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The BurmaNet News, September 25, 19



------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------        
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"        
----------------------------------------------------------        
    
The BurmaNet News: September 25, 1997           
Issue #828
   
HEADLINES:           
==========    
REUTER: NLD GOES AHEAD WITH PARTY CONFERENCE
NO PETRO-DOLLARS FOR SLORC: TEXACO SALE OF GAS PROJECT
NATION: SPECULATION MOUNTS AS NE WIN REACHES JAKARTA
REUTER: BURMA SAYS IMF SHOULD GIVE MONEY TO JUNTA
NATION: HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP SLAMS HANDLING OF BURMA
SHAN DEMOCRATIC UNION: SLORC'S ETHNIC CLEANSING
NATION: UNOCAL REMAINS BULLISH ON BURMA
WASHINGTON POST: LETTER - FIFTY DIFFERENT TRADE POLICIES?
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: STAYS EXTENDED
AP: KIM, DAW SUU'S SON IN BURMA
REUTER: UNOCAL HEADQUARTERS SET UP IN MALAYSIA
SCMP: 'CHILD SOLDIERS THREAT TO FUTURE'
THE NATION: FIVE FIRMS GIVEN LOGGING PERMITS
BKK POST: PLOT TO PASS ILLEGAL THAI WOOD OFF AS BURMESE
BKK POST: SINO-THAI EXPECTS TO WIN BIG
BKK POST: BURMESE AGENCIES BOAST VARIED TALENT POOL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------  

REUTER: NLD GOES AHEAD WITH PARTY CONFERENCE
September 24, 1997

RANGOON, Sept 24 (Reuter) - Burma's opposition National League for Democracy
(NLD) party vowed on Wednesday to go ahead with plans to hold a two-day
special meeting in the capital from Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary
of its founding. 

``We have decided to go ahead with our planned conference without fail. About
700 delegates are expected to attend,'' an NLD source told Reuters. ``Some
delegates from Mandalay and Magway Divisions have already arrived in
Rangoon.'' 

The Rangoon Division NLD office, on authorisation from the party's
headquarters, had informed the ruling military-led State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC) of its intention to hold the planned meeting, he
said. 

When the NLD planned a similar meeting on September 28 and 29 last year, the
military thwarted it by detaining over 400 delegates and preventing them
from attending temporarily. 

Military spokesmen were not available for comment on whether or not the NLD
party congress would be allowed to proceed. 

The NLD, led by Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, won a landlside
victory in 1990 elections but the military never recognised the result. 

The party has been at loggerheads with the SLORC since Suu Kyi was released
from six years of house arrest in 1995 over human rights abuses, repression
and the military's curbing of its political activities. 

Analysts said the NLD may not be able to hold the special meeting because of
freshly damaged ties with the military. 

``It is very hard to say for sure that the NLD will be able to hold the
meeting because of the abortive meeting between the NLD chairman and the
SLORC's Secretary One last week,'' said one analyst who declined to be
identified. 

Some key NLD leaders declined to meet powerful Secretary One of the SLORC,
Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt on September 16. 

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

NO PETRO-DOLLARS FOR SLORC: TEXACO SALE OF GAS PROJECT
September 25, 1997

FREE BURMA: NO PETRO-DOLLARS FOR SLORC
Please Distribute

For Immediate Release           Media Contact: Pamela Wellner, 415-695-1956,
September 25, 1997              Joe Drexler, OCAW, 303-987-2229

TEXACO SALE OF BURMA GAS PROJECT A BIG VICTORY FOR BURMA'S DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT

San Francisco, Sept. 25 -- US oil giant Texaco's announcement yesterday to
sell its stake in a natural gas project off Burma's coast is a major win
for the Burmese democracy movement and its supporters worldwide.

The sale to Premier Oil of Britain follows a decision in April by President
Clinton to bar new investment in the military-ruled Burma in the interest
of human rights, democracy and counter narcotics efforts. In recent months
both Canada and the European Union have taken supportive action.
Multinational oil company investment in Burma provides the largest legal
source of foreign currency to the regime.

Burma's junta, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), a
flagrant human rights abuser was condemned by Secretary of State Albright
for involvement in drug money laundering. In July, Albright said, "We are
increasingly concerned that Burma's drug traffickers, with official
encouragement, are laundering their profits through Burmese banks and
companies -- some of which are joint ventures with foreign business." SLORC
has a right to a 15% stake in the gas project.

The gas project's future could also now be jeopardized. Premier is likely
to come under pressure from the new UK government which is considering
sanctions against SLORC. Additionally, Petronas of Malaysia, which will
acquire part of Premier's stake, is thought to be lacking the technical
capacity to manage the project alone.

"We welcome Texaco's gesture, but we also appeal to Premier to seriously
reconsider their deal with Burma's illegitimate regime. We believe it is
against the current trend of the UK government's Burma policy and the
position of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the legitimately elected
National League for Democracy, who advocates no foreign investment with
SLORC." said Bo Hla-Tint, spokesperson for the National Coalition
Government of the Union of Burma.

"We believe the Texaco decision to leave Burma sends another message to the
oil companies that corporate downsizing and exploiting US workers to raise
capital for investments in totalitarian countries, where slave labor and
wholesale repression are routine, will not go unchallenged." said Robert
Wages, President of the 90,000 member Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers
International Union, OCAW.

"Now that Texaco realizes that Burma is no place to do business, how can
ARCO and Unocal justify dealing with this brutal regime? If they stay we
will continue boycotting ARCO products and intensify on-going efforts
against Unocal." said Pamela Wellner, campaign coordinator, Free Burma: No
Petro-dollars for SLORC.

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

THE NATION: SPECULATION MOUNTS AS NE WIN REACHES JAKARTA
September 24, 1997
The Nation, Agencies

Suharto may have role to play in Burma dialogue

JAKARTA - Burma's former leader Ne Win arrived in Jakarta yesterday amid
speculation that Indonesian President Suharto is to ask the Burmese
patriarch to influence Rangoon's military junta to open dialogue with
opposition leader Aung San Sun Kyi.

A state protocol official told The Nation yesterday that Ne Win had arrived
in Jakarta on a private plane with his daughter Dr Daw Khin Win, his
son-in-law U Aye Zaw Win, his grandchild Maung Kyaw Ne Win and several aides.

Ne Win was welcomed by Indonesian Chief of State Protocol Dadang Sukandar.
An aide to Suharto explained on Monday that Ne Win was coming to Jakarta as
the private guest of Suharto.

"This is a private visit to the President and he is very willing to visit
the grave of the former first lady, the late Ibu Tien Suharto, in Solo,"
said Cabinet Secretary Moerdiono, referring to Suharto's wife who died in
April last year and was buried in her home town Solo around 600 kilometres
east of Jakarta.

Speculation started to circulate in Jakarta two months ago that Indonesian
Ambassador to Burma, Poerwanto Lenggono, had handed over Suharto's
invitation to Ne Win in a bid to discuss the issue of democratisation in Burma.

Suharto, who supported Burma's admission into the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations in July, suggested Ne Win have a holiday in Indonesia.

Burma observer Bonar Tigor Naipospos doubted whether Ne Win still has
influence over Burma's current politics. "It's just a reunion between
friends," he said.

Naipospos said Suharto is not really the peace broker type. "He's not a
Nelson Mandela. His character doesn't go that way. Frankly speaking, I
don't see what can be expected from Ne Win's visit," he said.

Many Burmese believe Ne Win still exercises control over the present
military government, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc),
which succeeded him in September 1988.

Some analysts have written that there is little hope of breaking the
political stalemate between Slorc and the democracy movement until Ne Win
dies. His last public appearance was on Armed Forces Day in March 1989.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in the 1990
election and captured about 60 per cent of the vote. But the Burmese
generals, who have been ruling Burma since 1962 under Ne Win, refused to
hand over power.

Ne Win staged a coup d'etat against the democratically-elected government of
Prime Minister U Nu in 1962. He ruled Burma for 26 years and drove the
resource-rich country into poverty with an isolationist policy he called
"the Burmese Way to Socialism".

The 86-year-old former leader was scheduled to dine with Suharto in the
Merdeka Presidential Palace yesterday evening.

The Jakarta Post quoted an official as saying that the Indonesian government
was very cautious about arranging the visit.

Jakarta does not want to give Rangoon the wrong impression, he said, adding
that Slorc chairman General Than Shwe fully supported the visit.

-----------------------------------------
[related excerpts]

FINANCIAL TIMES: NE WIN RE-EMERGES IN PUBLIC
September 24, 1997
Ted Bardacke

The Burmese junta has long expressed a desire to adapt the Indonesian
political system - with its extreme presidential power and guaranteed
political representation for the country's armed forces - for Burma's
political future.

Diplomats said the fact Ne Win's trip comes in what may be a turbulent week
in Burma - the opposition National League for Democracy plans to hold a
congress days after a dialogue with the military government was cancelled -
shows he is no longer involved in day-to-day running of the country.

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

REUTER: BURMA SAYS IMF SHOULD GIVE MONEY TO JUNTA
September 24, 1997

HONG KONG, Sept 24 (Reuter) - Burma appealed to the IMF and World Bank on
Wednesday to be allowed to benefit from their funding, saying its admission
to ASEAN in July showed it was no longer a pariah. 

Brigadier Win Tin, Burma's finance minister, told the annual meetings of the
World Bank and International Monetary Fund: ``The warm welcome we received
from the other ASEAN countries when we were accepted as its full member
bears witness to the fact that Myanmar's image is contrary to that
propagated by some countries and the media.'' 

Burma (Myanmar) joined the Association of South East Asian Nations on July
23, despite pressure from the West that said its human rights record meant it
was unfit for membership. 

``I would like to request that the Fund and the Bank avoid applying double
standards and seriously reconsider all the points I have made to...extend
tangible support to Myanmar,'' said Win Tin. 

He told the meeting multilateral assistance to Burma ended in 1988, the year
the junta crushed the democracy movement, jailing thousands of demonstrators.

Win Tin said foreign direct investment had increased $2.8 billion in 1996/7
to a total of $6 billion and said inflation had subsided to 20 percent in
1996/7 from 25 percent the previous year. 

Growth had slowed to 6.4 percent from an annual average of 7.5 in the
previous five years.  

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

THE NATION: HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP SLAMS HANDLING OF BURMA EXILES
September 24, 1997
The Nation

LONDON-BASED human rights group Amnesty International (AI) has slammed the
Thai army in its recent monthly report for violating international norms by
forcing thousands of Burmese ethnic minorities fleeing persecution to return
to the trouble-plagued country.

In the report entitled "Kingdom of Thailand: Erosion of Refugee Rights", AI
accused the Thai army of violating the -principle of non-refoulement [the
principle of providing asylum to refugees] by forcibly returning thousands of
refugees to Burma earlier this year, where they face widespread human rights
violations from the military government.

"The internationally recognised principle of non-refoulement forbids the
returning of any person to a country where he or she would be at risk of
serious human rights violations. AI is concerned about the Thai authorities'
violation of international obligations to protect refugees and fears that it
sets an ominous precedent for the future of refugee protection in Thailand,"
AI said in the report.

It added that Thai authorities may have plans to return more refugees during
the upcoming dry season, which begins in November.

AI said it was not certain if the Thai army was acting on its own or just
following orders from the civilian government.

"Either way, the Thai government is not living up to its duties for it is
the responsibility of that government to ensure compliance with Thailand's
international obligations," the report said.

According to the report, the 9th Infantry Division of the First Army sent
back over 4,000 refugees in Thailand's western province of Kanchanaburi and
Ratchaburi between February and March of this year. Similar incidents
also occurred in May and June.

The report said that in the midst of forced repatriation, thousands of
refugees trying to enter Thailand were barred from doing so by Thai security
forces.

"The 9th Division also reportedly designated the end of June as the final
date when refugees from Myanmar [Burma] could cross the border. They
asserted that by then the fighting had stopped and it was therefore safe for
the refugees to remain in Myanmar," the report said.

While the Thai government regards members of Burma's ethnic minorities
seeking refuge in the camps along the border as "displaced people", other
Burmese refugees outside these temporary shelters are considered "illegal
immigrants" and are liable to arrest, fines and deportation to the border,
according to the report.

AI called on the Thai government to abide by the principle of
non-refoulement, conduct training for military officers regarding
international standards on the treatment of refugees and asylum-seekers,
work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to promote respect for
human rights and take immediate measures towards ratifying the 1951 United
Nations Convention relating to the status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.

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

SHAN DEMOCRATIC UNION: SLORC'S ETHNIC CLEANSING
September 8, 1997

Statement on SLORC's ethnic cleansing campaign in Shan State
( 8 September 1997 )

	Since early 1996, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) has
been conducting a massive forced relocation campaign in Central Shan State.
So far, an estimated 200,000 villagers in 9 townships have been forced at
gunpoint to abandon their homes and move to relocation sites near main roads
and towns. Nothing has been provided by the SLORC at these sites, and,
dispossessed of their ancestral land, the relocated Shan farmers have been
forced to survive as wage labourers or beggars.

	The SLORC has been intensifying the relocation campaign since the start of
1997, forcing many villagers who were relocated last year to move again
closer to towns. They have also been cracking down with increasing brutality
on villagers caught trying to return to their homes. A recent and shocking
development has been the repeated massacres of large groups of men, women,
and children caught outside the relocation sites.

	The result of the relocations and brutality has been a massive exodus to
Thailand of tens of thousands of Shan refugees. There are no refugee camps,
so the refugees must work as illegal labourers, living from hand to mouth in
work-sites together with their elderly dependents and children.

	Large areas of Central Shan State, formerly fertile and prosperous, have
now become depopulated "free-fire" zones. At the same time, increasing
numbers of SLORC troops have been deployed in local army bases.

	The SLORC claims that the relocations are part of an anti-insurgency
operation to cut off support for the Shan resistance. The SDU states
categorically that there can be no justification for destroying the
livelihood of the villagers of Central Shan State, nor for massacring large
numbers of men, women and children, actions which are tantamount to an
"ethnic cleansing" of the people of Shan State by the SLORC.

-	The SDU therefore calls on the United Nations to take urgent appropriate
action against SLORC to end the ethnic cleansing operations in Shan State.

-	The  SDU urges  the  international  community  to take strong action
against  SLORC  to end its crimes against the people of the Union of Burma,
especially against ethnic minorities.

-	The SDU calls on the governments of  ASEAN to either review their policies
supporting the SLORC, or  demand  that  the  SLORC  end  their criminal
actions  against  the people of Burma  and  the ethnic cleansing in Shan
State immediately.

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

THE NATION: UNOCAL REMAINS BULLISH ON BURMA DESPITE EMBARGO
September 24, 1997 [abridged]

Economics before politics, says firm

SINGAPORE - Unocal Corp of the US will continue to focus on economics before
politics for its oil, gas and power investments world-wide, Unocal president
John F Imle said yesterday.

"Political decisions follow economic fundamentals," Imle said, pointing to
Unocal's controversial investment in Burma, also known as Myanmar, as an
example. 

"We believe engagement works better than isolation," Imle said. "That aligns
us a lot more with Asean [the Association of Southeast Asian Nations] than
it does with official US policy or some of our friends on Capitol Hill."

Malaysian national oil company Petroliam Nasional Bhd, or Petronas, and
Premier Oil Plc of the UK announced on Monday they would buy Texaco Inc's
stake in the Yetagun gas field project located south of the Yadana field in
Burmese waters of the Andaman Sea. Texaco's apparent divestment plans follow
a US embargo on new investment in Burma, announced earlier this year.

Texaco's departure would consolidate Unocal's position as the largest US
investor in Burma, although Atlantic Richfield -Co (ARC) has exploration
activities there. 

"We can take the heat ... We intend to stay," he said.

Unocal's Yadana gas field project is scheduled to come on-stream in July
1998 at an initial rate of 525 million cubic feet a day. Production from the
field is being sold under long-term contract to Thailand via a cross-border
pipeline.

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

WASHINGTON POST: LETTER - FIFTY DIFFERENT TRADE POLICIES?
September 16, 1997
Thaung Tun

The attempt by Massachusetts to restrict business ties with Myanmar [Burma]
- as described in Fred Hiatt's Aug. 25 op-ed column, "Boston's Stand on
Human Rights" - is an ill-considered move.  The United States is a large and
diverse country with global responsibilities.  It does not take a fertile
imagination to consider what would happen if local governments were allowed
to carry parochial concerns to the international stage.

The failure of the United States to speak with one voice and live up to
international agreements can have disastrous repercussions.  Obviously,
state and local governments are not appropriate bodies for the making of
foreign policy.  While the measure taken by Massachusetts may succeed in
pressing a few US business entities to withdraw from Myanmar so as to be
eligible for business in the state, such action will only undermine efforts
at the federal level to promote US business globally.  

What is the international community to make of a superpower that signs an
agreement only to have local governments challenge it at the urging of
"Burma activists" such as Simon Billenness who, in their clamor for human
rights, forget that their actions will end up depriving a nation of its
right to development?  In the circumstance, it is not surprising that the
European Union and Japan are seeking to redress the situation by demanding a
three-judge panel to hear the case in accordance with WTO procedures.

Mr. Hiatt recycles propaganda in referring to the Myanmar government as
"narco-thug junta of military bullies."  It is one thing to perceive the
situation in Myanmar as a "good" vs. "evil" situation ripe for indignation,
but it is quite another to denigrate the leaders of a nation.  

The problem of narcotic drugs transcends borders and can be solved only with
the cooperation of both the drug-producing countries and drug-consuming
countries.  While the United States accuses Myanmar of being the biggest
producer of opium in the world, it has not lifted a finger to help Myanmar
overcome the menace posed by drugs.  In fact, since 1988, the United States
has suspended all assistance to Myanmar, notwithstanding Myanmar's
willingness to cooperate with Washington in ascertaining the yield of opium
in remote areas.

Tying counter-narcotics assistance to human rights performance will not end
the problem.  The government of Myanmar has been waging a relentless war
against drug traffickers.  Thousands of Myanmar soldiers have sacrificed
life and limb in combating the scourge of narcotic drugs.

Since the advent of the current government, thousands of kilos of opium,
heroin, morphine, opium oil, liquid opium, marijuana and precursor chemicals
have been destroyed in public on 11 occasions, witnessed by representatives
of international organizations and the diplomatic corps.

The Myanmar government's sole interest is to lead the country to a stable
and prosperous future.

Thaung Tun
Minister
Deputy Chief of Mission
Embassy of the Union of Myanmar
Washington

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

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: STAYS EXTENDED
September 23, 1997

Bangkok;  Hundreds of illegal immigrants will be spending longer than
expected in a Thai detention centre because the Government can not afford to
send them home, an immigration official said yesterday. An austerity program
prescribed by the IMF has included a freeze on Thailand's budget for
repatriating illegal immigrants. _ Reuter

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

AP: KIM, DAW SUU'S SON IN BURMA
September 23, 1997 [abridged]

RANGOON, Burma (AP) - The younger son of pro-democracy leader Aung 
San Suu Kyi has arrived in Rangoon on his first visit to see his mother in
more than 1 1/2 years. 

Kim Aris, 20, arrived Sunday, foreign diplomats said Tuesday, speaking on
condition of anonymity. He last visited his mother during the Christmas
holidays in 1995, along with Suu Kyi's husband, British academic Michael
Aris. 

Suu Kyi's husband has not been allowed to visit her since that Christmas
trip. The ban is apparently in retaliation for his carrying out a statement
from his wife. Suu Kyi has declined to leave the country for fear that the
military government won't let her back in. 

Burma's state-controlled media have made frequent references to the fact that
Suu Kyi is married to a foreigner, suggesting that this makes her a puppet of
foreign powers. It also has made attacks on her older son, Alexander, for
alleged personal problems. 

Suu Kyi was kept in isolation until 1992, when she was allowed visits by
members of her immediate family and a very few selected other guests. 

This week's visit by Kim is his third since his mother was released from
house arrest in July 1995. It was not known how long he would stay. 

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

REUTER: UNOCAL HEADQUARTERS SET UP IN MALAYSIA
September 23, 1997

SINGAPORE, Sept 23 (Reuter) - Unocal Corp has set up a joint global
headquarters in Malaysia, but president John Imle stressed the company was
still American. 

"We are operating a twin headquarters system," Imle, who is based in Kuala
Lumpur, told Reuters on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific
Petroleum Conference. 

Imle said Unocal's chairman and key officials were still based in Los
Angeles. 

The joint headquarters was set up in the middle of the year and partly
reflects the growing Unocal business in Asia. The company is a major gas
supplier to Thailand and is actively exploring for gas and oil in Asia. 

Its biggest project in Asia is the Yadana gas field offshore Burma, where the
company has a 28 percent stake. 

Unocal also has plans for power stations in Indonesia. 

"It (the Kuala Lumpur headquarters) makes us more Asian in terms of our
understanding of the region and the outlook, but we are still a U.S. company.
We are no less U.S. than we were. 

"The reason to be in Asia is to get a better understanding and to be closer
to customers. You just can't do all these (things) from California," Imle
said.

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

SCMP: 'CHILD SOLDIERS THREAT TO FUTURE'
September 24, 1997 
By William Barnes 

The Burmese military's routine use of child soldiers is reducing its chances
of ever living at peace with the country, claimed its exiled critics yesterday.

Boys of 14 are regularly used to swell the ranks of the armed forces, which
may have doubled in size to 350,000 in a decade, the human rights group
Images Asia reported recently.

Military analysts say such young soldiers can be easily controlled and
instilled with formidable loyalty.

But the State Law and Order Restoration Council - the junta - is merely
producing an obstinate military caste that will prove an obstacle to peace
in the future, claim its opponents.

"The junta's ideal soldier is an unquestioning robot. It is obvious why they
like to pick such young soldiers," said one political activist in Bangkok.

"But young people can be warped by such experiences. You can bet that they
are not being trained to respect democracy and human rights."

The 70-page Images Asia report, No Childhood At All, argued that the junta
may be reluctant to shun the use of child troops when its publicly stated
target is a military force 500,000 strong.

The report noted that Burma signed the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child six years ago, prohibiting the use of soldiers below the
age of 15.

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

THE NATION: FIVE FIRMS GIVEN LOGGING PERMITS
September 24, 1997
Kamol Sukin, The Nation

MAE HONG SON - The continued illegal logging activities in the Salween
wildlife sanctuary and national park may become more extensive now that five
Thai firms have received new timber concessions from the Burmese government.

Logs are being illegally cut in Thailand and floated down tributaries of the
Salween River to Burma, where they are stamped as Burmese timber before
being floated back into Thai territory as "legally" imported logs, explained
Boonyian Yaibuathes, chief of an investigative team from the
Anti-Deforestation Command (ADC).

Whenever illegal timber is seized, all the companies deny that it belongs to
them, according to a local official source. Over 10,000 logs have been
removed from the Salween conservation area over the past month even though
it is the rainy season, he said.

The huge timber traffic has made the logs pier in the Mae Sam Lap
increasingly muddy and the traffic had to be halted several weeks ago until
a new pier is in place.

The new concessions will certainly make the situation worse because it is
very difficult in practice for inspectors to distinguish legal logs - cut down
in Burma - from illegal timber cut down in Thailand, a local official said.

"The ADC has only been able to seize a few [of the illegal logs]," the
source said.

Last week, the ADC confiscated 300 teak logs found floating down the Salween
River. Boonyian revealed that five teams, comprised of officials from
various agencies aided by the ADC, were sent into the area for the third
time to block illegal logging routes and halt the illegal activities.

"During the first two operations, from March through May, over 4,500 illegal
logs [mostly teak] were seized. This time around, the three-month operation
will end in October," Boonyian said.

The Burmese Embassy's First Secretary Ngo Kho Pau told The Nation that four
companies have received concessions from the Burmese government for logging
in the area across from Mae Hong Son: Thai Sawat Import-Export Co Ltd,
Thailand Korean Veteran Welfare Co Ltd, Polpana Co Ltd and B&F Goodrich Co Ltd.

However, a source from the logging companies confirmed that another firm
Skabi Co Ltd - has also received a concession.

None of the sources - which included officials from the Burmese Embassy, the
Ministry of Interior and the National Security Council (NSC) - would reveal
the sizes of the concessions.

B&F Goodrich also refused to specify the exact amount of logs to be
cut under its concession, but said it is about 20,000 tonnes. It would not
be worth investing in a smaller concession, the company source said.

Aphichit Ingkhasirisap managing director of Skabi, which is now awaiting a
licence to complete work on a previous concession, insisted that all the
timber which has come through Mae Sam Lap over the past month was illegally
felled as his company was the only one to have a licence during the period
and it did not remove any logs during the rainy season.

Asked directly whether it is possible that some of the logs being imported
legally by concession holders were actually cut down in Thailand's Salween
conservation area, Burmese Embassy official Ngo Kho Pau said he had no
comment. But businessmen are very tricky, he added.

A senior source at B&F Goodrich, meanwhile, said all the cutting activities
in Burma are done by Burmese officials. She said the company was involved
mainly with the transportation and customs procedures.

"We do business with the timber that is sent to us so long as it is the
correct amount and type of log. Deciding whether it was cut legally or
illegally is the duty of the government officials, not us," she said.

Another logging company source said trees in Thailand tend to be larger than
those cut on Burmese soil because they come from conservation areas while
the forests have been subject to concessions for many decades.

Following the seizure of 300 logs, the ADC's joint task force was sent to
inspect other logs floating in the Salween River. The team clashed with 14
heavily armed men patrolling the river, said Pol Gen Sidhiphorn Srichan who
joined the team.

"The log seizure caused a loss of benefits to many groups involved in the
illegal logging trade. The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army has lost
protection money, and some local authorities like kamnan and village headman
are also involved and blocked the investigation."

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

BKK POST: PLOT TO PASS ILLEGAL THAI WOOD OFF AS BURMESE REVEALED
September 24, 1997
Chewin Sattha, Mae Hong Son

A quantity of illegally-processed  wood is expected to be smuggled from a
Thai forest to Burma this week, so that it can be given a permit seal before
being shipped to  Thailand. 
     
Sources said a group of Thai timber traders had hired 10 long-tail boats
from local people to transport some 1,200 cubic metres of processed wood
from Mae Pai forest in Mae Hong Son to a border village of Ban Huay Dua.

The wood is expected to be sent to Burma via Ban Nam Phiang-Din checkpoint
by the end of the week.

The wood will later be stamped with a fake permit seal before being sent
back to Thailand.

According to the sources, a logging group had earlier approached Thai police
and military officers to help persuade local Burmese authorities to conspire
in logging activities by hauling wood from the forest to be kept in Burma.

But the negotiations failed, as Burmese officials feared being dismissed
from government service and asked the group to show them an official document.

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

BKK POST: SINO-THAI EXPECTS TO WIN BIG
September 24, 1997

Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction Plc (Stecon) says it expects to win
an additional contract worth one billion baht from Mitsubishi Corp of Japan
to undertake civil work for Asean's largest gas-fired power station under
construction in Ratchaburi.

Stecon officials said yesterday they were finalising a deal with Mitsubishi
for the second batch of work on the 2,800-megawatt plant.

Mitsubishi was  named  the main contractor for the project by the
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand. The Japanese firm then let
subcontracts to companies including Stecon.

Stecon is receiving 780 million baht for initial civil work for the plant
which will be fuelled by natural gas piped from Burma.

 Construction began last May and is scheduled for completion in October 1999. 
     
Work on the plant and laying of the pipeline from the Burma-Thai border  at
Tong Pha Phum in Kanchanaburi to the site was 60% complete, the company said. 

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BKK POST: BURMESE AGENCIES BOAST VARIED TALENT POOL
September 24, 1997
Nondhanada Intarakomalyasut

Creative staff needed as business booms

Advertising is becoming a major money spinner in Burma with total billings
in the first six months of this year doubling over the whole of last year to
US$6 million.

However, while Thailand has a large pool of trained personnel with degrees
in communications, the situation is quite different in Burma.

At Myanmar Spa Today Advertising Ltd, a joint-venture between Thailand's Spa
Advertising and Burmese based agency Today Advertising, none of the staff
have a background in advertising.

The managing director of Myanmar Spa Today, Dr John Lim, has a bachelor's
degree in medicine and most of the creative team hold engineering degrees
while many of the client service officers are lawyers.

With millions of US dollars at stake, the company has established a regional
coordinating department to train staff in the skill of marketing and
creating advertisements, the executive regional coordinator, Somporn
Ma-Uthorn said.

"The department was mainly implemented to train the staff at Spa's branches
in the region," Mrs Somporn said.

"Many of our branches, especially in Burma and Cambodia, are still new in
the advertising area, we have to try to change their attitude and let them
see the importance of the business."

The department will act as a centre for Spa's branches and conduct market
research in each country.

Dr Lim said the advertising industry in Burma was still in its infancy. In
other word, about 20 years behind Thailand.

"It is much less sophisticated and must be culturally sensitive," said Mrs
Somporn.

In contrast with Thailand, the overall business in Burma has been in high
gear compared to last year, especially in property development and
international joint-venture manufacturing.

The business boom has encouraged advertising spending and Myanmar Spa Today
Advertising has been reaping the benefits.

After a year of operation, Dr Lim said the company's billings have increased
from US$400,000 last year to U8$2 million in the first half of this year. It
hopes to increase its billing by 100% next year.

The company's major accounts include Jumbo mosquito coil, Listerine, Nivea,
Decolgen and the Chinsu housing project.

The top full service advertising agencies in Burma are Bates Advertising,
Myanmar Media International, Myanmar Spa Today, McCann-Erickson and
Prakit/FBC from Thailand.

According to the media analysts, TV is by far the most popular medium
accounting for 55% of the advertising dollar, followed by print with 28%,
outdoor billboards with 16% and radio with 1%.

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