO COLLEGE: STOPPING MINING IN BURMA

First Dynasty Gold Mining will be going into Burma soon.  I talked
to a "supervisor" today and informed her as to the goings-on in
recent years.  She knew of these things already and gave me the
"we have to do what's best for the company" line.  I asked her if
there was someone with whom I could speak in more depth and she
encourage me to write to:

        Timothy Haddon, CEO and President
        First Dynasty Mines
        7979 East Tufts Avenue Suite 410
        Denver, Colorado, 80237

or call 303.741.1000 and ask to speak with him.  Maybe explain to them
that their involvement would damage their reputation to the point that
their business would begin to suffer.  I might try to schedule a meeting
with Haddon soon.  When you do write/call, do be polite.  They will simply 
dismiss you if you are abusive.  Thanks!

J_SHAY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-------------------------------------------------------------------

BOYCOTT PEPSI STICKERS AVAILABLE

The Burma Action Committee in Portland OR has taken over
production of Pepsi Boycott stickers and is now taking orders. 
Stickers are bigger (3 1/2"), better, and list a Free Burma Web site.

Price $10 per 100 or $90 per 1000, includes shipping within the US.
Orders less than 100 add $.05 per sticker ($.40 minimum). Outside the US,
please contact for shipping costs, or we can send an additional bill for
shipping with the stickers.

You can look at the old sticker design at the "Free Burma" Web site. New
design is similar.

To order, send a check payable to "Brian Schmidt (BAC)" Burma Action
Committee, PO Box 1926 Portland OR 97207. Rush orders, please call (503)
234-2893 (Dan Paterson) or email brischmidt@xxxxxxxx

ALSO:
(Boycott) Pepsi sticker  and revolution's symbol Fighting peacock (both in
color) are up on Free Burma Coalition server.  

Site address is HTTP:DANENET.WICIP.ORG/FBC/FREEBURMA.HTML
----------------------------------------------------------------------

STANFORD: HUMAN RIGHTS PROXY

The Burma Proxy:

This year, the following corporations: ARCO, UNOCAL, Texaco, Pepsi and
Haliburton will be presented with a proxy that asks them to develop a
policy for investment in countries with questioned human rights records.
While the proxies can not be Burma specific (because of cryptic SEC
rules) they do specifically mention Burma in the text.

It is important to note that the proxies do not ask shareholders to vote
on whether or not the corporations should be involved in Burma. They just
ask the corporations to develop a responsible policy for investing in
countries with possible human rights violations. The corporations oppose
the proxies by using the argument that they have researched everything
about Burma and have adequate proof that they are not contributing to any
human rights violations.

How Stanford has worked on the proxies:

The first step we had to take was figuring out how our school makes
decisions concerning proxies. We found, that Stanford actually had (an
almost defunct) committee designed specifically to look at proxy voting
and divestment issues. This committee was founded during the South Africa
divestment campaign in the mid-80s. Since then, it had worked
sporadically on issues such as the environment and tobacco. Almost every
school had to confront this issue and its relation to South Africa and it
is likely that some mechanism is set up.

After learning that Stanford had a process set up, we tried to find out
which corporations Stanford had stock in and learned that it has money in
almost everyone. This information is public and you should be able to
acquire it by asking the administration or, if you find a committee that
works on proxies and divestment, they will know.

After learning which corporations we had money in, we started campaigning
to get the committee consider the Burma proxies. We followed all the
normal steps: wrote articles in the paper, held rallies, did guerrilla
theatre, put up signs in bathroom stalls etc.... Eventually the issue had
become relatively well known on campus and the committee (the APIR) let
us give a presentation about what is happening in Burma and why we think
it's important that shares are voted in certain ways.

Last year, because we started so late, we ran into a lot of inertia and
were not able to go over all the considerable bureaucratic obstacles that
Stanford has built in. This year, we have expedited the process by
getting a SEAC member appointed as the student representative on the
committee and by getting the committee to do a full report on Burma over
the summer.


The Stanford Advisory Panel on Investment Responsibility voted
unanimously to support the proxy presented to Unocal regarding human
rights and Burma. This doesn't guarantee that the vote will go through, 
but it is virtually assured.  Please forward this information to anyone who 
might be helped by knowing this (for example, anyone else working on the 
shareholder resolutions).  The Stanford Investment Responsibility Committee 
(faculty, alums, etc...) would be more than happy to send out any of its information.

nick				
nickt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx     seac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FLYER FOR STOPPING ALUMNI TOURS TO BURMA

Alumni tours start in January, so we need to get going on this campaign now.
 I have a flyer I'm printing out for some of the other universities.  In order to send it 
to each group, I need to get the info. on each contact group (i.e., who the flyer should 
say to contact for more information) and tour sponsor (i.e., the director of your alumni 
association) including address, phone, FAX, & email address.  Please provide the info. 
to me or to Yuki Kidokoro of UCLA Environmental Coalition (yuki@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx). 
If you've got a local tour sponsor/alumni assn. and don't already have the forced labor 
dossier on tourism from the Burma Peace Foundation, contact Yuki.  It's essential 
documentation for the tourism campaign.  

For a flyer for your group contact David Wolberg at freebrma@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The flyer has the following wording:

Front Side...
Headline:  University of Illinois Alumni Association
Where Is Your Conscience?
{photo of child laborers in Rangoon with hotels in background}
[CAPTION:]  
Child laborers in Rangoon remove the foundations of a building site -- the future 
location of the new Shangri La for Visit Myanmar Year 1996.  These children earn 
30 cents per day.  On other projects, the laborers are not paid at all.

[MAIN BODY TEXT:]
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UI-Urbana-Champaign) Alumni 
Ass

ociation is sponsoring a travel package to Burma (Myanmar) which will further 
entrench a brutal military regime. Visit Myanmar Year 1996 has been designed by 
and for Burma's State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), one of the worlds 
worst vi

olators of human rights.  The package, Road to Mandalay, will bring 
UI-Urbana-Champaign Alumni to Mandalay, Pagan and Rangoon.   

SLORC was voted out of power in 1990, and has received the strongest possible 
condemnations from Amnesty International, 

Human Rights Watch/Asia, dozens of Nobel 
Laureates, the European Community, and the U.S. Congress and State Department. The 
UN General Assembly has condemned SLORC's ongoing human rights violations (49/197), 
particularly summary & arbitrary executions,

 torture, forced labor and forced 
relocations, abuse of women, politically motivated arrests and detentions, 
restrictions on fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of expression and 
assembly, and the imposition of oppressive measures directed in particular at 
ethnic and religious minorities.

The abuse is directly tied to tourism. SLORCs construction goals for Visit 
Myanmar Year 1996 are being met with forced labor, according to the New York 
Times, BBC television and ABCs Nightline. As recently as October 1, 1995, Reuters 
reported that 

"sources at the town level confirm what human rights groups have long 
said, that labor behind some projects...is forced and unpaid."  Documented forced 
labor has occurred at several of the sites in UI-Urbana-Champaign's travel 
schedule, including the G

rand Palace at Mandalay.  Alumni will travel on roads 
built by forced labor with black-market gasoline profits going directly to the 
military, to an airport built by forced labor.  The workers include the elderly, 
pregnant women, and 8-year-old children. Tourism firms have suggested that SLORC is 
using prison labor. This may be true: since 1988, SLORC has detained 30,000 
political prisoners -- a small percentage of the 500,000 conscripted for tourism 
labor. 

Back Side:

            Academic Freedom?  In Burma?

UI-Urbana-Champaign claims its 

travel policy is linked to academic freedom. But 
mention freedom to the SLORC and they'll imprison you. Freedom doesn't exist. 
Gatherings of five or more are illegal. Students who ask the wrong questions are 
interrogated. Underclassmen and upperclass

ment attend completely separate classes. 
Those on campus at the wrong time may be jailed. Many academics are political 
prisoners or teach in exile.

Students from the pro-democracy movement cannot return to Burma with SLORC in 
power.  Millions of peo

ple demonstrated for democracy in 1988. Thousands of 
students were massacred, a year before Tienanmen Square. Many students have since 
been killed or tortured by the SLORC, and the junta routinely harasses the families 
of student exiles. 

        Bad Deal for Tourists
Tourists will be ripped off by SLORC. Docking fees go directly to SLORC. Travelers 
will have to convert their dollars to Burmese kyats. The junta gives tourists 6 
kyats per dollar, but a dollars worth of goods in Burma will cost 120 kyats at the 
prevailing black market rate.

In Burma, no news is bad news. SLORC controls the only radio & television 
broadcasts, and the only legal magazine & newspaper. In Rangoon, Alumni wont be 
able to listen to BBC or Voice of America because SLORC is jamming the broadcasts.

Travelers will face exposure to substantial medical risks because SLORC has 
dismantled the health care system by murdering doctors and nurses and destroying 
medical facilities. Today, there is one doctor in Burma for every 12,500 people. 
The International Red Cross has found it impossible to operate there. After this 
year's devastating monsoon season, tourists must watch out for malaria, dengue, 
cholera, TB, tetanus, typhoid, hepatitis, and AIDS.  To pacify a defiant student 
population, SLORC allows heroin to be sold openly on university campuses.

Even Burma's tap water can be lethal.  Medicine, available primarily on the black 
market, is often fake or expired.   

        Bad Deal for Burma!
For the sake of Visit Myanmar Year, entire towns near tourist zones have been 
bulldozed.  UI-Urbana-Champaign's brochure romantically describes Pagan as "a ghost 
town." True: SLORC has forcibly relocated Pagan's 5,000 residents.  Temples, 
shrines and

 monuments have been destroyed by SLORC and re-built with forced labor. 
SLORCs control of movement in the country will dictate where tourists can and 
cant go. Tour guides undergo a 6-month indoctrination prior to service.  Palaung 
women from 200 vill

ages are being relocated to an "ethnic zoo" in Rangoon for 
UI-Urbana-Champaign's tourists.  

In other countries, tourism may help foster the free exchange of new ideas. In 
Burma, travelers will only provide life support to the dictators. By going to 
Burma, UI-Urbana-Champaign alumni will unwittingly strive against the people of 
Burma, who have not merely cried out for democracy; theyve voted SLORC out of 
office. Now, the people of Burma have called for a halt to investment, tourism and 
foreign aid to SLORC. It is not for the Alumni Association to decree SLORC as the 
legitimate rulers of Burma, yet by sending members there to spend money on the 
regime, were doing just that.  

Despite receiving more than sixty pages of forced labor documentation, UI-Urbana- 
Champaign said "NO" to cancelling the tour.  With your help, we think they'll say 
YES!  Take our case to Louis D. Liay, Executive Director of the UI-Urbana Champaign 
Alumni Association, (217) 333-1471.  Tell him that slave labor has no place in 
University endeavors.    

For further info, contact the Free Burma Coalition at University of Illinois 
Champaign-Urbana - email lkwan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-------------

INDIANA U: APPEAL TO INDIANA U ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

This letter could be used as a model for other groups protesting
alumni association trips.

To: Mr. Jerry Tardy
Executive Director
Indiana University Alumni Association

President
Burmese Student Association                             December 7, 1995

Dear Mr. Tardy:

My name is Tun Myint. I am a Burmese student at Indiana University, and
the president of the Burmese Student Association. I am writing this letter
to express my concern about the IU Alumni Association's unanimous decision
to go ahead with its sponsorship of its trip to Burma.

As you know, Burma is ruled by a brutal and oppressive regime called SLORC
(State Law and Order Restoration Council). SLORC is one the most serious
violators of human rights in Asia, something that has been documented by
the United States State Department , the United Nations, Amnesty
International, Human Rights Watch (Asia) and other human rights monitoring
organizations. Among the human rights violations routinely practiced by
the government are forced labor, torture, rape and the complete denial of
civil rights and liberties to the citizens of Burma.

As a Burmese political refugee who was forced to leave my country in order
to avoid arrest, torture, and likely death, but also as a future IU
Alumnus, I am greatly troubled by IU's participation in SLORC's "1996
Visit Myanmar Year" project. I understand that the trip is intended as an
educational field trip. But I think it would be a great mistake to
participate in this kind of an educational process.

First, IU travelers are not going to see the true situation in Burma; they
will only see SLORC's distorted version of Burma. They will visit approved
sites and will talk only to officially approved people.

Second, by participating in SLORC's tourist project, the IU Alumni
Association will be furnishing SLORC with hard cash with which to continue
persecuting the Burmese people. By my calculation, the 25 tourists will be
providing SLORC with US $7,500 (25 x $3 00). With this money SLORC can
purchase 62,500 assault rifle bullets from mainland China, bullets which
can and will be used to shoot, and kill, those ethnic villagers whom the
SLORC government has made war on for the past seven years. This may seen
far fetched, but SLORC is a military dictatorship, it is starved for hard
currency, and it does spend most of this currency on military weapons and
supplies.

Third, by participating in SLORC's Tourist Project, IU Alumni Association
will be giving institutional support, and lending legitimacy, to an
illegitimate government, a government that has lost the support of its own
people and the support of the international community. SLORC has
consistently refused to recognize the legitimacy of democratic politics,
and it has invalidated an election, in 1990, in which democratic forces
were supported by the vast majority of the citizens of Burma. SLORC holds
political power in Burma for one reason--because it brutally wields
military power. On December 1, 1995, the White House issued a statement
deploring the current situation in Burma and calling on SLORC to transfer
power to the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the winner of
the Nobel Peace Prize. SLORC has consistently ignored such calls. By
participating in the Tourist Project, IU Alumni Association will be
lending SLORC's position credibility.

Fourth, it has been well-documented that SLORC has been using forced labor
at the tourist sites and railway stations through which international
travelers will pass on their trip through Burma. Hundreds of men, women,
and children have been forcibly conscripted into SLORC's effort to
improve its international image. IU Alumni Association should not support
such a use of forced labor.

As you know, the Alumni Associations of UCLA and Northwestern University
have decided for these reasons to cancel their trips to Burma. These are
major Alumni Associations of major American universities, and their
decisions were undertaken with seriousness and responsibility. As a
student of Indiana University I implore you to act with the same
seriousness and responsibility. Canceling the trip to Burma is the right
thing to do. Lending any kind of support or credibility to SLORC is the
wrong thing to do. Please do the right thing.

I would be happy to provide you and your colleagues with more information
about human rights abuses in Burma and about the use of forced labor in
the tourist projects. You can contact me by phone at 339-3888 or by e-mail
at tmyint@xxxxxxxxxxxx

Thank you very much for your patience.

Sincerely,
Tun Myint

CC: President Myles Brand
    Dean Patrick O'Meara, International Programs
    Dean Kenneth  A. Rogers, International Services
    Mr. Max Skirvinm, Special Assistant to Executive Director of Indiana
                      University Alumni Association

************************
NOTE: 
1) Despite the highly publicized campaign waged by IU's Burma activists,
the Alumni Association there decided to go ahead with their alumni trip to
Burma.  that shows the complete lack of conscience on the part of those
well-informed administrators at Indiana University.

        Available options:
 A).  Demonstrations at IU (Ko Tun Myint is planning to do that in the
early       Spring with the help of the outraged IU students.)

B). Launch media attack on IU Alumni association.  That is, every single
opportunity that avail itself to us,be sure to highlight why IU alumni
association sucks.

C).  Get a copy of IU alumni list and send out a standardized copy of
letters telling them that there alma mata is in bed with what Wall Street
Journal calls Slorc "thugs." Alumni have a lot of clout as they are one of
the major sources of university fund.

More ideas invited.

Please write your letter to:

Mr. Jerry Tardy
Director, IU Alumni
Suite 219, Fountain Square
Bloomington, IN 47405

You can also send email message to: jtardy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Or Call at:  (812) 855-5700

Please send copy to iuburma@xxxxxxxxxxx, if you don't mind.

For more information, contact:  Ko Tun Myint at tmyint@xxxxxxxxxxx or David
Horne at dhorne@xxxxxxxxxxxx
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WRITE TO MOUNTAIN TRAVEL SOBEK

Greetings:
Mountain Travel Sobek, one of the premier adventure travel companies,
recently sent out its listings of 1996 trips. There is a plan for Nevada
Wier, an internationally known photographer, to lead a "Visual Journey" to
Burma.  I immediately sent a message expressing my dismay that such a trip
was even being contemplated and attached a copy of Kevin Heppner's NOTES ON
BURMA TOURISM to explain why I thought it was a bad idea.

I was heartened today to receive a message from one Moira Magneson saying
that she had forwarded my concerns to corporate higher ups and had posted
my message on the office bulletin board.  Someone is listening.

List members, particularly those with an interest in responsible travel,
may wish to contact Mountain Travel Sobek <info@xxxxxxxxxxx to ask them
PLEASE not to take a group to Burma until peace and democracy are restored
to the country.

cameronb@xxxxxxxxxxx

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MEETINGS WITH ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS

U. of Illinois group met with their alumni association, and so did Notre
Dame group.

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ACTIONS AT U OF WISCONSIN

 At Wisconsin, the athletic board is voting on Nike/Reebok sponsorship
 The issue has come to be hotly debated among many students.  The upshot of this 
is different students activist groups (Asian American Student Union, Teaching 
Assistant Association, Free Burma Coalition, Students for a Free Tibet, East Timor
Action Network, Amnesty Intetnational, Student Labor Action Coalition,
International Women's Rights, Associated Students of Madison--the umbrella
student organization--, and UWGreens) come together and work on the
Socially Responsible University  Project.  Each group maintains its focus
and concerns but we share our resources, brainstorm and act together.
Burma group is presenting case to the Finance and Business Committee that
handles the University's investment in a few days in the form of
information packet and a cover letter.  We will demand a meeting with the
Board of Regents in the early Spring semester.  We will exhaust
conventional channels before we come up with plans for another round of
protest rallies, sit-ins, etc.  in 1996.  We are also tabling at residence
hall cafetarias to disseminate info on Burma, Tibet, East Timor, Labor, etc.

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HUMAN RIGHTS DAY ON DECEMBER 10

Amnesty International is celebrating Human Rights Day on December 10
and if your group is doing anything, please contact Nick Thompson from
Stanford group at nickt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx .
There will be a Burma Rally at Stanford.

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STANFORD: BURMESE NEW YEAR SPECIAL PIZZA

from a Stanford SEAC member
A transcript of my phone call to Pizza Hut :

- "Pizza hut."
- "I'll have the Burma special with torture and extra slave labor, hold the
civil rights, with a side of heroin please."
- (pause) "what?"
- I explained and told him to tell his boss why I can't buy Pizza Hut
anymore.  The guy was cool--he wanted more info so we talked for a while.
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