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The BurmaNet News, March 8, 1997




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

The BurmaNet News: March 8, 1997
Issue #660

HEADLINES:
==========
ALTSEAN-BURMA: REPORT FROM THAI MISSION TO BORDER
BBC: CLASHES BETWEEN SLORC TROOPS AND SURA TROOPS
KNU: REPORT-HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN KAREN STATE
SLORC: INFORMATION SHEET NO-A.0026
THE NATION: MANDELA WILL TURN BLIND EYE TO BURMA
THE NATION: ARMY'S PLAN TO MOVE KAREN GETS SUPPORT
THE NATION: THE BATTLE BEHIND BURMA'S FRONTLINES
OTTAWA CITIZEN: CANADIAN AMBASSADOR MANHANDLED 
DVB: DEMONSTRATION IN OSLO
REUTER:EXILED PM FEARS EU MAY EASE PRESSURE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

ALTSEAN-BURMA: REPORT FROM THAI MISSION TO BORDER
March 4, 1997

Here is the translation of the report  made by the Thai Fact-finding Mission
to Kanchanaburi and Ratchburi.

1.   There was reasonable coverage of the Mission's press
conference in Thursday's Thai and English language media 
2.   Representatives of the Mission will meet with the Thai Prime
Minister on Friday (march 7)  afternoon to present their concerns
3.   Representatives will also meet with the Supreme Command of the
Thai military next Monday (march 10)
4.   Channel 11 will hold a debate on Thai Govt. policy on Karen
refugees next week.

Debbie Stothard
ALTSEAN-BURMA (Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma)
___________________________________________________

REPORT OF FACT-FINDING MISSION ON KAREN REFUGEE SITUATION AND ASSISTANCE FOR
KAREN REFUGEES

MU BARN PHU NAM RAWN AND MU BARN PHU MOANG, MUANG DISTRICT, KANCHANABURI
PROVINCE

Tuesday 4th March 1997

This report was initiated in response the large-scale military attacks by
Burma's State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) against Karen people
in rural and urban areas, e.g. Ma Rit Tavoy city, in Karen state.  Large
numbers of Karen people escaped from death by fleeing across the border to
Tambon Bong Tee (Ampor Sayok District), and Ban Phu Nam Rawn, (Muang
District) in Kanchanaburi Province on February 24.  They received some
assistance from Thai locals and the local military commander (9th Division).
The military took care of children, women and elderly people but refused
asylum to men and boys, aged 13 - 50 who they pushed back to Mae Saming Bon
and Mae Saming Lang (in Burma territory).

These forcible repatriations exposed the Thai government to much criticism
from the international community for sending these people back into Burma to
be killed, this not being the first time such an incident has occurred.
Such practices have an impact on the image of Thailand and also raises grave
concern about the fate of the refugee people who were sent back.

Spurred by this concern, the Coordinating Committee of Human Rights
Organization of Thailand (CCHROT) and the Thai Action Group for
Democracy in Burma (TACDB) organized this fact-finding mission to
collect information in the area and report their findings to their public
and relevant authorities.

This mission was headed by Mr. Pipob Thongchai.  The 22-person delegation
also included Mr. Suwarot Palung, the spokesperson for the Justice and Human
Rights Committee of the Thai Parliament, representatives of Thai human
rights organizations and members of
the media.

The members of the Mission separated into 2 two groups.  The first
group made fact-finding visits to Phu Nam Rawn and Ban Phu Moung
(Dan Makamteia District, Kanchanaburi).

The second (smaller) group went to Tamaphreu, inside the Burma
border.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

About 2,300 refugees reached Phu Nam Rawn on 24 February.  Only 50
of this group were men and boys (age 13 - 50), either doctors or teachers
who could speak English and Thai.  The remaining 2,250 were women, children
(1,595)  and the elderly (200).  This number excluded the other men and boys
who were taken from their families and sent back across the border by the
Thai military.  The military did this because they claimed they could not
differentiate between civilians and Karen National Union (KNU) fighters.
They claimed that they did not want to give the Slorc the impression that
Thailand was providing support to the KNU.

However, from interviews with the refugees, the Mission strongly believes
that all the people fleeing across the border were civilians, mainly
farmers, traders and professionals.  The KNU fighters had stayed behind to
engage the Slorc and therefore, had not accompanied their families to seek
asylum in Thailand.

CONDITIONS IN THE CAMP (Phu Nam Rawn)

The refugees endured very primitive conditions, relying on plastic sheets
for roofs, in wall-less shelters and having access to only one small well
for all their needs.  These unsanitary conditions caused many people to
suffer from diarrhea.  The area is malaria infested and the refugees were
falling ill.  The mission believes that these extreme conditions contributed
to the death of a newborn baby at the camp.

REMOVAL OF REFUGEES TO BAN PHU MOANG

On March 4, the day of the Mission visit, Thai authorities loaded the
refugees into logging trucks and took them to Ban Phu Moang, about 22 kms
from Ban Phu Nam Rawn.  The Thai village leader of Ban Phu Moang told the
Mission that he was not informed prior to the event and was shocked to see
truckloads of refugees being brought to the bamboo jungle about three hills
away from his village.  There was no opportunity to clear or prepare the
bamboo jungle to which the refugees were relocated.  The refugees were
ill-equipped to clear the area and to build shelters.  Some women and
children owned knives to cut down the bamboo but this was extremely
difficult for them since the ground was extremely hard and the thorny bushes
injured many people.

WATER & HEALTH

The refugee site is located some distance away from the village (an hour's
walk) but it is near a small reservoir.  There is concern that the stagnant
water will become contaminated and worsen the health problems of the
refugees who rely on it for all their drinking and household needs. The
reservoir is also the main source of water for the villagers of Ban Phu
Moang, numbering 1,000 families (3,000 people) and such contamination will
affect them.

There are inadequate facilities to boil water for drinking, therefore the
health concerns are growing urgent.  There is an urgent need for the health
authorities to provide assistance to protect the refugees' health and
prevent any epidemics from occurring.

FOOD

There is clearly insufficient food for the refugees.  The local villagers
have provided them with some rice and vegetables, however it is unlikely
that this assistance will continue since the villagers themselves are not
rich and are not much more in number than the refugees.

The hard earth of the bamboo jungle at the site does not allow the refugees
to plant vegetables or fruits for their needs, also there is great
uncertainty over how long they will be allowed to stay there.

TAMAPHREU SITUATION

On or about 24 February, 1,070 Karen people fled across the border from 11
villages to Bong Tee  (Ampor Sayok District) Kanchanaburi.  As practiced in
Phu Nam Rawn, the Thai military separated the men and boys (age 13 - 50)
from their families and forcibly repatriated them to Mae Saming, 4 kms
inside Burma).  The military also forcibly repatriated the women, children
and elderly to Tamaphreu, which is located closer to the border, opposite
Suan Phern District in Ratchaburi Province.

The members of the Mission and the local Thais who accompanied them
to Tamaphreu found conditions there extremely harsh.  Eight people died from
diarrhea and malaria.  No organizations were allowed access through Thai
territory to this area to provide humanitarian assistance.  This area is
very rugged and is accessible only by four-wheel drive or by foot.  During
the fact-finding visit, members heard sounds of frequent gunfire close to
the site.  The visitors provided the refugees with 100 meters of plastic
sheeting and some vegetables.

The refugees told the Mission that slorc troops were at Ban Yakha,
close to Tamaphreu, and they expected Slorc to destroy Tamaphreu
soon because of the sawmills located 4 - 5 kms away.  The sawmills
are a target since they are a source of income for the Karen.

The refugees also told the Mission that some other refugees who had
been forcibly repatriated from Thailand had joined them and there
were now 2,000 refugees at the site.

Note: The refugees at Tamaphreu urgently need medicines, food and
most importantly, asylum in Thailand from slorc attacks.

CONCLUSION

The refugees suffered serious military attack from the Slorc, in addition,
numerous violations were perpetrated on them and their families.  Many women
were raped and killed, often while their families were forced watch.  Men
were murdered, often by having their throats slit.  The refugees grave fears
for their safety are well-founded.  Clearly, their homes in Burma are not
safe at all.

The refugees appreciated the help received from local villagers, as well as
military and health authorities.  However the Mission is deeply concerned
with the policy of the Thai Government to prevent men and boys from seeking
asylum in Thailand.  The breaking up of families, especially at this time of
crisis, and the consequent isolation and trauma experienced by the women and
children have left them in an extremely vulnerable and desperate situation.
This constitutes a violation and threatens their physical, psychological and
emotional integrity.

The Mission is convinced that blocking humanitarian aid to the refugees will
directly contribute to increased deaths and ill health.  The forced
repatriation of unarmed civilians to a vulnerable location such as Tamaphreu
is the equivalent of a death sentence.

The humanity and generosity of the local villagers to the refugees in
unfortunately unmatched by government policy.  Therefore official treatment
of the refugees by the authorities need to be informed by genuine concerns
for humanitarian principles instead of fear of international criticism.  The
Thai government should stop its attempts to maintain good relations with the
slorc by violating the rights of refugees.  Genuine constructive engagement
must be based on respect for human beings.

The current assistance provided by the Thai government to the refugees is
not enough.  The Thai government must cease its policy to forcibly
repatriate refugees, and instead grant temporary asylum on Thai soil, which
is their last hope.

THEREFORE, THE MISSION URGENTLY REQUESTS THE THAI GOVERNMENT TO:

1.   Articulate a clear policy not to forcibly repatriate the refugees,
further that they establish a center for refugees with sufficient facilities
to provide adequate care.

2.   Assist the refugees according to international standards, and
not break up families by separating husbands, wives and children.

3.   Allow international assistance to be provided to the refugees

4.   Articulate a policy to protect children and women from being
trafficked.*

5.   Officially acknowledge these people as refugees, thus allowing
the UNHCR to provide humanitarian assistance.

* Mission members observed that agents were present at the site to recruit
women and children as migrant labor.  There are serious concerns that
recruit would be used as prostitutes and child workers.

FURTHER, THE MISSION URGENTLY REQUESTS THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
AND ASEAN TO:

1.   Support and assist in the establishment of the refugee center in the
same way that assistance was previously provided to refugees from Indochina.

2.   Urge Slorc to stop its violence against the ethnic nationalities on the
Thai-Burma border and restore democracy, peace and justice to Burma in order
to resolve the problems there.

The contents of this report are based on interviews with:
     * local military personnel at all sites
     * local health officers at Ban Phu Nam Rawn
     * Karen refugees at all sites through interpreter
     * local Thai villagers who assisted the refugees
     * local Thai merchants selling water , drinks and snack to the
refugees at Ban Phu Nam Rawn
     * local Thai and Karen-Thai groups

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

BBC: CLASHES BETWEEN SLORC TROOPS AND SURA(SHAN UNITED  REVOLUTIONARY
ARMY)TROOPS
March 4, 1997

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1100 gmt 4 Mar 97
Text of report by Burmese opposition radio
At a moment when the SLORC [State Law and Order Restoration Council] forces
are staging an offensive in the Karen State, the SURA, or Shan United
Revolutionary Army, is also engaging in battles with the SLORC forces. A
SURA commander said eight battles took place during January and February and
that the SLORC forces suffered 21 deaths and 18 wounded. Furthermore, five
SLORC military trucks were burnt and destroyed. Clashes broke out between
SLORC forces from Phugyi-based [name phonetic] LID's [light infantry
division] Nos 264 and 524; Mongkaing-based LID's Nos 155 and 514; and six
battalions from SURA Brigades Nos 757 and 758. Four battles took place in
January on the Mong Nawng-Kengtung road in the Mong Nai and Langhko region.
On the morning of 4th February, a battle took place with the SLORC's LID No
524 led by Major Khin Yee in Mong Lar Township. Five members of the SLORC
forces were killed and 12 were wounded.
It was also known that SLORC and SURA forces clashed on the
Mesaw-Kular-Kunhein [phonetic] road during February.
The SURA was formed in 1969 and became part of opium warlord Khun Sa' s MTA,
or Mong Tai Army, in 1984. Although Khun Sa surrendered to the SLORC in
early January 1995, the SURA faction led by Major Yod Sak did not surrender
but continued fighting, and its strength is believed to be over 10,000 men.
The SURA attended the national races seminar held recently at Mae Thayaw Hta
in Karen State. A SURA spokesman said they will continue to fight the SLORC
militarily and politically in various ways.

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

KNU: REPORT-HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN KAREN STATE, BURMA
March 6, 1997

Toungoon district           
 
On February 21,1997, SLORC's commander of Infantry Battalion 35,Lt. Colonel
Kyaw Swa took headman of section 2o of Toungoon town, Maung Htun Nwe, age
73, to the front line as a guide. On February 23, when this headman could no
longer walk, this SLORC commander beat him to death at a village called Klaw
Mee Der.

Thaton district

On February 27, SLORC's Infantry battalion 51 entered Toe Teh Kee village,
summoned all the villagers and ordered them not to leave the village. Then
they arrested men and women villagers, beat them up, poured water on them
and immersed them in water for no reason.

On March 2, SLORC Light Infantry Battalion 230 and DKBA Maung Han Shwe
torched Ta Maw Daw villager, Maung Chit Tu's house worth 6000 Kyats. All the
properties in the house worth about 35000 kyats were destroyed in the fire.
They also took a pair of earrings worth 5000 kyats, 10 baskets of rice worth
5000 kyats and a saw worth 1000 kyats.

SLORC Light Infantry Battalion 230 and DKBA Maung Han Shwe demanded 500
kyats each from the villagers who went to the forest to collect matured
leaves for their house roofs. They threatened the villagers they would shoot
them if they saw them coming to the forest to collect leaves. They set the
forest on fire so all the leaves were burned and the villagers have no
leaves for the roofs of their houses this coming rainy season.

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

SLORC: INFORMATION SHEET NO-A.0026
March 7, 1997

	More troops from the Kayin National Union traded arms for 
peace. On the 3rd of March (18) members of the (KNU) organization from Kyone
Doe Township Administrative body and again on the 6th of March another (36)
members of the same body traded their arms for peace. This group is headed
by the Secretary of the (KNU) Kyone Doe Township Administrative Body and
they are being cordially welcomed by the concerning authorities. It is also
learnt that more KNU troops (the last remaining  outlawed organization in
Myanmar which has refused to come to  peace agreement with the government)
will be trading their arms for 
peace in the coming days.

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

THE NATION: MANDELA WILL TURN BLIND EYE TO BURMA ISSUE
March 7, 1997

US states take opposite stance

Singapore - President Nelson Mandela yesterday urged deeper engagement
between South Africa and Southeast Asia, saying alleged human rights abuses
in Burma will not affect future ties with the booming region.
	"We are driven by a deep desire to rekindle old relationships. We yearn to
rebuild what was destroyed," said Mandela, whose country was ostracised by
the region during the apartheid era.
	"We seek to forge strong multilateral ties among our nations under the new
and more favourable conditions of freedom, technological advance and peace,"
the 78-year-old South African leader said in a lecture.
	But in a report from Washington, state legislatures in California and
Connecticut are considering a ban on state contracts with any company doing
business in Burma, a US non-profit group opposed to the Burmese government
said on Tuesday.
	The California-based Bay Area Burma Roundtable added that similar
legislation would soon be introduced in the Vermont state legislature and is
also being considered by New York City.
	"If the legislation proposed so far passed, the total market closed to
companies which do business in Burma would exceed 75 billion dollars (Bt1.87
trillion)," the group said in a statement.
	Bills designed to discourage investment in Burma have already been signed
into law in Massachusetts and 11 US cities and countries. This is line with
increasing pressure from Western countries to isolate Burma from the
international community.
	The group stressed that the proposed bills would apply equally to all
companies doing business in Burma, regardless of where they are incorporated.
	Mandela, on his first official tour of Southeast Asia since being released
in 1990 from 27 years in apartheid-era jails, came to Singapore after
visiting the Philippines and Brunei.
	The 10-day tour is aimed at boosting economic links.
	Mandela urged countries in the region to seize the "many great
opportunities" that south Africa offered.
	Mandela told the press earlier that countries in Asean had been too "inward
looking" and slow to venture into Africa. "But with the opening of
communications between Africa and this region, I've not the slightest doubt
that they'll grasp at the opportunities of trade and investment in Africa,"
he said.
	Burma, whose military junta has jailed dissidents and is accused of
atrocities against ethnic minorities, is awaiting admission into Asean,
possibly as early as July.
	Mandela told a news conference that Burma's admission into Asean, which
pursues a policy of "constructive engagement" with the junta, would not
affect his country's efforts to expand ties with the grouping.
	"We are willing to deal with any region irrespective of the internal
policies of those regions, said Mandela, whose release from nearly three
decades in South Africa's apartheid jails was aided by international pressure.
	He said countries with a record of human rights violations had been
accepted by the United Nations, the Commonwealth and the Non-Aligned
Movement, and "why would we let ourselves depart from what international
organisations are doing?"
	He, however, added that South Africa "will be willing to play our part" if
the international community decided on concerted action.
	On the last leg his tour, Mandela later arrived in Kuala Lumpur. He was
welcomed at the city's  airport by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
	The South African leader was accorded a state welcome and was scheduled to
hold an audience later with Malaysian King Tuanku Ja'afar, who was to host a
banquet in his honour. (TN)

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

THE NATION: ARMY'S PLAN TO MOVE KAREN GETS SUPPORT
March 7, 1997

THE chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs said yesterday that
his panel supports the Army's plan to move Karen refugees 10 kilometres
deeper into Thailand. 
	Speaking after a hearing attended by senior officials of the Foreign and
Interior ministries, Bhichai Rattakul said the plan would prevent further
invasion and attack by armed forces from Burma ­ an act which he said is a
violation of Thai sovereignty. 
	Bhichai dismissed international allegations that the Thai Army forcibly
repatriated about 900 Karen refugees back to Burma last week, saying that
the government remains committed to the traditional humanitarian treatment
of refugees. 
	''It's just the Western view that Thailand is ruthless. We will not push
them back but will provide them with temporary asylum," Bhichai said. 
	Bhichai's comments were supported by Suwarot Phalan, spokesman of the House
Committee for Justice and Human Rights, who joined a fact-finding mission
which visited Karen refugees along the border in Kanchanaburi on Tuesday. 
	Suwarot told reporters that he had talked to a leader of the Karen refugees
who said that no one had mentioned forced repatriation by the Thai Army.
They only requested more aid, especially water and medicine, he said. 
	Suwarot said that the Karen leader had given him a letter to be forwarded
to Army Chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro expressing gratitude for the Army's
humanitarian aid. 
	But Pibhop Dhongchai, leader of the fact-finding team, yesterday rejected
Suwarot's statement, disowning Suwarot as a member of the fact-finding
mission. He said that the Suwarot suddenly broke away from the team half-way
through the trip and thus did not receive all the information about the
situation on the ground. 
	Nor did Suwarot join a post-trip assessment and report drafting process at
the end of the day, added Pibhop. 
	Pibhop also rejected Suwarot's claim that the refugees wanted to send a
thank-you letter to Chettha. He said the letter was in fact intended for the
MP himself, thanking him for taking time off to visit them. 
	The letter to Suwarot, from the roughly 2,300 refugees of Pu Nam Rawn,
thanked the MP for his visit and said that the Karen refugees will never
forget the Thai government's generosity and hospitality toward them. 
	''We are very pleased to receive your [Suwarot's] visit to Pu Nam Rawn
refugee camp. We respect and recognise all Thai people's sympathy to Karen
refugees. We will never forget the generosity of the Royal Thai Government,
which has granted shelters to refugees along the Thai-Burmese border for a
long time," said the letter. 
	The refugees also thanked the Thai government for planning to relocate them
to a new location and expressed hope that the new site will be safe and
peaceful. 
	''We believe and trust the Royal Thai Government's heartiest regard for our
future. We are expecting to reach a place which is free from anxiety," they
said. ''We hope that the plan to move [us] to a new location, which depends
on the kindness of the authorities will bring a peaceful and secure living. 
	''We heartedly would like to express our sincere thanks to all the
authorities who are organising our move. We give our highest regards to your
sympathy and hospitality," the letter ended. 
	Local and international reports last week of the forced repatriation of
women, children, the elderly and the disabled ­ as well as their separation
from male family members who were subsequently pushed back to the war zone ­
provoked international outcry against the Thai Army. 
	Bhichai said that a senior Foreign Ministry official had informed the
committee that minority groups along the Thai-Burmese border, from the
provinces of Tak to Chumphon, are still under threat from the Burmese army.
He added that Chettha, who is concerned about the situation, had advised the
Burmese junta to quickly resolve its internal problems so that the refugees
could return home. 
	Meanwhile, three Republican US congressmen sent Prime Minister Chavalit
Yongchaiyudh a letter yesterday demanding respect for the refugees' ''basic
human rights" and calling the repatriations ''against international law and
internationally accepted humanitarian standards". 
	It was signed by Benjamin Gilman of New York, chairman of the House
Committee on Foreign Relations; Christopher Smith of New Jersey, chairman of
the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights; and Dana
Rohrabacher of California, according to an Associated Press report. 
	Spokesmen for the Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign Ministry said
they had no knowledge of the letter. Previous criticism along the same lines
has been rejected as a misinterpretation of Thai intentions. (TN)

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

THE NATION: THE BATTLE BEHIND BURMA'S FRONTLINES
Friday 7 ,1997
Aung Zaw

A severe opposition crackdown is being attributed to a power struggle in the
military, Aung Zaw writes.

	Security in Rangoon over the last few weeks has been ratcheted up to
"siege-like" levels with military checks being set up at all major points
and truckloads troops brought into the capital. But the exact source of the
treat to the city remains unclear.
	The official version for the troop movement is that they are needed to
prevent possible acts of sabotage and terrorism by Karen insurgent who have
come under an intense government offensive Thai-Burma border. 
	KNU spokesman, Padoe Mahn Sha declared a few days ago that the threat was
real, saying his guerrilla group "would attack (Slorc) from the rear."
	But many observers in Rangoon believe something else nay be going on.
	"The situation in Rangoon is really tense, soldiers are everywhere - they
are in monasteries, in the schools, in the parks, on the streets, on the
roofs," said a spokesperson of the Southeast Asian Information Network [SAIN]. 
	"And most of the troops don't speak Burmese," the person added. 
	"It's like Rangoon is under siege," said another recently visitor to the
capital.
	 "The army is in-charge of the army", he said.
	Shows of military might are normal ahead of Armed Forces Day, which is due
to be held in late March. And as the day nears Gen Maung Aye, deputy
chairman of the Slorc and Tin Oo, secretary two of the Slorc, are doing
their part traveling around the country and whipping up military morale.
	But conspicuously absent from these activities was Slorc chairman, Senior
Gen Than Shwe who has remained in Rangoon. 
	Last week, he did little more than award medals to a military marching band
and visits a pagodas and monastery. 
	So what is going on? Will there be a purge within the Slorc? Is The army
going to stage a coup?
	Many Rangoon-based Slorc watchers believe Than Shwe is not a major player
anymore. "Than Shwe is not running the country anymore. The army and Maung
Aye's group is taking over," said one.
	Two months ago, a news came out of Rangoon that Gen Maung Aye's camp asked
Than Shwe to "depart." 
	But Than Shwe and his men-Lt Gen Aung Ye Kyaw, Lt Gen Maung Thint, Lt Gen
Htun Kyi and Lt Gen Sein Aung-refused to step down. They are all in over 60s. 
	"If we hand over power to your group the country will be ruined," Than Shwe
was quoted as saying. 
	In fact, Than Shwe was supposed to retire last year but has hold on  to his
all his position. Nevertheless, if Maung Aye has any plan to consolidate his
absolute power he needs to watch his back as well.
	Lt Gen Khin Nyunt, head of the military intelligence service and secretary
one is not sitting idly by but watching on carefully.
	Observers in Rangoon said Gen Maung Aye doesn't think Khin Nyunt is doing
his job very well. 
	"His [Khin Nyunt's] job is to secure the country but Maung Aye doesn't
think Khin Nyunt is doing that", one said. Thus the thinking is that Maung
Aye is deploying his troops in Rangoon in a demonstration of his power and
to ensure nothing happens.
	"In western thinking ordering more troops to the capital means the
government is frightened but for the Burmese it is the complete opposite.
They perceived it as a warning", one Western observer noted.
	In any case, Khin Nyunt's inability to "secure" the capital has led some
Slorc ministers, including Gen Maung Aye, are sleep in their offices. Maung
Aye's Thai counterpart Gen Chetta Thanarajo mentioned the practice a few
weeks ago.
	The reason: the December bombing at the Kaba Aye pagoda in Rangoon, which
killed five people and injured dozens. At the recent press conference, Col
Kyaw Win, Burma's military spokesman and deputy intelligence chief accused
the KNU of being behind the bombing.
	Ironically, people in Rangoon suspect the authorities. 
	"It is generally believed that it was an inside job - but no one really
knows who did it so there is a real paranoid among the ministers", the SAIN
spokesperson said. 
	"They have to guard their offices as they know they will be blamed if
something happens when they are not there", said the source, noting Khin
Nyunt was censured for his inability to prevent the bomb attack.
	Another target feeling the heated in Rangoon is the  opposition party,
National League for Democracy [NLD].
 	"Aung San Suu Kyi herself is not safe, it is a very dangerous time to be
an NLD member no matter who they are," said the spokesperson of the SAIN.
Diplomats, foreign visitors, including UN officials, are being turned away
from seeing Suu Kyi. 
	"If you go and see her - Good luck! because you will be searched at the
airport and  you won't get a visa again," said one recent visitor.
On Tuesday, Suu Kyi told journalists that NLD members have become the target
of a persecution campaign of unprecedented severity. 
	The authorities, she accused, are harassing, arresting and imprisoning with
the aim of eliminating the NLD as a political force. Aung Shwe, chairman of
the NLD, sent a protest letter to Senior Gen Than Shwe to guarantee safety
and to prevent such attacks.
	But the subsequent sequence of events suggests the junta has paid little
attention to Aung Shwe's letter. In Taungoo district, where Burmese troops
have been attacking the KNU's Brigade No.2, members of the NLD have been
used as front-line porters. 
	According to the SAIN, on Feb. 21 at around midnight, about twenty people
from Taungoo were taken away by the police and local officials without any
reason given. 
	Among them were members of the Taungoo NLD township organizational
committee: the chairman, deputy chairman, joint secretary, and treasury. 
	Aung Soe Myint, NLD member of parliament for Taungoo jumped down from the
car and escaped. 
	Later it was found out that an NLD member was found dumped on a roadside. 
	Tin Oo, deputy chairman of the NLD, confirmed that the NLD member was taken
by the army. 
	NLD members have been arrested all over Burma since the party organised a
Union Day gathering at Suu Kyi's house in Rangoon. One particular victim was
Khin Nyunt's brother in law, Dr Than Nyein. 
	Than Nyein is deputy chairman of the Rangoon division NLD organisational
committee. Than Nyein is a licensed medical doctor and had applied to open a
clinic in Thaketa township. 
	In January, Dr Than Nyein attended to patients and making official
preparations to open a clinic.
 	But later local officials and police came to question him at his clinic.
	They also broke into his clinic and searched without his prior knowledge.
Than Nyein was later arrested.
	But the officials said they did not single out Than Nyein. Action was taken
against him due to breach of the law concerning clinics "Last month 1,163
clinics were examined and action was taken against 312 persons either
operating or working with the clinics. Dr Than Nyein's case is one of those
312," said Col Kyaw Thein.
	Than Nyein believes he was a set up. 
	"By looking at the occurrence, it is clear that the authorities have
determined with great vindictiveness and in a lawless fashion, to crush all
those working for democracy at different levels of the NLD," he said in a
letter to the NLD chairman.
	In fact, Than Nyein's real "crime" may have been to give speeches at the
NLD-organised Union Day on Feb 12.
	On Tuesday night, Tin Oo, who is a former general and minister for defence
in the 1970s told the BBC World Service that dictatorship won't last long
and democracy will prevail. But how? The generals are intent on proving him
wrong. The recent visitor said: "They seemed helpless," he said. Though he
added he was astonished by the strength of the opposition.(TN)

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OTTAWA CITIZEN: CANADIAN AMBASSADOR MANHANDLED IN BURMA
(abridged)
March 6, 1997
by Jonathan Manthorpe
Southam News Asian bureau

Police thwart visit to Nobel Peace Prize winner as government launches new
effort to quash opposition

Rangoon, Burma-Canada's ambassador to Burma was shoved and manhandled by
police and military intelligence officers on Wednesday evening as he
attempted to keep an appointment with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
   The military regime's security officers, stationed at the gate of Ms. Suu
Kyi's home to prevent her from receiving visitors, shouted at Manfred von
Nostitz and aggressively tried to push him back into his cab.
   When he told them he had an appointment to see Ms. Suu Kyi, whose
National League for Democracy overwhelmingly won 1990 elections but who has
been barred from taking office by the junta, the policy yelled: "Appointment
cancelled. Appointment cancelled."
   They also swore loudly at the cab driver for bringing Mr. von Nostitz to
Ms. Suu Kyi's house. The ambassador, whose embassy in neighbouring Thailand,
saw he would not be allowed in and returned to his hotel.
   The incident only lasted a few minutes, but Mr. von Nostitz is the third
ambassador to be clocked from seeing the Nobel laureate in the last two
weeks. The Austrian and Danish ambassadors received similar receptions.
   There is growing evidence that isolating Ms. Suu Kyi is a new tactic by
the military regime, called the State Law and Order restoration Council, to
undermine the democracy movement in Burma, also known as Myanmar.
   The SLORC has overcome most regional and international opposition to its
repressive rule and continues to use arrests, torture, killings and slave
labour to suppress resistance at home. Ms. Suu Kyi finds herself under
virtual house arrest again, while the regime mounts a concerted attack on
her National League for Democracy throughout the country.
   The leader of the democracy movement is only allowed to leave the house
if she informs the SLORC where she is going. The regime says this is for her
own security following an incident late last year in which a car carrying
her was attacked. There is clear evidence the attack was made by hired
government thugs to create an excuse for limiting her activities.
   Ms. Suu Kyi's supporters are increasingly concerned about her security as
the SLORC feels more confident of its power.
   "We are worried the SLORC is deciding whether it's safe to kill her," a
leader of an underground student organization said. "We saw the attack on
her car as a test of international reaction. They will do it again and again."
   Burma's democratic movement is identified internationally with Ms. Suu
Kyi, while other key figures in it are not well know. The student leader
admitted this poses a threat to the movement. "If something happens to her,
it's a big problem for us."
   Diplomats say they see signs that Ms. Suu Kyi's isolation is affecting
the democracy movement.
   "It's more difficult for her to see people in the organization, more
difficult for her to know what's happening in the region and the outside
world," one diplomat said.
   In an interview earlier this week in a house near her home, Ms. Suu Kyi
said she believes the SLORC is trying to create a situation where it can
claim the democracy movement has withered for lack of public support.
   "They are trying to stop people supporting the NLD and to stop the NLD
functioning as a political party so they can say, 'We didn't declare the
party illegal. It was just the waning of public support.'"
	"The EU says this isn't the right time to take action against the SLORC,"
said the student leader. "But what is the right time?"

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REUTER:EXILED PM FEARS EU MAY EASE PRESSURE ON RANGOON
(abridged)
March 5, 1997
Mark Brennock

	As the human rights situation in Burma deteriorates the democracy movement
is concerned that Europe may ease the pressure on the military regime. Mark
Brennock, Foreign Affairs Correspondent, spoke
to Burma's prime minister-in-exile. 

	The man who should have been Burma's prime minister will
today ask the Tánaiste, Mr Spring, to try to ensure that the EUdoes not put
trade before human rights in its dealings with Burma.
	Dr Sein Win, now his country's prime minister-in-exile, says he
fears that the European desire to increase trade with south-east Asia will
dilute its concern about repression by the military dictatorship in his
country. At the EU meeting in Singapore earlier this year with the
Association of South East Asian States (ASEAN), EU concerns about human
rights in Burma were more muted than before and were expressed only on the
margins of the meeting, the main purpose of which was to
discuss trade.
	"We are concerned that the EU position is easing already," Dr
Win said on his arrival in Dublin.
	   He asked to meet Mr Spring because Ireland is still part of the
Troika of EU states that conducts the Union's external relations. "Ireland
has been supportive of our cause at the United Nations and elsewhere," he said.
	While subject to international disapproval, Burma - renamed Myanmar by the
military regime - has been edging its way into the international trading
system. Last year it became an associate member of the increasingly powerful
ASEAN trading bloc. Its ASEAN neighbours describe their policy towards it as
one of "constructive engagement", and Burma appears to be on course for full
ASEAN membership. Constructive engagement involves some linkage between
increased trade and improvements in Burma's human rights record.
	"We cannot always see anything constructive coming from this engagement,"
says Dr Win. "We are asking for a real constructive engagement which would
look at what the people of Burma want, which is democracy."
	Since 1988 the EU has stopped all development aid and imposed an arms
embargo and visa restrictions. "There is no reason for Europe's policy to be
eased," he says. "Those measures were taken because of the human rights
situation, and the repression is getting worse, not better."
	But he fears EU pressure will be replaced by more constructive
engagement. The EU sees huge potential in developing trade with ASEAN. Many
ASEAN states in turn have economic interests in Burma, which is a source of
cheap gas, timber, minerals and labour.
	In addition, according to Dr Win, they may fear the Burma
democracy movement because its success could influence the people of other
ASEAN states. While most of them call their political systems democratic,
they would not be recognised as such in the West.
	Dr Win was elected to a Burmese parliament in 1990 when the National League
for Democracy (NLD) won 80 per cent of the vote, but the SLORC made it clear
they would not recognise the result. Dr Win, chosen as prime minister, and
19 others left the country to form a government-in-exile; two have since
been assassinated.
	He and his colleagues now devote their time to lobbying the international
community to keep the pressure on the SLORC. Within the EU, says Dr Win,
Denmark is very supportive and is ready to agree to impose economic
sanctions. Other Nordic countries are also very sympathetic. But Britain and
France oppose sanctions: both have significant oil interests in Burma.
	In Ireland there is a significant level of support and lobbying on behalf
of Burma's pro-democracy movement. Burma Action Ireland was set up nine
months ago and has been lobbying trade unions and politicians of all parties
to ask Dáil questions of the Minister for Foreign Affairs in connection with
the situation in Burma. The group has received a sympathetic hearing from
MEPs of all parties, and the European Parliament has been supportive.
	Trócaire, which jointly organised Dr Win's visit with Burma Action Ireland,
operates humanitarian assistance programmes in Thailand for Burmese refugees
who have come across the border. Trócaire also campaigns in Ireland on the
issue.

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DVB: DEMONSTRATION IN OSLO
March 6, 1997
By Saw Nelson Ku

February 4, was a  wonderful day. At noon 18 Norwegians and 6 Burmese, some
carrying posters placards gathered together outside the Royal Thai Embassy,
a concrete grey  building. One  would also find a grey car with  two blue
flashing lights on the top and the word  "Politi" on its sides, meaning
"Police" in English.  Two Norwegians entered the building to give their
letter of protest to the Thai embassy. And then  the group started
protesting and condemning the Thai government for sending the Karen refugee
back to Burma.
The signboards they carried said "Don't send refugees back to Burma;  SLORC
is killing Karen people;  Stop dealing with the SLORC; Slorc is a muderer;
help the refugees" and etc. Then half an hour later, the group started
shouting these slogans at the top of their voice for about 30 minutes.  
After the demonstration at Thai Embassy, some proceeded to the downtown Oslo
to distribute  leaflets. 
"It was a really wonderful day, but unfortunately we were allowed by the
Police to  demonstrate in front of the Thai embassy for one hour only . I
think we were not given enough  time to explain the plight of Karen refugees
to the Norwegian public", said  a  Norwegian boy who asked for anonymity.

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