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The BurmaNet News, March 3, 1997




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

The BurmaNet News: March 3, 1997
Issue #655

HEADLINES:
==========
NCUB:PRESS RELEASE NO ( 10)
KRC:STATEMENT ON RELOCATION DECISION
KNU: STATEMENT REGARDING GEN. MAUNG AYE AND GROUP
NATION:ARMY FINDS BIG KNU ARMS CACHE
THAILAND TIMES:UNHCR SLAMMED FOR INACTION
NATION:US AMBASSADOR TO BE SUMMONED OVER KAREN
THAILAND TIMES:CHEETHA SAYS US APOLOGIZED 
NATION:AFGHANISTAN , BURMA REMAIN ON US DRUG LIST
NATION: ASEAN HOLDS THE KEY IN ENDING REPRESSION
STRAITS TIMES: MYANMAR AGREES TO REPATRIATE ILLEGALS
COUNCIL HEARING:NEW YORK-SELECTIVE PURCHASING BILL
COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC: SEL PURCHASING PASSED
ANNOUNCEMENT: ALBRIGHT TO GO ONLINE 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

NCUB:PRESS RELEASE NO ( 10)
March 3, 1997

Situation of Karen Refugee in KNU Brigade (6) area
Date: March 3, 1997

Almost 10,000 refugees have managed to escape from fighting and SLORC's
human rights abuses by fleeing to the Thai-Burma border. They  took refuge
in Thailand following the SLORC offensive against Karen National Union
Brigade (6) area, started on February 7, 1997.

Last week, SLORC started disseminating several acknowledgment letters sealed
with fake KNU official stamps in different refugee camps on the Thai side of
the border in order to persuade Karen refugees to come back to their native
villages, areas now controlled by SLORC troops.  These letters stated that
all run-away villagers will be warmly and safely welcomed to their homes
without any punitive action being taken. At the same time, SLORC is
threatening refugees using DKBA forces, and  has sent ultimatums to burn
down refugee camps if the refugees refuse to return.

In response to the false KNU letters, some refugees mistakenly went back to
their native villages, where they discovered the SLORC presence which
immediately put them to work. Some of these refugees later managed to sneak
back to the refugees camps in Thailand. Those who returned to the refugee
camps on the Thai side are villagers from Kyait Don, Mi Nar Ark, A-Zin,
Chokale, Phar klaw Nie and Mal ka Thi Hta villages. 

According to these refugees, they were provided with three tins of rice per
family. All adult men were forced to work digging trenches, constructing
military barracks and buildings, and cutting bamboo for fencing the entire
village. Some villagers have been arrested and detained at night after being
accused as KNU supporters or sympathisers. A number of villagers have
disappeared since they were taken by SLORC troops for questioning. 

Therefore, all refugees who return to their homes are now living under
intensely threatening and unsafe conditions. SLORC is clearly unable and
uninterested in guaranteeing their rights to a safe dwellings and a safe
livelihood.  More returns are expected soon.

The NCUB demands the SLORC to: 
-stop human rights abuses against innocent villagers, including
extra-judicial killing, arbitrary arrest, rape and forced porterage and labour, 
-cease using military aggression against KNU forces and the civilian population
-enter genuine tripartite dialogue for solving political problems through
peaceful means and
-honour the 1990 election results.

The NCUB appeal to the international community including Thailand to help
protect the safety of the refugees.

Information Committee, National Council of the Union of  Burma (NCUB)

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

KRC:STATEMENT ON RELOCATION DECISION
March 2, 1997

			KAREN REFUGEE COMMITTEE

Statement on Decision to Relocate Displaced Persons on Old Camp site

The KRC was much heartened by the Thai authorities at a meeting with the
Task Force 34, UNHCR, NGOS's and KRC in Mae Sod on the 3rd of February. At
this meeting all parties concerned agreed that a safer location should be
found deeper inside THailand for the Wangkha and Donpakiang camps that had
been attacked and burnt down in January of this year.

It is therefore with grave concern that the KRC learned of the decision of
Thai authroities (Deputy Governor of Tak  Province, local district
officials, Task Force 34, the MOI, and Border Patrol Ploice), at a meeting
with NGO's on Febraury 26, that the displaced persons of Wangkha and
Donpakiang would not be reolcated to a new location, but instead,
consoldidated into one and reselttled on the old site of Wangha camp, which
was razed to the ground in the fire attack on the night of Janary 26 , this
year. As all concerned know, Wangkha had come under repeated threats and
incursions before the atttack.. It was within an easy renage of  the mortar
from the other side of the border. Being on a flat land, the site can be
accessed from every direction of the compass and, thus, it would be
impossible to provide reasonable securtiy to a  camp on it by any measure.

The people from both camps numbering more than ten thousand are currently
living in make-shift shelters with continued threats of further attacks. The
KRC has been in a process of considering a safer site for them.

Accordingly, the KRC would like to respectfully appeal to the Thai
authorities to reconsider their decision and request the UNHCR, the
international community and the NGO's to appeal to the Royal Thal Government
to relocate the Karen displaced persons to a safer location, in accordance
with international norms and practices.

March 2, 1997

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

KNU: STATEMENT REGARDING GEN. MAUNG AYE AND GROUP
March 3, 1997 

O F F I C E   O F   T H E   S U P R E M E   H E A D Q U A R T E R S  
		K A R E N    N A T I O N A L    U N I O N
			K A W T H O O L E I
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


KNU Statement regarding the Case of Gen. Maung Aye and Group Stepping
Underfoot the Karan National Flag


At the surrender ceremony of the 16th Bn. Commander of the KNU, Thumu Heh,
in Kuaikdon, the SLORC Gen. Maung Aye:

1. Made Thumu Hen kneel in front of SLORC leaders and apologise for his past
mistakes,

2. Step underfoot the Karen national flag laid down on the ground.

It is not unusual for Thumu Heh, who had surrendered to the fascist military
dictatorship of the SLORC, to perform the humiliating rite. We are certain
that he will be further humiliated by the SLORC in the future.

However, the stepping underfoot of the Karen national flag which is held as
a sacred symbol by the entire Karen people, by SLORC Gen. Maung Aye and his
entourage, in public, demonstrates the vileness and the true nature of the
SLORC. This incident also proves beyond all doubt that the SLORC;

(1) Regards the entire Karen people as its enemy;

(2) Regards all the oppressed nationalities as its enemy, as it does the
Karen  people,

(3) Has no intention to resolve the political problems of the country by
peaceful means and that it is politically bankrupt.

Dear Karen Resistance Fighters and the Entire Karen People,

We, the KNU, have held four rounds of talks with the SLORC, with the
intention of resolving political problems by peaceful means and bearing in
mind the basic and just interest of the Karen people as well as the interest
of the entire people of the country. In the talks, the KNU had proposed a
cease-fire and resolution of political problems, that had been the
underlying causes of the civil war and instability through dialogue. However
the SLORC just heinously demanded that the KNU return to the legal fold or,
in other words, submit to its fascist domination. Without formally replying
to the KNU's request for the 5th round of talks, the SLORC unilaterally
abrogated the dialogue process and wickedly launched a large-scale military
offensive against the KNU and the Karen people. As usual, the SLORC troops
perpetrate, daily, atrocities against Karen civilians, such as arbitrary
arrest, torture, execution, rape of women, forced labour, burning down
villages and etc.., at a higher rate, in the offensive. Now, to crown their
wanton acts, the SLORC leaders publicly step underfoot the Karen national
flag which is held in high respect by the entire Karen people. Therefore,
we, the KNU call upon the entire Karen people:

(1) To resolutely oppose and fight until the annihilation of the SLORC
military dictatorship, bearing in mind the exhortation "for the Karen
people, surrender is out of the question," made by our heroic leader Saw Ba
U Gyi;

(2) To unite absolutely, without discrimination as to dialects, religious
creeds, regions or ideological differences;

(3) To continue the struggle for freedom and democracy by joining hands with
all the anti-SLORC forces.

* Domination of the fascist SLORC must fall!
* The Just Resistance of the Karen People Shall triumph!

Central Executive Committee

March 3, 1997 

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

NATION:ARMY FINDS BIG KNU ARMS CACHE
March 3, 1997
Reuter

UMPHANG - The Thai army dealt another big blow to the beleaguered
Karen National Union (KNU) when it unearthed a cache of its weapons at the
Thai-Burma border and confiscated them, officials said yesterday.

They said that about 200 soldiers made a surprise raid late on Saturday at
Htee Ho Koh near Maechon village on the northwestern border with Burma and
found the cache. Among the weapons seized were 87 rocket launchers, 11
recoilless rifles, nine machine guns and 1,239 other rifles.

The assortment of arms, the military's biggest seizure of its kind in recent
years, was believed to have been hidden by KNU guerrillas fleeing a Burmese
army offensive against them earlier this month, the officials said.

Burmese troops sacked KNU mobile bases in the eastern part of the
country in attacks which sent thousands of refugees and
guerrillas scurrying for shelter into Thailand.

"We informed our Burmese counterparts that our operation was only
meant to search for the rebels' weapons and not to provoke or
confront them (Burmese)," said Col Suvit Maenmuan, commander of
the Thai task force which undertook the operation.

Burmese soldiers watched the action just a few meters away across
the border. A reporter at the scene said the Thais politely
turned down their request to join in the search.

Another Thai officer who took part in the operation said it was part of an
overall strategy to stop the KNU from regrouping on Thai soil and using it
as a springboard to wage guerrilla warfare against Burma. "KNU leaders and
officers have been told to live in one central area and are not allowed to
make any movement as long as they are in Thailand," said the officer who
declined to be identified.

In the past, Thailand used to turn a blind eye to KNU activities along the
border, but Bangkok has now changed its attitude towards the rebel group,
which is fighting for greater autonomy for the eastern Karen state. The KNU
formed in 1948, has rejected several peace overtures from the ruling Burmese
military junta and refused to lay down its arms. Last week, the Thai army
refused to allow several hundred male KNU guerrillas fleeing the Burmese
attack to allow several hundred male KNU guerrillas
fleeing the Burmese attack to cross to Thai soil.

The United States, rights groups and the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees criticised Bangkok for the move,
alleging that it was refusing refuge for those fleeing the
fighting in Burma and was forcibly repatriating Karen refugees.

Thailand denied it was repatriating refugees and said it was
instead moving them to safer havens deeper inside its territory.
However, both military and government said suspected KNU
guerrillas would not be allowed to enter the country.

Thai army officers, who have long been dealing with the KNU, and
some senior KNU officials said that the group's internal rifts,
increased military pressure from the ruling junta, the State Law
and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), and a hostile Thai
military could spell the end for the KNU in the near future.

"It is too late to make any change now, nobody wants to support the KNU any
more and, if the Slorc comes up with a proper approach, I think most will
defect to it," said a senior KNU source who asked not to be named.

Agence France-Presse adds; The KNU vowed yesterday to keep fighting a
massive Burmese government offensive which has displaced thousands of
civilians unless the ruling junta resumes peace talks.

"The fighting shall continue, unless the Slorc can be brought back to the
negotiating table," the supreme command of the KNU announced in a statement
received in Bangkok form the Thai border.

The KNU statement said that more than 20,000 refugees had escaped to
Thailand since the attack on Karen held territories in eastern and southern
Burma by junta forces began on Feb 10.

It added that "many thousands" of Karen and Burmese displaced
people remain trapped inside Burma as the Slorc's troops have
attempted to cut off access to the border.

"These people are in grave danger and many families have been
separated, causing much suffering to the refugees who survived
the hazardous journey to the border," the statement said.

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

THAILAND TIMES:UNHCR SLAMMED FOR INACTION ON REFUGEES 
March 2, 1997
by Bechamas Chumworathayee

BANGKOK/RATCHABURI: In a rare show of agreement, a human rights
group yesterday joined with the military in condemnation of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for its failure to provide
assistance to Karen refugees sheltering in Thailand.

Despite repeated calls from human rights groups for the UNHCR to
lend a hand, UNHCR officials were only observing the situation
and did nothing concrete to help the refugees, said Puttinee
Kangkan, a spokeswoman for the Thai Action Committee for
Democracy in Burma (TACDB).

Her remarks support those of Maj Gen Taweep Suwannasing,
commander of the Surasi Task Force that currently looks after the
refugees, who said on Thursday that the military had not received
any UN assistance to help the aid operation.

He said the Interior Ministry's initial allocation of 500,000 baht to
provide aid for the thousands of new arrivals fleeing from Burma's civil war
was insufficient unless backed up by outside funds.

Over 100,000 refugees have crossed the border in recent weeks following a
severe military crackdown against Burma's ethnic minorities by the ruling
State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc).

Around 10,000 refugees are sheltering in Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi
provinces alone, where they are forced endure primitive conditions.

Frankie Abreu, 38, a Karen refugee at a temporary camp near Kanchanaburi's
Pu Nam Ron village, called on humanitarian
organizations across the globe to take heed of their plight.

Abreu, one of some 3,000 refugees sheltering in the camp, said the refugees
lack food, water, medicine, clothes and even basis shelter. With only
plastic sheeting to cover the shacks that they live in During the day they
are at the mercy of the fierce sun, while at night they have no protection
from the dew.

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

NATION:US AMBASSADOR TO BE SUMMONED OVER KAREN
March 2, 1997

UPSET by a strong protest by the United States over the Thai Army's
deportation of Karen refugees last week, the Foreign Ministry will this week
ask the US ambassador to Thailand to hear Thailand's explanation of its
refugee policy and the country's handling of the Karen situation.

Saroj CHavanaviraj, permanent secretary of the Foreign Ministry, said
yesterday that his office deems it necessary to call US Ambassador William
Itoh in for a meeting to clarify the repatriation on Tuesday and Wednesday
of some 900 Karen refugees fleeing Burmese military offensives against Karen
rebels

He said the Foreign Ministry was upset with Friday's letter sent by US
Charge d'Affaires Ralph Boyee to Army Chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro protesting
against the forced repatriation of the refugees in Kanchanaburi back to Burma.

"Why did the US do that despite the fact that they are fully aware of the
real situation?" he said in a telephone interview with The Nation's
affiliate, Krung Thep Turakij daily.

Saroj blamed relief workers for spreading information charging that the
Army's Ninth Division had trucked refugees from Bong Ti Pass in Kanchanaburi
to Suan Phung district in Ratchaburi and pushed them across the border into
the war zone.

He also questioned the workers' motives, when they are fully aware of
Thailand's latest plan to relocate the refugees to a safer place. In his
strongly worded letter, Boyce pointed out that the Ninth Division had
conducted the deportation at the order of Gen Chettha and asked the Army to
halt any future plans to forcibly send back more refugees.

He also urged the Army to allow the refugees to remain on Thai
soil while the Burmese military operation is still proceeding and
to allow aid workers access to the refugees.

Apart from the US, the European Union and the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees have also deplored the action and
strongly urged Thailand to grant asylum to the unarmed Karen
people based on international humanitarian principles and have
asked the Thai Army to stop more forced repatriations.

The strong international criticism prompted Chettha to order an
abrupt halt to the relocation  and repatriation of refugees in
Kanchanaburi area.

Top Army generals, including CHETTHA and Ninth Division Commander
Maj Gen Thaweep Suwannasingh, whose forces were responsible for
the repatriation, have denied that the refugees, mainly women,
children, the elderly, and the disabled, were forced back to
Burma against their will. They repeatedly argued that the group
"volunteered to return to a safe area in Burma."

However, relief workers who visited Suan Phung on Friday in an
attempt to locate the 900 returnees, said they were surprised that most,
instead of staying right across the border, had gone deeper into Burma, some
five kilometres from the Thai frontier and eight km from where they were
dropped by the trucks last week.

They said the repatriated refugees, who were originally from the Paw Klo
River area, told them that they were not given the choice to stay on Thai
soil when Army troops dropped them off at the border and "pointed the way"
and "indicated where they were to go".

"They [repatriated refugees] didn't have a choice but to return to Burma.
They didn't even know where they were going or where they were," reported
workers who had spoken with the returnees.

"There is no camp, and some [refugees] had nothing, no food, no
rice, nothing to eat, "relief workers said.

While trying to locate the returnees, the workers said they were shocked to
learn of another forced repatriation of Karen refugees. They said the
refugees, who had fled form Amla Kee to the border in Kanchanaburi, were
transported in two trucks to the same site as the earlier group and forced
to walk across the border back to Burma.

One  worker said yesterday that the Thai Army was using "clever words" to
deny the forced deportation. "Dropping the refugees at night and telling
them to walk across the border does not make any difference from forced
repatriation," he added.

Friday's deportation of the refugees took place on the very same day, and
maybe before, CHettha called off the repatriation plan. Relief workers said
at least two individuals who were sent back were in need of medical
assistance but were refused permission to be transferred back  to THailand.

Also among the repatriated were at least three orphans, separated from their
parents during the Burmese offensive in the area.

According to Saroj, there has already been some contact between
the foreign ministry and US embassy officials to clarify the
issues over Thailand's handling of the refugees.

Although Chettha said he will not respond to an international
outcry against the Thai Army, Interior Minister Snoh Thienthong
yesterday blasted reports by local and foreign media on the
forced deportation as "a severe infringement on Thai sovereignty".

He vowed to continue the ministry's long standing plan to send
home all Karen refugees "Whether or not the US was mistaken, the
refugees have to return home, although  we have to talk to them
first before sending them back to Burma," Snoh said.

He said the government reserved the right to protect its
territory and to ensure the well being and safety of people along
its border.

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

THAILAND TIMES:CHEETHA SAYS STATES APOLOGIZED FOR CRITICISM
March 2, 1997

BANGKOK: Army Commander in Chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro claimed
yesterday that the United states has apologized for presenting
misleading reports" concerning the Army's forced repatriation of
refugees back to the war zone in Burma.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the US Embassy's Charge de'
Affairs Ralph L Boyce Jr, Chettha said the diplomat had come to
express regret for the remarks the US has made over the issue.

"But their apology means nothing to me," Chetta said. "I know I
have done the best thing possible for those refugees."

On Thursday US State Departments Spokesman Nicholas Burns, citing
reports that the Thai Army had driven back 900 refugees
sheltering in Ratchaburi and Kanchanaburi provinces across the
border, demanded an immediate half to the forced repatriation.

The US, concerns were echoed by the United Nations and human
rights groups, including the London-based Amnesty International.

A number of sources in Thailand have claimed the number of those
driven back to Burma ran into thousands.

Chettha said he will make no attempt to correct the news reports,
claiming that the Army had done "nothing wrong."

If there had been any hint of forced repatriation, the reporters
should have told him directly rather than passing on their
information to foreign news agencies, he said.

He speculated that the reports may have come from a third party 
who wanted to defame the country's reputation.

Chettha admitted however that his order for the refugees to be removed to an
area away form the borderline might have led to misunderstanding.

Prime Minister and Defense Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh was
also adamant yesterday that the report was groundless.

"Believe me, not the world," said the prime minister. "We gave food and
shelter to the refugees and we will not send them while fighting continues."

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Snoh Thienthong said the press
should not believe everything said by foreign countries, as some
foreign nations might harbor ill-will towards Thailand.

In recent days some 5,000 more refugees have fled into
Kanchanaburi following the fall of the Karen National Union
(KNU)'s headquarters at Minthamee to the Burmese army.

The latest arrivals sent the number of refugees in the province soaring to
over 10,000 Around 100,000 refugees are now scattered in the various
provinces along 2,400 kilometer Thai-Burmese border.

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

NATION:AFGHANISTAN , BURMA REMAIN ON US DRUG LIST
March 2, 1997

WASHINGTON - The United States sternly scolded Burma, Afghanistan
and four other countries on Friday for failing to cooperate fully
in the fight against drug trafficking.

"Drug trafficking is a deadly threat to our community and to the
institutions of law and democracy that we have built. No nation
acting alone can defeat that threat," said Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright.

Albright said President Bill Clinton had sent to COngress his official
decisions on whether to certify 32 drug producing and transit countries.
Each of the countries on the list could be certified, decertified and
sanctioned, or decertified with a recommendation that economic sanctions be
waived.

Albright said Clinton  was reserving the option to invoke trade and other
discretionary sanctions, in addition to those mandated by foreign aid law,
against Afghanistan and Burma and the remaining four decertified countries;
Colombia, Iran, Nigeria and Syria.

The president continued to underscore the seriousness of the heroin threat
by denying certification to Burma, Afhanistan, Iran, and Syria, Albright
said at the news conference. "Significant inroads into the world's heroin
problem are impossible without Burma and afghanistan, which together produce
about 75 per cent of the world's supply of opium," she stressed.

Burma leads the world in opium poppy production, particularly since 1988
when the military regime, the State Law and Order Restoration Council
(Slorc), took over the country, she said. "The vast majorityof heroin on the
streets of the United States" is from Burma, she said, where opium
cultivation and drug trafficking are conducted "without any meaningful
constraint by authorities".

She added that the Slorc has failed to prosecute the notorious drug lord
Khun Sa, who reportedly runs his drug operations from Rangoon. Albright
noted that drug money had penetrated Burmese society as drug traffickers
became the leading investors in its new market economy and the "leading
lights" in its new political order.

"Drug money is so pervasive in the Burmese economy that it taints
legitimate investment," she warned, adding that since 1988, some
15 percent of foreign investment in Burma has been tied to the
family of Burmese narco-trafficker Lo Hsing-han.

In Afghanistan, Albright decried the lack of a serious effort
against illegal drugs by the Taleban, which controls 90 per cent
of the land. "We are deeply concerned that the Taleban itself may
be involved in opium cultivation and drug trafficking," she said.

Pakistan joined Belize and Lebanon on the decertified list, but
were granted waivers on sanctions.

Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and
Vietnam were among those which received full certification.

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

THE NATION: ASEAN HOLDS THE KEY IN ENDING BURMA'S REPRESSION
February 26, 1997  (exceprts)

Sonny Inbaraj yesterday spoke to Lord Avebury, a member of the British 
House of Lords and chairman of the British Parliamentary Committee on 
Human Rights. This is the first of a two-part series. 

Q. You have been named very often as a patron for Burmese lobby groups
campaigning for democracy in the country. What are your impressions of 
Burma and the on-going repression there? 

A. I think Burma is a particularly serious case because the Burmese junta 
seems immune from pressure. We find it very difficult to think of means of
persuading the military regime to hand back power to the elected NLD
[National League for Democracy]; to free the political prisoners; to stop
using slave labour; to stop the offensive against ethnic minorities, which
has serious implications, of course, for Thailand. In short, we find it
difficult for Burma to come into the civilised family of nations ­
particularly now when Burma is opening up to foreign investment and people
are finding that there are lucrative contracts there. 

Q. How successful has your campaign for boycotting the ''Visit Myanmar Year" 
been in Britain? 

A. I think we have not been very successful in getting the message across on
why British tourists should not visit Burma. There have been particular
consumer boycotts that have been successful like the campaigns against Pepsi
and certain American companies which have been forced to withdraw from
Burma. I'm ashamed to say this. But it seems the United States is much
better at this thing than we are. 

Q. Do you see any future in Aung San Suu Kyi's struggle? She seems to be
cornered a bit by the junta. 

A. I do think she's in a bit of a corner. It's fortunate that she's able to
hold out. She's so tolerant herself and so relaxed. Suu Kyi looks at things
with dispassion, which is an excellent quality to have if you're in that
position. 

It's very difficult to see any way out of this except that I wish we could
exert a little more pressure on Asean, than we normally do. Asean has to 
be reminded that human rights protection cannot be achieved simply through
the process of development. That's wishful thinking. You have to do
something much more than that. Asean could do much more than that by
pressuring SLORC to loosen up. 

Q. But Asean seems bent on engaging the Slorc through its so-called
constructive engagement policy. Burma is due to be admitted as an Asean
member by July this year. Do you think the repression in the country will
get worse by virtue of this? 

A. Yes. I think Asean's constructive engagement with Burma is a
counter-productive policy. It's what one calls appeasement. If you have a
dictatorship such as the Slorc and you try to be nice to them in the hope
that is going to persuade them to be nice to their own people, it just won't
work. 

We've got plenty of examples where one could see throughout history, 
where being kind to dictators has only encouraged them to be even nastier to
their own people. 

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

STRAITS TIMES: MYANMAR AGREES TO REPATRIATE ILLEGALS IN MALAYSIA
February 27, 1997  (abridged)

KUALA LUMPUR - Myanmar has agreed in principle to repatriate thousands of
its nationals detained in Malaysia as illegal aliens, Malaysian Foreign
Minister Datuk Abdullah Haji Badawi said here yesterday. 

He said about 8,000 Myanmar people rounded up as part of a Malaysian
crackdown on its huge illegal-worker population would be sent home if they
were proven to be Myanmar nationals despite lacking identification papers. 

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad had raised the
matter during a courtesy call here on Tuesday by Myanmar Deputy Prime
Minister Vice-Admiral Maung Maung Khin. 

Datuk Abdullah said the Myanmar position was that "the illegals will be
taken back only if there is proof that they are Myanmar citizens". 

"I do not doubt the sincerity of the Myanmar government. They said the
illegals will be taken back." 

He said it was difficult to identify the Myanmar nationals since they had
destroyed their identification papers upon entering Malaysia. 

If they could speak the Myanmar language, name some of their friends back
home and state the village they were from, it would be sufficient evidence,
he said. 

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

COUNCIL HEARING:NEW YORK-SELECTIVE PURCHASING BILL
March 1, 1997

TERROR IN BURMA, HEROIN AT HOME

save this date:
Tuesday 04 March 1997, 10:00 a.m.
Hearing on Bill #647  Burma Selective Purchasing Legislation
City Council Chambers, New York City Hall


On Tuesday 04 March, 1997 at 10:00 a.m., the New York City Council will hold
a hearing on Bill #647, selective purchasing legislation that will bar
companies doing business in Burma from receiving New York City 
contracts.

The suffering of Burma's peoples under a cruel military dictatorship has a 
real link to the suffering in our own city. We needn¹t look as far away as 
Burma to see the costs of repression and dictatorship there. We can look at 
our own streets, where a heroin plague spreads pain, crime and death in 
troubled communities already facing great difficulties and little 
opportunity.

This heroin isn't grown or processed in the United States. Most originates 
from one country?Burma. Burma's military dictatorship?the State Law 
and Order Restoration Council, or SLORC?seized power in 1988 after 
slaughtering thousands of peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators. In 
1989, the junta concluded ceasefires granting rebel groups unimpeded 
heroin-trading rights Since then, Burma's heroin production has jumped 
more than 350%. Much of that heroin heads straight for America.

On Tuesday, Burmese democrats, human rights representatives, trade 
unionists, and specialists on Burma's politics and drugs trafficking will 
testify.

This is important legislation that follows on work already done in the cities 
of Berkeley, Madison, Oakland, Santa Monica, Seattle and the state of 
Massachusetts, where selective purchasing legislation has already been 
adopted 

The Tuesday, March 4, hearing represents grass roots human rights and 
environmental activism in the community that is demanding and now 
receiving a hearing among our elected representatives regarding Burma 
policy. Further:

? It sends an important message to businesses that are investing in Burma 
or thinking or doings so that now is not the time to do so.
 
? It tells the SLORC that continued repression and heroin trafficking are 
generating ever-greater international opposition.
 
? It encourages pro-democracy forces in Burma, who, despite SLORC 
media repression, will learn of the hearing through international radio 
broadcasts and word of mouth.

Please come to the hearing .  A good turnout will help convince New York
City Council members to support this legislation.

For further information, please contact:
Burma UN Support Office  212-338-0048

If you can't attend, you may write or phone any or all of the following City
Council members to express your support for Bill #647:

New Yorkers, you can also call your own local Council member.

Hon. Peter Vallone		Hon. Antonio Pagan
New York City Council Speaker	237 First Avenue
City Hall,			New York, N.Y. 10003
New York, N.Y. 10007		212-477-1203
212-788-7210

Hon. Andrew Eristoff		Hon. Julia Harrison
New York City Council		New York City Council  
409 East 14th Street		39-15 Main Street, Suite 211
New York, N.Y. 10009		Flushing,  N.Y. 11354
212-473-4960			718-886-7040

Hon. Jose Rivera			Hon. Israel Ruiz, Jr.
New York City Council 		New York City Council
2488 Grand Concourse		1 East Fordham Road
Bronx, N.Y. 10548		Bronx, N.Y. 10468
718-364-3700			718-220-0738

Hon. John Sabini			Hon. Mary Pinkett
New York City Council 		New York City Council 
37-32 75th street			324 De Kalb Avenue
Jackson Heights, N.Y. 11372	Brooklyn,  N.Y. 11205
718-507-3688			718-857-0959

Hon. Annette Robinson		Hon. Kenneth Fisher
New York City Council 		New York City Council 
1360 Fulton Street, Room 417	16 Court Street, Room 1505
Brooklyn,  N.Y. 11216		Brooklyn,  N.Y. 11241
718-399-8900			718-875-5200

Hon. Juanita Watkins		Hon. Wendell Foster
New York City Council 		New York City Council 
220-07 Merrick Boulevard	1377 Jerome Avenue
Laurelton,  N.Y. 11413		Bronx,  N.Y. 10452
718-527-4356			718-588-7500

Hon. Thomas Duane
New York City Council 
275 Seventh Avenue, 12th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10001
212-929-5501

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COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC: SEL PURCHASING PASSED
February 27, 1997

    On Wednesday, Febuary 26, the College of the Atlantic's students, 
staff and faculty voted by a margin of 86 for and 9 against on a 
major policy change that bans the college from from purchasing any 
good or recieving services from any company doing any business in 
Burma.  Vote was the result of a campaign by students that led to the 
banning of PepsiCo from campus last term.

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

ANNOUNCEMENT: ALBRIGHT TO GO ONLINE TO ANSWER POLICY QUERIES

February 26, 1997

 Concerned about human rights or puzzled by U.S. policy in           
 Burma? Now you can send e-mail to Secretary of State Madeleine      
 Albright and ask her to explain. Just send your query to the        
 e-mail address secretary@xxxxxxxxx and you are guaranteed a         
 reply--though not necessarily from Albright herself.

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