News (r)

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

January 10


SPDC ROBBERY GANG AT LARGE AT THREE PAGODA PASS

Ah Won, the driver of the motorcycle taxi number 7 missing since December
28, 1997 was found killed in the bushes beside the road of Sanglaburi-Three
Pagoda.

Ah Won was last found carrying a passenger to the Three Pagoda from the
motorcycle stand in downtown Sanglaburi at about 10:30 of the morning of
28.12.97. Since then, he was not found alive. His friends - motorcycle taxi
drivers - became worried and looked for him. At last they found his
motorcycle at Burmese Immigration Office Compound of Three Pagoda at 7:30
next morning. 

The lost cycle is the type of HONDA (TWIN) for Woman. When they met the
Burmese Immigration official who had bought the motorcycle, he said that it
was bought at 25000 baht and he could not return. So, his friends informed
the Thai police and the Thai-Myanmar Border Administration Committee office. 

At the summon of the Border Committee, the Burmese Immigration Officer
came and showed up a very old one instead of the real one he had bought and
said that it was the cycle he bought. The cycle owner refused to accept it
as it was not his cycle that was robbed.

At last, the body of Ah Won was found under the bushes at road-side a
little far away from the road of  Sanglaburi-Three Pagoda and near Sanglal
village. The police found his head was shot and an empty  shell of .45
pistol bullet was also found nearby. The police confirmed that the bullet
shell was the type of bullet used for the  army pistol.

On November 7 of 1997 also,  Ah Pi, a driver of a motor-cycle taxi number
9 had faced the same fate. At about 4:30 pm of that day, he carried two
passengers to the Three Pagoda Pass. One of the passenger was an ex-SPDC
militia. He was asked to drive to the Three Pagoda police station and at
the half way, he was asked to stop and then beaten badly until
unconscious. Then the two persons assumed him dead and took the motorcycle.
The other motorcycle drivers noticed his missing and made a search and
finally  found  him unconscious but not dead at that place the next early
morning. He was sent to the hospital. There were many people who found his
lost motorcycle parking in the compound of  Burmese SPDC Military
Intelligence No: 5 office at Three Pagoda. 

There were many incidences of  loss of cars and motorcycles at that area.
The stolen cars and motorcycles were usually bought by the SLORC/SPDC
officials at very cheap price and sold back inside Burma at much profit.
This custom started long ago since the start of administration of the
SLORC/SPDC at that area and prospered until now.  

Many of the robbed motorcycles were  found at the SPDC/SLORC office and
compounds. So, it was much evidence that the SPDC/SLORC military, police
and civil servants were in companion with these robbers, murderers and
providing support to them. In return, they got a lot of profit from the
trade of  the cars and motorcycles of the victims.

This is the usual way  the SPDC military outposts at the rural areas
provide the arms and ammunition to the robbers and in return, receive a big
dividend of the robbed materials. Now, they bravely used the same way  to
the border area that can damage the relation of the two countries at the
border area.


Min Yan Shin
Yoma Three News Agency


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NEWS OF SLORC SUPPRESSION ON THE OPPOSITION IN YE TOWNSHIP


January 10


Ye township LORC is holding much  restriction and suppression on the NLD
movement in the township. The NLD members are always watched, especially
when they are traveling to the NLD Head Quarters meeting. Distribution of
cassette tapes and video tapes of NLD activities were strictly checked and
restricted also. For traveling, a prior permission from the local
authorities is strictly needed and there are incidences of restriction en
route if the person did not take prior permission. In February 1997, 3 NLD
members and 2 associates were arrested and interrogated for 3 days by the
local MI for the crime of watching a NLD video.

In May 1997, U Kyin Thein, the township NLD chairman and  elected people's
representative from No: 1 Constituency of Ye township was summoned to the
MI office many times and warned not to attend the Conference held at Daw
Aung Sun Suu Kyi's compound in May 1997. He was threatened to be imprisoned
if he did not quit from the position of the NLD elected representative.

As he is the sole bread-winner in his family that is totally dependent on
his income, he worried much about his family if he was jailed. So, finally,
he quitted from the position of NLD elected representative.

In Ye, there were only two political parties left in movement. They were
NLD and NUP that was backed by SLORC. The NUP was very active at the time
of election, but became less and less active and now, almost defunct. At
first, the township organizing committee members got monthly salary of 700
kyat and monthly bulletin was published. Now, these all were no more.

The New Mon State Party that had made cease-fire with SLORC had tried a
lot for the end of forced labor and portage. The SPDC military continued to
conscript these forced porters and forced labor saying they were much
needed for the offensives against the rebels.

At the Mon villages which were marked by the SLORC as black area ( which
means totally under control of rebels) in the election time, the people
said that only when Aung San Suu Kyi got the power, the country would be
peaceful.


Inside Reporter
Yoma Three News Agency