IS BURMA'S EXPERIMENT WITH OPENNESS

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: IS BURMA'S EXPERIMENT WITH OPENNESS DEAD?


DATE=4/1/97
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-212286
TITLE=BURMA / MEDIA (L ONLY)
BYLINE=GARY THOMAS
DATELINE=BANGKOK
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:    

INTRO: SINCE LAST AUGUST, THE GOVERNMENT OF BURMA HAS HELD 
MONTHLY NEWS CONFERENCES.  HOWEVER, THE APRIL NEWS CONFERENCE -- 
WHICH WAS TO HAVE BEEN HELD TUESDAY -- DID NOT TAKE PLACE.  AS 
V-O-A SOUTHEAST ASIA CORRESPONDENT GARY THOMAS REPORTS, THE 
CANCELLATION HAS PROMPTED JOURNALISTS AND OTHER ANALYSTS TO 
QUESTION WHETHER BURMA'S EXPERIMENT WITH OPENNESS, IS DEAD.

TEXT:  CANCELLATION OF THE REGULAR MONTHLY NEWS CONFERENCE CAME 
IN A TERSE ANNOUNCEMENT SENT BY FAX OR ELECTRONIC MAIL TO 
REPORTERS.  THE  GOVERNMENT GAVE NO REASON FOR THE CANCELLATION, 
ONLY SAYING IT WAS  POSTPONED -- AS THE GOVERNMENT PUT IT -- "DUE
TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES."  IT DID NOT SAY WHEN OR IF THE 
MONTHLY BRIEFINGS WILL BE RESUMED.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT DID NOT COME AS A TOTAL SURPRISE TO REPORTERS ON
THE BURMA BEAT.  FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, THERE HAVE BEEN SIGNS 
SOMETHING WAS AMISS  IN BURMA'S INFORMATION APPARATUS.  THE 
PRIMARY MILITARY OFFICER ASSIGNED TO ANSWER REPORTERS' QUESTIONS 
BECAME UNAVAILABLE.  THE USUAL FLOW OF NEWS RELEASES -- CALLED 
"INFORMATION SHEETS" BY THE GOVERNMENT" -- DRIED UP TO A TRICKLE.

THERE ARE SEVERAL THEORIES AS TO WHY THIS HAS HAPPENED.  ONE IS 
THAT RECENT SECTARIAN STRIFE BETWEEN MAJORITY BUDDHISTS AND 
MINORITY MUSLIMS  HAS MADE THE GOVERNMENT NERVOUS ABOUT LETTING 
WESTERN REPORTERS, IN AT THIS TIME.

HOWEVER, MANY JOURNALISTS AND DIPLOMATS SEE IT AS A SIGN OF A 
STRUGGLE OVER POLICY BETWEEN HARDLINERS AND WHAT MIGHT BE TERMED 
"PRAGMATISTS" IN THE RULING STATE LAW AND ORDER RESTORATION 
COUNCIL.  THE  HARDLINERS -- SO THIS THEORY GOES -- ARE ANGRY 
THAT WHAT MIGHT BE CALLED  "BURMESE GLASNOST" HAS BACKFIRED AND 
HAS NOT RESULTED IN WHAT THEY HOPED WOULD BE MORE-FAVORABLE 
PUBLICITY.

AFTER YEARS OF TIGHTLY-CONTROLLED FOREIGN MEDIA ACCESS TO BURMA, 
THE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED LAST JULY THAT IT WOULD BEGIN HOLDING 
MONTHLY NEWS CONFERENCES.  AN "INFORMATION CELL"  WAS FORMED IN 
THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE -- STAFFED PRIMARILY BY MILITARY 
INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS CLOSE TO LIEUTENANT GENERAL KHIN NYUNT, 
HEAD OF THE INTELLIGENCE APPARATUS.  SOURCES IN RANGOON SAY THE 
INFORMATION MINISTRY -- WHICH HAD PRIOR RESPONSIBILITY FOR 
DEALING WITH THE FOREIGN MEDIA -- WAS INCENSED AT THE MOVE.

  // REST OPTIONAL //

THE GOVERNMENT SAW THE NEWS CONFERENCE AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO AIR 
ITS VIEWS ON A RANGE OF ISSUES -- INCLUDING WHAT IT SAW AS 
INTERNAL SUBVERSION BY PRO-DEMOCRACY FORCES.

BUT WESTERN REPORTERS -- HOLDING A VERY-DIFFERENT DEFINITION OF A
NEWS CONFERENCE -- USED THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK SOME VERY 
HARD-HITTING QUESTIONS OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ABOUT THE 
TREATMENT OF PRO-DEMOCRACY FORCES LED BY AUNG SAN SUU KYI.  
REPORTERS ALSO FLOCKED TO SEE AUNG SAN SUU KYI.  IN FACT, SHE 
WOULD OFTEN HOLD HER OWN COUNTER-NEWS CONFERENCE RIGHT AFTER THE 
GOVERNMENT ONE.

MANY ANALYSTS BELIEVE THE GOVERNMENT GOT TIRED OF THE CONSTANT 
QUESTIONS ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS -- AND ALSO TIRED OF GIVING WESTERN 
MEDIA FIRSTHAND ACCESS TO ITS MOST-PROMINENT OPPONENT.  (SIGNED)

NEB / GPT / SFT / WD