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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.