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The BurmaNet News February 26, 1997




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

The BurmaNet News: February 26, 1997
Issue #650

HEADLINES:
==========
BURMANET:FORCED RELOCATION AND REPATRIATION 
NCUB: PRESS RELEASE No 5
NCUB: PRESS RELEASE NO [6]
THE NATION: CHETTHA PINS HOPE ON BORDER TALKS
BKK POST: KAREN VILLAGERS GIVEN ULTIMATUM
KYODO: MYANMAR ARMY CHIEF VISITS AREAS CAPTURED
OBSERVER: GENERALS WAR OF RAPE AND MUTILATION
BKK POST: ENVOY MEET SUU KYI AND SHAN LEADER
THAILAND TIMES:MON LEADER UNDER PRESSURE 
BKK POST: NEW MON STATE LAUDS GAS PIPELINE 
THAILAND TIMES: RELOCATION OF BURMESE BRIDGE TALKS
BEIJING XINHUA:LEADER EXPRESSES SORROW OVER DENG
THE NATION: WEST WARNED ON RANGOON'S ENTRY TO ASEAN
XINHUA NEWS AGENCY:MYANMAR TO HOST RCA MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------------

BURMANET:FORCED RELOCATION AND REPATRIATION OF KAREN REFUGEES IN WESTERN
THAILAND
February 26, 1997

Karen villagers from the KNU 4th brigade area, Minthamee area in Tenasserim
Division (Mae Sa Mee) started to flee the fighting and the human rights
abuses from the Burma Army offensive against the KNU on February 22.

Refugees fled to two sites and numbers were estimated on  Feb. 25 to be:
Bong Tee  	approximately 1,500 refugees
Pu Nam Rawn	approximately 2,000 refugees

At Pu Nam Rawn, only females and children were allowed to enter Thailand.
Approximately 500 men from Htee Kee who tried to enter Pu Nam Rawn refugee
camp were not allowed to stay and were sent back
to Burma.

On February 25th, the soldiers at the Thai Army checkpoint near Pu Nam Rawn
refused to allow US embassy officials access to visit the refugees.  The US
embassy officials were also denied access to  Ban Bong Tee, in Amphur Sai
Yoke, Kanjanaburi.

On the afternoon of Feb 25, the Commander of the 9th Division of the Thai
Army came to Bong Tee and Pu Nam Rawn by helicopter and ordered that the
refugees could only stay in Thailand 3 days and then must all go back.
The division commander ordered  that  the men be separated from the women
and children - and that  the men be forcibly ?pushed? back ?to fight?.  The
women and children were ordered to be sent  through a ?safe corridor? into
Burma opposite Amphur Suan Pung, Ratchaburi Province.

In Bong Tee the refugees were reportedly separated and an unknown number of
men were sent back across the border into the war zone.  During the night of
Feb 25, the women and children were loaded onto two large trucks, reportedly
owned by a Thai logging company and organized by the Thai Army, and sent to
Ratchaburi Province.  As of February 26th, all the people in Bong Tee have
been moved.  It appears that the women and children have been forced back
into Burma at Paw Mah Pwe village opposite Amphur Suan Pung.  The Burma Army
is presently advancing up the Tenasserim River and is only 10-12 hours walk
from this borderpoint.

The Burma Army has taken Htee Hta, Amoe (17 km north of Htee Htah and
opposite Bong Lee refugee camp) and Amla village (10 km south of Htee Htah).
These villages are only between 3-6 hours walk from Htee Kee (Minthamee Kee)
which is the KNU 4th Brigade headquarters.  The Burma Army is presently
advancing on Htee Kee.

The reports say that the Thai Army forced the men back to Htee Kee and the
remaining women and children will be loaded into trucks, reportedly
belonging to a Thai logging company, and forcibly relocated and repatriated
back at Paw Mah Pwe village (the tin mines) opposite Amphur Suan Pung,
Ratchaburi.  This is expected to happen tonight.

On the evening of February 25, the Ninth Division Commander was interviewed
on Thai Channel 5 TV.  He stated that the men should all go back and fight
the Burma Army on the Burma side of the border and the women and children
would be sent back to Burma through a ?safe corridor?.  He also stated that
all the refugees would be pushed back within 2-3 days, and they will not
have a refugee situation along that area of the border.  It  should be noted
that this is against international law and internationally-accepted
humanitarian standards.

The refugees reportedly say that they will not allow themselves to be
separated from their families and that ?if the men go back to the war zone
in Minthamee area, then they will all go and die together.?

So far there has been no information available about the fate of the 1000
refugees in Thaw Ka, which is located south of Ban Ee Tong, the point along
the borderline where the pipeline will cross into Thailand.  The refugees
are trapped between the Thai Border Patrol Police and the SLORC army.
Relief NGOs are not being allowed access to this area.

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

NCUB: PRESS RELEASE No 5
February 23, 1997

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE UNION OF BURMA
THE SLORC OFFENSIVE IN KNU BRIGADE 4 AREA

SLORC troops have been launching their offensive against KNU Brigade 4 area
using a three-pronged military attack from two positions since February
10th, 1997.

>From the north of Brigade 4 area, SLORC Battalion Nos. 25, 431, 104, 224 and
17, which are organised under Operational Command No.1, based in Tavoy
township.  These battalions arrived at a location in between Sinpyudaing and
Ai Waing villages, which is si tuated on the Tenasserim river, through Taung
Thone Lone and Myitta villages, despite KNLA guerrilla resistance.

>From the southern direction, battalions from Light Infantry Division No. 66,
under Operational Command  No. 2, sent from Nan Thila mine, marched to the
east . Another SLORC troops with 200 army-men from Infantry Battalion 17 and
101 arrived at Ka Wutt Hta  and captured porters from there. The whole
village population now fled. 

Today, there have been a series of heavy clashes between Karen National
Liberation Army (KNLA) troops and SLORC troops.  Recent reports from the
area state that SLORC troops are attempting to proceed to Htee-Kee (aka
Minthamee ) area, Headquarters of the KNU 4th Brigade.

SLORC has forcibly recruited civilians, along the roads and in villages
between Tavoy and Palaw townships, as porters for the front-line area to
carry military supplies, and as human mine-sweepers. SLORC have forced these
porters to walk in front of the troops, in order to make it difficult for
KNLA troops to launch guerrilla attacks on the SLORC columns, as the KNLA
soldiers do not want to injure these civilians.  More than 1,000 civilians
were recruited from Tavoy township to and were ordered to  Perform  forced
labour doing road construction, on the roads leading to
Htee-Kee (Minthamee).  Five bull-dozers are also being utilised to push this
road through.  On another road leading to this area, another five bulldozers
are being used near Nan Thila village, along with over 1000 forced
labourers, to complete a road into the KNU 4th Brigade HQ area.  Due to the
recent massive recruitment of porters and forced labourers from Tenasserim
Division and Mon State, many villagers have become internally displaced and
are trying to flee to the Thai border, in order to avoid continual
recruitment as porters and forced labourers, and the
accompanying ill-treatment and human rights abuses perpetrated by
the SLORC.

The following are the details of the clashes between SLORC and KNLA
troops near Taung Thone Lon, Myitta and Ban Chaung villages in KNU
4th Brigade area, before February the 22nd, 1997:

(1) On February 8, 1997, approximately 2000 SLORC troops attacked
Battalion 10 of KNLA Brigade 4. There was a small clash and no
casualties were reported on either side.

(2) On February 8, 1997, KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Myitta (Mu
Hta) village. There have been no casualties reported on either side.

(3) On February 9, 1997, there was a clash between KNLA and SLORC
troops at Maw Pel Kho(Mae Plu Khlo) village. Fighting lasted for
the whole days and nine SLORC soldiers including a Major were
killed and 15 seriously wounded. No casualties from KNU side.

(4) On February 10, 1997 KNLA troops launch guerrilla attacked
against the SLORC troops at Ka Lel Kee (Kleh Gyu) village. One
SLORC killed and two injured.

(5) On February 11, 1997, KNLA troops ambushed SLORC troops at Taung Thone
Lone village. No casualties have been confirmed yet. On
the same day there was a clash lasting three hours, between SLORC
and KNLA troops following this ambush, when SLORC troops e
ntered Maw Ko Ka Nel Pho Phel (Pho Se camp near Maw Lo Kheh)
village. The SLORC fired 20 rounds of heavy artillery shells at
KNLA troops, but no causalities have been confirmed.

(6) At 7:30 AM, on February 13, 1997, KNLA troops ambushed SLORC
troops at Pho Lay (Yo Lay) and Mae Maw Kay Klaw villages.  The clash lasted
the whole day.  The casualty report stated that 18 soldiers were injured,
and some killed.  On the same day three  SLORC soldiers fled the fighting
along with seven porters.  There as a series of clashes reported as SLORC
troops pursued the run-away soldiers and porters.  Three SLORC soldiers who
chased the fleeing soldiers and porters were killed. The run-away soldi ers
and porters were finally captured by SLORC troops and were arbitrarily
executed.   

(7) At 6:15 AM on February 15, 1997, KNLA troops attacked SLORC
troops who were being enplaned at Ai Waing (Kwee Waw Wah) village
but no casualties have been reported yet. At 11:15 AM on the same
day there was a another clash between the troops at this village. 20 SLORC
soldiers, including a Captain were reported to have been killed and wounded.
One KNLA soldier sacrificed and 5 were injured in this battle.

(8) On February 16, 1997 KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Nyar
Plur Thu village and Ai Waing (Kwee Waw Wah) villages, but no
casualties have been reported yet.

(9) On February 17, 1997, KNLA troops captured a SLORC boat carrying
supplies and food, and one SLORC soldier.  This soldier was killed as he
attempted to fire at the Karen troops and flee. 10 rice sacks, some sugar
sacks and condensed milk were confiscated by KNLA troops.  On the same day
KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Maw Ma Pru mountain, but no casualties
were reported.

(10) At 9:00 AM, on February 18, 1997, there was a heavy clash between KNLA
troops and SLORC troops at Maw Ma Pru mountain.  The fighting listed for the
whole day. Over 20 SLORC soldiers were wounded or killed.  On the same day
KNLA troops captured 10 SLORC boats carrying supplies and food for the SLORC
troops. At the same time KNLA troops attacked the SLORC troops at Ta Nah
P'Gaw Htah village and there were 20 SLORC soldiers wounded or killed.

(11) On February 19, there was a  clash between KNLA and SLORC
troops at Ka Htaw Nee area. More than 30 SLORC soldiers were
wounded or killed in the incident. 

Sporadic fighting is still going on in different parts of KNU 4th
Brigade area between KNLA and SLORC troops.  The NCUB Information
Department will continue to report on the situation in the area as
details become available.

Information Committee,NCUB
For further information please contact 055 - 561 040.   

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

NCUB: PRESS RELEASE NO [6]
February 25, 1997
                                    
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE UNION OF BURMA
THE SLORC OFFENSIVE IN KNU BRIGADE 4 AREA

Over 4, 000 SLORC troops launched a new offensive against the KNU
Brigade 4 area on January 7, 1997 called operation "Thu Ra." 
Strategic command is in Tavoy township where the HQ of the newly
formed Coastal Command led by the notorious Maj. Gen. Thi Ha Thu Ra
Sit Maung is located. Col. Thura Maung Nie is the Deputy-Chief
Strategic Commander, and Lt. Col. Thein Win, Lt. Col Saw Hla Min
and another unknown Lt. Col are the field commanders of the three
operations commands.

A final report on February 24 said one column of operations troops
marched from the north towards KNU HQ at Htee Kee (Minthamee) and
today arrived at Ah-mo village passing through Myitta, Ai Waing and
Sin Pyu Daing villages despite a series of defensive guerrilla
attacks by the KNLA and ABSDF troops.  A series of further clashes
have been occurring up until this time.

Another SLORC operations column with 1000 troops marched from Ban
Chaung area and is proceeding eastward towards the Thai border.  It
has now arrived at Naw Ti mountain near Sar War stream . Several
clashes have occurred between SLORC troops and KNLA troops
operating together with ABSDF troops.

There have been various kinds of human rights abuses committed by
the SLORC troops against villagers on their march to KNU
Headquarters at Htee Kee (Minthamee). These abuses include the
burning of villages, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrest,
forced labour, portering, and the looting of villager's
possessions.  Villagers have been fleeing from the fighting and
human rights abuses of the SLORC and crossed the Thai-Burma border
yesterday. Over 3500 displaced villagers sought refuge at Phu Nam
Laung and another 1500 in the Bong Ti  area.

SLORC offensive troops have been suffering more casualties than the
defensive Karen guerrilla troops. No detailed casualty reports are
available yet. The fighting has become fierce and further
information on the situation will be released when it becomes 
available. 
 
Information Committee
National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB)
Tel/Fax: 055 561 040

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

THE NATION: CHETTHA PINS HOPE ON BORDER TALKS
February 25, 1997
YINDEE LERTCHAROENCHOK, The Nation 

ARMY Chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro is hopeful that his talks today with his
Burmese counterpart Gen Maung Aye, the first between the current army
commanders of the two countries, will help resolve a number of border
problems and pave the way for an official visit to Burma by Prime Minister
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh. 

Right from his days as deputy Army commander to his promotion to the
top-most position last October, Chettha has never hidden his desire to be an
architect of peace and stability along the 2,500 km Thai-Burmese frontier. 

He has also sought to play a key role in improving, if not restoring,
bilateral Thai-Burmese relations, which have suffered due to a long history
of mutual distrust and suspicion over the sensitive issue of the ethnic
Burmese insurgency. 

Over the last few years, the Thai general has embarked on several tough
missions, including endless negotiations with the ruling Burmese State Law
and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) for the re-opening of three existing
crossings with Burma, which were shut one after another by Rangoon,
following a series of border incidents in 1995 and early 1996. 

Although the junta gradually re-opened the checkpoints last year, it is not
yet clear whether this was done because of Chettha, the previous Banharn
government, or simply because Thailand met Burma's financial and other demands. 

As tension along the common frontier is still running high due to the
ongoing Burmese army's major offensive against Karen rebels, Chettha will
certainly express his concern about the impact of the fighting on Thailand,
particularly the influx of Burmese refugees and their repatriation when
fighting inside Burma stops. 

Apart from urging Maung Aye to help control the Slorc-backed renegade Karen
forces who intruded into Thailand to violently attack three Karen refugee
camps last month, Chettha will assure Rangoon of Thailand's neutrality in
the latest military operation to capture territory controlled by the Karen
National Union. 

He will also urge the armed forces of both countries to exercise restraint
to avoid military clashes and to resort to a dialogue in resolving border
conflicts and territorial disputes. 

But the main item on Chettha's agenda today is to convince Maung Aye to
agree to the resumption of the construction of Thai-Burmese bridge across
the Moei River, which the Burmese leader put on hold after his inspection
tour of the site in April 1995. 

Although the Burmese general was satisfied with the progress of the bridge
construction ­ over 90 per cent was completed in about six months ­ he was
extremely upset about the reclaiming of land by the local Thais' and
encroachment on the Moei River bank. 

The Thai government eventually gave in to all of the Burmese demands,
including the removal of all structures on the reclaimed land, the removal
of the filled soil, and the restoration of an island and the waterway to its
original state. But the Slorc still refused to continue work on the bridge,
the construction cost of which is fully borne by the Thai government. 

Thailand hopes that the bridge linking the Burmese town of Myawaddy with
northern Thai district of Mae Sot, when completed, will serve as a symbol of
friendship and cooperation and facilitate communication and transportation,
similar to the Thai-Lao friendship bridge across the Mekong River. 

Chavalit himself wants to see tangible progress related to construction of
the bridge before he travels to Burma. 

Today's meeting will give Chettha an opportunity to acquaint himself with
Maung Aye, also the Slorc vice chairman who is tipped to succeed Chairman
Gen Than Shwe. 

After repeated requests from Chettha over the past several months, Maung Aye
agreed to meet the Thai general but in Tachilek, a booming Burmese border
town in northeastern Shan State where he used to be stationed as a regional
commander. (TN)

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

BKK POST: KAREN VILLAGERS GIVEN ULTIMATUM
February 25, 1997

Refugees told to come home or camps burn

The Rangoon-backed Democratic Karen Buddhist Army has threatened to burn two
refugee camps in Mae Sarong district of Mae Hong Son unless members of the
Karen National Union living there return to Burma by Thursday.

A source in the area said the KNU border committee yesterday asked the Mae
Sarong district chief to ensure safety for the 4,835 Karen refugees at Ban
Mae Kong Khan and Ban Sa Cherub camps in Tampon Mae Yam by evacuating them
to other places.

According to the committee, the DKBA recently sent letters to both camps
threatening to send 500 guerrillas to burn their homes if Karens living
there did not return by the deadline.

In response, the 4th Infantry regiment Task Force reportedly sent troops
from the 337th Border Patrol Police Unit, the 336th Ranger Unit and the 7th
Task Force to all border areas in the northern province, especially those
with refugee camps.

The chief of Ban Mae Kong Kha camp, identified only as Peter, said he had
told staff to guard the camp round the clock to ensure security for 2,030
refugees, mostly women and children, who were living in fear.

Earlier yesterday, about 3,000 ethnic Karen villagers evacuated a major
rebel headquarters in southern Burma admit reports that junta forces were
torching villages and raping women, a Karen National Union official claimed.

With junta forces poised to attack from the north and the west, Karen
civilians, mostly women and children, headed for the Thai border.

Speaking by telephone from the KNU's Fourth Brigade base at Minthamee, four
kilometres from Thailand, district chairman Kwe Htoo Win said that by
mid-afternoon most of the refugees had crossed into the Thai province of
Kanchanaburi.

Senior Thai and Burmese army officials are scheduled to meet today to try to
resolve the refugee crisis.

Thai Army commander in Chief general Chettha Thanajaro said in Bangkok he
would meet Burmese Deputy Commander in Chief of Defence Services General
Maung Aye at Tachilek in northeastern Burma.

"We will discuss the overall situation, including refugees," Gen Chettha
said. "If Burma is willing to take them back we will extend our full
cooperation and help them screen out guerrillas from the civilians in the
camps."

Military analysts said they expected Burma to ask Thailand to be more
aggressive in its efforts to halt the border skirmishes. (BP)

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

KYODO: MYANMAR ARMY CHIEF VISITS AREAS CAPTURED FROM REBELS
February 25, 1997

YANGON, Feb. 25 Kyodo - Myanmar's army chief recently inspected
border areas captured by government troops from rebels of the Karen
ethnic minority group, state-run media reported Tuesday.
     Gen. Maung Aye, commander-in-chief of the army and deputy
chairman of the ruling military junta, the State Law and Order
Restoration Council, visited Kyeik village in Kya-In-Seikkyi township, 260
kilometers southeast of Yangon near the Thai border on Monday.
     The village is among the areas seized earlier this month from the Karen
National Union (KNU), which has for decades been fighting for autonomy from
the central government
     Maung Aye, accompanied by navy and air force chiefs, is said to have
met in Kyeik with Saw Thamu Hei, commander of the KNU's 16th battalion, who
along with 495 other rebels is reported to have defected to the government
following the rupture of peace talks between the two sides.

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

OBSERVER: BURMA'S GENERALS WAGE WAR OF RAPE AND MUTILATION
February 23, 1997
Nick Daniel

Nick Daniel travels with the Karen guerrilla army which, 47 years on, is
still fighting for democracy THE HANDFUL of rebel soldiers crouched around
the short-wave radio jeered as they heard the government broadcast. 'Our
objective,' said the voice on Burma's state-controlled station, 'is to
oppose all internal enemies who areintent on destroying the nation.'

    To these guerrillas fighting to restore democracy to Burma it was a
skewed vision of what may be the last violent days of this 47-year civil war.

    We were kneeling behind a barricade in the main street of Ah Son, a
rebel-held town in Karen state, minutes before government troops attacked.
The street was littered with belongings dropped in the frantic rush to
escape the gunfire. A hundred metres beyond, 30 ill-equipped snipers waited
in an ambush for 2,500 troops. As the broadcast ended, the first mortar
shells exploded over the town.  

    Hours earlier the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc),
Burma's military junta which took power in 1988, had launched an attack on
six fronts against three Karen National Union bases along the Thai border.
It was the first day of an offensive in what could be called Burma's secret
war. Fought in dense jungle along the eastern frontier, its heavy human cost
is hidden by its remoteness.

    The Slorc's bullets are aimed as much at the Karen people, Burma's
largest ethnic group of five million, as at the Karen National Union's
depleted rebel army.  Hours before the offensive, a KNU officer,
intercepting a Slorc radio message, said government soldiers had been
ordered to shoot civilians on sight.

    I had entered Karen territory escorted by three KNU village militiamen.
But with a rusting AK-47, a defunct grenade and a field radio, our chances
were slim against a battalion. 'If he has to run,' the KNU's Brigadier Mutu
had ordered them, 'then let him run like the rest of us.'

    We left Ah Son in flames. First the church, then the hospital and a
handful of houses were hit by mortar shells. A mile outside the town we
joined a stream of evacuees, on foot and in bullock carts, beginning a
four-day trek to refugee camps in Thailand. Many who had crossed the front
line to escape government-held villages had already been military targets.
Thao Rain, 30, a teacher, lay on the back of a bullock cart, his arms and
chest heavily bandaged. Slorc officers had accused him of helping a defector
cross KNU lines. As punishment they doused him in petrol and set him alight.

    One woman of 48 said she and her daughter had been raped by six Slorc
soldiers. Afterwards they cut her daughter's throat and threw the body in a
well.

    Another woman said she had watched as Slorc soldiers maimed three men in
her village by cutting off their ears, noses and toes with machetes. All
were suspected of collaborating with the KNU.

    As we travelled south, we were to hear many such stories, demonstrating
a long -held Slorc policy of eroding civilian support for the rebels. One
village leader, fleeing government-held territory, said his 2,000 villagers
were relocated at gunpoint to sites near Slorc military camps.

    'They are trying to control us,' he said, 'but they are mad if they think
the Karen will bend to such violence.'

    For many it is a time of sheer courage. In Kwingale, 20 miles from the
Thai border, I met Rao Mein, a 28-year-old leader of the Karen Women's
Organisation.
Risking arrest, possibly execution, she had returned from the front line
after stealing through Slorc checkpoints to counsel raped women in
government-held villages.  Too late to reach Thailand ahead of government
troops, she was leading 400 villagers into the jungle east of Kwingale. 'If
I am found I will probably be shot,' she said.

    The route south bears countless scars of this bitter war. The landscape is
pockmarked with foxholes, bunkers and trenches. On a hill above the
Huangtharawa river a pagoda lies in ashes. In jungle clearings are the
ghostly remains of entire towns.

    Closely followed by the rattle of gunfire, we passed through some 30
villages abandoned by the Karen. Not a single villager remained. With years
of practice at fleeing government troops, many had concealed rice, wheat and
money in jungle hideouts.  But in the rush to evacuate 80,000 people it was
inevitable that some would lose contact with husbands, children and wives.

    My interpreter, Neh Sen, was one of them. We arrived at his village 30
minutes ahead of the troops. His wife had already fled with their
seven-month-old son but nobody knew where she had gone. One villager
reported having seen her on the back of a bullock cart two days before. Neh
Sen chose to continue to the border. He is still looking for her among the
scattered refugee camps a few miles inside Thailand.

    We reached the border with Slorc troops four miles behind. By then the
KNU's three rebel bases had fallen. Some 3,000 refugees had already arrived,
camping in sites hacked out of the jungle. They were hoping to join 90,000
Mon, Shan and Karen refugees already living in Thailand.

    For them and the thousands unable to escape Burma this may be only the
start of a far longer ordeal. Three weeks ago four refugee camps were burned
to the ground by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, a small force of KNU
defectors believed to be controlled by the Slorc. Their aim was to force
refugees back into Burma but the effort proved futile. Across this remote
border, there is a strong chance they will attack again.

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

BKK POST: ENVOY MEET SUU KYI AND SHAN LEADER
February 25, 1997
Reuters, Rangoon

UN's Vendrell sees role as mediator

A United Nations envoy visiting Burma last week met pro-democracy activist
Aung San Suu Kyi and Shan opposition leader Hkun Htun Oo as well as Burmese
junta officials.

Hkun Htun Oo said yesterday that Francesc Vendrell, director of the East
Asia desk in the UN's political affairs department, had called on him at his
office on Friday for first-hand information on the Shan opposition.

A source close to Mrs Suu Kyi confirmed she had met the UN representative
but gave no details.

Mr Vendrell met several government figures, including junta member
Lieutenant-General Maung Thint, the minister for development of border areas
and national races, and Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw.

He was reportedly unsuccessful, however, in attempts to see senior junta
figure Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, the head of military intelligence.

The UN envoy, who left Burma at the weekend, said in Phnom Penh yesterday
that his discussion with officials was "a fresh and honest exchange of views
on the current situation, and it was valuable".

He declined further comment.

It was the first visit to Rangoon by a senior UN representative since the
late 1995 trip of deputy secretary-general Alvaro de Soto.

Last year the junta, officially known as the State Law and Order Restoration
Council, and the United Nations were unable to agree on the terms of an
official mission to Burma.

Hkun Htun Oo said Mr Vendrell had also met leaders of the Nationalities
Unity Party and the pro-junta United Solidarity Development Associations.

Mr Vendrell was quoted as saying his mission was to act as "mediator"
between the Slorc and the United Nations and between the Slorc and
pro-democracy forces.

Hkun Htun Oo heads the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, which still
holds 23 seats in the ongoing national constitutional framing convention. (BP)

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

THAILAND TIMES: MON LEADER "UNDER PRESSURE" TO STEP DOWN
February 25, 1997
by Benchamas Chumworathayee and Seri Klinchan

YE, Mon State: Dissatisfaction with the leader of the New Mon State Party
(NMSP) over his acquiescence to the demands of the Burmese junta has led to
calls for him to step down, according to an informed Thai security source.

The NMSP currently controls a vital stretch of land through which an oil
pipeline linking Thailand and Burma is to be built, and Burma's ruling State
Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) is anxious to reap the financial
benefits.

During the negotiations with the Slorc, NMSP leader Shwe Kyin made a number
of concessions to the military regime, much to the displeasure of party
members, the source said. In 1995, a number of them defected from the party,
while several of the remaining members are currently attempting to oust
their leader.

The Petroleum Authority of Thailand's (PTT) 16.5 billion baht gas pipeline
will be laid from the western border town of Ban I Tong in Kanchanaburi
province, connecting the oil fields Yadana and Yetagun to a power station in
the Thai province of Ratchaburi.

Shwe Kyin, speaking to reporters in the Burmese town of Ye on the occasion
of the 50th Mon National day on Sunday, seemed prepared to
bow to his party's pressure.

"I am now 85 years old and in the near future I will have to make way for
the new generation so that the party does not fall behind developments in
the rapidly changing world," he said.

He added that the Mon people have no intention of breaking away from Burma
altogether, but simply want autonomy in their own territory.

NMSP Secretary General Gen Rodsa said his party is still wary of the Slorc,
despite a cease-fire agreement signed two years ago. He predicted that the
Mon people will be next in line once the SLORC has eradicated other ethnic
groups, and said the NMSP is accumulating weapons in preparation.

Calling on the Thai government to put pressure on the Slorc to end Burma's
decades long civil war, he urged Thailand to give shelter
to his people seeking refuge on Thai soil.

Celebrations to mark Mon National Day were also held by the Slorc
at Three Pagodas Pass, Moulmein, and Rangoon.

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BKK POST: NEW MON STATE LAUDS GAS PIPELINE 
February 25, 1997
Onnucha Hutasingh

Group vows not to impede construction

The New Mon State Party (NMSP) marked its 50th anniversary on Sunday,
declaring that it would not hold up the Burma-Thailand gas pipeline, parts
of which will pass through its areas of influence.

The announcement was made by party secretary-general Ros Sa who said during
celebrations in Moulmein on Sunday the gas pipeline would benefit all
Burmese people, insisting that project was not meant to procure arms to
fight minority groups, and Mons would not get in the way.

The pipeline from Yadana and Yetagun gas fields in Burma's Gulf of Martabun
will run through the border village of I-Tong in Thong Phaphume district of
Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

NMSP leader Gen Nai Shwe Kyin also attended the celebrations. It was the
first time he was seen in party-controlled areas since his trip to Rangoon
last year to hold truce talks with the ruling State Law and Order
Restoration Council.

A number of Mon fighters, not happy with the concessions he made to the
Burmese junta, have broken ranks with him. They were particularly not happy
with Gen Shwe Kyin's decision to give away some key areas under their control.

Under the terms of ceasefire NMSP is allowed to have armed personnel at 12
outposts, not accessible to Burmese troops pending prior approval from NMSP.

There was no progress on the political front because the 15 minority groups
have not been able to reach consensus on key issues.

Mr Ros Sa said he disagreed with Thailand's constructive engagement policy
towards Burma, contending that the policy would not be beneficial to
minority groups.

He urged the world community to put pressure on the Burmese regime to bring
democracy in the country, adding that Burma was not ready to become a member
of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (Asean) unless all the internal
problems were solved.(BP)

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THAILAND TIMES:LAST MINUTE RELOCATION OF BURMESE BRIDGE TALKS
February 25, 1997

BANGKOK : Burmese authorities, fearing an attack from a nearby
rebel faction, said negotiations over the Thai-Burmese friendship
bridge should be relocated to a site further away from rebel
activity, a border official said yesterday.

Burma's fear of retaliation appear to stem from their recent
offensive against the Karen National Union. The KNU's last
stronghold opposite Tak's Umphang district has reportedly fallen.

Earlier plans had situated discussions at a site close to the proposed
location of the bridge in Tak's Mae Sot district. High level Burmese
officials have called for talks to resume in Burma's Thachilek township,
opposite Chiang Rai in Mae Sai district, the official said.

Army Commander in Chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro, appointed by Prime
Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to join the talks, was scheduled to meet
today with several top military officials form Burma including Army
Commander in Chief Maung Ae and Slorc's Secretary General Gen
Khint Nyunt.

The same border official said Chettha was scheduled to officially
ask Burmese authorities to resume construction on the bridge which
spans the Moei River. The bridge, though approximately 95 percent
complete, has endured a series of delays and complications since
the project began in 1994.

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BEIJING XINHUA:BURMESE LEADER EXPRESSES `PROFOUND SORROW' OVER DENG'S DEATH  
February 20, 1997

Yangon, February 20 (XINHUA) - Chairman of the Myanmar [Burma] State Law and
Order Restoration Council Senior General Than Shwe today expressed profound
sorrow over Deng Xiaoping's death on Wednesday
night.  "In profound sorrow we learnt the news of the passing of His
Excellency Deng Xiaoping at the age of 93," Than Shwe said in his message of
condolence to Chinese President Jiang Zemin. 
"Greatness of man does not lie only in accomplishment during his life time,
but also in the spirit with which he has guided the future generations," he
stated. 
"With his passing, China has lost the paramount leader and we have lost a
truly great friend," he said. 
"At this moment of irreplaceable loss to the People's Republic of China", he
expressed, on behalf of the Myanmar government and people and on his own,
"heartfelt condolences and compassion" to the Chinese government and people. 
He also expressed conviction that "the continued progress and development of
China in line with the vision of the late great statesman will be further
consolidated in the years ahead." 

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THE NATION: WEST WARNED ON RANGOON'S ENTRY TO ASEAN
February 25, 1997
AFP

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia yesterday called on Western countries not to
politicise the admission of Burma into the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (Asean).

"Certainly Asean neighbours have some way to go," admitted international
trade and industry minister Rafidah Aziz.

"As long as they are prepared to abide by the Asean objectives, that is good
enough. We shouldn't politicise the admission of our neighbours into
Asean,"she said after opening an Asean meeting on foreign investment.

Asean, whose members are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, has agreed to incorporate Cambodia, Laos
and Burma by the end of the century.

But some member countries have been reported to have reservations over the
timing of Burma's entry as Western nations threaten to impose sanctions
against Burma's military government, the State Law and Order Restoration
Council.

Malaysia, chairman of the group this year and host of key ministerial
meetings for the group in Kuala Lumpur in July, has endorsed Burma's entry.

Rafidah said Malaysia had already emphasised to its friends outside Asean
that they should not impose their will on the group.

"We don't want anybody to tell us [Asean] who we should group with and who
not to," she said, adding that the European Union (EU) should not interfere
in their affairs. (TN)

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XINHUA NEWS AGENCY: MYANMAR TO HOST RCA MEETING ON NUCLEAR SCIENCE
February 22, 1997

Myanmar will host the 19th working group meeting of the Regional Cooperative
Agreement (rca) in yangon from march 10 to 15, the official New Light of
Myanmar newspaper said today.  It will be the first international meeting to
be held in Myanmar on nuclear science. The meeting is to be attended by
representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and 17
RCAmember states --Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,
South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, the
Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.  The meeting, which
will also mark
the silver jubilee of the rca, will discuss developments in nuclear science
and future programs with an additional tripartite meeting of RCA/IAEA/UNDP
(United Nations Development Program) scheduled, the report said.  the
Myanmar Atomic Energy Committee, the organizer of the meeting, is working to
promote nuclear technology applications in the country, it said, adding that
eight ministries now have the applications for research programs, all of
which have substantial support from the RCA and the IAEA with 15 specialized
RCA nuclear science projects involved.  Myanmar became an RCA member in 1994.

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