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BurmaNet News April 7, 1997
------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------
The BurmaNet News: April 6, 1997
Issue #686
Noted in Passing:
"It's very strange. The police just stopped and watched. They did very
little apart from spraying the occasional water gun." - Western tourist
re: monks destroying a mosque in Pegu
(see THE NATION: EYEWITNESS RECALLS RECENT UNREST)
HEADLINES:
==========
AP: BURMA EXPLOSION CONFIRMED
SLORC: INFORMATION SHEET A-0031
AFP: SENIOR JUNTA OFFICIAL VISITS CAPTURED KAREN BASES
THE NATION: SECURITY ALERT ISSUED IN BURMA
THE NATION: EYEWITNESS RECALLS RECENT UNREST IN BURMA
AFP: MP RELATIVE OF BURMESE INTELLIGENCE CHIEF, RELEASED
AFP: BANGLADESH TIGHTENS SECURITY ON BORDER WITH BURMA
THE NATION: REPORT CLAIMS WOMEN SUFFER MOST
BKK POST: KAREN SLAIN IN ATTACK BY BURMESE INTRUDER
THAI DELEGATION TO THE UN: STATEMENT TO CLEAR UP
BKK POST: UNOCAL HAS BUYERS FOR STAKE IF WASHINGTON
BKK POST: ENVIRONMENTALISTS START PIPELINE PROTEST
BANGKOK POST: NEW RECRUITS CONSULT AS ASEAN AWAITS
MYANMAR ALIN: NOTICE ISSUED ON RENEWAL OF SATELLITE
MYANMAR ALIN: NOTICE ISSUED ON CASING INSTALLATIONS
*****************************************************
AP: BURMA EXPLOSION CONFIRMED
April 7, 1997
RANGOON, Burma (AP) -- A mail bomb exploded in the home of a leading
member of Burma's military government, killing his eldest daughter, officials
and relatives said today.
A senior military officer confirmed that an explosion occurred at 8:52 p.m.
Sunday at the house of Gen. Tin Oo, the army chief of staff and one of
Burma's most powerful generals.
Tin Oo was believed to have been the target of a previous bomb attack at a
Rangoon pagoda. On Christmas Eve, two bombs exploded in a temple housing a
tooth believed to have belonged to Buddha, killing five people and injuring
17. The bomb went off shortly after Tin Oo visited the temple.
The officer said Tin Oo was not hurt in Sunday's explosion, but a member of
the general's family confirmed that his eldest daughter, 33-year-old Cho Lei
Oo, was killed by what was believed to have been a mail bomb.
A funeral for the mother of two was scheduled for Tuesday. She was married
to a major in the Burmese army.
There was no claim of responsibility and the government did not initially
accuse anyone. The government has blamed past bombings on communists, rebel
groups and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel
Peace Prize. All deny such charges.
Two rebel groups -- the Karen National Union and the All-Burma Students
Democratic Front -- told The Associated Press in Bangkok, Thailand, that
they had nothing to do with the blast. The rebels, under siege in a
government offensive, have never shown a capability in urban terrorism.
Man Sha, vice secretary-general of the KNU, attributed the attack to a
rivalry within the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council.
``This situation does not concern the KNU. It concerns the SLORC,'' Man Sha
said. ``Inside their army, they're having more and more power struggles.''
Speculation has recently focused on jockeying between Gen. Maung Aye, a
hard-line former field commander who counts Tin Oo among his allies, and
Gen. Khin Nyunt, the powerful head of military intelligence.
A veteran of campaigns against ethnic and communist insurgents, Tin Oo had
threatened in public speeches to ``annihilate'' opponents of the regime but
in general, he rarely speaks publicly of politics and is a popular commander
with the troops.
No one answered the telephone today at Suu Kyi's home. Her political
activities have been severely restricted since September. A member of her
political party, the National League for Democracy, said her line had been cut.
Several soldiers were seen outside the closed gates of Tin Oo's compound
this morning. No damage to the one-story building could be seen from the
street. Earlier, a couple dozen soldiers stood guard at the house in a
western Rangoon suburb.
There is already a heavy military presence in Rangoon and other Burmese
cities following recent clashes between Buddhist monks and Muslims. Tensions
between the military government and its democratic and ethnic opponents are
high.
The military warned Burmese citizens Sunday to refrain from political
agitation during the upcoming New Year's festival. The festivities, which
culminate April 17, are celebrated in large part by citizens dousing each
other with water.
Rangoon has suffered several bombings the past year: A small explosive
device went off in July underneath a government billboard urging citizens to
crush the state's enemies. No one was hurt.
The Christmas Eve blast at the pagoda that killed five was blamed by the
government on the Karen National Union, a border-based group seeking
autonomy from Rangoon.
Government opponents, however, accused the military of planting the bombs as
a pretext for a crackdown on the opposition.
****************************************************
SLORC: INFORMATION SHEET A-0031
April 7, 1997
Information Sheet No. A-0031 Date 7 -
4 -97
On the evening of the 6th of April an explosion took place at the residence
of Lt. Gen. Tin Oo, Secretary (II) of the State Law and Order Restoration
Council. In this incidence the general's eldest daughter Cho Lei Oo age ( 34)
who is a mother of one ( 6 ) years old and one ( 2 ) years old was killed
in the terrorist bomb explosion. An initial investigation reveals it was a
parcel bomb.
**********************************
AFP: SENIOR JUNTA OFFICIAL VISITS CAPTURED KAREN BASES
April 4, 1997
RANGOON, April 4 (AFP) - Lieutenant General Tin Oo, chief of staff
of the Burmese army, has visited captured bases of the rebel Karen National
Union (KNU) in southern Burma, the official press reported Friday.
The New Light of Myanmar pictured Tin Oo, who is also second secretary
of Burma's ruling junta, inspecting captured weapons at the headquarters of
the KNU's Fourth Brigade at Minthamee Thursday.
Accompanied by an entourage of government ministers and officials, he took a
helicopter trip to three Karen bases in Tenasserim division.
"Only when there is peace and tranquility in border areas, will
regional development tasks be carried out effectively," the New
Light quoted him as saying.
Forces of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), as
the ruling junta is officially known, have swept through KNU enclaves
close to the Thai border in a massive offensive that began in early February.
The KNU, which has been fighting rule from Rangoon for almost 50 years,
is the only major ethnic insurgency yet to reach a ceasefire with the junta.
Some 15 other insurgencies have reached accords with the SLORC through a
combination of military pressure and promises of development assistance.
The KNU group has lost its fixed bases in the current offensive and an
estimated 20,000 Karen civilians have fled to Thailand but the rebel
leadership is determined to continue guerrilla resistance.
Since the offensive began, other key SLORC figures including its chairman
Senior General Than Shwe, and the army chief General Maung Aye have
paid visits to captured KNU areas.
The New Light report said that Tin Oo met with troops of SLORC's
regional battalions and their families, and local representatives of
the junta's mass organisation, the Union Solidarity Development
Association and other groups.
********************************************************
THE NATION: SECURITY ALERT ISSUED IN BURMA
April 6, 1997
AFP
Rangoon - The military commander of the Rangoon division has urged both
civilian and military officials to be alert to security threats during
festivities leading up to the Burmese New Year on April 17.
Rangoon city mayor Ko Lay issued a similar warning, calling for "thorough
vetting" of people taking part in song, dance and slogan-chanting
competitions to prevent any anti-government agitation.
Both men's comments were carried in The Mirror daily yesterday.
Security was stepped up in Rangoon and other urban centres after
Buddhist-Muslim tensions erupted three weeks ago, with groups of Buddhist
monks vandalising mosques and destroying Muslim property.
The Burmese New Year, which falls on April 17, is traditionally preceded by
four days of revelry in which people crowd the streets, and in a
good-natured was splash each other with water and hold community festivities.
"Given the prevailing situation, it is incumbent upon district and township
officials to be constantly on security alert until the Thingyan [water
festival] ends," the military commander, Maj Gen Khin Maung Than said on Friday.
The Mirror daily said he was addressing a meeting of district and township
officials, also attended by Thura Shwe Mann, commander of the 11th division
which was called into Rangoon to beef up security.
Khin Maung Than told the officials to look out for any kind of
"instigations" that could lead to unrest.
Mayor Ko Lay told a separate meeting at the city hall that any word or deed
aimed at lowering the prestige of the government must be prevented.
"Through vetting should be made of various groups taking part in song, dance
and slogan-chanting competitions to see that they do not indulge in
anti-government agitations or cause disturbances," he was quoted as saying.
The mayor's city hall platform has traditionally been the focus of
waterdousing and revelry during the water festival, attended by high-ranking
government officials and resident diplomats.
The festive atmosphere at the elaborate, make-shift pandal at city hall is
somewhat dampened by the presence of large Chinese-made Tanks stationed
inside the gates after troops put down student arrest last year. (TN)
*******************************************************
THE NATION: EYEWITNESS RECALLS RECENT UNREST IN BURMA
April 5, 1997 (excerpts)
PEGU, Burma - Buddhist monks in Burma are widely known to be politically
active and are often seen leading anti-government demonstrations, but to
witness an army of monks armed with batons marching down the streets is a
rare, shocking sight for an independent foreign traveller.
Foreign tourists visiting the country under the heavily prompted Visit
Myanmar Year were kept away from possible hotspots and predictably the
Burmese junta quickly slapped a visa ban on foreign journalists.
Ten days later, Pegu, the former capital of the ancient Mon kingdom about 80
kilometres to the northeast of Rangoon, was shaken with similar explosive
violence.
Hundreds of saffron-robed Buddhist monks, batons and sticks in hand, took to
the streets joining their religious colleagues to express anger with the
country's Muslim population.
A group of militant monks broke away and attacked a mosque in the
neighbourhood, vandalising it to their satisfaction.
Surprisingly, Burmese policemen and troops armed with weapons, riot shields
and water guns, did not attempt to stop either the march or the ransacking.
Instead, they joined curious onlookers in watching from a safe distance.
"It's very strange. The police just stopped and watched. They did very
little apart from spraying the occasional water gun," one western tourist said.
It was a disheartening sight to see monks clambering up minarets, ransacking
prayer towers and literally destroying everything inside the mosque,
including the ceilings and floor coverings.
All that remained was piles of debris and heavy sorrow implanted in the
hearts of local Muslims who did not quite understand why they had been so
violently attacked. The best they could do was try to restore the mosque,
clean up the mess and gather all the religious documents, including copies
of the Koran.
*******************************************************
AFP: MP RELATIVE OF BURMESE INTELLIGENCE CHIEF, RELEASED
April 4, 1997
RANGOON, April 4 (AFP) - An elected Burmese opposition MP who
was charged with running an authorised medical clinic has been
released after paying a small fine, informed sources said Friday.
Doctor Than Nyein, whose medical license was revoked on February 19
by the health ministry for "breaching medical professional ethics," was
released from custody Wednesday after paying 1,000 kyats (six dollars at the
prevailing market rate).
He is the brother-in-law of intelligence chief Lieutenant General Khin
Nyunt, first secretary of the ruling junta, the State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC).
Observers noted it was the first time a member of the main opposition
National League for Democracy (NLD), which is led by Nobel Peace
Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, had been tried according to due legal process.
NLD party members found guilty of even a minor law violation are
usually given sentences ranging from three to seven years.
Than Nyein is vice-chairman of the NLD's Rangoon division. He won a seat
in the May 1990 general elections, which were swept by the NLD. The
SLORC ignored the results and never convened parliament.
Meanwhile, sources said another NLD MP and physician is due to
appear in a Rangoon court on Friday. Doctor Than Aung is facing charges
brought against him on February 21 for allegedly running an authorised
clinic and causing the death of a patient through negligence.
Observers in the Burmese capital were awaiting the outcome, to see if Than
Aung would receive a fair trial like his NLD collegue, Than Nyein.
**********************************************************
AFP: BANGLADESH TIGHTENS SECURITY ON BORDER WITH BURMA
April 5, 1997
CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, April 5 (AFP) - Bangladesh authorities
have put border guards on alert along its border with Burma to thwart the
possible re-entry of minority Moslem Rohingyas, security officials said
Saturday.
The move came after Burmese immigration authorities warned of a possible
renewed exodus by the Rohingyas. But the local commander of the paramilitary
Bangladesh Rifles told AFP "there is nothing to worry about and the step is a
precautionary one." Most of the Rohingyas have been repatriated in recent
months.
The Bangladesh home ministry has ordered the local radio station to broadcast
in local language to inform police if any Rohingyas are spotted in southeastern
Bangladesh, especially in the fishing town of Teknaf and nearby Cox's Bazar
beach town.
Security sources said several Islamic religious groups in coalition with the
Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), which has been representing the
minority group, were "trying to ignite problems and exploit the people."
Local admistration and aid officials said economic reasons were the main
driving force for any attempt to return to Bangladesh as millions of dollars
of aid have poured in since the crisis started. RSO has no contact address
in Bangladesh.
Of the 250,000 Rohingya refugees, around 25,000 are still awaiting to be
repatriated after fleeing their homes in 1991 alleging persecution by Burmese
troops, a charge Rangoon denies.
***************************************************************
THE NATION: REPORT CLAIMS WOMEN SUFFER MOST
April 5, 1997 AP
Widespread human-rights abuses inflicted by the military government in Burma
fall hardest on the country's women, a Burmese opposition group said yesterday.
The country's best-known woman, pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi,
winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, has been silenced by the regime and is
virtually confined to her home.
But ordinary women, especially those belonging to ethnic minorities, have
also suffered badly at the hands of the regime, the All Burma Students'
Democratic Front (ABSDF) said in a new report seen in Bangkok.
The ABSDF is composed of students who fled the jungles of Burma, also known
as Myanmar, after the current regime, the State Law and Order Restoration
Council, gunned down thousands of anti-government demonstrators in 1988.
A government official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, called
the allegations "ridiculous" and typical of such organisations. He said the
group want to make the government look bad so they can get sympathy and support.
The report said the army frequently drafts women as forced porters in its
campaigns against the country's various rebel groups, including the ABSDF,
and makes them act as human mine-sweepers.
The soldiers often gang-rape the women at night and routinely rape women
whose villages are razed in an attempt to pacify ethnic rebel groups. Tens
of thousands are forced to live in misery as refugees in Thailand.
The level of care that rural mothers can provide their children has steadily
deteriorated since the military first seized power in 1962 and sent the
economy and health-care system on a long, downward spiral, the report said.
Lack of economic opportunities has sent tens of thousands of Burmese women
and girls across the border to make a living in the sex industry of
wealthier Thailand, where they are subject to beatings and sometimes murder,
the report said. They are particularly vulnerable to Aids.
The report noted that women traditionally have had little voice in Burmese
society.
Of the 485 members of the parliament elected in 1990, only 15 were women,
all members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD). The NLD
overwhelmingly won the vote but the regime never allowed parliament to convene.
Most of the allegations have been backed up by previous reports by
human-rights groups.
The government postponed its regular news conference this month "due to
unforeseen circumstances," apparently referring to an outbreak of rioting by
Buddhist monks against minority Muslims in several cities.
*******************************************************
BKK POST: KAREN SLAIN IN ATTACK BY BURMESE INTRUDER
April 5, 1997
by Supamart Kasem, Mae Sot, Tak
A Karen refugee was killed and another injured by Burmese soldiers who
crossed the border into Thai soil in Phop Phra district early yesterday
morning to harass refugees.
Some 40 other refugees, including children, women and the elderly, were
forced to return to Burma, said a Border Patrol Police officer.
About 80 heavily-armed Burmese troopers slipped across the border into Huay
Nam Nak village, in Tambon Chong Khaeb at about 5 a.m. The intruders fired
warning shots at Karen refugee shelters and asked them to return to their
homeland.
Frightened by the shots, two refugees ran from the scene, prompting Burmese
troops to fire at them. Ar Ngae, 37, was shot in the back and died instantly.
Another victim was Mrs Na Boe, 30, who was seriously wounded. The Burmese
soldiers then forced 40 other refugees to return to Burma.
The 346th Border Patrol Police Unit rushed to the scene after being alerted
about the incident. They sent the seriously-wounded woman to Mae Sot hospital.
On the same day, seven armed members of an unidentified gang crossed the
border at Ban Rim Moei in Tambon Tha Sai Luad in Mae Sot district.
The gang clashed with a Thai patrol for about five minutes before retreating
to Burma. No injuries were reported during the brief gunfire. (BP)
*******************************************************
THAI DELEGATION TO THE UN: STATEMENT TO CLEAR UP
MISUNDERSTANDINGS
April 2, 1997
STATEMENT IN THE EXERCISE OF THE RIGHT TO REPLY
BY THE DELEGATION OF THAILAND TO THE 53RD SESSION OF CHR*
Mr Chairman,
I take the floor today to exercise the right to reply in order
to clear up certain misunderstandings of the representative of
Fimarc, an NGO, in his statement yesterday (1 April 1997)
concerning the policy of Thailand towards the Karen displaced
persons from Myanmar.
Thailand acknowledges the concern of the international
community over the situation along the Thai-Myanmar border, as
well as the need for protection of Karen displaced persons
fleeing the fighting in Myanmar. We wish to reassure that the
Royal Thai Government had been taking steps to address the
plight of the Karen displaced persons long before the above
concern was raised. International aid agencies and relief
workers have also been granted access to provide food and
shelter for them at safe sites in Thailand for decades.
The recent incident along the Thai-Myanmar border is not new
to Thailand. Throughout the past decades, Thailand has, based
on its deeply rooted value instilled in every Thai individual,
provided considerate and generous hospitality to everyone
fleeing unrest from neighboring countries. At the height of
the Cold War, more than half a million of Lao, Cambodian and
Vietnamese displaced persons found their safe refuge on Thai
soil. A decade thereafter, there remain almost a million
people from Myanmar living in Thailand as illegal migrants and
displaced persons, posing enormous social, economic and
security burden on Thailand.
In spite of the above, Thailand will continue to adhere to its
long-standing value of providing safe refuge and humanitarian
assistance to all fleeing unrest from neighboring countries.
With regard to persons fleeing the fighting in Myanmar, the
following policies have been adopted:
- Thailand stands firm in her support for peaceful resolution
of ethnic conflicts in Myanmar.
- In the current situation of outflow of Karen civilians from
Myanmar, Thailand grants them permission for temporary stay
and allows a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
to assist them in the provision of necessities such as food,
medication, medical services, education, etc. Furthermore, the
Thai Government has taken steps to move Karen displaced
persons to sites deeper inside Thailand for better security.
Indeed, as recently as 25 March 1997, we have received a
letter from the UNHCR Regional Representative in Bangkok,
expressing the appreciation of the UNHCR for the actions taken
by the Thai authorities in the following words and I quote
"UNHCR is well aware of the difficulty in coping with arrivals
of large numbers of asylum seekers. We understand that the
Thai Government and NGO staff are working to upgrade sanitary
conditions in these encampments and this too is commendable.
Please extend to the responsible officials in the field, both
military and civilian, UNHCR's appreciation for their actions
that conform with the Royal Thai Government's stated policy of
granting temporary refuge to persons fleeing conflict in
Myanmar."
Permanent Mission of Thailand
2 April 1997
................................
*The above statement by Thailand was delivered in Geneva to
the Commission on Human Rights on 2 April 1997. The NGO
statement which inspired the reply was made by Fimarc
(International Federation of Rural Adult Catholic Movements)
under the agenda item dealing with Indigenous Issues. The
section of the Fimarc statement referred to by the Thai
delegate was the following:
" In Asia, indigenous peoples are the most impoverished,
marginalised and oppressed sector of society. In most Asian
countries, indigeous peoples are struggling to reclaim their
lands, their culture and their identity. But such stuggles are
often repressed by governmental forces. Alarming news of
serious violations of human rights is coming out of Burma. The
Karen living in that country are often suppressed and killed
by Burmese troops. Refugees living in the most appalling
situation in Thailand are forced to return to Burma into a
very dangerous situation. About 5,000 Karen refugees were
recently returned forcibly from Thailand, according to a
document distributed by Associated Press". (unofficial
translation from the French)
******************************************************
BKK POST: UNOCAL HAS BUYERS FOR STAKE IF WASHINGTON
IMPOSES BAN
April 4, 1997 (slightly abridged)
Firm's chief slams sanctions as 'only hurting the people'
by Boonsong Kositchotethana
Companies, mostly from the Pacific rim, are keen to buy Unocal Corp's huge
Yadana gas stake in Burma if the Californian energy concern is forced to
abandon its holding.
The company would be affected by proposed legislation imposing US economic
sanctions on Burma.
Unocal president John Imle said if Unocal had to pull out from Burma, "we
would not have difficulty divesting our interest in Yadana. There is a list
of companies which have expressed interest. Most are from this side of the
Pacific".
Yadana, which means gem in Burmese, is Burma's largest gas field, located
240 kilometres south of Rangoon in the Gulf of Martaban. It has certified
gas reserves of 5.7 trillion cubic feet, and other rich gas deposits are nearby.
Washington is under pressure from legislators who want Unocal to sell its
28.26% stake in the US$1-billion Yadana project as part of efforts to force
Burma's military rulers to change their policies, which are seen as repressive.
Unocal and Total, its French partner in the Yadana project, have been
singled out by groups opposing the State Law and Order Restoration Council's
human rights record and crackdown on democracy activists.
Last year, a self-proclaimed Burmese government in-exile filed a lawsuit
against Unocal accusing it of complicity in human rights abuse by
participating in the project.
Unocal quickly rebutted the lawsuit brought against it by the National
Coalition Government of the Union of Burma and Federation of Trade Unions of
Burma as "false, irresponsible and frivolous".
Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky has been the most vociferous opponent
of Unocal's participation in the venture. The legislation he proposed in the
last Congressional session, had it been passed, would have required Unocal
to sell its investment in Burma.
But the Cohen-Feinstein amendment was passed instead. It clears projects
already in Burma but threatens to impose US economic sanctions if repression
in the country increases.
This threatens American business. "When faced with a choice of business
partner in the future, governments in the region would likely choose a more
reliable, long-term partner," Mr Imle said.
He said the Cohen-Feinstein amendment was a good compromise, but still
represented the threat of sanctions.
"It dampens the enthusiasm of US investors who may want to expand their
business in Burma. It also looms as an unpredictable and dangerous
impediment to the new investor," he said in a prepared statement, a copy of
which was obtained by the Bangkok Post.
Caterpillar, a heavy-equipment manufacturer, was an example of how
unilateral sanctions not only hurt people in the targeted country, but also
damaged business at home, he said.
In the 1980s President Reagan tried to block construction of a natural gas
pipeline from Russia to Western Europe to punish the Russians for the Polish
government's crackdown on dissidents. No other nation cooperated with the US.
The pipeline was built by Japanese companies and Caterpillar suffered a loss
of business. According to a Caterpillar spokesman, the company went from
being the industry leader with 85% of the Russian market to being termed an
"unreliable supplier". Caterpillar's headquarters at Peoria, Illinois,
suffered an economic slump.
Another example is Cuba. Last year, Congress passed the Helms-Burton law
designed to topple Fidel Castro, still in power after 35 years of US sanctions.
"The president has postponed enacting the Helms-Burton because of the furore
from our closest allies. But why add sanctions to sanctions? Who suffers?
The people do. The government stays," Mr Imle said.
He noted that Cuba was soon to welcome Pope John-Paul II. "To me, that not
only says sanctions against Cuba have failed, but the policy of using
sanctions as a foreign policy tool has also failed.
"Sanctions don't topple governments. They hurt people. Why not rely on good,
old-fashioned diplomacy," he said.
The State Department recently put a few people with extensive diplomatic
experience into its embassy in Rangoon. "I think it is fair of our Congress
to give these people an opportunity to use their skills to advantage in
bringing about a resolution of the impasse between the United States and
Myanmar [Burma], and even between Aung San Suu Kyi and the Slorc."
The Rangoon government vows that it is in transition to democracy. "I would
like to see the United States have a hand in bringing that about more
quickly through skillful diplomacy, rather than by attempting to isolate a
country that's trying to come out of its isolation of 30 years or more."
Mr Imle called for support from US firms doing business in Asia. "We in the
business community in Asia need to use a louder voice in Washington to
defeat harmful sanctions legislation. Despite the victory over harsher
legislation last year, we don't have any time to breathe easy. We will face
the issue of sanctions on Burma in this legislative session. And we need help.
"If we really want to help create a more open society in Myanmar, we need to
obtain a greater understanding of the problems they face in maintaining a
unified country and in transitioning to a market economy. We need to raise
the level of communication, not decrease it. As I said earlier, an open
economy is the fastest route to democracy. Let's give it a chance to work." (BP)
*******************************************************
BKK POST: ENVIRONMENTALISTS START PIPELINE PROTEST
April 6, 1997
Environmental groups in Kanchanaburi yesterday mounted a campaign to protest
against the Yadana gas pipeline project.
Protest banners were strung up in front of several shophouses in Muang
district as environmentalists cruised Muang and Tha Maka townships in
pick-up trucks equipped with loudspeakers blaring messages about the
disadvantages of the project and urging residents to join their cause.
One of the organisers of the campaign, Wisant Pongwittayapanu, maintained
that the campaign was meant to keep the public informed about the potential
threats against forest and wildlife as well as their own safety posed by the
gas pipeline. He claimed that Kanchanaburi residents were supportive of their
cause and gave them cloths to make banners.
The pipeline is to carry gas from the Yadana gas field in Burma to a power
plant in Ratchaburi. (BP)
*******************************************************
BANGKOK POST: NEW RECRUITS CONSULT AS ASEAN AWAITS
April 3, 1997 (slightly abridged)
Laos and Burma have agreed to hold close consultations as they
prepare for admission into the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations, Laotian Deputy Foreign Minister Phongsavath Boupha said.
The two countries' prime ministers agreed that a close exchange
of views is needed during the preparatory period, Mr Phongsavath
was quoted as saying yesterday by Radio Vientiane, monitored in Bangkok.
The matter arose during Laotian Premier Khamtay Siphandone's just-ended
visit to Burma as guest of Burmese Prime Minister Than Shwe.
Mr Phongsavath welcome Burma's offer to let landlocked Laos use
its ports, saying it "reflects Burma's good intentions toward the
Lao government". Laos already uses ports in Thailand and Vietnam.
Burma also proposed a road link with Laos. It has built a road as
far as the Mekong River border. The two leaders pledged support
for an Asean-initiated plan for road and railway networks linking
Southeast Asia with southern China.
Laos and Burma signed an agreement to fight drug trafficking
through information exchanges and joint suppression measures.
*****************************************************************
MYANMAR ALIN: NOTICE ISSUED ON RENEWAL OF SATELLITE
TV LICENSES
April 2, 1997 (translated from Burmese)
Subslug: Notice issued by the Directorate of Communications of the Ministry of
Communications, Posts, and Telegraphs, dated 14 March 1997
Licenses for satellite television receivers issued by the Directorate
of Communications have expired on 31 December 1996. Applications for
renewal of licenses and payment of license fees for 1997 are to be made
within 30 days from the expiration date.
The annual license fee for each satellite television receiver is Kyat
12,000 while the fee for an extra television set is Kyat 1,200. Payments
may be made by check or bank draft addressed to the "Directorate of
Communications."
Direct payment to the directorate's account should be made to "Account
No. MD-0380 Director General, Directorate of Communications, payment for
satellite television receiver license" at Myanmar Economic Bank Branch-3
and two copies of the receipt are to be submitted to the directorate.
Licenses shall be regarded as expired if payment for license renewal
is not made within 90 days from the expiration date and the satellite
television receiver and license are to be sent to the Directorate of
Communications or an organization designated by this directorate. It is
hereby declared that failure to comply with this notice will result in
three years imprisonment or a fine of Kyat 30,000 or both imprisonment and
fine under Subsection-1, Section-6 of the Myanmar [Burma] Telegraphs Act.
Signed: Htay Aung, Director General, Directorate of Communications,
Yangon.
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MYANMAR ALIN: NOTICE ISSUED ON CASING INSTALLATIONS AT
YADANA GAS FIELD (abridged)
March 22, 1997 (translated from Burmese)
Yangon [Rangoon], 21 Mar--The Total Myanmar Exploration and Production
has announced that it will conduct the installation of casings needed for
the production and transport of natural gas at the Yadana Gas field from
the second week of March 1997 to the end of April 1997.
The areas where the casings will be installed are designated as Points
A, B, C and D.
The Fisheries Department has cautioned local fishing trawlers to stay
out of the designated areas to ensure the safety of the equipment and avoid
undue delays.
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