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News on Indian paper 24/7/96
The Asian Age ( July 24, 1996)
Suu Kyi urges overseas firms to shun Burma
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Singapore, July 23: Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on
Tuesday urged foreign tourists and investors to boycott her country on
order to put pressure on the military in Rangoon. " We would like
people to keep away during Visit Myanmar Year as a symbol of
solidarity with the for democracy in Burma" she told Singapore-based
satellite network Asia Business News.
Myanmar is the name given to Burma by the junta, known as State
Law and Order Restoration Council. "Visit Myanmar Year" is a
tourism promotion campaign launched by the SLORC, starting in
November. The interview coincide with the ongoing annual meeting in
Jakarta of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations, which gave the
Burmese junta an added measure of legitimacy by granting it observer
status at the weekend.
The SLORC, which seized power in 1988 and refuse to honour the results
of general elections won massively by the opposition, has embarked on a
hotel-building spree and anticipating of a surge in tourist arrivals.
Aung
San Suu Kyi, who was freed from six year of house arrest one year ago,
told ABN that " we would like everybody who loves democracy and human
rights to keep away from Burma to demonstrate the fact that they do not
to
support a regime that practice injustice and oppression." "I don't think
any
tourist has ever been invited to examine the prisons of Burma or to study
forced labour camps or to see what is like when people are moved from
their homes of many, many years," she said.
She also urged foreign investors to shun Burma, calling in particular for
French oil giant Total to server its ties with the junta. Total is
engaged
in a major energy project in Burma. "We do not think now is the time for
any foreign company to invest in Burma because the investment do not
benefit the public at large. These investment only benefit a privileged
few," she said. Earlier this month, European brewers Heineken and
Carlsberg scrapped plans to invest in Burma amid pressure from human
rights groups in their home countries to pull out of the projects.
Despite
continued Western pressure, Burma is expected to be eventually admitted
as a full ASEAN member in few years.
ASEAN say this policy of constructive engagement, involving close
diplomatic contact and growing economic ties, would work better than
sanction to bring Burma into the international mainstream. ASEAN now
includes Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam.[AFP]
Burmese junta to hold regular press briefings
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Rangoon, 23 July: The military regime has to decided to regular monthly
press briefings in an apparent effort to improve its image, the
state-run
New Light of Myanmar reported on Tuesday. The 21 generals who call
themselves the State Law and Order Restoration Council run one of the
most reclusive regimes in the world. The general rarely meet foreign
journalists and frequently accuse them of being spies. In a slight change
of
course General Khin Nyunt, head of the secret police, made the decision
to
hold press briefings after conferring several government ministers ,
including the information minister, the news paper said. During a meeting
on July 11, Rangoon's foreign correspondents club asked information
minister Aye Kyaw to name an official government spokesman and hold
regular press conferences. Mr.- Kyaw warned Burmese correspondents
not to send negative reports and urged them to be patriotic.[AP]
The Hindu( July 24, 1996)
ASEAN not for isolating Myanmar
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(from V. Jayanth)
Myanmar figured prominently at the bilateral, sideline discussion and at
the ASEAN region forum. Mr.Alatas said, "we were all aspiring to
become more democratic. But the West can not dictate us and say we
must follow their system, be it the Westminister or the U.S. Why do you
want to impose homogeneity? I think it is some kind of intellectual
arrogance."
He said the best thing would be to let the nation and its people decide
which system suits their culture and values. It was better to deal with
Myanmar in the Asean's approach of constructive engagement and no
country should be either isolate or identified publicly for any sanction
or
told what to do.
The U.S secretary of state Mr. Worren Christopher, in his statement to
the
ARF urged the forum to consider the impact of current conditions in
Myanmar. 'The SLORC's refusal to heed the desire of a majority of the
Opposition not only violates basic, universal human rights, but raise the
chance of instability, bloodshed and migration across its borders. The
steady deterioration of the rule of law has increased the treat that
Myanmar's burgeoning drug trade poses to citizens from Bangkok to
Berlin, and Shanghai to San Francisco."
Mr. Christopher noted that approaches to Myanmar may differ "But we
have a shared interest and shared goal: a manful political dialogue that
leads to greater stability and openness. Myanmar's participation in the
ARF and its closer relationship with ASEAN make it especially important
that the process of reconciliation move forward, not backward."
Since the "posturing" by the both European Union and the US had taken
place even before their delegations reached here, ASEAN worked out a
non-controversial way of discussing the issue.
Ireland's Foreign Minister, Mr. Dick Spring, and the Australian Foreign
Minister, Mr. Alexander Dowener, were among those who met the
Foreign Minister of Myanmar, Mr. Ohn Gyaw.
The ASEAN Ministers put their view across and argued that advocacy,
isolation or sanctions would not lead anywhere and it was better to
"engage" the military junta and gradually work on them.
Meanwhile, Nobel Laureate and pro-democracy leader, Ms. Aung San
Suu Kyi, has stepped up her campaigning Yangon. Welcome the move of
tow European Breweries to pull out of Myanmar, she appealed to the
European Union to work on France to get giant, Total, to do likewise.
Total is involved in a massive gas project and a pipeline to take it to
neighboring Thailand.
According to the ASEAN sources, the US and EU could not drum up
much support for their extreme positions. ASEAN and some of its
partners like China, Japan and even India, had their own perceptions and
concern about stability, but on Economic ground too. That is why
ASEAN and its Ministers have kept harping on "constructive engagement"
and the Foreign Minister of Philippines, Mr. Domingo Siazon, made it
clear that within a "house" ASEAN, they, could speak in "whispers,"
without having to "shot" as the west was doing, to be heard.
Washington and Brussels are insistent on a dialogue with Ms. Suu Kyi
and the National League for Democracy as a step towards restoring
democracy in Myanmar. ASEAN does not want to mention names, but
speak of "dialogue" and "national reconciliation" that can include the
National League for Democracy. But Myanmar's Foreign Minister, Mr.
Ohn Gyaw, made it clear that reconciliation wad with the "armed
insurgent groups" and it was for the National League for Democracy to
return to the National Convention if it wanted a dialogue.
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