9/2/98: LETTER TO P.M. HASHIMOTO

[uneoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

/* Written Tue 10 Feb 11:00am 1998 by drunoo@xxxxxxxxxxxx in igc:reg.burma */
/* -------------" 9/2/98 Letter to P.M.Hashimoto "----------- */

ADDED NOTE TO OUR FRIENDS:
**************************
Following is a letter to the Prime Minister of Japan and the
address of Japanese Embassy in Canberra, Australia. Our friends
in Japan are especially good position to help us in this matter
and therefore please help raise the concerns to the Japanese P.M.

The Japan's debt-relief program to Burma may be worth about
USD 35 million/year. According to EIU report 3rd Quarter 1997,
the US$17.2 million debt-relief grant in June 1997 was to cover
the payments of principal and interest for the second half of
1996. Whether SPDC/SLORC has fallen into arrears in  its payments 
to Japan or that just have usually been the case is unknown.

On the imports of oil to Burma, there was an incident of the
Mitsui of Japan refused to renew its oil supply contract in 1996
because of SLORC had fallen behind the payments (EIU report 4th
quarter 1996).

The reason SLORC has to import fuel is the domestic crude oil
production was down sharply, even in comparison to the 1982 level.
(Current production =4,380,000 barrels/yr., the 1982 production
rate = 12,775,000 b/yr.) Following World Bank data may help to
estimate how much amount of oil SPDC/SLORC has to import in a
year.

SOURCE: WORLD BANK REPORT(1995) -- POLICY
        FOR SUSTAINING ECONOMIC REFORM (MYANMAR)

TABLE 6.2, PP-123
PRODUCTION, TRADE AND CONSUMPTION OF OIL AND NATURAL GAS
(In thousands of barrels) a/
                              89/90   90/91   91/92   92/93   93/94   94/95
                              -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----
Total Production
  (in crude oil equiv.)      12,181  10,934  10,788  10,087  11,703  13,124
  Crude oil b/                5,545   5,312   5,477   5,358   5,231   5,040
  Natural gas c/              6,636   5,622   5,311   4,729   6,472   8,084

Utilization
  Domestic consumption d/    11,414  10,797   9,984   9,284  10,902  12,291
  Crude oil                   4,778   5,175   4,673   4,555   4,430   4,207
  Natural gas c/              6,636   5,622   5,311   4,729   6,472   8,084
  Electricity Generation     (3385)  (3124)  (2378)  (3262)  (4115)  (5009)

Trade
  Exports oil products
  (in crude oil equiv.)         767     137     804     803     801     833
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
a/ One barrel = 42 U.S.gallons.
b/ Including imports
c/ In crude oil equivalent; the conversion factor used is
   1 million cu.ft. of natural gas = 167 barrels of crude oil
   (1 million BTUs =1,000 cu.ft of natural gas.)
d/Including changes in stock.
*Energy Planning Department, Ministry of Energy.
==========================================================================

1. JAPANESE EMBASSY IN AUSTRALIA
--------------------------------
H.E. Ambassador
Embassy of Japan
112 Empire Circuit
Yarralumla ACT 2600
Canberra, Australia.

2. LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER HASHIMOTO
-----------------------------------------
Dr U Ne Oo
18 Shannon Place
Adelaide SA 5000
Australia.

February 9, 1998.

Mr Ryutaro Hashimoto
Prime Minister of Japan
Office of the Prime Minister
1-6 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100, Japan.
[FAX: (+81-3)3581-3883 or 3581-2361]

Dear Prime Minister:

re: Japan's economic assistance to Burma and political dialogue.
----------------------------------------------------------------
I am a Burmese national currently residing in Australia. I
firstly should like to express my sincere thanks to you for
sending a special envoy, Mr Hiroshi HIrabayashi, to Burma last
June to encourage reconciliation and political dialogues in
Burma. I also thank the Government of Japan for arranging the
visit to Burma of State Secretary Mr Masahiko Koumura in August
1997.

I support the Government of Japan's position regarding with
reconciliation and political dialogues in Burma; and fully
support your government to continue suspending official
development assistance(ODA) to Burma until such objectives are
achieved. In this connection, I enclosed my report regarding
with reconciliation in Burma.

With this letter, I appeal Mr Prime Minister and Government of
Japan to make further economic and political action on the
military government of Burma. Firstly, I appeal the Government
of Japan to immediately cancel the debt-relief grants to Burma.
Secondly, I appeal the Government of Japan to discourage
Japanese private corporations, such as Mitsui and Marubeni,
acting as as the guarantors of Burmese military government on
seeking loans and fundings. It was reported last July that the
Mitsui, which has a contract to supply oil to Burma, had agreed
to guarantee a $150 million loan to Burmese military government,
to be channelled through the Bank of Tokyo.

There may have been concerns by some members of parliament of
Japan about the potential impact on Burmese rice-farmers as a
result of restricting oil supply to Burma. I should like to
assure that such restriction on oil supply will have no impact
on the Burmese rice-farmers who employ only the traditional
methods of farming -- i.e. Burmese farmers do not use machinery
in their farming.

In closing, I thank Mr Prime Minister for your kind attention to
these matters.

Yours respectfully and sincerely
Sd. U Ne Oo.

/* Endreport */