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Indo-Burma border news (r)



Students from Burma urge people to fight drugs, AIDS
 
Moreh, Oct 6: Students of Burma, under the banner of Democratic 
Forces of Burma, have urged the Burmese to join hands with the people 
of India and fight drugs trafficking and AIDS. Burmese students 
distributed copies of a press statement to visiting journalists at this 
township along the Indo-Burma border.
 
The release exhorted the people of India to pressurise their government 
to help in their struggle for restoration of democracy in Burma.
 
A democratic government in Burma is imperative for India to ensure 
peace and combat the twin menace of drugs and AIDS, it said. The 
present efforts of the Indian government to combat these evils will come 
to a nought due to lack of cooperation and wrong policies of the military 
junta of Burma.
 
Accusing the Burmese military junta of being directly or indirectly 
involved in trafficking drugs to other countries, the DFB statement said 
that through the Burmese want to combat the drugs and AIDS problems, 
the state Law and Order Restoration Council was involving itself in 
drugs trafficking.
 
It charged the SLORC with using nearly 50 per cent of the national 
budget on military affairs and neglecting health care services for the 
people, including HIV control in Burma.
 
While stating that border trade was essential for the socio-economic 
uplift of the people of the region, the DFB, however, said that such trade 
between the two counties cannot be stable as both have different 
political systems.
 
The DFB statement praised the efforts of Samata party president George 
Fernandes to purge the society of drugs abuse and AIDS, saying that the 
Satyagraha would also inspire the Burmese people in their struggle for 
ensuring basic human right.
 
Hundreds of Burmese students who supported the pro-democracy 
movement in Burma in 1998, had fled from Burma via Moreh following 
the Burmese military junta's crackdown against them. Most of them 
have sought refuge in India.
 
Northeast Asia Age.
 
 
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Rebels buy arms from Khun Sa group
 
Oct, 7th 97. Insurgents operating along the Indo-Burma border have 
started buying arms and ammunition formely used by Burmese drug 
warload Khun Sa's armies. Khun Sa recently surrendered to the Burmese 
junta.
 
Intelligence sources across the border told The Asia Age that a number 
of underground activist.- the Kuki National Army , the People 
Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Revolutionary People Front and 
the United National Liberation Front- recently bought arms and 
ammunition from Khun Sa'a armies.
 
Source add that the underground activists on the Indo-Burma border had 
bought arms and ammunition from the Khmer Rouge arimes of 
Cambodia on earlier occasion also. Arms are brought into the northeast 
region through Burma and Bangladesh.
 
Four PLA acrtivists have recently been arrested by the Royal Thai Navy 
off the Andaman shores. They are now languishing in Bangkok Jail.
 
Sources among the Indian authorities along the border told The Asian 
Age that about 100 Kuki National Army activists are now running 
operations in the New somtal, Molcham, Joupi, Sajik and Tampak areas 
located on the Burma-Manipur border.
 
Relations between the KNA and the Burmese armies wentcold in the 
recent past. The KNA demands a separate homeland in western Burma. 
The sources said, about 100 insurgents belonging to the PLA and the 
UNLF have taken shetler in western Burma. The rebels were reportedly 
on warm terms with the Burmese armies.
 
Indian Intelligence sources said, weapons have been available at Bokkan 
Bazar in Burma near the border. One 0.9 MM Pistol is priced at around 
Rs.40,000 at Bokkan. The weapons, including AK 47 rifles, have also 
been available at the Rs. 1 lakh in Tamu and Namphalong in Burma. 
 
Tjere are now four Muslim gun runners at Moreh. They are close to the 
Burma gun runners. Sources say that communal clashes between the 
Meiteis and Manipuri Muslims on May 3, 1993, were the result of gun 
smuggling between vally rebles and the agents. In the clashes, abouts 
105 persons died. Theaffinity between the rebel outfits has been a cause 
of concern to the security fouces.  
 
Northeast Asia Age.
 
 
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Statement of Mr. George Fernandes MP (Lok Sabha) regarding Moreh 
Satyagraha
 
The Historic Satyagraha Against Drug smuggling from Myanmar 
(Burma) to India through Moreh which was launched at Moreh under the 
leadership of Mr. George Fernandes M.P. came to an end yesterday, the 
4th Oct. 97. The Satyagraha was started on the 2nd Oct. with certain 
confusion and was cleared and people from all works of life, from all 
community had joined the Satyagraha in thousands.
On the last day i.e. the 4th of Oct; 97, a statement was declared and all 
the people unanimously pledged to stand by it. The statement reads:-
The human wall Satyagraha at Moreh is an efforts by the concerned 
persons to draw the attention of the people and the Government of India 
to the havoc caused by drugs and AIDS, particularly in Manipur and the 
North-east. We want the Government to take concrete and immediate 
steps to stop drug smuggling into India from Burma. We demand 
Governmental Action and support to deal with the tragedy in the lines of 
the drug-addicted and AIDS-affected. We want stern action against all 
those engaged in drug trafficking and those who have failed in their duty 
to apprehend the drug-traffickers.
We believe that the Military Junta in Burma has a vested interest in drug 
trafficking, as the money earned from it is used for purchase of weapons 
and to suppress the movement for democracy in Burma. A blow to drug 
trafficking will be a blow for the democracy movement in Burma. We 
believe that a democratic Burma is the best insurance against drug 
smuggling from across the border.
Our movement is against the free movement of drugs from Burma to 
India and not the free trade between the two countries. Free trade does 
not mean free smuggling of Drugs. We appeal to each and every citizen 
to fight against the deadly Drugs. 
We demand that the Manipur state and the Union Government together 
bring out a white paper to inform the people about the efforts made to 
control the influx of drugs from Burma and prevent the spread of 
HIV/AIDS in Manipur.
We together pledge that: -
(1) We will stand united in our struggle against drug trafficking.
(2) We will spread our message against drugs from Moreh to the rest of 
the country.
(3) We will work for the development of Moreh and the rest of the state 
to bring health and security to all its people.  
This statement is circulated on behalf of Mr. George Fernandes, M.P. by 
Ms. Valley Rose Hungyo, Convenor, Local Co-ordination committee, 
Imphal for Moreh Satyagraha.
 
Dated: October 5, 1997.