The BurmaNet News February 12, 1997

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The BurmaNet News: February 12, 1997
Issue #636

Noted in Passing: 

	       Independence Day should be a time for celebrating the
liberation of a nation from bondage. To restrict the observance 		       of
such an occasion is a denial of the basic concept that the 			independence
of a nation should be linked to the freedom of its 		people.-Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi (see: THE NATION:INDEPENDENCE IS                 NOTHING WITHOUT
FREEDOM)
 

HEADLINES:
==========
THE NATION: INDEPENDENCE IS NOTHING WITHOUT FREEDOM
THAILAND TIMES: DKBA TO STEP UP BLITZ AGAINST REFUGEES
FEER: BURNING ULTIMATUM
REUTER: CONGRESSMEN DEFEND MASSACHUSETTS TO EU, JAPAN
THAILAND TIMES: MALAYSIAN OPPONENT URGES ASEAN TALKS
THE NATION: KHIN NYUNT SAYS JUNTA SEEKS PEACE WITH KAREN
THE NATION: CHETTHA BACKS RELOCATION OF REFUGEES
THE NATION: ASEM WILL SET ENTRY RULES
BKK POST: SOUTH KOREAN GOVT REGRETS DEPORTATION
NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: NEWS BRIEFS (2.7.97)
NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: NEWS BRIEFS (2.6.97)
BKK POST: EDITORIAL-TALKS ARE ESSENTIAL TO EASING TENSIONS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

THE NATION: INDEPENDENCE IS NOTHING WITHOUT FREEDOM
February 11, 1997
Letter from Burma

Aung San Suu Kyi

Independence Day should be a time for celebrating the liberation of a nation
from bondage. 

To restrict the observance of such an occasion is a denial of the basic
concept that the independence of a nation should be linked to the freedom of
its people. The authorities seemed determined to prevent us from observing
the occasion of our independence. In many townships, the local Law and Order
Restoration Council officially forbade the NLD from holding an Independence
Day ceremony. 

Perhaps it was because they thought that officialdom alone had the monopoly
on independence; perhaps they disapproved of the practice of political
parties demonstrating their commitment to freedom; or perhaps the very idea
of independence was repugnant to them. 

We went ahead with our plans to observe Independence Day on Jan 4, the most
important day in the political calendar of our country. 

It was fairly obvious that the military was not eager to allow us to observe
the day of our national freedom in too marked a manner. 

We believed in the right of our people to express fully, at least once a
year, their views of what independence meant to them. 

Negotiations had to be conducted over the numbers who were to be let through
to my house for our ceremony. A rather uncertain compromise was reached and
on Jan 4, our guests found they had to wend their way through serious ranks
of barricades and security forces. 

For our celebrations, we had a singing competition, which provided us with
an opportunity for an airing of songs intended to raise courage and
commitment to the cause of freedom in the hearts of listeners. 

Next there was a performance by a dancer and four comedians in traditional
mode, reminding us of Daw Hnin Pa Pa, U Par Par Lay and U Lu Zaw, who had
entertained us last year and who are all now prisoners of conscience.
Lastly, there was a one-act play based on the peasant uprising of 1930.
There were striking similarities which the audience were quick to seize upon
with humorous appreciation. 

As soon as Independence Day had passed, it was time to look forward to Union
Day. Fifty years ago, a conference had been held at a small town in the Shan
State, a conference which had been crucial in deciding the shape of the
future Union of Burma. In the half century that has passed, the quest for a
nation that is indeed a true home for all our peoples has not yet ended. The
vision of a union based on mutual trust and goodwill has eluded successive
generations. 

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Panglong Agreement, an accord
between all nationalities in Burma to form, with some stipulations, one
Union of Burma, it is time to assess how far we have come along the road to
unity. In the opinion of 15 ethnic nationality organisations which held a
seminar at the beginning of the year, we have not come very far. 

The behaviour of those who impose their will over defenceless peoples has
done much to make the ethnic nationalities question whether they could ever
receive justice under a government dominated by the majority Burmese. 

A few weeks ago, the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD)
complained to the chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council
(Slorc) that one of their members had been forced to resign from the party
by an army officer. 

The day after an altercation with a couple of soldiers, the party member
concerned and two others were taken away to a military camp without any
explanation. The next day they were subjected to a tirade by an officer: Did
they belong to the Burmese Communist Party? Did they belong to the All Burma
Students Democratic Front? Did they know they could all be killed as there
was no law in the army? The member of the SNLD was further asked if he was
one of those clinging to the skirts of Aung San Suu Kyi, accused of beating
a soldier and of preaching politics for half an hour, and asked if he were
trying to defy the army. When he replied that he had not committed any crime
and that he was an official delegate to the National Convention, the officer
retorted that the National Convention was quite meaningless, full of
prostitutes, drug abusers and drug runners. 

The hapless convention delegate was beaten and made to send off letters of
resignation to his party and to the National Convention in exchange for his
freedom. 

The treatment meted out to that one member of the SNLD was not so much a
sign of racial discrimination as a reflection of the basic lack of justice
within the country. Such treatment, and worse, is daily fare for members and
supporters of the NLD: many of our organisers and elected members of
Parliament have been forced to resign through systematic persecution. 

The realisation that we are all suffering from the same lack of basic human
rights is a basis from which we could create bonds of friendship and
understanding that could lead to a true union. Friendship between the
majority Burmese and the other ethnic nationalities is essential to the
welfare of our nation. We have to work to foster a state of understanding
and sympathy especially when there has been such a long history of suspicion
and bitterness. In December 1995, the NLD brought out a statement on the
occasion of the Karen New Year. It stated the need for sincerity, unity,
equality, mutual respect and basic human rights and emphasised the
importance of promoting the languages, customs and traditions of the ethnic
nationalities. 

Such an innocuous message should not have offended anybody who has an
interest in promoting the national good. However, the authorities reacted to
it as though it was an incitement to unrest. The joint secretary of the
Myaungmya NLD was placed under arrest for reading out the message at a Karen
New Year gathering. Within six months he was dead in Myaungmya jail, still
awaiting sentencing. To penalise a man so heavily for an act aimed at
promoting national unity demonstrates an alarming lack of vision. This year
the Karen New Year came a few days after Independence Day. We brought out
another New Year message and commemorated the occasion with Karen colleagues
by raising the Karen flag in our garden. The flag consists of horizontal
red, white and blue bars and a red and blue rising sun at one corner with a
drum superimposed on it. 

The drum is an important symbol for the Karen people. It is usually referred
to as a frog drum because it has small frogs on its face and elephants
lumbering down the flank. It is said that the frogs signify the unity of
purpose that will lead the Karen people to victory over even the biggest enemy. 

As the Karen New Year is traditionally held after the harvest, it is usual
to serve steamed glutinous rice on this occasion. 

Large dishes of steaming black and white mounds of rice sprinkled with
crushed sesame seeds, accompanied by cups of boiling green tea is a fine
display of hospitality very much in keeping with the spirit of rural Burma.
The simplicity of our Karen New Year feast, shared with Karen ­ and
non-Karen colleagues dressed in bright red, traditional tunics ­ was
enormously satisfactory. 

During World War II, there were many bloody conflicts between the Burmese
and Karen communities of the Irrawaddy delta. The resolution of the conflict
brought together leaders of the Karen community with the leaders of the
Burmese independence movement. It could be said that this was the prelude to
the Union that was agreed upon but as soon as the independence of Burma was
declared in January 1948, Karen who did not believe they would receive fair
treatment under a Burmese government rose up in rebellion. Thus the Karen
insurgency constitutes the longest-standing armed conflict within the
country and much remains to be done to establish goodwill between Burmese
and Karen. Then there are the Chin and the Arakanese in the west, the Kachin
in the north, the Shan and the Karenni in the east, the Mon in the southeast
and the many other peoples who make up the rich diversity of our country. 

Our ethnic nationalists still harbour a deep mistrust of the majority
Burmese, a mistrust natural to those who have not been accorded justice and
fair play. In trying to build up a strong union, our greatest challenge will
be to win the confidence of those who have only known repression and
discrimination. 

The road that some countries have to travel from statehood to nationhood is
a difficult one. All too often one recalls to mind the words ''such a long
journey ahead ­ not a question of imagination but of faith." To travel a
long rough road, with no companion other than faith is at times a wearisome
task. 

It was with hopes of a better future that the generation of those who came
to maturity between the two world wars trod the path to independence. It was
the dream of our fathers that a free nation should be a fit home for a free
people. 

It is the tragedy of Burma that independence has not meant the realisation
of the hopes of those who died for the ideal of freedom, that it has not
resulted in the true flowering of the spirit of Panglong. 

It is out of human suffering that new societies are built. The price of
justice and freedom has never been small, nothing of lasting value ever came
cheap. We must decide for ourselves whether we are prepared to pay that
price. For some, the price may be too high, so high it seems beyond the
paying capacity of normal human beings. 

Yet there have been many who have paid without reservation for a strong,
just, democratic Union of Burma. Let us hope that we may be able to do full
honour to such noble generosity.(TN) 

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

THAILAND TIMES: DKBA TO STEP UP BLITZ AGAINST REFUGEES
February 11, 1997
by Assawin Pinitwong

TAK ; Pro-Rangoon Karen renegades yesterday vowed not to step down their
cross border attacks until every last Karen refugee seeking shelter in the
border area had returned to Burma, according to a Karen source.

"We'll continue hunting down the refugees until we have rounded up every
last one of them,"said Capt Tuiwa, acting chief of the Democratic Karen
Buddhist Army (DKBA)'s Division 555, to a group of reporters.

He pledged his assurances that those returning to their native country would
have security and a piece of land from which to make a living.

Describing the DKBA's arson attacks on Huay Kaloke and Huay Bong refugee
camp slate last month as a "necessity," he said that the group had for the
past two years warned refugees of the consequences should their demand for
the refugees to return to Burma be ignored.

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

FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW: BURNING ULTIMATUM
February 13, 1997
By Bertil Linter in Mae Sot, Thailand

Cross-border attacks timed to force Karen rebel hand

At first glance, the timing couldn't have been worse. Burma is due to join
Asean this year, breaking decades of isolation. And, more immediately, the
Thai army commander-in-chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro will visit Rangoon soon
to discuss problems along the common border.

But then, beginning on January 28, troops from Burma crossed into Thailand,
looting and setting ablaze three refugee camps near Mae Sot, around 400
kilometres northeast of Bangkok.

More than 1,000 buildings were burned, leaving 10,000 homeless in two
initial attacks: one at Huay Kalok, 10 kilometres north of Mae Sot, and the
other at Don Pa Kiang near Huay Bong, 19 kilometres north of Mae Sot. All of
the refugees were ethnic Karens who had fled the civil war in Burma.

On February 2, forces from across the border then attacked Mae La farther to
the north, home for 25,000 refugees, and the largest of the camps along the
Thai-Burmese frontier.

In the south near Mae Sot, the attackers came mainly from the Democratic
Karen Buddhist Army, a renegade faction operating under Burmese army
command. In the north, independent sources along the border say, regular
Burmese troops from the 259 Light Infantry regiment carried out the raids,
guided through the terrain by a few local DKBA troops.

But what can Burma gain from attacking refugee camps in a country which has
helped it break its international isolation, and even defended it from
critics of its abysmal human rights record?

Diplomatic observers in Bangkok see three reasons for the attacks. The
first, and most important, is to pressure the Karen into accepting a
cease-fire with the government, as have 15 other rebel forces in Burma. The
rebel Karen National Union, to which most of the refugees in the camps pay
allegiance, has talked to the govnerment four times so far, most recently
last November in Moulmein.

"But negotiations have gone nowhere," says a KNU spokesman in Mae Sot. "They
only wanted to discuss the terms of the cease-fire without addressing any
political issues." Many in Mae Sot believe the Burmese gave the KNU an
ultimatum: Agree to a cease-fire before the end of January, or face military
action. The timing of the attacks certainly backs this theory.

Second, local security official in Mae Sot suspect that by instigating
violence along the border, the Burmese govnerment hopes the Thais will tire
of housing the refugees and repatriate them to Burma.

"By letting the DKBA carry out some of the attacks, the Burmese want it to
appear as if it were some kind of infighting among us Karens," says Robert
Htwe, a Karen aid worker on the border.

A third reason could be a meeting of about a dozen ethnic minority groups in
the area opposite Umphang south of Mae Sot in mid-January, which seems to
have angered the govnerment in Rangoon. The resolution from the meeting
rejected the government's efforts to draw up a new constitution, which the
minority groups say will "perpetuate the military dictatorship." It also
called for a dialogue between the ruling junta, pro-democracy leader Aung
San Suu Kyi and the ethnic minorities, and urged Asean not to admit Burma.

The meeting was especially remarkable because it brought together not only
the KNU and a few other rebel armies still fighting the govnerment, but also
four groups which have made cease-fire agreements with the govnerment: the
Was, the Mons, the Kachins and the Karennis.

"This was unprecedented," says Tzang Yawnghwe, a Shan now living in Canada
whose father served as Burma's first president. "The unity was remarkable."
Not since the 1980s have so many ethnic minority groups discussed common issues.

The Burmese junta's decision to strike against the camps may not, after all,
have been that untimely. "They want to crush all resistance along the
border, and they clearly see the refugee camps as havens for KNU cadres and
their dependents," says an Asian diplomat in Bangkok. He suggests that the
Thai government's reluctance to protect the camps also indicates a desire to
be relieved of the nearly 100,000 refugees in camps in Thailand.

But neither military action nor Burma's cease-fires seems likely to
guarantee peace for civilians. In Shan State, where nearly all rebel groups
have made cease-fire accords with Rangoon, over 100,000 people from 600
villages have been relocated, often at gunpoint, according to a recent
report from the Shan Human Rights Foundation in Chiang Mai.

They have been forced into 45 main sites, where the authorities believe that
they can more easily control traditionally defiant civilians.

Many Shan have fled into Thailand, where officials estimate as many as
300,000-400,000 people from Burma work illegally. "We just couldn't stay at
home," says Ai Tuan, a 23-year-old man from southern Shan State who is a
construction worker in Thailand. "The army came to our village almost every
day to demand crops and forced labour."

A continuous flood of refugees into Thailand is only one outcome of the
still-unsettled political situation in Burma. Bloody cross-border raids,
with ensuing instability in a previously tranquil frontier area, is another.
Asean's silence over the situation in Burma seems bound to, backfire,
benefiting-as it seems to-only the junta in Rangoon. (FEER)

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

REUTER: CONGRESSMEN DEFEND MASSACHUSETTS TO EU, JAPAN
February 10, 1997
By Leslie Gevirtz     

BOSTON- A group of Democratic congressmen from Massachusetts wrote to the
European Union on Monday telling them to stay out of the internal affairs of
their state, which is boycotting firms that trade with Burma.

    Democratic Rep. Barney Frank, who authored the letter to the EU signed by
the state's congressional delegation, said in a telephone interview: "We're
fully prepared to support Massachusetts in this matter.

    "Most countries don't fully comply with the WTO (World Trade Organization
agreement) ... but I particularly resent both the EU and Japan trying to
interfere with Massachusetts, particularly since we pay for their defense,"
Frank said.

    The letter to the EU follows one sent to Japan's Prime Minister Ryutaro
Hashimoto on Friday that said Japan had the sovereign right to put dollars
ahead of human rights but it should not "intimidate Massachusetts into
changing the standards it has established for doing business with the state
government."

    About 10 U.S. cities, including San Francisco, have passed selective
purchasing laws against firms doing business in Burma, citing the brutality
of the military junta that controls the Southeast Asian nation. But
Massachusetts is the only state and the largest market so far to boycott
such firms.

    Frank suggested if the state's law barring Massachusetts from trading
with firms that do business in Burma were found to be a WTO violation, any
sanction against Massachusetts should "be paid for by reducing the amount of
money spent on the defense of both Japan and Europe."

    The EU has complained to the U.S. State Department about the
Massachusetts law that went into effect on Jan 1. In a letter sent to
Governor William Weld, EU Ambassador Hugo Paemen called the measure "a breach
of U.S. international obligations and as such could have a damaging effect on
bilateral EU-US relations."

    Since Weld signed the law last August, it has inspired several U.S.
firms including Apple Computer <APPL.O> and Hewlett-Packard <HWP.N> to cut
ties with Burma.

    Human rights activists said the state law was a challenge to Burma's
ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council and noted Aung San Suu Kyi,
the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner who leads the country's democratic
opposition, has called for sanctions against her country's government.

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

THAILAND TIMES: MALAYSIAN OPPONENT URGES ASEAN TO HOST TALKS
February 11, 1997
Deutsche Presse - Agentur

KUALA LUMPUR: Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN), meeting in Singapore this week, should open up talks
between Burma's military junta and pro-democracy forces on national
reconciliation, Malaysia's opposition chief said yesterday.

Lim Kit Siang, secretary general of the Democratic Action Party, said the
ministers should seriously consider the idea of hosting a dialogue, under
the auspices of ASEAN, between Rangoon's military leaders and the
pro-democracy opposition led by Aung Sang Suu Kyi.

"Such a dialogue ..could help break the present political impasse in Burma
and help move Burma towards the road of democratization and national
reconciliation," he said in a statement.

The seven ASEAN foreign ministers will meet their counterparts from the 15
member European Union on February 13-14 in Singapore for the annual ASEAN-EU
dialogue, followed by the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) on February 15, where
they will be joined by foreign ministers from China, Japan and South Korea.

The Burmese situation is expected to crop up during the meetings as the EU
has long pushed ASEAN to act firmer against Burma to compel the military
government, known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC),to
embark on democratic reforms.

ASEAN has long practiced what it calls "constructive engagement" with
Rangoon in the belief that it will result faster in reforms than by
confronting or isolating Burma. Burma last year applied to join ASEAN as a
full member, hopefully this year.

Lim said the policy has failed to produce any positive results; instead it
has encouraged SLORC to continues with cracking down on prodemocracy
activists, including closing universities in December after anti-government
protests by students.

ASEAN, he proposed, should expand its "one sided policy of confining
contacts only with SLORC to also "constructively engage" through official
links with Suu Kyi and the pro-democracy movement.

The ASEAN meeting in Singapore also assumes great significance because the
grouping will decide in July whether to accept Burma as a member, Lim added.

ASEAN group Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have applied to become full members.

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

THE NATION: KHIN NYUNT SAYS JUNTA SEEKS PEACE WITH KAREN
February 11, 1997
Reuter

A senior Burmese military official said yesterday that his govnerment wanted
to make peace with ethnic Karen rebels based on the eastern border with
Thailand, but that the offer had been rejected by rebel officials.

"The govnerment is still patiently inviting in good faith the remaining
armed group in the jungle," said Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt, in apparent
reference to the Karen National Union (KNU) based on Burma's eastern border
with Thailand.

"The govnerment is extending peace overtures because of their feeble
strength, and we must make political advantage out of it," he told cultural
troupes preparing to attend ceremonies marking Burma's 50th Union Day.

Khin Nyunt's remarks came amid Thai military reports that Rangoon had sent
reinforcements to its eastern border region and is ready to launch
offensives against the KNU.

The KNU, which has fought Rangoon for greater autonomy for the Karen state
since 1948, has rejected several previous peace overtures, saying it will
not lay down its arms as a precondition for talks.

A Thai Army source based in Mae Sot, a town bordering Burma, said on Sunday
that thousands of Burmese soldiers has been seen heading toward the KNU's
jungle strongholds over the weekend.

A KNU officer based on the border said that the rebels could not accept Khin
Nyunt's statement because they believed a Burmese troops attack on their
camps was imminent.

"How can he say that in good faith when at the same time he is sending
troops to fight us?" The officer asked. "Khin Nyunt's remarks are merely a
face-saving gesture in order to draw international attention.

"How can we hold peace talks as their offensive against us is imminent?" He
asked.

At least 15 other ethnic factions have reached peace agreements with Burma's
ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council.

The KNU is the only group that has not yet reached an agreement with the
junta. (TN)

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

THE NATION: CHETTHA BACKS RELOCATION OF REFUGEES
February 11, 1997

ARMY Commander-in-Chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro said yesterday that relocation
and consolidation of the scatttered Karen refugee camps to one site further
away from the Thai-Burmese border would make it easier for Thai security
forces to provide protection. 

He said his proposal that Karen refugees in camps along the frontier in Tak
province be relocated 10 kilometres deeper inside Thailand was the best
solution as it would benefit all parties involved. 

Relocation would help the international community realise that Thailand is
serious about providing protection to the refugees, he added. There are
currently about 80,000 Karen refugees living in over a dozen camps along the
Thai-Burmese border. 

Chettha said relocating and consolidating the camps was just an idea and
that the final decision would rest with the government. The Army, he said,
was ready to follow whatever the government orders. 

The Army has come under heavy public criticism over its failure to prevent
attacks by armed Burmese and pro-Rangoon renegade Karen forces on three
Karen refugee camps in Tak province on Jan 28 and 29. 

A new site must not threaten national security, otherwise the refugees would
have to remain in their old camps, Chettha said. 

The Army chief said all government and military agencies involved in refugee
affairs are discussing and coordinating with the Forestry Department and
Tak's border district chiefs to find a suitable location for the new camp. 

He said if there were no sites available, another option would be to move
the refugees to the Huay Kalok area in Mae Sot district, one km deeper
inside Thailand than the present camp. 

Meanwhile, Reuter reports that the Burmese-backed Democratic Karen Buddhist
Army (DKBA), which launched the attacks against the Karen camps along with
Burmese troops, vowed yesterday to persist with attacks on refugees
sheltered in sprawling camps along the Burma-Thai border. 

''We will continue to attack them until they all return to Burma," Captain
Htu War, the DKBA commander, said at his jungle camp on the Burmese side of
the Moei River which marks the border with Thailand. 

He said that Burmese troops have provided arms and supplies for recent
operations against the 80,000 refugees associated with the Karen National
Union (KNU). But he added that Burmese troops are not involved in the raids. 

The DKBA is a Buddhist-dominated splinter group that broke away in 1995 from
the predominantly Christian KNU, which has been fighting Rangoon for an
independent Karen state since 1948. 

The DKBA has recently stepped up its harassment of the KNU, which has
refused to lay down arms and rejected peace overtures from Burma's ruling
State Law and Order Restoration Council. 

Recent DKBA attacks have left scores dead and wounded in the KNU refugee camps. 

Htu War said KNU guerrillas had used the refugee camps in Thailand as
sanctuaries, crossing into Burma from time to time to attack the DKBA.(TN) 

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

THE NATION: ASEM WILL SET ENTRY RULES
February 11, 1997
By Rita Patiyasevi 

THE future membership of Burma, Laos and Cambodia in the Association of
South east Asean Nations (Asean) will not gain them automatic admission into
the Asia-Europe meeting (Asem), a senior official said yesterday. 

The first Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers meeting in Singapore on Saturday
will discuss the criteria for accepting new members to the grouping, among
other issues. 

The official said that although senior officials touched on the subject when
they met in Dublin last December, the proposed selection criteria will be
looked into in further detail before being submitted to the leaders next
year for final approval. 

The proposed criteria include the geographical position of new members, that
Asia and Europe only nominate countries in their own continents and that all
member countries approve a nominated country before it is granted membership. 

Australia, New Zealand and Russia, along with several countries from Asia
and Europe, have all expressed the desire to join Asem. 

The ministers of Asean ­ which groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam ­ will meet their European
Union (EU) counterparts on Thursday and Friday. 

This will be followed by the first Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers meeting on
Saturday, involving Asean, China, Japan, South Korea and the EU. 

High on the agenda will be discussions on expanding Asem membership and a
united effort to combat terrorism. 

The official said other issues on Asia's agenda at the Asem meeting will be
a follow up on the economic and political deals agreed by leaders at the
inaugural summit in Bangkok last March, the launch of the Asia-Europe
Foundation in Singapore and the Greater Mekong projects. 

Thailand will seek confirmation from Asem foreign ministers on the
establishment of an Asia-Europe Environmental Technology Centre (AEETC). 

Foreign Minister Prachuab Chaiyasan, who led a group of Asem diplomats to
the national Environmental Research and Training Centre which will be
expanded into the AEETC, hopes the progress of the multi-national institute
will be reflected in the chairman's statement at the Singapore meeting.(TN) 

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

BKK POST: SOUTH KOREAN GOVT REGRETS DEPORTATION
February 11, 1997
AFP

The South Korean foreign ministry summoned Burma's ambassador to Seoul
yesterday to express "regret" over the deportation of a South Korean MP from
Rangoon, a ministry spokesman said.

The ambassador, U Phone Myint, was also asked by Asia-Pacific Affairs
director Ryu Kwang-Sok to take steps to prevent a repeat of the incident in
which the MP was bundled aboard a plane despite having a diplomatic passport
and a valid visa.

Kim Sang-Woo, an opposition member of South Korea's national assembly and a
member of the foreign relations committee, was refused entry to Burma on
Thursday because Burmese military intelligence said he had "a history of
interfering in Burma's internal affairs". (BP)

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

NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: NEWS BRIEFS (2.7.97)
February 7, 1997

MINISTER FOR HOTELS AND TOURISM RECEIVES OFFICIAL OF SEICHI TRAVEL SERVICE INC

	YANGON, 6 Feb-Executive Director and Regional General Manager of Seichi
Travel Savice Inc Mr Koji Takashima of Japan paid a courtesy call on Member
of the State Law and Order Restondion Council Minister for Hotels and
Tourism Lt-Gen Kyaw Ba at his Office this morning.  MF Takashima said Seichi
Travel is one of the famous travel agencies in Japan and his travel agency
wUI make arrangemcats for sending tourists to Myanmar beginning this year.
They will extensively carry out advertising campaign on Myanmar for sending
more tourists to this country, he said. The minister said he will provide
necessary assistance to Seichi for achieving success. Present on the
occasion also was Director-General U Khin Maung Latt of Directorate of
Hotels and Tourism and officials. 

VOA CORRESPONDENT MEETS YCDC MEMBER, OFFICIALS

	YANGON, 6 Feb-VOA correspondent Mr Gary P Thomas, currently here, met
Yangon City Development Committee member U Kyi Win and officials conccrned
in the meeting  hall No 1 at the City Hall at 1 pm yesterday.
They discussed city development affairs.  Present also were Head of YCDC
Revenue Deparanent U Tin Maung Myint, Head of Markets Department U San Tun,
Assistant Heat of City Planning and Land Administration Department U Soe
Myint and other officials.

ENERGY MINISTER RECEIVES NIPPON OIL PRESIDENT

	YANGON, 6 Feb president of Nippon Oil Exploration Ltd of Japan Mr T Tomita
and party called on Minister for Energy U Khin Maung Thein at his office
yesterday afternoon.  They discussed investment and cooperation in the
energy sector especially in exploration and drilling of oil and natural gas.
Director-General of Energy Planning Department U Soe Myint was also present.

DELEGATES ARRIVE TO OBSERVE GOLDEN JUBILEE UNION DAY

	YANGON, 6 Feb- At the invitation of Minister for Progress of Border Areas
and National Races and Development Affairs Lt-Gen Maung Tint, 20 delegates
of the national races including  nine men from border area of tarmoenye
region, Kutkai Township, in North-East Command area arrived here by train
at 9 pm on 5 February to observe Golden Jubilee Union Day.  The delegates
were welcomed by officials of the Department for Development of Border Areas
and National Races under the Ministry of Progress of Border Areas  and
National Races and Development Affairs.  

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NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: NEWS BRIEFS (2.6.97)
February 6, 1997

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, FISHERIES OF CAMBODIA AND DELEGATION ARRIVE

	YANGON, 5 Feb- At the invitation of Minister for Forestry Lt- Gen Chit Swe,
an eight-member goodwill Cambodian delegation led by Minister of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia Mr  Tao  Seng Hour arrived
here by air this morning. They were welcomed at Yangon International Airport
by Minister Lt- Gen Chit Shwe, Deputy Minister U Aung Phone, departmental
heads and other officials.  Minister Mr Tao Seng Hour and delegation called
on Minister Lt- Gen Chit Swe at International Business Centre. Deputy
Minister U Aung Phone and official were also present. Accompanied by
Director- General of Planning and Statistics  Department U Soe Tint and
officials, they visited Panhiline Sluice Project in Nyaungdon Township,
Ayeyawady Division. 
Officials explained to them the work for establishment of integrated farms,
summer paddy cultivation and construction of the sluice.

 SPRAYING, DRIPPING AND SOLAR- POWERED SYSTEMS FOR  AGRICULTURE PURPOSE
DEMONSTRATED

	YANGON, 5 Feb- Water spraying and warming systems for agricultural and
clarified at Yuzana Garden Hotel today. The demonstration was jointly
sponsored by the Ministry of  Agriculture and Irrigation, the Ministry of
Science and Technology, the Ram Trade & Investment (1996) Ltd of Israel and 
AEC Co, Ltd of Myanmar.  Director- General of the Agricultural Planning
Department of the Ministry of  Agriculture and Irrigation Dr. Mya Maung
delivered the opening address.  Representative of Naan Irrigation Systems Mr
Nathaniel Van Collem explained spraying and dripping, Deputy Research
Officer of the Ministry of Science and Technology U Aung Gyi dealt with use
of solar energy in Myanmar and representative of Chromagen Solar Energy
Systems Mr Ami Elazari discussed solar-powered lighting at houses, warming
system and solar- powered water pumps.  They also replied to question asked
by the guest.

 ENERGY MINISTER RECEIVES MARUBENI GM
	
	YANGON,5 Feb- Minister for Energy U Khin Maung Thein received  General
Manager of Marubeni Corporation of Japan Mr K Miyazaki and party at his
office this morning .	They discussed matters concerning investment and
cooperation and power generation and distribution.	 Director-General of
Energy Planning Department  Soe Myint was also present at the discussions.
 
FRENCH TOURISTS  CONCLUDE VISIT

	YANGON,5 Feb- Philip group comprising 110 French tourists left this evening
at the end of  their visit to Myanmar.The trip was arranged by Myanmar
Hotels and Tourism Service. During their stay in Myanmar they visited Bagan,
Mandalay, Amarapura  and Sagaing. They were seen off the airport by 
officials of MHTS.

RELIGIOUS BOOKS PRESENTED TO CHINESE DELEGATION

	YANGON, 5  Feb-  Minister for Religious Affairs Lt-Gen Myo  Nyunt presented
goodwill pennant and religious books to members of the Chinese Buddhist
delegation safeguarding Buddha's Tooth Relic at Hantha Thiri Hill, Kaba Aye,
this morning. The minister expressed his pleasure for their efforts towards
bilateral goodwill relations during their stay in Myanmar.The Sayadaw of the
Chinese delegation believed that relations between the two countries will
further strengthen and  expressed thanks for the hosts having arranged
visits to famous pagodas for them.	He spoke of broad-mindedness and
piousness of Myanmar people and perpetuation of bilateral goodwill
relations. Present also were Deputy Minister for Religious Affairs U Aung
Khin, Director- General of Religious Affairs Department U Arnt Maung and
officials.The minister then presented the pennant in commemoration of
bilateral goodwill relations and religious books to the delegation. 

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BKK POST: EDITORIAL-TALKS ARE ESSENTIAL TO EASING TENSIONS
February 11, 1997

Burma's feud with the Karen National Union rebels continues to intensify.
What should be an internal affair of our neighbour to the west has spread to
Thai territory. The Burmese regime is threatening the use of more force
against the Karen. Rangoon has a special obligation to keep its internal
problems off  Thai soil.

The feuding between the Burmese regime and Karen rebels is coming to a boil.
That could mean serious trouble for Thailand. Past attempts by Rangoon's
army to subdue the Karen National Union have spilled onto our soil.

Most recently, pro-Slorc forces attacked two refugee camps inside Thailand
and burnt them to the ground. More seriously, they killed a Thai villager in
the assault.

The govnerment should consider seriously steps to try to prevent this border
conflict from getting out of hand. Relations between Slorc and the Karen are
an internal Burmese affair. Fighting between the regime and the rebels which
spills into Thailand is a serious and international matter. Now is a good
time to put it to Burma: Keep the fighting - if any - on your own side of
the border.

There is no secret about what Burma plans for the Karen. Unless the Karen
National Union surrenders and accepts Slorc sovereignty, Rangoon will
attempt once gain to crush them by military means, as it does each dry
season. Reports from Mae Sot say the Burmese army is in the process of
building its forces opposite Tak province in preparation for just such a
military drive.

It will not be the first time Burma sends its army against Karen-controlled
areas opposite Thailand. Such raids have been a grave risk to peace in the
past. Two years ago, Burmese forces simply ignored the border in their drive
to capture territory from the Karen.

They managed to capture the Karen headquarters and other high ground. The
Burmese also sank Thai-Burma relations to a low point.

In Rangoon, there are equally ominous threats from Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, one of
the leaders of the military junta. Peace talks with the KNU are making no
progress, he said in a Union Day speech. Clearly, the regime is prepared to
flex its military muscle against the Karen.

It is not for our govnerment to take sides in the Rangoon-Karen dispute. But
Thai officials have the right to protect our border from any foreign
intrusion. We also have accepted a special obligation to protect thousands
of innocent Karen who have fled Burma for the safety of our country. Like
Thai villagers, these unarmed refugees must be protected.

The Foreign Ministry and border committees should be involved in an attempt
at preventive measures. They must urge their Burmese counterparts to keep
their disputes in their own country. Although Burma often has shrugged off
Thai requests in the past, our officials should continue to make
representations to them. Every border violation risks greater confrontation
and escalation of an international dispute neither Thailand nor Burma truly
desires.

Nor should Burma be let off the hook when it claims the ethnic Karen
guerrilla forces it has organised have nothing to do with Slorc. The
so-called Karen Buddhist Army is a Slorc invention, and Rangoon will have to
accept responsibility for its actions. The attacks on the Tak refugee camps
amount to nothing less than a terrorist raid on Thailand, sponsored by the
Burmese regime. If talks and diplomatic processes cannot halt such actions
by Rangoon, then force must be considered.

Attempts must continue to engage the Burmese junta in civilised diplomatic
discussion in order to lower the tension at the Thai frontier. Thai
officials should attempt to talk out any problems the two countries face. At
the same time, the duty of our armed forces to protect our borders is clear.
There is always hope, however slim, that Burma will listen to reason. (BP)

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