The BurmaNet News - 26 January, 199

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"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: January 26, 1998
Issue #920

Noted in passing:

"When I am asked what sustains me in the dark nights of the political soul,
I am inclined to answer: 'understanding, compassion, friendship'" -  Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi (ASAHI EVENING NEWS: FORMULAS FOR THE FUTURE)

HEADLINES:
==========
Japan In Burma Special --
ASAHI EVENING NEWS: FORMULAS FOR THE FUTURE
AFP: KAREN PLEAD WITH JAPANESE TO STOP INVESTING IN
ASAHI EVENING NEWS: COLD COMFORT FOR UPRISING SONS
THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: SOME PERTINENT HEADLINES

In Other News --
REUTERS: ENVOY SAYS UN TO HELP RESOLVE MYANMAR
BKK POST: CORRUPT GENERAL'S DAUGHTER FLEES
HERALD SUN: AUSSIE REBEL MURDER CLAIM
BKK POST: DANISH GROUP SAYS REFUGEES WERE TORTURED

Announcements --
ALERT: STUDENTS ARRESTED IN BANGKOK
UPDATE: "LEGAL" STUDENTS STILL IN DETENTION
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

ASAHI EVENING NEWS: FORMULAS FOR THE FUTURE
25 January, 1998 (a Asahi Shimbun special)
by Aung San Suu Kyi 
 
The game rules in Burma: There are no rules

It has been remarked by journalists that never elsewhere have they come
across such vicious attacks carried out by the state media against a single
individual as takes place in Burma.

The newspapers controlled by the military regime (which calls our country
Myanmar) regularly print articles vilifying me. There are times when such
articles run daily for months without respite. Periodically, some of these
articles are collected and brought out in book form. These books are, of
course widely advertised by the government controlled press.

As a normal, non-masochistic human being, I get no particular thrill out of
such attacks but I find them less disconcerting than articles or speeches
that attribute me with vaguely saintlike qualities.

To be criticized and attacked is an occupational hazard for politicians. To
be praised and idealized is also an occupational hazard and much the less
desirable of the two. As one of the drafters of the Constitution of India,
that living throbbing, impossible miracle of Asian democracy, succinctly
noted: "Hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual
dictatorship."

Hero-worship degrading
He was probably thinking of the degradation of democracy, but hero-worship
is degrading for those who worship as well as for those who are worshiped.
A hero is an imagined crystal figurine with no place among the suffering of
this earth, an unreal demigod who is not allowed human self-doubts or
vulnerability.

A hero worshiper is one who has not acquired the necessary breadth of
vision to understand that there can be no strength without weakness, no
triumph without failure. There is no room for hero-worship in a true
political struggle made up of human beings grappling with human problems.

Most of us who are engaged in dissident politics have to leaven political
idealism with a practical down-to-earth approach that is free from illusion.
We know that we are not engaged in a party game with prizes for those who
follow the rules and come out best. In fact, we know that there are no set
rules, especially none that will protect us.

Neither are there guidelines to help us survive such a state of constant
uncertainly and danger. We simply cope as best we can within the limits of
our capabilities, knowing full well that, suddenly and without warning, the
fabric of our existence could be ripped apart by that iron-masked,
myriad-limbed monster known as the authorities.

What is it that we are struggling for- with what some might view as sheer
cussedness-in the face of such unrelenting persecution?

It is for the right to be recognized and treated as human beings with human
dignity and human needs, human frailties and human strengths. The nobility
of the cause in which we believe helps us to overcome our individual
weaknesses, to fire our human clay to a hardness that can withstand the
pummeling of political fortune.

When I am asked what sustains me in the dark nights of the political soul, I
am inclined to answer: "understanding, compassion, friendship." This is
perhaps not the kind of answer the questioners want. Perhaps they would
rather hear about mysterious inner resources, some wonderful inspiration
some memorable experience that gives us the strength to withstand the
hardships of the human lot. But our powers of endurance are slowly and
painfully developed through repeated encounters with adversity.

And often we emerge from these encounters as from a darkling wood by
holding on to the kindly hands of true friends whose concern for us cannot
be doubted.

It is through unity of purpose that we give each other the necessary
support to see us safely through the worst of times and the best of times.

This support comes not only from our own fellow strugglers and sufferers
but from those who have the heart and the intellect to realize that our
cause is the cause of all who believe in the sacred principles of justice
and liberty.

We have never hesitated to acknowledge our appreciation for help received
from friends across the globe. We accept that it is chiefly the
responsibility of the people of Burma to win victory in our fight for
democracy and human rights, but it is not exclusively our fight. It is the
fight of all who have the courage to care for issues beyond their
frontiers, who are not afraid to admit that their imaginations are captured
by faraway battles and their emotions stirred by distant troubles.

It is the fight of those who understand that the battle of the weak for
justice and liberty is the battle for the supremacy of right over might.

The fundamental rights that those who live in democratic societies take for
granted-the right to free speech and expression, the right to free
association, the right to be deemed innocent until proven guilty in a fair
and open trial, the right to elect their own government-these rights were
acquired through the endeavors and sacrifices of the pioneers of liberal,
liberating movements. To be complacent about or indifferent to such rights
is to risk losing them through gradual erosion.

Rights under threat
The full value of democratic rights becomes evident only when they have
been lost, as one appreciates the importance of good health only when one
no longer possesses it.

Democratic rights everywhere are threatened whenever injustice and
absolutism are allowed to be spawned anywhere on our globe.

Democracy is not a perfected nor even a perfectible system; it is a
continuous process of endeavor based on the conviction that man is worthy
and capable of enjoying and preserving the basic rights to both freedom and
security. It is not an ideology invented by and for Western nations; it is a
movement of the human spirit that spans national frontiers and cultural
barriers. It is not a disposable alternative to be set aside in the name of
"economic progress"-because just, sustainable economic progress that is
essential for human development cannot be achieved unless there is rule of
law and an accountable, transparent government.

We are aware that there are business interests in Japan eager to "engage"
with the military regime in Burma.  Their arguments are that increased
dealings with foreign countries would make the regime more receptive to
democratic values and that as the people become more affluent they would be
in a stronger position to assert their democratic rights.

In reality, there is little evidence either that foreign business contacts
have led to a more liberal attitude on the part of the authorities or that
the juicy fruits of foreign investment are enjoyed by many outside the small
elite who see the democratic concepts of liberty, justice and equality as a
threat to their privileged status.

Burma is a country which as recently as a decade ago could pride itself on
its lack of gross social inequality. Sadly, one of today's most popular
sayings is that there are two kinds of people in Burma, those who do not
have enough to eat and those who do not have enough room to store their
wealth.

Apologists for the present state of affairs insist that such a yawning gap
between the haves and have-nots is inevitable in the "transitional stage"
but if pressed for clarification as to where the transition might be
leading, the answer is usually evasive and unsatisfactory.

At this time when we are on the threshold of another new year, almost on
the verge of a new country, I would like to call upon the people of Japan
and other democratic nations to demonstrate their solidarity with the
movement for democracy and human rights in Burma. Everybody is capable of
making some contribution, big or small, through political action or
economic choice.

In a society that allows freedom of information, it is an easy matter to
find out what are the fundamental issues. How many Japanese are aware that
the General Assembly of the United Nations has been passing a resolution on
the human rights situation in Burma for several consecutive years?

How many know that this resolution inter alla calls for the early
restoration of democracy in Burma, dialogue between the military government
and the democratic forces, the full participation of the people in the
political life of the country and the recognition of the will of the people
as expressed through the elections of 1990?

And how many remember that in those elections, the results of which were
blatantly set aside by the authorities, the people of Burma took a
courageous and principled stand and in spite of much intimidation and
repression voted overwhelmingly for a democratic system?

Some things should never be forgotten. Many people in Burma have given up
their lives that the future of their country might be made brighter by the
establishment of democratic institutions. Their sacrifice should be
remembered in the new year by practical action that will help turn their
dreams into reality for those who are left behind.

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

AFP: KAREN PLEAD WITH JAPANESE TO STOP INVESTING IN  MYANMAR  
19 January, 1998 

BANGKOK, Jan 19 (AFP) - The Karen National Union (KNU) Monday pleaded with
the people of Japan to take more notice of Japanese companies that invest
in the military state of  Myanmar (Burma) . 
 
The KNU, whose guerrilla army is based in remote camps along the border
with Thailand, also called on the Japanese government to stop all forms of 
development aid to what it calls  Myanmar's  "military dictatorship." 
 
"The KNU hope that businesses in Japan will take a more responsible
approach with their investments in  Burma,  whose people have to bear
extreme sufferings under the misrule of the past and present military
dictatorships," a statement received in Bangkok said. 
 
"At the same time we would like to appeal to the people of Japan to check
the actions of Japanese businesses, as well as the government, that would
encourage and support the military dictatorship in  Burma. " 
 
The KNU, which is one of several ethnic insurgent groups fighting for 
independence from the  Myanmar  junta, accused the authorities of
defaulting on loans worth more than 10 billion dollars given under Japan's
Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) programme. 
 
"There is no doubt that any further loan to the military dictatorship would 
meet the same fate," the KNU said. 
 
"For that reason we would like to earnestly urge the Japanese government
not to resume the ODA to  Burma  until a democratically elected government
is in power." 
 
Officials from Yangon's (Rangoon's) ruling State Peace and Development 
Council (SPDC) were unavailable for comment Monday night. 
 
The SPDC replaced the former State Law and Order Restoration Council as 
Myanmar's  governing body late last year, a move most analysts say was a 
cosmetic change only. 
 
The military government, which has ruled since 1962, has refused to
recognise the results of a general election in 1990 which was won in a
landslide by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. 
 
The  Myanmar  economy has quietly crumbled in recent months, with rampant
inflation caused by the spiralling value of the local currency. 
 
The SPDC generals have claimed some success in brokering ceasefires with 
several rebel ethnic armies based along its eastern frontier, but the Karen
have vowed to keep fighting despite losing significant territory in a
series of major government offensives. 
 
"The KNU is determined to carry on its resistance against the military 
dictatorship for many more decades, if need be, so long as there is no
political statement with regard to the question of freedom, democracy,
human rights and ethnic rights," the KNU statement said. 

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

ASAHI EVENING NEWS: COLD COMFORT FOR UPRISING SONS
25 January, 1998 [abridged]
by Roy K. Akagawa 

>From a beacon of hope and freedom, Japan has become a source of icy
cynicism to exiles who exchanged repression in Myanmar and China for a life
here of perpetual anxiety, caused by a government loath to grant asylum.

While Japan may appear to be a beacon of democracy in Asia for those living
in less developed, neighboring nations, individuals who have come to Japan
seeking to push for democracy back home have often to deal with a
cold-hearted bureaucracy and widespread public apathy.

"We knew Japan was a very developed, democratic nation which was totally
different from our country," said Kyaw Loon Tin. "If we work in Japan we
can get a very good salary and we can support our family and continue our
democracy activities."

Kyaw Loon Tin arrived in Japan in September 1992, fleeing his native
Myanmar (Burma) where he had participated in student demonstrations calling
for democracy in 1988, the year he graduated from university.

The past five years have changed his image. "We feel like prisoners here in
Japan," he said.

Unlike fellow pro-democracy activists in the United States, Australia and
elsewhere who can travel freely for their cause, he and his comrades in
Japan are kept in a state of limbo as they await a decision on their
applications for refugee status.

Kyaw Loon Tin is one of about 80 Burmese who have filed for refugee status
since 1992. Until now, not one of their applications has been approved,
according to Shogo Watanabe, a lawyer who is also secretary-general of the
People's Forum on Burma.

Eleven of the first group of 12 applicants in 1992 had their requests turned
down in November 1994, ostensibly because they failed to file their
applications within 60 days of arriving in Japan or of learning that they
would face persecution in their native country should they return, a major
condition for defining an individual as a refugee. This "60 day rule" has
often been used as a procedural tactic to summarily reject applications
without bothering to investigate their background, according to critics of
Japan's refugee recognition system. That first group of applicants appealed
the Justice Ministry decision and is now awaiting further government action.

Watanabe is hoping that an applicant who filed in December 1996 will prove
to be a breakthrough for recognition of refugees from Myanmar.

Tin Win arrived in Japan in November 1996 and filed for refugee status the
next month. However, even for Tin Win, who clearly meets the 60-day rule,
there is no certainty of success. Since filing the application, Tin Win said
he has not heard a single word from immigration officials about his case.

Yuichi Suzuki, foreign liaison officer of the Refugee Recognition Office at
the Justice Ministry, explained that before interviews are held, the
veracity of information entered on application forms is first checked. This
often involves making inquiries back in the applicant's home nation,
slowing down the whole procedure.

"(The Japanese government officials) don't want to acknowledge us as
refugees so they are delaying the process," Tin Win said.

He said he was puzzled by the government's hesitancy to grant refugee status.

"It is so strange that the Japanese government doesn't accept refugees since
two of the most prominent individuals in the refugee field are Japanese,
Sadako Ogata and Yozo Yokota," he said.

Ogata is the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Yokota, a University of
Tokyo professor, was a special rapporteur assigned to Myanmar by the U.N.
Human Rights Commission, succeeding Ogata in that role in 1991 after she
was named high commissioner. 

Manual work and agitation 
Tin Win, 43, now works at a components factory for construction machines in
Kuzu, Tochigi Prefecture, while worrying constantly about his wife and
three children in Myanmar. At weekends, he travels three hours by train to
discuss plans with fellow democracy agitators in Tokyo. 

He left his Myanmar reluctantly, feeling he was abandoning not only his
family but also his colleagues in the National League for Democracy, the
leading opposition party led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the winner of the Nobel
Peace Prize. 

"I didn't want to escape just for my own sake. My mentor told me that you
cannot do anything if you are in jail," said Tin Win. He fled first to that
Thailand, then crossed into Malaysia and Singapore, before returning to
Thailand to make the final trip to Tokyo, where he landed in November 1996.

He apparently left Myanmar in the nick of time.

"I learned after I left Rangoon that I had been given a 7-year prison
sentence in absentia," Tin Win said.

In addition, he later learned that on the very night when he fled the
country, government authorities raided both his home in Mandalay and the
office where he had been hiding in Yangon (Rangoon).

He was detained once before between September 1988 and February 1989.
Government officials told him that he was being held because he had
participated in the anti- government demonstrations held during much of
1988 although he was never told the exact charges against him.

After working to establish a political party in Mandalay for Muslims, Tin
Win eventually became a secretary for the United Solidarity Front, which
was a merger of 12 parties centered in Mandalay. Later, when that party was
dissolved in 1990 to merge with the NLD in a united opposition, Tin Win
joined the party's research bureau in Mandalay, where he was given the task
of studying Japan's political development.

Eyes opened to Japan
Hardened by the experience, Tin Win did not come to Japan expecting a land
of golden opportunity and full democracy.

"I knew that Japan puts economics and business first and doesn't care about
democracy and human rights of other countries," he said.

He added that there were also positive aspects to Japan, such as its low
crime rate, high standard of hygiene and industrious and eager workforce,
that he had also learned from his research.

After his departure, the apparel shop he operated in Mandalay was
confiscated by the authorities along with other property he owned. In an
ironic and cruel twist of fate, Tin Win later learned that the land where
his shop was located - part of a large marketplace that used to be one of
the major centers of the city - had been bulldozed over and a resort hotel
is set to be built on the land by a Japanese company.

His wife and children left their home in Mandalay to live with his wife's
mother in Yangon because there was no longer a source of income in Mandalay.

Having studied economics in college and run his own business, Tim Win never
had to perform physical labor back in Myanmar so he finds the job in Kuzu
difficult. In addition, because he is in Japan on a temporary stay visa, he
cannot apply for national health insurance, meaning he is also constantly
anxious about how to pay for medical treatment in the event of a job-related
injury.

Now that he has filed for refugee status in Japan he is caught up in a
bureaucratic wrangle that at times borders on the ridiculous.

Every three months he has to apply for an extension of his temporary visa,
requiring him to take two days off from work: one day to come to the
Immigration Office in Tokyo's Otemachi to submit the relevant application;
another day to return to Otemachi to have his passport duly stamped.

He is also prevented from traveling to other countries while his application
is being processed. Although he said he came to Japan by accident, he now
takes a more philosophical approach about his situation and hopes to use it
to his advantage. "I want to stay here because I want to explain to the
Japanese people the situation in Burma and ask them to help us," said Tin
Win. He said because Japan is the largest economic aid donor to Myanmar the
government has great leverage over his native land.

"We can say that Japan is a democratic nation, but the people have very
little idea of what democracy is or what fighting for a democracy movement
means," he said.

He said he hoped the Japanese people would change their attitudes and
become more concerned and involved with other nations.

"I want Japan to lead Asia as a political power," he said in part because he
fears an emergence of a powerful China in the region.

He is placing his hopes on the new generation of Japanese and intends to
remain in Japan to help educate them.

"I don't blame the people of Japan," Tin Win said.  "I blame the politicians
of Japan because they are trying to save face with the military government
in Burma."

Processed as snail's pace
The snail's pace at which refugee applications are being processed does not
surprise those involved in refugee issues in Japan.  Since Japan acceded to
the U.N. Convention on the Status of Refugees in 1982, its record in
accepting refugees has hardly merited praise.

Out of 272 applications between 1994 and 1996, only one individual each
year was certified here as a refugee.  For the first 11 months of 1997,
only one application was approved, although 233 were submitted.

Since 1982, Japan has certified 210 refugees.  More than half, or 130, were
certified in 1982 and 1983.

By contrast Canada, often cited for its generous asylum policy, in 1996
alone considered about 21,800 applications for refugee status and accepted
9,540 claims, while 7,040 were rejected and 5,220 were either withdrawn or
abandoned.

"We may also more strictly interpret the definition of refugee set out in
the treaty than other nations (where the numbers of refugees accepted are
much larger)," explained Suzuki of the Justice Ministry.

Worldwide tightening
The issue of declining numbers of refugees accepted by developed Western
nations is not confined to Japan alone. The United Nations Office of High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned in a report issued last December
that "it is becoming increasingly difficult for refugees to find a place of
safety beyond the borders of their homeland."

The report also stated that over the past ten years, about five million
people who sought asylum in Western Europe, North America and Australasia
have faced "an array of different measures intended to prevent or deter
people from seeking refuge." 

In spite of this harsher international environment, lawyer Watanabe said
Japan still has much to do to earn the respect of the world community.
"Japan must first fulfill its obligations in accepting refugees before it
can think about shutting its borders to foreigners," Watanabe said.
"Although there remains the question of whether or not other Western
nations have done enough, those nations have accepted far larger numbers of
refugees than Japan, so there can be some discussion in those nations of
reducing those numbers." 

Suzuki of the Justice Ministry said that Japanese society in general does
not appear very accommodating for foreigners, judging by the few foreigners
who apply for refugee status.

The support and understanding of a small group of Japanese also have been
about the only meaningful assistance those from Myanmar have received.
Kyaw Loon Tin and a fellow activist, Pyone Cho, said they have been helped
by landlords and bosses who realize the special circumstances they face and
allow them, for example, to take time off from work to participate in
demonstrations and other political activities in Tokyo.

Among the citizens' groups that have been set up to support the efforts of
the activists is the People's Forum on Burma, which was established in
December 1996. The group currently has about 160 members.

Kyaw Loon Tin and Pyone Cho first met aboard a Thai-owned cargo ship. Kyaw
Loon Tin had sought the job aboard the vessel because he felt that it would
one day give him the opportunity to go to a foreign land. After sailing
mainly to nations in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia and Indonesia, the two
worked on a ship that transported cement from China to Japan.

The two of them, along with three others from Myanmar, jumped ship in
September 1992 at the port of Kushiro on Hokkaido. They contacted officials
of the Burmese Association of Japan for help in coming to Tokyo.

Watanabe explained the many Burmese at first considered Japan a beacon in
the world for democratization of their country. This was the result of much
publicity in Myanmar about the Burmese Association in Japan, established
soon after the military coup d'etat in September 1988 led to the creation
of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), which took over
control of all aspects of government.

Special care must be taken by members of the Burmese democracy movement
exiled in Japan about contacts with family members back in Myanmar who are
subject to government surveillance.

The main group now active in Japan is the National League for Democracy
(Liberated Area), Japan Branch, which was formed in May 1995 through the
amalgamation of several pro-democracy forces, including the Burmese
Association in Japan.

Tin Win said he had not contacted his family directly since leaving Myanmar.

"When we are talking to our family on the telephone we can only give social
greetings such as 'How are you?' " said Kyaw Loon Tin. "We cannot discuss
any political  issues with our family members."

He said the Myanmar government had a list of all activists In Japan and
were tracking documents sent to family members from Japan as well as
tapping telephone calls.
 
Because of such surveillance, any hint of criticism of the government could
place their family members in trouble, Kyaw Loon Tin said.

Both Kyaw Loon Tin and Pyone Cho also feel the economic assistance sent by
the Japanese government to Myanmar does not benefit the general population
in their homeland.

"The intention of the ODA is to help the people, which is good, but in fact
it will only benefit the generals, not the people of Burma," said Kyaw Loon
Tin.

For this reason, democracy activists in Japan are calling on Tokyo to end
ODA outlays to their country.

Before coming to Japan, the two had an image of Japan as a rich and
democratic nation.

"Because Japan is an economically powerful nation, it has influence over
Southeast Asian nations, including Burma," said Pyone Cho. "I thought that
if our activities are strong in Japan we can influence the Japanese
government to put pressure on the government in Burma."

Disillusioned by Japan
However, the failure of the Japanese government to grant refugee status to
Kyaw Loon Tin has dimmed not only his hopes that some change can be made
through the Japanese government, but also darkened his outlook on staying
in Japan.

"We are facing so many difficulties here so when my younger sister thought
about leaving Burma I told her she would not have a good future in Japan,"'
he said.

Because Kyaw Loon Tin had an aunt living in Australia as a permanent
resident, he advised his younger sister to go there. He sent money saved
from his jobs in Japan so that his sister could go to Australia and apply
for refugee status. Within a month of her arrival, she was granted that
status and given permanent residency, he said.

The activists stressed that they would not return to their homeland until
democracy was established.

"We don't want to surrender or betray our belief in democracy," said Kyaw
Loon Tin.

While Tin Win said he would go back to his country immediately if he could
do so in safety, all agreed that unless Myanmar became a democracy they
would have to stay in Japan.

"We don't want to go back to a nation that is not democratic," said Kyaw
Loon Tin. "We have nowhere to go but Japan. We have to stay and struggle."

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

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: SOME PERTINENT HEADLINES
24 January, 1998

MINISTER AT THE OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN OF STATE PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT
COUNCIL RECEIVES CHAIRMAN OF JETRO

YANGON, 23 Jan- Minister at the Office of the Chairman of State Peace and
Development Council Brig-Gen Abel received Chairman Mr Toru Toyoshima and
party of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) at his office at 11.30
am today.

MINISTER FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY RECEIVES DAIMARU OFFICIALS

YANGON, 23 Jan- Minister for Science and Technology U Thaung received
Director-General Mr T Sanagi and party of Tokyo Daimaru Office of Japan at
his office at 8 am today.

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

REUTERS: ENVOY SAYS UN TO HELP RESOLVE MYANMAR CONCERNS
23 January, 1998
by Aung Hla Tun 

YANGON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - United Nations special envoy Alvaro De Soto
said on Friday that he had raised a  number of the world community's
concerns about Myanmar (Burma) with its military leaders and
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during his visit this week. 

He also discussed ways the United Nations Secretary General Kofi
Annan might be able to assist the government and the people of Myanmar
address these concerns, De Soto told reporters without giving details. 

Myanmar's junta has been accused by the local opposition and the West
of abusing human rights and curbing democratic movements and the
political activities of Aung San Suu Kyi, who leads the main opposition
National League or Democracy (NLD) party. 

De Soto met senior figures in the government and Suu Kyi during his
three-day visit. 

``The UN assembly and the Human Rights Commission have raised a
number of concerns about the situation in Myanmar which are well
known,'' he said. 

``I have had substantive meetings with Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw,
Secretary One of the SPDC Lieutenant Khin Nyunt and Senior
General Than Shwe. And I have also met with the leader of the NLD, Aung
San Suu Kyi,'' he added. 

``We have discussed ways in which the (UN) Secretary General might
assist the Myanmar people and Myanmar authorities and leaders in
addressing these concerns,'' De Soto said. 

The envoy said he would return to New York on Friday and report to
Annan, who would then submit an interim report about his efforts on
Myanmar to the Human Rights Commission in about one and a half
months. 

De Soto's visit was the result of talks between Annan and Than Shwe in
the sidelines of an ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur last December. 

Annan had told reporters after meeting Than Shwe that he would
send a special envoy to discuss accelerating the drafting of the
country's new national constitution and the possibility of holding free and
fair elections soon. 

Previous efforts to start direct talks between Suu Kyi and the military
junta have failed ever since the opposition leader was released from
six years of house arrest in 1995. 

De Soto last met Suu Kyi in May, 1997. Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy party won a landslide victory during a 1990 general election
but the military ignored the results of the election and has run the country
 with an iron hand since.

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

BKK POST: CORRUPT GENERAL'S DAUGHTER FLEES
25 January, 1998

The daughter of Lt-Gen Tun Kyi, allegedly one of the most corrupt
generals in Burma, has fled the country.

Kyi Kyi Than and her husband Khin Maung Zaw arrived in Ranong on
January 20, accompanied by two of their children.

The family is reported to be in Bangkok today and are thought to
be heading for Singapore.

Lt-Gen Tun Kyi, one of four prominent ministers dealing with
financial matters, was side lined by the then State Law and
Order. Restoration Council (now known as the State Peace and 
Development Council). The former trade and commerce minister is
presently under detention.

Kyi Kyi Than is  supposed to have close business and government
connections in Singapore, specifically with Singapore Premier Goh
Chok Tong.

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

HERALD SUN: AUSSIE REBEL MURDER CLAIM
21 January 1998						
by Andrew Bolt in Bangkok

Leo Nichols was a wheeler-dealer in Burma who just became too much for 
its ruthless rulers.

Burma's bloody military regime murdered Australian-born Leo Nichols, says a
former prisoner who saw him dying in the country's most feared jail.

Speaking for the first time since escaping from Burma, Moe Aye said the 
65-year-old friend of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was tortured 
and denied medication before dying in Rangoon's Insein prison in June.

"He was murdered, deliberately murdered," said Mr Moe, the first witness 
to emerge from the jail.

Burma last year turned down demands by Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
for a full investigation into Mr Nichols' death, saying he died of 
natural causes after being jailed for having a fax machine. But Mr Moe 
said he saw Mr Nichols being broken down by torture.

"He told me: 'I am afraid of the night', because it was then that he was 
taken away for questioning," Mr Moe said in Bangkok. "Nichols was murdered. 
He was physically and mentally broken down."

Mr Nichols was along-time resident of Burma, starting a shipping company 
in 1945 before the nationalisation of private firms in 1962. But his acute
business skills and unlimited energy enabled his activities to thrive, even
under communist rule.

Mr Nichols became the honorary consul general for Scandinavian countries.

His passion for a free Burma led to numerous run-ins with the junta - the 
most celebrated being in 1989.  While being interrogated by military
intelligence, he obtained permission for his cook to send enough food in
for him and the guards.

Mr Nichols, who is survived by wife Felicity and five children, was 
buried with a bottle of whisky.

Burma's military junta blamed his death on something he ate.

They refused a request for an independent autopsy and hastily buried the 
body.

"He is our national and our citizen and he has trangressed the law and 
then we had to take action," Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw said last year.

Mr Moe, an engineering student, was serving a seven-year sentence for his 
political activities when he saw Mr Nichols.

Mr Moe said Mr Nichols suffered from dysentery, hypertension and diabetes
in jail.

Mr Moe, 34, said he himself was severely beaten and knew of two other 
political prisoners who died of their treatment.

He is now in Thailand , living under an assumed name and is writing an 
account of the death of Mr Nichols.

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

BKK POST: DANISH GROUP SAYS REFUGEES WERE TORTURED
24 January, 1998 [abridged]

DETAILS FORCED LABOUR, DEPORTATION AND RAPE

COPENHAGEN, AFP: Some 66 percent of refugees from Burma now living in
Thailand have been tortured, according to a report by the organisation
Danish Doctors for Human Rights published here on Thursday.

Four Danish doctors questioned and examined some 200 refugees in
a Thai camp near the border.

The resulting 30-page report by the doctors details forced
labour, deportation, pillaging, destruction of villages, various
forms of torture and rape endured by refugees of various ethnic
groupings in Burma.

In addition, several of the refugees said they saw the Rangoon
military forces murder members of their families.

Refugees also displayed wounds which had not received medical
care after accidents and explosions of antipersonnel mines. 
     
Some 125,000 refugees from Burma live in camps in Thailand,
financed by the Danish humanitarian body Folkekirkens Noedhjaelp
and other agencies.

Hundreds of thousands of others live illegally in the country.

UN special envoy Alvaro de Soto left the country yesterday after
a three-day visit during which he met Nobel laureate Aung San Suu
Kyi and military leaders in a bid to end their political stalemate.


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

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

ALERT: STUDENTS ARRESTED IN BANGKOK
22 January, 1998

NINE STUDENTS ARRESTED, 7 FACE DEPORTATION TO LABOUR CAMP

Bangkok: Nine Burmese students were arrested yesterday in front of
scores of their astonished Thai colleagues at Ramkhamhaeng University.

Two of the students who held "safe area" passes have since been
released. The remaining 7 have been moved from Hua Mark police station
to the Immigration Detention Centre in Bangkok. They appeared at court
this morning to be charged as illegal immigrants.

The nine were taken by plainclothes police at about 4 p.m. at the
university canteen.

Several of the students in detention had the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees protection or were being proccessed. Several
of them are student leaders.

At the same location last November, 21 Burmese students were arrested
and promptly transfered to the Immigration Detention Centre. They were
later deported to Mae Sot.

Current deportations have seen Burmese nationals "repatriated" to
forced labour camps in Burmese territory, therefore there are
extremely strong grounds to fear that these students may be sent back
to Burma to face certain forced labour and possibly other torture and
violations because of their student activism.

The past year has seen a growing incidence of harrassment and arrests
of Burmese nationals, a significant number of targets have been
democracy activists working in exile in Thailand. Some of these
arrests have been illegal detentions for the purposes of extortion.
However, it would now appear that arrests and summary deportations are
being conducted to fulfil government quotas to push back "economic
migrants" to Burma.

Until the Thai government recognises that these people are in fact
refugees and until the UNCHR is able to fulfil its moral and practical
responsibilites, Burmese refugees and activists will continue to be
easy targets for extortion and political scape-goating.

The names of those arrested are as follows:*
1. Aung Gyi, former ONSOB chair,
2. Naing Oo, has pass from safe area transit camp - RELEASED TODAY
3. Khin Khin (F) case for protection under consideration by UNHCR
4. Nyein Myo, (husband of Khin Khin) case for protection under
consideration by UNHCR
5. Ko Thet, chairman ABBESU
6. U Myan, ONSOB member
7. Than Zin Htun
8. Aye Chein
9. Gyi Oo, has pass from safe area transit camp - RELEASED TODAY

*Some of those not indicated may be also UNHCR persons of concern

Please express your deep concern for the welfare of these newly arrested
Burmese students and for those others liable to be arrested at any time,
despite their rightful claims to asylum in Thailand.  Please urge the Thai
government and UNHCR to ensure that that this outrage stops immediately and
Burmese dissidents be accorded recognition that they are not simply
"illegal immigrants liable to deportation."

Please send your message via e-mail to:
<govspkmn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Send urgent faxes to:
His Excellency Chuan Leekpai
Prime Minister of Thailand 
Fax +662-2801443
Fax +662-2812536
Fax +662-2825131

Or contact your nearest Thai Embassy and convey the same message.

Please urge the UNHCR, which is mandated to protect those fleeing 
their homeland with well-justified fears for their safety, to do their duty 
by ensuring the well-being of Burmese asylum seekers in Thailand:

Write: 
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
United Nations Bldg. 3 fl., Rajadamnern Rd.
Bangkok, Thailand 10200
Tel:  +662- 288-1234

Fax: +662- 280-0555
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

UPDATE: "LEGAL" STUDENTS STILL IN DETENTION
24 January, 1998

AMAZING THAILAND'S IMMIGRATION & POLICE HARRASSMENT: "LEGAL" STUDENTS STILL
IN DETENTION

Bangkok: Updated information on the 9 Burmese students arrested at
Ramkhamhaeng University on Thursday has revealed the following: 

Two Burmese students who were supposedly "released" by a court
remain in detention by police at Hua Mark Police Station. The police
officers concerned are detaining these student until their safe area
passes expire, so that they can charge the students as illegal
migrants. The students hold a pass for January 20-25, which supposedly
gives them legal right to be away from the safe area. They have the
right to return to the safe area before this time but the police are
detaining them without charge to ensure that they can't.
 
One of the students who possesed a Thai work permit custody being
detained in the Immigration Detention Centre for no apparent reason
 
Their remaining 6 colleagues will have to serve a 3-month prison
sentence at Pratum Thani prison, after which they will be detained
further at the IDC before deportation to a labour camp. In addition 5
of them possess NI Numbers, indicating they are being processed for
resettlement to a 3rd country.

Updated information on the students detained:

1. Aung Gyi, (NI Number 1371) former ONSOB chair. Detained at Hua Mark
police station lock-up, pending transfer to Pratum Thani prison
2. Naing Oo, (NI Number 2285) has pass from safe area transit camp -
but being detained by police until pass expires
3. Khin Khin (F, aka Khay Mar Soe, NI Number 9474) case for protection
under consideration by UNHCR. Detained at Hua Mark police station
lock-up, pending transfer to Pratum Thani prison
4. Nyein Myo, (husband of Khin Khin, NI Number 9474)  case for
protection under consideration by UNHCR. Detained at Hua Mark police
station lock-up, pending transfer to Pratum Thani prison
5. Ko Thet (NI Number 9422), chairman ABBESU. Detained at Hua Mark
police station lock-up, pending transfer to Pratum Thani prison
6. U Myan, ONSOB member. Detained at Hua Mark police station lock-up,
pending transfer to Pratum Thani prison
7. Than Zin Htun (NI5522). Detained at Hua Mark police station
lock-up, pending transfer to Pratum Thani prison
8. Aye Chein, has work permit - detained at IDC
9. Gyi Oo (NI Number 2346) has pass from safe area transit camp,  but
being detained by police until pass expires

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