The BurmaNet News - 4 February, 199

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------------------------------ BurmaNet -----------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies
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The BurmaNet News, 4 February, 1998
Issue #927

HEADLINES:
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BURMANET: TECHNICAL PROBLEM & ACCUSATORY MESSAGES

BUSINESS WEEK: THE EXPLOSIVE TRADE DEAL YOU'VE NEVER
REUTERS: UN OFFICIALS IN BANGLADESH TO DISCUSS
BKK POST: ARMY RELOCATES 260 KARENS
THE NATION: NGOS HELP IN RELOCATION
THE NATION: THAI HUMAN RIGHTS 'LEAVE ROOM FOR
AFP: FIVE KILLED IN MINE BLASTS ON BANGLADESH
AP: THREE DIE IN FIGHTING BETWEEN BURMA'S TROOPS
XINHUA NEWS: BRITISH, ISRAELI COMPANIES TO EXPLORE OIL
KYODO NEWS SERVICE: MYANMAR JUNTA LEADER TO ARRIVE
BBC: RANGOON INVITES FOREIGN INVESTMENT

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE: BURMA COUNTRY REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES FOR
1997 - PART 2
ABMU: APPEAL TO THE PEOPLE OF BURMA
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BURMANET: TECHNICAL PROBLEM & ACCUSATORY MESSAGES
4 February, 1998

Earlier this week there was a problem with numerous postings of the same
message on BurmaNet.  The problem was not intentional on the part of the
sender, but rather a technical glitch.  It has since been resolved and
BurmaNet asks that people refrain from posting accusatory messages relating
to this matter.

This kind of exchange clogs up the system and BurmaNet is a forum for
serious discussion by members of the list.  Please also bear in mind that
some subscribers may have to pay for every message they receive so it is
considerate to only post those messages that are of interest to most people
on BurmaNet.

Thank you 
BurmaNet Editor

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

BUSINESS WEEK: THE EXPLOSIVE TRADE DEAL YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF
9 February, 1998 [abridged]
by Paul Magnusson in Washington , with Stephen Baker in Paris

When Congress gets back to business in early February, it will confront a
trade agreement potentially as controversial as NAFTA. The accord among the
world's 29 most developed nations would rewrite the rules of foreign
ownership - affecting everything from factories to real estate and even
securities. But most lawmakers have never even heard of the Multilateral
Agreement on Investment  because secretive talks by the Clinton
Administration have been carried out beneath congressional radar.

Multinationals love the deal. They see the MAI as a way to reduce
government's  growing penchant from profit-robbing boycotts and regulations.

Opponents call the MAI "NAFTA on steroids" and warn that it will gut U.S.
laws and regulations  protecting everything from worker rights to the
environment. Lined up against the pact are state governments fearful of
losing control over foreign-based businesses; small business; the AFL-CIO;
environmentalists; and consumer groups. 

Both sides agree that since the Administration hasn't geared up its
lobbying-and  since Washington is embroiled in a sex scandal-the MAI may
turn out to be merely another embarrassing misstep on trade policy. But no
one is taking any chances. With talks on the treaty almost completed,
according to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation &
Development, the debate is sure to get louder fast.

The accord would bar Congress, state legislatures ,and city councils from
using  trade sanctions to punish nations such as Burma for human rights
abuses,  violations of labor standards, and religions persecutions. Other
provisions could limit such investment incentives as enterprise zones while
ending minority set-asides and " Buy American " rules, according to opponents.

NO HOUSE VOTES . 

The MAI is tentatively scheduled to be signed at an OECD ministerial
meeting in April. Under  secretary of State Stuart E. Eizenstat is slated
to head a top-level delegation to Paris in mid-February to straighten out any
last-minutes hitches. Then, the Administration plans to submit the
agreement to Senate to be ratified as a treaty-bypassing the house,
historically a tougher critic of trade deals.

Opponents insist that once its details see the lights of day, Congress will
be forced to reject the deal. "This won't stand the Dracular test," says Lori
Wallach, director of Public Citizen Global Trade Watch, a consumer-advocacy
group that has put a copy of secret draft treaty on its Web site,
www.citizen.org/petrade/tradehome.html.

Yet even with the uncertainties, U.S.  negotiators say they will push hard
for a deal.  Why? U.S. companies want stronger rules protecting U.S.
investment overseas and more incentives for luring foreign money into the
U.S. But if the White House wants to overcome potential Senate opponents
like Jesse Helms ( R-N.C.), it will  have to start twisting arms- and soon. 

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

REUTERS: UN OFFICIALS IN BANGLADESH TO DISCUSS REFUGEES
2 February, 1998
by Shehab Ahmed Nafa

DHAKA - A team of officials from the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) held talks on Monday with
 Bangladeshi officials on resuming the repatriation of thousands of Myanmar
(Burma) refugees. 

Government officials said the team arrived in Dhaka on Sunday from
Myanmar and held talks with officials in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar
border district, temporary home to some 21,000 Moslem refugees
called Rohingyas, on the same day. 

The team, headed by the UNHCR's Asia and Pacific director F. Fouinat,
had further talks with Home (Interior) Minister Rafiqul Islam on
Monday. 

"They will have another meeting with foreign and relief ministry officials
on Tuesday," one official said but declined to give details. 

 Government sources earlier said the UNHCR was sending its
 representatives to Bangladesh after reports that refugees in two camps
 had revolted and refused to allow security forces to enter the camps. 

Police, while terming the reports as exaggerated, admitted that the
situation in Nayapara camp, which houses about 12,000 Rohingyas, was
tense. 

They also suspected the camp inmates might have included some
members of the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation, a Moslem rebel group
fighting for independence for western Myanmar's Arakan province,
which borders Cox's Bazar. 

The 21,000 refugees are the remnants of some 250,000 Rohingyas who
fled to Bangladesh in early 1992 to escape alleged persecution by Myanmar's
military junta. 

Repatriation of the Rohingyas, started in September 1992 following
an agreement between Dhaka and Yangon, stopped last April.

Bangladeshi officials blamed the delay on foot-dragging by Myanmar
authorities in granting clearance for the last Rohingyas to be repatriated. 

The Bangladesh government then turned down a subsequent UNHCR
plea to allowing the 21,000 refugees, some 9,000 of which live in the
second camp at Kutupalong, to stay permanently in Bangladesh. 

"Now it's a total deadlock," one official in Cox's Bazar said on
Monday. "We have asked the UNHCR, which had been supervising
the repatriation, to convince Myanmar to take back all the refugees.''

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

BKK POST: ARMY RELOCATES 260 KARENS
3 February, 1998
by Supamart Kasem in TAK

SAFETY FACTORS CITED IN MOVE TO NEW CAMP

Some 260 Karen refugees were transferred  from one camp to
another in Tha Song' Yang  yesterday under the province's plan to
move  some 6,700 refugees from the border area for  safety and
environmental reasons.

About 150 soldiers, border patrol police  and district officials
led by Fourth Infantry  Regiment Task Force Commander Col 
Chatchapat Yamngarmriab and Tha Song  Yang district chief Veera
Phothisook arrived  in Sho Klo Camp early yesterday morning in 15
trucks, to take the first group of all  refugees there to Zone A
of Mae La Camp.

Mr Veera said provincial authorities and  the Third Army agreed
last year to transfer  6,700 refugees from  1,030 families from
Sho Klo Camp to Mae La Camp, to ensure safety  for these refugees
and to conserve forests in  the area.

Sho Klo Camp was set up in August 1986  to house Burmese war
refugees from Mae Ta  Wah Camp, Ban Mae Song, Huay Ma Nok  and
Mae Salit. It is only about a kilometre  from the border so it is
easy for foreign  troops to attack it.

Under the plan, Thai officials and staff of  many
non-governmental organisations will  move about 40 households of
the  refugees  per trip and the transfer operation is expected to
be  completed within one month.

According to the Tha Song Yang district  chief, concerned
officials can not transfer all refugees from Sho Klo Camp  to Mae
La Camp at one time as there are  inadequate vehicles and every
refugee must  have a medical check-up before being sent to  the
new shelter.

The number of refugees at Mae La Camp will  increase from 25,000
to more than 30,000  when the transfer of refugees from Sho Klo 
Camp is completed.

The district will hand over a plot in the  Tha Song Yang National
Forest Reserve on which Sho Klo Camp was set up  to the Forestry
Department for a project to  revitalise the forest, he  added.
 
*************************************************************

THE NATION: NGOS HELP IN RELOCATION
3 February, 1998

TAK authorities, in cooperation with non-governmental organisations,
yesterday relocated a group of about 200 Burmese displaced persons away
from the border to a new shelter, Col Chatchapatr Yaem-ngamrieb, a
provincial Army chief said yesterday.

The colonel said that the NGOs will cover the cost of transporting about
6,000 Burmese in all from Sai Kro to the Baan Mae Hla shelter which is in
Tak's Tha Song Yang district.  The Army believes the camps are currently
too close to the border, exposing the Burmese to possible attacks by armed
forces.

The new shelter is about 13 kilometres from the border while the present
one is only 600 metres away, said Col Chatchapatr.  With the influx of the
Burmese from Sai Kro, the number of Burmese in Baan Mae Hla will be about
30,000.

Meanwhile, Tha Song Yang's district chief Weera Poetisuk said that the
relocation will take about 23 days as the authorities can relocate only
about 200 Burmese a day.

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

THE NATION: THAI HUMAN RIGHTS 'LEAVE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT'
3 February, 1998 [abridged]

ALTHOUGH Thailand generally respects human rights, some significant
problems remain, including extra-judicial killings and abuse of women and
children, according to a report released by the US State Department.

In the "1997 Human Rights Report on Thailand", the US described Thailand as
a newly industrialising country with a strong free-enterprise system and
protection of economic rights.  It noted, however, that the lack of
transparency in many governmental processes had led in some cases to
discriminatory commercial treatment for favoured firms and institutions.

Problems cited in the report include continued extra-judicial killings by
the police and military with impunity, child labour and prostitution, abuse
of women, labour standards, racial discrimination and limited movement of
some political dissidents from Burma.

The report said that despite existing laws to protect these rights,
authorities responsible for enforcement, particularly the police, did not
vigorously implement them and some committed these violations themselves.

Citing credible reports, it indicated that at least 35 criminal suspects
connected mainly to narcotics trafficking had been killed in detention in
the first half of the year but no police officers had been convicted of
wrongful killing.

The report said efforts to curb the trade in children for sex had met little
success.  A Ministry of Public Health official estimated the number of
prostitutes as "under 70,000", while some NGO and government departments go
as high as 200,000.

The government and NGOs estimate there are 20,000 to 40,000 prostitutes
under the age of 18.

The report also noted limited progress in the government's attempt to
integrate ethnic minorities and immigrants into the mainstream of society.
Only half the estimated 500,000 to 600,000 members of hill tribes possess
documentation that either identifies them as citizens or certifies their
eligibility for future citizenship.

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

AFP: FIVE KILLED IN MINE BLASTS ON BANGLADESH- MYANMAR BORDER 
29 January, 1998
 
CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh - Five people were killed and several 
others injured by landmines near Bangladesh - Myanmar  border in the past
week, officials said Thursday. 
 
An official of the para-military Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) border force said 
the latest victim was a Bangladeshi killed on Wednesday in a blast near the 
frontier town Nikhangchari, 317 kilometers (198 miles) from Dhaka. 
 
Four others, Bangladeshi woodcutters as well as a  Myanmar  (Burmese) 
national trying to enter Bangladesh, were killed earlier in the week in 
similar incidents, he said. 
 
Myanmar's  Nasaka border forces earlier told BDR they had sewn mines near
their camps to prevent possible attacks by "miscreants," an apparent
referrence to the  Myanmar  insurgent groups. 
 
BDR officials said they have stepped up patrols in the area and warned
local villagers to be careful while extracting wood on border areas. 
 
Newspaper reports said nearly 30 Bangladeshis were killed by mines
in the past two years at the border. 
 
Nasaka troops earlier removed hundreds of mines from the "zero border line"
following protests by Bangladesh. 
 
********************************************************

AP: THREE DIE IN FIGHTING BETWEEN BURMA'S TROOPS
AND REBELS 
26 January, 1998
 
DHAKA, Bangladesh - Burmese border guards clashed with Muslim
rebels along its frontier with Bangladesh, leaving two rebels and one
troop dead, Bangladeshi officials said Monday. 
 
The three-hour gunfight occurred Sunday just across Bangladesh's 
Naikhongchari border, 110 miles (176 kilometers) southeast of Dhaka
in Burmese territory, border officials said. 
 
Reports based on routine contact between Bangladeshi and Burmese
border guards said the soldiers attacked a group of armed rebels
extorting money from villagers. The rebels belonged to Rohingya
Solidarity Organization, a group supported by  Burma's  minority
Muslims. 
 
Rohingya's take their name after Rohang, the ancient name of Burma's  
western Arakan province. 
 
More than 21,000 Rohingya refugees, who fled a military crackdown in Arakan
in 1991, live along the  Burma's  frontier with Bangladesh. The refugees
refuse to return home fearing fresh persecution under military
rule. 
 
**********************************************************

XINHUA NEWS: BRITISH, ISRAELI COMPANIES TO EXPLORE OIL IN MYANMAR
31 January, 1998 
 
YANGON - A consortium of two British and one Israeli companies will carry
out exploration and production of oil in  Myanmar's  Magway division under
a production sharing contract with the state-run  Myanmar  Oil and Gas
Enterprise (MOGE), official newspaper The New Light of  Myanmar  reported
Saturday. 

According to the contract reached here Friday between the MOGE and the 
consortium of Westborne Oil Ltd and A and T Exploration Co Ltd of Britain
and Capital Investment Development Corporation of Israel, they will jointly
undertake the exploration and production in RSF-8 onshore block, Minbu
district of the division.

The report did not disclose the investment amount, however, it is believed
to be the first largest foreign investment in Myanmar  since the beginning
of this year.  According to official statistics, Myanmar  has signed 
about two dozen production sharing contracts with oil companies from
countries including Australia, Britain, France, Indonesia, Israel, Japan,
Malaysia, Thailand and the United States to explore oil and natural gas in
seven onshore and five offshore areas in the country.

The latest statistics also show that foreign investment in  Myanmar's  oil
and gas sector had exceeded 2.29 billion U.S. dollars in 45 permitted
projects by the end of 1997 out of a total of 6.6 billion dollars,
dominating the investment sectorally. 
 
***********************************************************

KYODO NEWS SERVICE: MYANMAR JUNTA LEADER TO ARRIVE IN MANILA ON FEB. 17 
30 January, 1998 [abridged]
 
MANILA - The leader of Myanmar's  military government, Prime Minister
Senior Gen. Than Shwe, will arrive in the Philippines on Feb. 17 for a
two-day state visit, a presidential palace official said Friday. 
 
The official, who refused to be identified, said the chairman of  Myanmar's  
State Peace and Development Council will return President Fidel Ramos'
state visit to Myanmar  in October last year. 
 
Ramos was the first head of state from the Association of Southeast Asian 
Nations (ASEAN) to visit Myanmar following its admission into ASEAN
in July last year. 
 
**********************************************************

BBC: RANGOON INVITES FOREIGN INVESTMENT
IN INDUSTRIAL ZONES
28 January, 1998 

Burma is inviting foreign investors to set up enterprises in the newly 
established Mingaladon Industrial Zone in Rangoon, Xinhua News Agency
reported, quoting the official newspaper 'The New Light of  Myanmar'  on
21st January. The paper said the 89-hectare infrastructural development
project in the Mingaladon Industrial Zone in the Mingaladon area north of
Rangoon had been completed and that two others, Thanlyin-Kyauktan and
Hlaingtharya, were being developed, mainly by Singaporean, Malaysian and
Thai companies. The paper quoted an official as saying the facilities of
the Mingaladon Industrial Zone had been built in conformity with
international standards to enable foreign entrepreneurs to invest in the
zone. 
 
A 115.8-hectare garden city project with a golf course is also under way in 
the Mingaladon area and will be completed in five years. 
 
***********************************************************

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE: BURMA COUNTRY REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES
FOR 1997 - PART 2
30 January, 1998
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

Section 2 Respect for Civil Liberties, Including:
 
a. Freedom of Speech and Press
 The Government continued to impose severe restrictions on freedom of speech
and of the press. The security services continued to harass and repress
those attempting to express opposition political views, and many more
refrained from speaking out for fear of arrest, interrogation, and other
forms of intimidation. Since late 1996, the authorities have prohibited the
weekend gatherings in front of Aung San Suu Kyi's residence at which she
and NLD vice-chairmen Tin Oo and Kyi Maung formerly responded to letters
from the public and delivered speeches. Barriers blocking access to her
residence remained in place during the year, and her freedom to leave her
compound or to receive visitors was severely restricted.
 
The government monopoly television, radio, and newspaper media remained
propaganda instruments. These official media normally did not report
opposing views except to criticize them. Editors and reporters remained
answerable to military authorities. While the English language daily New
Light of Myanmar continued to include many heavily edited international
wire service reports on foreign news, domestic news hewed strictly to and
reinforced government policy.
 
All forms of domestic public media were officially controlled or censored.
This strict control in turn encouraged self-censorship on the part of
writers and publishers. Citizens were generally unable to subscribe
directly to foreign publications, but a limited selection of foreign
newspapers could be purchased in a few hotels and stores in Rangoon (see
Section 1.f.). A limited supply of international news magazines and a
sizable number of private publications on nonpolitical issues were
available to the public, but censors frequently banned issues or deleted
articles deemed unwelcome by the Government.
 
Monthly press conferences that had begun in August 1996 were suspended by
the Government in April. Prior to that time, most known foreign
journalists, including television crews, had been able to obtain visas to
visit and report on developments, although authorities sometimes monitored
and restricted their movements. The Government issued few visas to
journalists after April.
 
Foreign radio broadcasts, such as those of the British Broadcasting
Corporation, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and the Norway-based
Democratic Voice of Burma, remained the principal sources of uncensored
information. The authorities at times attempted to jam or otherwise
interfere with the reception of these broadcasts (see Section l.f.). They
also continued to restrict the reception of satellite television
broadcasts. Penalties of up to 3 years' imprisonment for operation of an
unlicensed satellite television receiver can be imposed. Licenses, however,
were almost impossible to obtain by citizens, although some ignored the
licensing regulation.
 
A series of totalitarian decrees issued by the Government in 1996 designed
to strengthen its control over all forms of political expression and
citizens' access to information remained in force during the year. Order
5/96 in 1996 prohibited speeches or statements that "undermine national
stability" as well as the drafting of alternative constitutions. A 1996
amendment to the television and video law imposed additional restrictions
and stiffer penalties on the distribution of videotapes not approved by the
censor. Also in 1996, the Government decreed that all computers, software,
and associated telecommunications devices would be subject to government
registration. The law required government permission for all communications
by computer. The Government bars most Internet services to citizens. During
the year, the authorities granted permission to one Internet service
company to provide only electronic mail services to any citizen on a fee
basis.
 
University teachers and professors remained subject to the same
restrictions on freedom of speech, political activities, and publications
as other government employees. These included warnings against criticism of
the Government; instructions not to discuss politics while at work;
strictures against joining or supporting political parties; engaging in
political activity; or meeting foreigners. Teachers continued to be held
responsible for propagating SLORC political goals among their students and
for maintaining discipline and preventing students from engaging in any
unauthorized political activity.
 
Following student demonstrations in December 1996, the Government closed
the universities and even primary and secondary schools to prevent further
demonstrations. While the primary and secondary schools reopened in August,
most universities remained closed at year's end.
 
b. Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association
 The Government restricts freedom of assembly. Its prohibition of
unauthorized outdoor assemblies of more than five persons remained in
effect, albeit unevenly enforced. The 10 existing legal political parties
remained formally required to request permission from the authorities to
hold internal meetings of their members, although some members still met
without official permission.
 
The SLORC's repression of the NLD continued; it forcibly closed NLD offices
upcountry and harassed NLD members for petty offenses, forced NLD members
to work as porters, and arrested and convicted NLD supporters for political
crimes, especially those associated personally with NLD General Secretary
Aung San Suu Kyi.
 
In May the authorities blocked the NLD's attempt to hold a party congress
on the anniversary of the 1990 elections. It temporarily detained or
threatened the detention of over 300 party members living outside Rangoon,
and sealed off access to Aung San Suu Kyi's compound.
 
However, in September the authorities abruptly suspended their policy and
permitted the NLD to convene a party congress on the occasion of the ninth
anniversary of the party's founding. Although the authorities barred
several hundred persons from attending, more than 700 delegates
participated in the congress, the largest gathering held by the NLD since
1990. The authorities permitted several public gatherings of NLD members
and supporters on various holidays, with little or no interference. While
the authorities allowed holiday celebrations to take place in Aung San Suu
Kyi?s compound, police restricted the size of the gatherings. The
suspension of restrictions was temporary, however, and subsequent meetings
outside her compound were blocked. Most universities remained closed, and
police prevent student demonstrations.
 
The Government's mass mobilization organization, the Union Solidarity and
Development Association (USDA), continued to hold large-scale rallies in
support of government policies. In many cases it coerced attendance, using
implicit or explicit threats of penalties for those staying away. There
were no reported incidents in which the authorities interfered with
religious groups? assemblies or other outdoor gatherings during the year.
 
The Government restricts freedom of association. Aside from officially
sanctioned organizations like the USDA, the right of association existed
only for organizations, including trade associations and professional
bodies, permitted by law and duly registered with the Government. Only a
handful continue to exist, and even those are subject to direct government
intervention and take special care to act in accordance with government
policy. This group includes apolitical organizations such as the Myanmar
Red Cross and the Myanmar Medical Association. Only 10 political parties
remained at year's end, compared with 15 in 1992.
 
c. Freedom of Religion
 Adherents of all religions duly registered with the authorities generally
enjoyed freedom to worship as they chose; however, the Government imposed
some restrictions on certain religious minorities. In recent years,
Buddhists continued to enjoy a privileged position. The Government has made
special efforts to link itself with Buddhism as a means of asserting its
own popular legitimacy. Photographs of SLORC officials paying homage or
making donations at pagodas throughout the country appear regularly in the
official newspaper.
 
The Government monitored the activities of members of all religions, in
part because congregation members have in the past become politically
active. The authorities continued to regard the Muslim and Christian
religious minorities with suspicion. Moreover, there is a concentration of
Christians among some of the particular ethnic minorities against whom the
army has fought for decades. Religious publications, like secular ones,
remained subject to control and censorship. Christian bibles translated
into indigenous languages could not be imported or printed legally,
although this ban is not enforced in some areas. It remained difficult for
Christian and Muslim groups to obtain permission to build new churches and
mosques. In March authorities did little to halt attacks on Muslims by
Buddhists monks (see Section 5).
 
Religious groups of all faiths were able to establish and maintain links
with coreligionists in other countries and travel abroad for religious
purposes; however, the Government reportedly monitored these activities.
Foreign religious representatives usually were allowed visas only for short
stays but in some cases were permitted to preach to congregations.
Permanent foreign missionary establishments have not been permitted since
the 1960's, but seven Catholic nuns and four priests working in Burma since
before independence in 1948 have been allowed to continue their work.
 
d. Freedom of Movement Within the Country, Foreign Travel, Emigration, and
Repatriation
Although citizens have the legal right to live anywhere in the country,
both urban and rural residents were subject to arbitrary relocation (see
Section 1.f.). Except for limitations in areas of insurgent activity,
citizens could travel freely within the country but had to notify local
authorities of their whereabouts. The Government restricted the freedom of
movement of NLD General Secretary Aung San Suu Kyi (see Section 2.a.).
Those residents unable to meet the restrictive provisions of the
citizenship law, such as ethnic Chinese, Arakanese, Muslims, and others had
to obtain prior permission to travel. The Government carefully scrutinized
prospective travel abroad. This produced rampant corruption as many
applicants were forced to pay large bribes to obtain passports to which
they were otherwise entitled. The official board that reviews passport
applications denied passports in some cases apparently on political
grounds. All college graduates who obtained a passport (except for certain
government employees) were required to pay a special education clearance
fee to reimburse the Government. Citizens who had emigrated legally
generally were allowed to return to visit relatives, and some who had lived
abroad illegally and acquired foreign citizenship were able to return to
visit. The Government on occasion restricts the issuance of passports to
young female applicants seeking work abroad, reportedly to prevent young
women from being enticed to travel abroad to jobs that are in fact in the
commercial sex industry.
 
Restrictions on foreign travelers have been eased as part of an effort to
promote tourism. Burmese embassies issued tourist visas, valid for 1 month,
within 24 hours of application. However, select categories of applicants,
such as foreign human rights advocates, journalists, and political figures,
continued to be denied entry visas unless traveling under the aegis of a
sponsor acceptable to the Government, and for purposes approved by the
Government. Although some areas of the country remained closed to
foreigners for security reasons, the authorities permitted travel to most
other destinations. Rangoon-based diplomats generally must apply 10 days in
advance for travel outside the capital.
 
At year's end, there were still 21,000 Rohingya Muslims remaining in
refugee camps in Bangladesh. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees'
(UNHCR's) repatriation program, which since 1992 had succeeded in returning
approximately 238,000 refugees to Burma and had been scheduled to end on
August 15, halted prematurely when the Rohingyas as a group rejected
repatriation and demanded resettlement in Bangladesh. The Rohingyas refused
to return because they feared human rights abuses, including religious
persecution and other government restrictions. The UNHCR reported that
authorities cooperated in investigating isolated incidents of renewed abuse
of repatriated citizens. However, returnees complained of restrictions
imposed by the Government on their ability to travel and to engage in
economic activity.
 
A few thousand students and dissidents continued to live in exile in
Thailand. The more than 100,000 Burmese residing in refugee camps in
Thailand were joined during the year by thousands of new arrivals fleeing
army attacks against insurgencies in the Karen, Karenni and Shan ethnic
areas.
 
The Government does not allow refugees or displaced persons from abroad to
resettle or seek safe haven. The Government has not formulated a policy
concerning refugees, asylees, or first asylum, and it is not a party to the
1951 U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967
protocol.
 
Section 3 Respect for Political Rights: The Right of Citizens to Change
Their Government
 Despite the overwhelming desire that citizens demonstrated in the 1990
elections for a return to democracy, they continued to be denied the right
to change their government. Since 1988 active duty military officers have
occupied most important positions throughout the Government, particularly
at the policy making level, but also extending to local administration.
Despite the appointment of several civilians to the Cabinet in 1992, the
policy of placing military or recently retired military officers in most
key senior level positions in all ministries has continued unabated. In the
SPDC Government formed in November, only 12 of the 41 ministers appointed
are civilians.
 
Following the NLD's victory in the 1990 elections, the SLORC nullified the
election results and disqualified, detained, arrested, or drove into exile
many successful candidates. Since then, 236 of the 392 NLD deputies elected
have either been disqualified, resigned under pressure, gone into exile,
been detained, or died. Approximately 31 successful candidates from the
election remain in prison.
 
Rather than accept the will of the citizenry as expressed in the 1990
election, the SLORC convened a National Convention in January 1993 to draw
up principles for a new constitution. The SLORC hand-picked most delegates,
and carefully stage-managed the proceedings; even limited opposition views
were ignored. The SLORC tasked the Convention with drafting a new
constitution designed to provide a dominant role for the military services
in the country?s future political structure. In November 1995, the NLD
delegates withdrew from the Convention pending agreement by the authorities
to discuss revising the Convention's working procedures to permit debate
and meaningful participation in formulation of a new constitution. Two days
after its withdrawal the NLD was formally expelled. The National Convention
continued its deliberations until it adjourned in March 1996. It has not
reconvened. The provisions that it adopted were designed to ensure the
large-scale involvement of the military services in all levels of
government--including reserving 25 percent of seats in the Parliament to
appointed members of the military services, and reserving key government
posts for military personnel as well. In addition, it adopted provisions
that prohibited, among other things, anyone "under acknowledgment of
allegiance" to a foreigner or who has received any type of assistance from
a foreign source, from participating in the Government. These provisions
were apparently designed to exclude Aung San Suu Kyi, who is married to an
Englishman and who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
 
Women and minorities are underrepresented in the top ranks of government
services and excluded from military leadership. Members of certain minority
groups continue to be denied full citizenship (see Section 5).
 
Section 4 Governmental Attitude Regarding International and Nongovernmental
Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights
 The Government does not allow domestic human rights organizations to exist,
and it remained generally hostile to outside scrutiny of its human rights
record. Disturbed by the severe criticism contained in 1995 resolutions
adopted by the U.N. Human Rights Commission (UNHRC), the authorities
refused to meet with UNHRC representatives during the year. In his February
report to the UNHRC, Special Rapporteur for Burma, Rajsoomer Lallah, who
was repeatedly denied entry into the country, criticized the human rights
violations committed against ethnic minorities as a result of the SLORC's
policy of forcible relocations and continued recourse to forced labor and
citizens' forced labor as porters.
 
Approximately 14 nonpolitical, humanitarian, international NGO's continued
project work. A few others established a provisional presence while
undertaking the protracted negotiations necessary to set up permanent
operations in the country.
 
The International Committee of the Red Cross was unable to negotiate its
return after closing its office in 1995.
 
Section 5 Discrimination Based on Race, Sex, Religion, Disability,
Language, or Social Status
The Government continued to rule by decree and was not bound by any
constitutional provisions concerning discrimination.
 
Women
Violence against women, including spousal abuse, is infrequent. Married
couples often live in households with extended families, where social
pressure tends to protect the wife from abuse. Trafficking in women and
girls remains a serious problem.
 
There were reliable reports that many women and children in border areas,
where the Government's control is limited, were forced or lured into
working as prostitutes in Thailand. It is unknown how many young women have
been induced or coerced into working as prostitutes, but a common practice
is to lure young women to Thailand with promises of employment as a
waitress or domestic servant. The military forces continued to impress
women for military porterage duties, and there were many reports of rape of
ethnic minority women by soldiers (see Sections 1.c. and 1.g.).
 
In general women have traditionally enjoyed a high status, exercising most
of the same basic rights as men and taking an active role in business.
Consistent with traditional culture, women keep their names after marriage
and often control family finances. However, women remained underrepresented
in most traditional male occupations, and a few professions continued to be
effectively barred to women. The burden of poverty, which is particularly
widespread in rural areas, fell disproportionately on women. The Government
restricts foreign travel by young women (see Section 2.d.).
 
Women did not consistently receive equal pay for equal work. There were no
independent women's rights organizations, and no government ministry was
specifically charged with safeguarding women's interests. The Myanmar
Maternal and Child Welfare Association, a government-controlled agency,
provided assistance to mothers. A professional society for businesswomen,
the Myanmar Women Entrepreneurs' Association, formed in 1995, provided
loans to new businesses. A government-controlled agency, the All Myanmar
Women's Affairs Committee, signed an international convention to eliminate
discrimination against women.
 
Children
Despite various child welfare programs, the Government allocated few
resources to programs for children. According to government studies
conducted with U.N. assistance, although education is compulsory, 65 to 75
percent of children do not finish primary school, and only 5 percent
complete secondary school.
 
Child prostitution of young females, especially those from the ethnic
minority Shan state sent or lured to Thailand, continued to be a major
problem. The rising incidence of HIV infection has increased the demand for
supposedly "safer" younger prostitutes.
 
Religious Minorities
Anti-Muslim violence erupted in March. Buddhist monks attacked Muslims and
their property in Mandalay, and the attacks spread to other cities
including Rangoon. Monks in Mandalay and Rangoon ransacked mosques,
businesses, and homes of Muslims, and the authorities did little to prevent
such attacks. Authorities reportedly killed one monk in Mandalay while the
authorities were dispersing rioters.
 
People With Disabilities
Official assistance to persons with disabilities is extremely limited.
There is no law mandating accessibility to buildings, public
transportation, or government facilities. While there are several
small-scale organizations to assist the disabled, most disabled persons
must rely on their families to provide for their welfare. Disabled veterans
receive available benefits on a priority basis. Because of land mine
detonations, Burma has a very high rate of amputee injuries.
 
National/Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Burma's myriad ethnic minorities have long resented the dominance of the
country's Burman majority. The minorities have been largely excluded from
the military leadership. In recent years, the SLORC has sought to pacify
these ethnic groups by means of negotiated cease-fires, grants of limited
autonomy, and promises of development assistance.
 
The Government included a large number of ethnic minority representatives
in the National Convention and permitted extended debate on the issue of
minority autonomy. However, the ethnic minority populations continue to
complain that their concerns have not been addressed adequately by the
Government. Economic development among minorities has continued to lag,
leaving many persons living at barely subsistence levels.
 
Since the focus of hostilities against armed insurgencies has been in the
border areas where most minorities are concentrated, those populations have
been disproportionately victimized by the general violence associated with
the military forces' activities. Even in areas pacified under cease-fire
arrangements, forced labor, village relocations, and other infringements on
the rights of ethnic minorities continue to be imposed by local army
commanders.
 
Since only people who can prove long familial links to Burma are accorded
full citizenship, ethnic populations, such as Muslims, Indians, and
Chinese, continued to be denied full citizenship and are excluded from
government positions. Persons without full citizenship are not free to
travel domestically and are barred from certain advanced university
programs in medicine and technological fields (see Section 2.d.).
Anti-Chinese and anti-Muslim sentiment remained widespread.
 
Section 6 Worker Rights
 
a. The Right of Association
Free trade unions do not exist, and even former government-controlled ones
were dormant. Strikes are rare; however, in December, workers in a
foreign-owned textile factory in Pegu staged a successful 4-day strike.
Following the intervention of the Department of Labor, workers and
management reached a compromise that included higher wages and improved
working conditions. In July 1989, the United States suspended Burma's
eligibility for trade concessions under the Generalized System of
Preferences program, pending steps to afford its labor force
internationally recognized worker rights.
 
Because of its longstanding violation of International Labor Organization
(ILO) Convention 87 on Freedom of Association, Burma was again cited for
noncompliance by the June 1997 ILO Conference which characterized the
situation as "particularly grave."
 
b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively
Workers do not have the right to organize and bargain collectively to set
wages and benefits. The Government's Central Arbitration Board, which
theoretically provides a means for settling major labor disputes, continued
to exist but in practice was dormant. Township-level labor supervisory
committees exist to address minor labor concerns.
 
The Government unilaterally sets wages in the public sector. In the private
sector, wages are set by market forces. The Government pressures joint
ventures not to pay salaries greater than those of ministers or other
senior employees. Some joint ventures circumvent this with supplemental
pay, including remuneration paid in foreign exchange certificates, as well
as through incentive and overtime pay and other fringe benefits. Foreign
firms generally set wages near those of the domestic private sector but
follow the example of joint ventures in awarding supplemental wages and
benefits.
 
There are no export processing zones.
 
c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor
Forced or compulsory labor remains a serious problem. In March following an
investigation of the country's forced labor practices, the European Union
Commission revoked benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences. In
recent years, the SLORC has increasingly supplemented declining gross
investment with uncompensated people's "contributions," chiefly of forced
labor, to build or maintain irrigation, transportation and tourism
infrastructure projects. During 1996 the Government introduced an
initiative to use military personnel for infrastructure projects. This
initiative and the increasing use of heavy construction equipment resulted
in a decline during 1996-1997 in the use of unpaid labor on physical
infrastructure projects, especially for irrigation projects and railroad
building. Nonetheless, there were credible reports that the use of forced
labor remained widespread throughout the country.
 
The army continued to force citizens--including women and children--to work
as porters, which led to mistreatment, illness, and death in military
actions against ethnic insurgents (see Sections 1.a., 1.c., and 1.g.). The
Government does not specifically prohibit forced and bonded labor by
children. While bonded labor is practiced, forced labor occurs in military
porterage and in situations in which a family or household is required to
contribute labor to a particular project, and the children are called upon
by parents to help fulfill that obligation, without opposition by the
Government.
 
In March the governing board of the ILO established a Commission of Inquiry
to investigate Burma for its violation of ILO Convention 29 on forced
labor. The complaint accuses the Government of the systematic use of forced
labor.
 
d. Status of Child Labor Practices and Minimum Age for Employment
Although the law sets a minimum age of 13 for the employment of children,
in practice the law is not enforced. Working children are highly visible in
cities, mostly working for small or family enterprises, and in family
agricultural activities in the countryside. Children are hired at lower pay
rates than adults for the same kind of work. Arts and crafts is the only
sector producing for the export market that employs a significant number of
children. Despite a compulsory education law, almost 40 percent of children
never enroll in school, and only 25 to 35 percent complete the 5-year
primary school course. The Government does not specifically prohibit forced
and bonded labor by children. While bonded labor is not practiced, forced
labor by children occurs (see section 6.c.).
 
e. Acceptable Conditions of Work
Surplus labor conditions and lack of protection by government authorities
continue to dictate substandard conditions for workers, despite recent
annual economic growth of at least 5 percent. The Law on Fundamental
Workers Rights of 1964 and the Factories Act of 1951 regulate working
conditions. There is a legally prescribed 5-day, 35-hour workweek for
employees in the public sector and a 6-day, 44-hour workweek for private
and state enterprise employees, with overtime paid for additional work. The
law also allows for a 24-hour rest period per week, and workers have 21
paid holidays a year. Such provisions actually affect only a small portion
of the country's labor force.
 
Only government employees and employees of a few traditional industries are
covered by minimum wage provisions. The minimum monthly wage for salaried
public employees is $2.50 (600 kyats). This sum is supplemented by various
subsidies and allowances. The minimum wage does not provide a worker with a
decent standard of living. The low level of pay in public employment
fosters widespread corruption. The government minimum wage for day labor is
$0.08 (20 kyats). Workers in the private sector are much better paid. The
actual average wage rate for casual laborers in Rangoon in 1997 was ten
times the official minimum. Wage increases continued to lag far behind
inflation.
 
Numerous health and safety regulations exist, but in practice the
Government has not made the necessary resources available to enforce the
regulations, although workers may in principle remove themselves from
hazardous conditions, in practice workers cannot expect to retain their
jobs if they do so.
 
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ABMU: APPEAL TO THE PEOPLE OF BURMA
3 February, 1998

Military dictators have been using religious riots as a political ploy
whenever demands for political changes gain momentum in Burma.  More than
42 Islamic mosques were destroyed when a religious riot was instigated on
March 16, 1997.  There is a strong possibility of the SPDC resorting to a
similar religious conflict.

In early January 1998 there were indications that political activities were
about to take off in the major cities everywhere.  When they saw the signs,
the SPDC (SLORC) began making mass arrests of monks, students, members of
the National League for Democracy and the other people.  There is
dissatisfaction within the SPDC military and also among the police
personnel, who are discontent with the way the military intelligence is
making excessive use of the power.

On January 2, 1998, the SPDC sacked and placed under investigation
Commander Myo Tint of the Rangoon Division Police Force after accusing him
of being a member of the ousted clique of Lt. General Tun Kyi and Lt.
General Kyaw Ba.  In addition, five police commanders from states and
divisions were also forced to retire.  Police personnel are increasingly
dissatisfied with the SPDC over the affair.  In addition, the people are
facing severe hardships due to rising commodity prices and increasing
repression.  The situation can lead to a mass uprising. There have been
reports of police personnel and soldiers willing to join the people in case
 of a civil unrest.

Instead of resolving political problems through political means, we, the
ABMU, have learned that the SPDC, in order to ensure that the military
dictatorship survives,  plans to resort to a political ploy and create a
religious conflict to divert the anger toward the Muslims.  We plead to the
people of all religions to be very careful in avoiding the trap of the SPDC.

We, the ABMU, unequivocally calls on the monks, the students, the ethnic
brothers, and all the other people of all nationalities to see through the
ploy of the SPDC and join the struggle being waged by the democratic
organizations to bring and end to the military dictatorship.

The Central Committee
The All Burma Monks Union
January 27, 1998

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