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BurmaNet News March 7, 1996 #356
- Subject: BurmaNet News March 7, 1996 #356
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- Date: Thu, 07 Mar 1996 10:15:00
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"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: March 7, 1996
Issue #356
HEADLINES:
==========
DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI: LETTER FROM BURMA #15
NYT: DO RIGHTS OR ECONOMIC GROWTH COME FIRST?
AP-DOW JONES: FRANCE'S TOTAL ANNOUNCES MYANMAR FINDS
REUTER: BURMA WRESTLES WITH GALLOPING INFLATION
FORBES MAGAZINE: CORRUPT BURMA
DAILY YOMIURI: JAPAN STILL CAUTIOUS OVER INVESTING IN MYANMAR
NATION: BURMESE BORDER TO BE REOPENED, SAYS VIROJ
BKK POST: TALKS HELD WITH BURMA ON FISHERY CONFLICTS
UNOCAL FACT SHEET: THE HUMAN RIGHTS PIPELINE IN BURMA
INDEP. REPORT: MASSACHUSETTS BURMA BILL PASSES KEY COMMITTEE!
ISBDA: LIST OF AVAILABLE VIDEO INFOS FROM ISBDA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI: LETTER FROM BURMA #15
Mainichi Daily News, Monday, March 4, 1996
SAVORING THE PEACE OF A WELL-EARNED WEEKEND: DAYS OF REST
People ask me in what way my life has changed since I was released from
house arrest eight months ago. One of the most obvious changes is that I
can no longer keep to the strict timetable that governed my days when I
lived alone. Then, it was important to establish a routine and to follow it
strictly to avoid a feckless squandering of time. I rose at half past four
every morning and turned the light off at nine o'clock at night. I did not
have to wonder how many hours of sleep I would be able to grab. To
introduce some variety that would divide my days into a pattern that
reflected the ebb and flow of ordinary life I kept Saturday and Sunday
significantly different from the rest of the week.
There was always a holiday feeling to the beginning of the weekend.
Forty-eight hours of marvelous emptiness stretched before me to be filled
with leisurely activity. I still rose at half past four in the morning and
started with an hour of meditation as I did during the week, but once the
meditation was over I let the day flow around me without any hurry. I would
carry out little chores, such as putting the contents of a cupboard into
order or sorting out the sewing box, which gave great satisfaction without
exhaustion. And I would reread favorite books, savoring the passages that I
particularly liked. Sunday was especially luxurious because I would boil
myself an egg for breakfast. The weekend would pass all too quickly.
Nowadays, too, weekends pass all too quickly but these are weekends of a
quite different order from the ones I experienced during my years of house
arrest. To begin with Saturday is a full working day. Every week my office
staff and I discuss the possibility of arranging a lighter program for the
next week and talk wistfully of a relatively free Saturday. However we have
not yet succeeded in implementing such a program.
Happily, "No appointments on Sundays" is a strict rule. Well, at any rate
it is a strict rule in theory. It just happens that sometimes something
unavoidable crops up just on Sunday. But if there are really no
appointments, Sunday morning is wonderful. I can linger over my breakfast
cup of tea: I can even read while sipping my tea. I can bathe and wash my
hair without haste and I can tidy up the mess that has accumulated over the
week. I can savor to the full that lovely, leisurely weekend feeling.
The weekend feeling actually ends on Sunday afternoon because preparations
for the public meeting that takes place at my gate at four o'clock begin
after lunch. The young men responsible for the public address system start
to test the equipment. "Testing, testing, one, two, three, four ..." must
be one of the most unattractive sentences in the world, especially when
repeated in a monotonous tone through a microphone that emits shrill nerve
jarring shrieks.
Although the quiet weekend air dissipates early on Sunday afternoon the
holiday atmosphere continues. Friends and colleagues start arriving and it
is very much like a family gathering. Some of the visitors come laden with
food. The wife of U Kyi Maung, one of the deputy chairmen of the National
League for Democracy, generally brings a large supply of steamed glutinous
rice with both sweet and savory accompaniments such as tiny, crisply fried
fish and grated fresh coconut. After the public meeting we sit out in the
garden in small groups, drinking hot green tea, eating glutinous rice and
exchanging news. An outsider witnessing the animation of the conversation
and hearing the gales of laughter bursting out intermittently from each
group would not have guessed that most of the people present worked together
every day, voluntarily and without pay, under circumstances which were far
from easy.
Most Sundays we manage to get through all that we have to do by about seven
o'clock in the evening instead of eight o'clock, which is the normal time we
end our working day during the week. When all the Sunday helpers and
visitors have left, the weekend holiday comes to an end for me because there
is usually a considerable amount of reading and writing to be completed
before Monday morning. By the time I get to bed it feels as though I am
already well into the new week and I often recall a line of a song that a
very dear family friend would sing out in her magnificent voice at the
conclusion of a busy day: "Rest from your labors, children of toil, night
cometh over, rest ye awhile."
Journalists ask me from time to time whether it is not a great burden to be
engage in the struggle for human rights and democracy in Burma under the
restrictions imposed on the movements of political parties, especially the
National League for Democracy. There are two main reasons why I do not find
my work a burden in spite of the difficulties involved. First, I have
dedicated and honorable (and good humored) colleagues whom I can trust and
respect, and second, I gather strength from each day satisfactorily
accounted for, including the brief days of rest which I would like to think
well-earned.
**************************************************
NYT: DO RIGHTS OR ECONOMIC GROWTH COME FIRST? ASIA
AND EUROPE CLASH
March 1, 1996
By Seth Mydans
BANGKOK, Thailand, Feb. 29, 1996 -- "I can think of at least 10 issues to
seriously embarrass the Europeans," the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Ali Alatas,
said as the leaders of 25 Asian and European nations converged here for a meeting
on trade and economics that opens on Friday.
Those pugnacious words highlighted a political culture clash between East and
West that has led to weeks of wrangling over the meeting's agenda, with some
Asian officials saying the Europeans only want to preach to them.
The bone of contention is human rights and its role in economic development --
and its relevance to the two-day conference.
Western governments argue that questions like labor standards, the environment
and political freedoms are inseparable form economic shop talk, while many of
their host nations insist that there is an "Asian way that puts group welfare
and rapid development first.
The Straits Times in Singapore, often a standard bearer in this debate, said
recently: "Should certain civil and political liberties be put on hold while
collective economic and social interests are advanced? Do you give a starving
man a loaf of bread or a milk crate to vent his spleen on the passing world?"
The contrary view came from Amnesty International this week in a statement that
said, "Any dialogue which does not include a recognition that the protection of
civil and political rights is complementary to sustained economic growth and
development would be a hollow one."
In the interests of harmony, and in their own economic interests in this fast-
growing region, the Europeans have agreed to keep these delicate issues off the
loosely structured agenda of the conference. Instead, the participants are
expected simply to reaffirm their commitment to the United Nations Charter
and the Convention on Human Rights.
Tough questions may be brought up in private, but officially, it appears, there
will be little talk of child labor, omen's rights, deforestation, pollution,
intellectual property rights, a free press or civil liberties.
The differences are more than philosophical. As Southeast Asian countries race
to develop, their societies are undergoing the stresses of rapid change and
the political challenges that those stresses create.
Alex Magno, a political scientist at the University of the Philippines, said it
was not greed or hard-headedness or even an "Asian way" that propels leaders
here to avoid discussions of human rights. Rather, he said, these leaders re the
prisoners of their own success and cannot dally in their push for rapid development.
"Most of the East Asian governments are in what you might call the cult of
growth," he said. "Economic growth has become the single most important
source of political legitimacy. So it is not some exotic Asian-ness that is in
question here. It is a thoroughly modern obsession with growth, which you
might call the East Asian culture of the 1990s."
Growth itself is creating new middle-class constituencies that demand
performance if their leaders are to stay in power, Mr. Magno said, and "growth
produces legitimacy."
If these still-developing countries accede to the demands of environmentalists,
for example, and install expensive pollution controls on new power plants, raising
the cost of electricity, the price could be not only economic but political as
well.
"The fastest-growing sector is the middle class," Mr. Magno said, "and that
middle class is not an Islamic or Buddhist or Catholic middle class. It is a middle
class that is intoxicated with growth, whose own personal fortunes depend on the
G.N.P. rate."
The "Western" and "Asian" points of view at the meeting are far from uniform.
The conference will include the leaders of the 15 nations of the European Union
and the 7 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as of
China, Japan and South Korea.
There is a home-grown human rights lobby here that argues strenuously that
human welfare and the environment should not be sacrificed to economic
development.
On the eve of the meeting, many of these groups from around the region gathered
here this week for a noisy airing of precisely that contentions issues their
leaders seek to avoid.
One of the organizers of that meeting, Somchai Homlaor, a Thai who heads a
group called Forum Asia, rejected the notion that standards of human rights are
Western imports and said they go hand in hand with the economic growth that
is sought by government leaders.
"Actually they are the ones who are importing their development policies from
the West: consumerism, capitalism, investment, industrialization," he said in an
interview. "Human rights violations in their country are a byproduct of that
development: environmental problems, deforestation, the displacement of
people, the gap between rich and poor."
The conference organizers made it clear that style will be as important as
substance at this initial meeting of the two economic blocks.
"What we shall be doing is stressing the things we have in common," said
Jacques Santer, president of the European Commission. "I want to avoid
all confrontation."
One of the commission's vice presidents, Leon Brittan, conceded that there
must be some flexibility on human rights, but he also said there are limits to
the cult of growth.
"For some countries the choice may be between child labor and child starvation,"
he told reporters. "But as they develop, they get to a point where it's
reasonable to say: you've got to stop now."
***************************************************
AP-DOW JONES: FRANCE'S TOTAL ANNOUNCES MYANMAR AND
INDONESIA GAS FINDS (slightly abridged)
March 6, 1996
>From ider@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
LONDON (AP-Dow Jones)--French oil major Total SA Tuesday
announced natural gas discoveries in Myanmar (formerly Burma)
and Indonesia.
The Myanmar find was made during initial exploration drilling
on the M5 and M6 offshore exploration blocks, part of the
Moattama permit.
The discovery, named Sein, is located 10 kilometers from the
Yadana field, gas from which will be sold told Thailand and for
domestic power production.
Studies are underway to confirm the commerciality of Sein.
The discovery well produced at 26 million cubic feet per day.
The partners on the M5 and M6 blocks are the same as for Yadana,
being the operator Total (31.24%), Unocal (28.26%), the Petroleum
Authority of Thailand (25.5%) and the Myanmar national oil company
MOGE (15%).
In 1995, the group signed a deal to sell gas to Thailand for a
30-year period, commencing in 1998. The initial export volume is set
at 65 million cubic feet per day, building to 525 million cubic feet
per day, plus 125 million cubic feet for local power production.
Moves to construct a pipeline from the beach, across Myanmar and
into Thailand have been criticized by some human rights groups and
trade union bodies which say forced labour is being used for the
project and Unocal has faced protests in the U.S.
********************************************************
REUTER: BURMA WRESTLES WITH GALLOPING INFLATION
February 29, 1996
By Aung Hla Tun
RANGOON, Feb 29 (Reuter) - Rocketing prices of essentials such as rice
and cooking oil have sent inflation soaring in recent months, ringing alarm
bells in impoverished Burma.
So severe is the problem that the military government has taken action to
curb runaway prices, heading off the type of crisis that brought down the
previous socialist government in 1988, private analysts and government
sources told Reuters.
``The uprising and demonstrations that took place in 1988 were mainly
because of the economic difficulties,'' Minister of Trade Lieutenant General
Tun Kyi said at a recent symposium.
For the first time, after 26 years of isolation and self-imposed exile
from the rest of the world, Burma is enjoying a heavy flow of foreign
investment, mainly in the services sector, under the leadership of the ruling
State Law and Order Restoration Committee (SLORC).
The growing foreign investment in the country, and strong economic growth
and certain economic reforms fathered by the SLORC have all fuelled
inflation, analysts and government sources said.
The Minister for National Planning and Economic Development, Brigadier
General David Abel, detailed Burma's hefty economic growth rates at a recent
top-level coordination committee meeting.
He said Burma's economy as measured by gross domestic product is set to
grow a provisional 9.8 percent in fiscal 1994-95 (April-March) compared with
7.5 percent in 1994-95 and 6.0 percent in 1993-94.
Lieutenant General Tun Kyi put foreign investment in Burma, mainly from
Singapore, Thailand, Japan and the United States, at end-December 1995 at a
total of over US$3.0 billion.
``The issue of inflation is inevitable since more and more has to be
invested for national reconstruction, but the rate of inflation must not be
out of control,'' said General Than Shwe, prime minister and head of the
SLORC, at a meeting last week.
He called for all-out efforts to bring down production costs by stressing
frugality in spending funds. Commodity prices would stabilise and fall only
when production and distribution costs fell, the general said.
Most of the side-effects of inflation are felt in major cities, the
border region and the capital city of Rangoon where the official food price
index has jumped.
Official data show the Rangoon index rose to 853.61 (base 100 in 1986) up
to October 1995 from 691.90 in fiscal 1994-95 and 418.65 in 1992-93.
Some residents attribute the jump in inflation to increased government
taxes and utility rates. Others said domestic shortages of essentials may be
due to excessive exports of some items to earn much-needed foreign exchange.
Asked what he exported, a local exporter who declined to be identified
said ``sesamum, pulses, onions, furniture, leather and marine products - you
name it.'' These are consumer items much sought after by local residents.
Electricity and water charges have gone up and parking charges,
previously unheard of in downtown Rangoon, were imposed a few months ago at a
rate of 10 kyats per hour.
At the official rate, one U.S. dollar is worth 5.75 kyats while the
blackmarket rate is about 125 kyats to the dollar. Government-licensed
exchanges convert one U.S. dollar into foreign exchange certificates at the
rate of 123 kyats.
The price of a pyi (two kilos) of the most popular Emahta rice has now
risen to 60 kyats at retail stores from the officially-announced cost of
41.11 kyats in 1993-94 and 11.72 kyats in 1991.
A viss (1.63 kilos) of cooking oil (groundnut oil) costs 200 kyats in
shops now compared with official figures of 129.85 in 1993/94 and 66.51 kyats
in 1991.
Two rounds of salary increases for civil servants in 1989 and 1993, the
sale of subsidised commodities and free transport to work have all failed to
cushion the effect of inflation, some government employees said.
``Each month, I get 16 pyis of rice at 15 kyats each, a viss of cooking
oil at 38 kyats and some candles and soap,'' said U Than Sein, a branch clerk
at a service enterprise.
``I wish the government could raise our quota of subsidised goods to meet
our actual demand instead of raising our salaries again,'' he added.
``I also moonlight every evening as a taxi driver and earn about 250
kyats daily. The most precious thing inflation has robbed us of is our
character,'' he said.
Struck hard by inflation, many experienced and educated employees of
various ranks have left their jobs for greener pastures abroad or in the
booming domestic private sector.
``In the past in Myanmar we never thought of changing our jobs, let alone
our careers,'' said U Kyaw Maung, a university lecturer turned hotel
supervisor. ``Previously I got only 1,700 kyats per month but my salary is
about 45,000 kyat now, not counting free meals and other facilities.''
``I will not hesitate to change my career again if I get a better
offer,'' he added.
The SLORC set up a task force of high-ranking officials from various
departments to bring down soaring prices. The committee met merchants and
wholesalers dealing in key consumer goods, but little has been heard of this
panel in the official media.
``Life is not as easy as it used to be. What most people are longing for
is not democracy, but only better earnings. It is high time they beat this
enemy (inflation),'' said a retired army officer.
***************************************************
FORBES MAGAZINE: CORRUPT BURMA (FROM "READERS SAY" SECTION)
February 26, 1996
Sir:
Re. "On the Road to Mandalay" (January 22, 1996). President Suharto was
assisted by the "Berkeley Mafia" in managing economic development in
Indonesia. The Burmese too have qualified economic advisors. But none of
us can help Burma until there is a political settlement in Burma. At the
present time it is very difficult for an American company to do business in
Burma without violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
-- Richard Yukhin, Dallas, Texas
******************************************************
DAILY YOMIURI: JAPAN STILL CAUTIOUS OVER INVESTING IN MYANMAR
Friday March 1, 1996
By Takashi Sakamoto
Japanese companies, lacking government support in the form of official
development assistance, lag far behind companies in other countries in
trade and investment activities in Myanmar, sometimes called the last
economic frontier in Southeast Asia.
The governmentremains reluctant to fully resume ODA in Myanmar, due
chiefly to the slow process of democractization in the military-ruled nation.
The gap in interest between Japan and countries became evident during a
recent symposium held jointly by the U.N. Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific and the Japanese Foreign Ministry in Yangon. More
than 100 government officials and bussiness leaders from eight countries,
including Japan, participated in the January event, which focused on economic
liberalization.
Among those applauding Myanmar's potential were delegates from China
and India, countries that share borders with Myanmar. In contrast, Japanese
representatives at the symposium remained cautious. At a reception the night
before the opening of the symposium, Japanese Ambassador to Yangon Yoichi
Yamaguchi said: 93Japanese corporations are called "NATO" in Myanmar.
It stands for "No Action, Talking Only". That means that there have been a lot
of bussiness talks that fell short of turning into contracts.
Indeed, Japan lags behind not only Asian countries but also the United
States and European nations in term of investment in Myanmar. As of the
end of last November, Japan placed eighth, following such countries as Singapore,
Thailand, Britain, Hongkong and the United States in the number of investments
approved by the Myanmar government. In terms of the value of the investment,
Japan ranked seventh.
The biggest reason for this lies in the fact that Japanese government is
holding back full restoration of ODA to Myanmar. Kazuo Haruna, Chairman
of Marubeni Corp., has called on the Japanese government to fully resume
ODA, including yen credits, to Myanmar. He also wants to see Myanmar take
further steps toward democratization-the key factor for Japan to resume ODA
information disclosure and deregulation. Haruna, who also chairs the Study
Group of Myanmar of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations
(Keidanren), said, "Most Japanese corporations are hoping that Japanese ODA
related projects would pave the way for Japanese bussiness to expand their
opportunities in Myanmar."
********************************************************
NATION: BURMESE BORDER TO BE REOPENED, SAYS VIROJ
March 6, 1996 (abridged)
Supreme Commander Gen Viroj Saengsanit expressed confidence
yesterday that Burma will reopen on March 16 its three border
crossings with Thailand, which have been closed since early
last year after numerous disputes and conflicts between the
two countries.
He said bilateral Thai-Burmese relations have gradually
improved and the Burmese junta will probably resume
construction of the Moei River bridge linking Thailand's Mae
Sot with Burma's Myawaddy township.
"If the opposition wants to blame the current administration
for the problems with Burma, I would like in return to
mention that it was during the previous government that Burma
shut down the frontier. "Now that this government has managed
to [negotiate] the reopening of the checkpoints, this is an
achievement."
**********************************************************
BKK POST: TALKS HELD WITH BURMA ON FISHERY CONFLICTS
March 6,1996 (abridged)
A Thai delegation met Burmese authorities on Monday to
discuss fishery problems between the two countries at a hotel
on Burma's Kawthaung Island.
The meeting is likely to lead to reopening of the Thai-
Burmese border in Ranong Province. The Thai delegation agreed
to pay compensation for three Burmese crewmen killed on board
a Thai fishing vessel in August last year. The Thai
delegates, led by Ranong Governor Sira Chavanavirat, were
later invited to visit Kawthaung (Victoria Point) opposite Ranong.
***************
UNOCAL FACT SHEET: THE HUMAN RIGHTS PIPELINE IN BURMA
February 27, 1996
1. The pipeline will transport natural gas from Burma's Andaman Sea to
Thailand across land belonging to the Tavoyan, Mon and Karen of Tenasserim
Division, Burma. The Los Angeles Times has dubbed it "The Human Rights
Pipeline".
2. The project is a joint venture partnering Unocal Corporation (Union 76)
with Total of France, Burma's ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC), and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).
3. The SLORC was voted out of office in 1990 and has been condemned
worldwide for continuing human rights abuses including torture and summary
executions. SLORC forcibly conscripts porters to carry weapons, ammunition
and rations, using them as "human mine sweepers" and beating them to death
when they become to exhausted or malnourished to work.
4. Leaders of the Mon, Karen and Tavoyan oppose the pipeline, even after
being offered payments through a third party (under the SLORC contract,
Unocal and Total are not allowed to meet directly with "enemies of the
state"). The groups are particularly opposed to SLORC's brutal presence.
5. Along the pipeline route, at least 11 Karen villages have been
"relocated", according to an ad placed in the Bangkok Post by the Thai
partner, EGAT.
6. Village relocation is conducted by SLORC officers who burn down villages
to ensure that nobody returns. Villagers who don't escape to refugee camps
along the Thai-Burma border are put into forced labor. Those who build
single-dwelling homes in the forest are suspected of collaborating with
anti-SLORC rebels, and will be summarily executed if SLORC discovers them.
7. Unocal and Total won't allow an independent human rights team into the
pipeline area, relying instead on their own employees to study and report on
the human rights situation.
8. In literature sent to shareholders, gas station owners, the media and
U.S. Congress, Unocal and Total address the question of village destruction
and forced relocation by saying, "our observers saw no such evidence."
9. Unocal's observers were escorted by SLORC officers armed with grenade
launchers, who also provided translation during Unocal's talks with any
locals. During helicopter overflights, SLORC determined where the
helicopters could land.
10. Because the pipeline is actively opposed by the Mon, Tavoyan and Karen,
SLORC is providing "security" in the form of 5,000 soldiers in 17 battalions
along the pipeline route. Unocal estimates there are 15,000 people living
in the area--meaning there is one heavily-armed soldier guarding every three
people.
11. In order for SLORC to transport these soldiers into and out of
Tenasserim Division, construction of the Ye-Tavoy railway has been
accelerated. Locals call it the "Death Railway" because more than 100,000
Karen people have been put into forced labor to build it, including pregnant
women, the elderly, and 11-year-old children. Many of them are taken from
their villages, never to return again.
12. In a July 1994 "report" sent to anyone with questions about the
pipeline, Unocal tried to distance itself from SLORC's forced labor habit by
saying they won't use the "death railway" to transport materials. But
they've never denied that their business partner uses forced labor on the
railway or as a matter of course.
13. In the same report, Unocal insisted that the pipeline would "benefit"
the people of Tenasserim. But the gas is going to Thailand, and SLORC is
extracting a "pipeline tax" from the people, presumably to fund the unwanted
military presence on their own land.
14. In a meeting with our group on January 4, 1995, Unocal president John
Imle suggested that opponents of the pipeline should be blamed for SLORC's
atrocities in Tenasserim. "What I'm saying", said Imle, "is that if you
threaten the pipeline, there's going to be more military. If forced labor
goes hand-in-glove with the military, yes, there will be more forced labor."
15. In an interview with Infrastructure Finance, Imle later "clarified" by
insisting, "The troops assigned to provide security on our pipeline project
are not using forced labor."
16. "Interestingly," writes Infrastructure Finance, "Imle's partners at
Total do not share his confidence in the good conduct of Burmese troops. 'I
could not guarantee that the military is not using forced labor,' says
Total's [Herve] Chagneux." Mr. Chagneux is Total's Burma/Thailand coordinator.
17. In January, 1996, the London Financial Times further clarified, saying
that forced labor had been used where the pipeline comes ashore. Among
other things, people were forced to build a helicopter landing pad and SLORC
barracks.
18. Under public pressure, Petro-Canada, Macy's, Amoco, Reebok, Coca-Cola,
Eddie Bauer, Scotia Bank, and Liz Claiborne have all withdrawn from or
refuse to do business with Burma under SLORC. Sanctions bills are pending
in U.S. Congress.
[19. WITHOUT PUBLIC PRESSURE, UNOCAL WILL NOT LEAVE BURMA]
******************************************************
INDEP. REPORT: MASSACHUSETTS BURMA BILL PASSES KEY COMMITTEE!
February 28, 1996
The Massachusetts Burma selective purchasing bill (H2833) has been
reported out of the Senate Steering & Policy Committee, chaired by Senator
Cheryl Jacques.
If passed, H2833 would effectively bar the state's purchasing managers from
buying goods or services from companies doing business in Burma.
H2833 will now be placed on the Senate's calendar. The bill could come to a
Second Reading vote in the full Senate as early as the week of March 11.
We need to keep the pressure on our Senators to support this bill!
THE BILL'S NEXT HURDLES
If the bill passes its Second Reading, it will be referred to the Committee
on Bills in the Third Reading. (This committee is, coincidentally, chaired
by Semator Ed Clancy who, last year, was chair of the Senate Steering &
Policy Committee.) If the Committee on Bills in the Third Reading reports
H2833 out favorably, the bill will come to the full Senate one last time for
a vote on its Third (and final) Reading. If the bill passes the Senate on
its Third Reading in the same form as it passed the lower House, it will go
to Governor Weld.
ACTION PLAN
As you can tell from the above paragraph, there are plenty of opportunities
for Unocal and its lobbyists to delay and kill the bill. But lobbyists can
be defeated through grassroots action.
Here are some steps to take before the bill hits the Senate floor on March 11.
Step 1.
Write or call your state Senator again in support of H2833. (If don't know
who your state Senator is, contact CPPAX at the number below.)
Step 2.
Each week, make a point of asking one or two friends, family and/or
co-workers to write their state Senator.
Step 3.
Until your Senator confirms that he or she will support the bill, follow up
your letters and phone calls. Consider setting up an appointment to meet
your Senator or his/her staff.
Step 4.
Help out the CPPAX phone bank. CPPAX is ready to call on its 3,000 members
to write their state Senators. But it won't happen unless people
volunteer to make the phone calls. Contact Julia Carpenter at
CPPAX at the number below to find out how you can help.
Step 5.
Call Senator Cheryl Jacques at (617) 722 1555 to thank her for reporting the
bill out of her committee favorably.
Julia Carpenter
Citizens for Participation in Political Action (CPPAX)
25 West Street, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 426 3040
cppax@xxxxxxx
SEND A LETTER TO YOUR STATE SENATOR...
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 put any or all of
this letter in your own words - the more personalized the letter the better.
Please send a copy of your letter (and, especially, any reply!) 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
*********************
ISBDA: LIST OF AVAILABLE VIDEO INFOS FROM ISBDA
Released by ISBDA on Feb 28, 1996
List of NLD Video Tapes Available from ISBDA
(Revised on February 28, 1996)
_SPECIAL VOLUMES_
Volume # S-5
"48th Independent Day Celebration Part 2: Par Par Lay's Mandalay Ah Nyein".
Comedians: U Par Par Lay and U Lu Zaw. Dancers: Myodaw Win Mar, Hnin Pa
Pa. Music: Ko Tin Myint Hlaing Troupe.
Recording Date: January 4, 1996.
Volume # S-4
"48th Independent Day Celebration Part 1: Keynote Speech by NLD Chairperson
U Aung Shwe, and top performers' Dances, Harp, Play, and Music by NLD Youth
Band with opening tune 'Kabar Ma Kyay Bu'."
Recording Date: January 4, 1996.
Volume # S-3
Keynote Speech at NGO Forum in Peking by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
(This tape is not from the NLD; ISBDA acknowledges Strider for forwarding
this video document).
Recording Date: Unknown
Price: US$10.00
Volume # S-2
"1995 Independent Day Dinner Party of Thakhin Gyis"
This tape is not from the NLD, but a Private Video Document featuring
SLORC disagreeable gathering of Burma's veteran politicians, 'Thakhins,' to
gently celebrate Independent Day that they brought to Burma.
Recording Date: January 4, 1995.
Volume # S-1
"The National Day Ceremony at NLD Headquarters"
Recording Date: November 16, 1995.
_REGULAR VOLUMES_
Volume # 31
NLD People's Forum: Speeches and answers to the questions for the people
who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and U Kyi
Maung.
Recording Date: January 13, 14, 1996.
Volume # 30
NLD People's Forum: Speeches and answers to the questions for the people
who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and U Kyi
Maung.
Recording Date: January 6, 7, 1996.
Volume # 29
NLD People's Forum: Speeches regarding NLD policy and position on SLORC
sponsored National Convention. Questions and answers to the questions for
the people who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and
U Kyi Maung.
Recording Date: December 2,3, 1995.
Volume # 28
Meeting of 'Thar Kay Ta Township' NLD members and NLD leaders headed by
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: November 3, 1995.
Volume # 27
Meeting of 'Pa Zun Taung Township' members and NLD Officials led by Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: September 3, 1995.
Volume # 26
NLD People's Forum: Speeches and answers to the questions for the people
who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and U Kyi
Maung.
Recording Dates: September 2,3, 9,10, 1995.
Volume # 25
NLD People's Forum: Speeches and answers to the questions for the people
who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and U Kyi
Maung.
Recording Dates: August 19, 20, 26, 27, 1995.
Volume # 24
NLD People's Forum: Speeches and answers to the questions for the people
who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and U Kyi
Maung.
Recording Dates: July 23, 25, 26, 30, August 5, 6, 12, 13, 1995.
Volume # 23
NLD People's Forum: Speeches and answers to the questions for the people
who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and U Kyi
Maung.
Recording Dates: July 19, 23 30, 1995.
Volume # 22
NLD People's Forum: Speeches and answers to the questions for the people
who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and U Kyi
Maung.
Recording Dates: November 18, 19, 1995.
Volume # 21
NLD People's Forum: Speeches and answers to the questions for the people
who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and U Kyi
Maung.
Recording Dates: November 12, 1995.
Volume # 20
NLD People's Forum: Speeches and answers to the questions for the people
who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and U Kyi
Maung.
Recording Dates: October 28, 29, November 4, 1995.
Volume # 19
NLD People's Forum: Speeches and answers to the questions for the people
who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and U Kyi
Maung.
Recording Dates: October 21, 22,1995.
Volume # 18
Meeting of 'Kun Chan Gone Township' party members and NLD Officials led by
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: September 26, 1995.
Volume # 17
Meeting of 'Mayan Gone Township' party members and NLD Officials led by
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: September 6, 1995.
Volume # 16
NLD People's Forum: Speeches and answers to the questions for the people
who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and U Kyi
Maung.
Recording Dates: October 8, 14, 14, 1995.
Volume # 15
Meeting of 'Pegu Division' NLD youth members and NLD Officials led by Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: September 19, 1995.
Volume # 14
Meeting (II) of 'Rangoon Division' party members and NLD Officials led by
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: August 25, 1995.
Volume # 13
Meeting (I) of 'Rangoon Division' party members and NLD Officials led by
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: August 25, 1995.
Volume # 12
Students Organized 'Thadingyut Ceremony' at NLD Office to pay respect to
Senior Political Activists of Burma.
Recording Date: October 8, 1995.
Volume # 11
NLD People's Forum: Speeches and answers to the questions for the people
who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and U Kyi
Maung.
Recording Dates: September 30, October 1, 7, 8, 1995.
Volume # 10
NLD People's Forum: Speeches and answers to the questions for the people
who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and U Kyi
Maung.
Recording Dates: September 23, 24, 30, 1995.
Volume # 9
NLD People's Forum: Speeches and answers to the questions for the people
who assembled at weekends by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and U Kyi
Maung.
Recording Dates: September 10, 16, 17 1995.
Volume # 8
Meeting of 'Kachin State' party members and NLD Officials led by Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: August 30, 1995.
Volume # 7
Meeting of 'Moulmein Township' party members and NLD Officials led by Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: August 25, 1995.
Volume # 6
Meeting of 'Irrawaddy Division' party members and NLD Officials led by Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: August 1, 1995.
Volume # 5
Meeting of 'Pegu Division' party members and NLD Officials led by Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: August 18, 1995.
Volume # 4
Meeting (II) of 'Mandalay Division' party members and NLD Officials led by
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: August 4, 1995.
Volume # 3
Meeting (I) of 'Mandalay Division' party members and NLD Officials led by
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: August 4, 1995.
Volume # 2
Meeting of 'Mon State' party members and NLD Officials led by Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: July 25, 1995.
Volume # 1
First day meeting with NLD members all over Burma and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Recording Date: July 17, 1995.
========================
ORDERING INFORMATION
Unless otherwise specified the price for each Volume is US$15.00 which
includes tape, copying, handling and air-mailing from the US.
Friends who interested in sharing these tapes must send return address to
ISBDA, 108 N. Hidalgo #305, Alhambra CA91801, USA with enclosed check or
international MO payable to Htay H. Kyi.
Please clearly mention the tape Volume numbers in your order and
we will immediately air-mailed after knowing your payment.
Remember that a short email notice to ktint@xxxxxxxxxxxxx as you mail the
order quicken the process.
All video tapes are recorded by home video camera system on NTSC VHS format.
(For Camcorder players, 8 mm Video Copies are also available here at ISBDA
upon special request: No additional charge is necessary for this service)
Burmese students and refugees should send a written request to ISBDA for
getting these videos at high discount rates.
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