Window on Burma #2

[bina@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

BINA  -- The Burma Independent News Agency  --  

Window on Burma  #2     (from ?Mojo?, Issue 3, June 1999):


SPDC ?HUSTLERS? AT THE MANDALAY RAILWAY STATION

SPDC troops are now selling black market train tickets at the Mandalay Railway
Station. The soldiers buy out the ticket supply early, as the military has
?priority? on ticket purchases.  Later, civilians who line up to buy
tickets at
the railway?s window leave empty-handed.  The soldiers then sell their
?military quota? tickets to the civilians to earn extra cash.  One upper-class
ticket for a Special Express train normally costs 1,290 kyat, but on the
soldiers? black market travelers must pay 2,000 kyat.

Tank, Support, and Communications Unit soldiers all take turns milking the
desperate civilians who need to travel.  One sergeant complained, ?There are
not enough food rations for the soldiers; that is why we are doing the black
market ticket business.?  This kind of ?railroad robbery? is therefore the
direct result of SPDC military policy.


THE ?WORLD OF CORRUPTION? IN PHA-KANT CITY IS RUN BY THE LOCAL INFANTRIES

Local residents are calling Pha-Kant City, in Kachin State near the Chinese
border and famous for its jade and other precious gems, the ?World of
Corruption?.  Of Pha-Kant?s seven wards, the Sait-Ma district is in the center
of the city, and is also the center of the gambling, drugs, and prostitution
businesses that are flourishing under SPDC rule.

The Sait-Ma district is said to have 32 brothels, 15 massage parlors, 12
?beauty salons? (such as the ?Than Yaw Zin? and the ?Yin Gwin Oo?), as well as
over 30 rooms for heroin users, and many gambling dens.  Over 100 rooms are
reserved for Chinese ?four-animal? gamblers and ?six-animal? gamblers.  The
?36-animal? gambling house is opposite the ?Rendez-vous Tea Shop?, and is the
largest in the region.

The owners of the gambling houses must each pay 10,000 kyat monthly to the
Township regiment for ?security?, while the brothels and drug houses pay 3,000
kyat each.  U Tin Htut, U Myint Thein, and Rakhine Hla Kyaw, gangsters
hired by
the army to collect the bribe money from the Sait-Ma businesses, turn the
funds
over to the regiment via Military Intelligence Sergeants Ko Ko Naing and Ne
Win.  The monthly extortion amounts to well over a million kyat.

Furthermore, more than 100 illegal gold-panning operations in the area must
pay
2,000 kyat each to the regiment as monthly bribes.

Infantries from Moe-Kaung Township, Moe-Hnin Township, and Ban-Maw Township
run
the extortion one after another on a rotating basis.  Major Soe Tint, of Light
Infantry Unit #15, gambled daily, sometimes losing over 100,000 kyat, but he
never got angry, he always smiled.  He was also famous for deflowering many
virgin girls in the town.

Jade trader U Tin Win, and brothel house owners Daw Aye Sein and Daw Kyi Sein,
are officials of a committee to build a pagoda at Kyauk-Thway-Taung village,
sponsored by the Infantries.  Land for the pagodas was obtained by the
forcible
relocation of many villagers in the area.

As for the drug houses, the regiment arranges for the owners that addicts who
die from overdose are carried out of the city.  This close cooperation between
the SPDC soldiers and the local illegal businesses has made Pha Kant famous as
the ?World of Corruption?.


THE ?ROYAL GROUP? STRIKES GOLD IN THA-BEIT-KYIN TOWNSHIP

Gen. Khin Nyunt gave a nice gift to some of his ex-military officers.  Under
his authority, they established the ?Royal Group? in Tha-Beik-Kyin Township in
northern Kachin State.  This gang of ex-soldiers formed the ?Myanmar Economic
Holding Company?, which is now the ?partner? for all gold production in the
area, and controls the panning and digging operations in Swe-Son, Leik-Kya,
Wet-Thay, Phet-Shay, Zayat-Kwin, and Chaunggyi villages, and at the 8th mile,
7th mile, and 4th mile operations.  Chaunggyi Village PDC Chairman U Kyaw
Shwe,
and the military and police officers in the region, have joined together to
profit from their power over the gold miners in the Township.

Recently the ?Royal Group? began their so-called ?Gold Survey Department?,
where they collect one out of every three buckets of gold-containing ores from
the citizens? fields for ?sampling purposes?.  They are repeated asked by the
gold field owners when the ?surveying? will finish, but of course they never
reply.  This has caused great resentment among the local people.

Additionally, every gold-cleaning pond must pay 3000 kyat to the Township
Police Officer in Tha-Beik-Kyin, and all gold produced must be sold to U Win
and his wife Daw Than Htay at a fixed price.  This couple now owns several
luxury cars, and has accumulated much money. 

At the same time, the workers in the gold fields labor under unhygienic
conditions and eat poor food.  One resident said that many workers have
already
died there from malaria.  Only the SPDC can so thoroughly enjoy itself while
the ordinary people suffer great hardship.


TROOPS BLOCK RIVER ACCESS IN PYIN-MA-NAR TOWNSHIP, MANDALAY DIVISION

The villages of Kyi-Taut and Khaw-Ma in Pyin-Ma-Nar Township have always
depended on the nearby Paung Laung River for their water, fishing, and
transport.  Recently, however, the SPDC troops have refused access to the
river
by the local people, due to ?security concerns? about their
electricity-generation project, which is opposed by the displaced ethnic
minorities in the area.  Under cover of ?security?, Sergeant Mya Kyit and
others from the Light Infantry Unit #423 are now harvesting teak near the
river.

Additionally, although the nearby troops of the LIU #414 regularly raid the
local banana farms, no one dares to complain.  Residents say they have to pay
more and more money for ?security? if they want to protect their banana crops
from the soldiers.

Forced labor is also an issue in Pyin-Ma-Nar.  Local people are obliged to
plant and harvest crops on land owned by the LIU?s #315, #316, #413, and
#414. 
When they protested to the officers, they were told,  ?Don?t make any
complains, or we will have to give you a sunburn.?  Indeed, nobody dare talk
back to the SPDC.


DESPITE CONSTANT ATTACKS FROM THE JUNTA?S MEDIA, DAW SUU IS DEEPLY LOVED BY
THE
BURMESE PEOPLE

The General Secretary of the NLD Party, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party
won a
landslide election in 1990, had a visit from her younger son, Maung Thein Lin
(?Alexander? in English), after the recent death of her husband, Dr. Michael
Aris.  During Alexander?s stay in Rangoon, from April 22nd to 26th, mother and
son had the chance to visit the famous Bo Gyoke Market, the largest in
Rangoon,
which is also named after Alexander?s grandfather, General Aung San.

On hearing that Daw Suu had come to the market, many of the market customers,
along with the traders, shopkeepers, and other staff, crowded around both
mother and son.  They eagerly wanted to wish them well, and offered many gifts
of gold, silver, precious stones, and edible treats like apples and other
fruit.  Only the fruit was accepted, though.

Because the people made such a stir during the visit, with owners and traders
leaving their shops and stalls, the Military Intelligence agents came and took
photos, and some citizens were later taken away by the agents for
interrogation.  

Although the SPDC has constantly tried to split Daw Suu from the other party
leaders, and from the Burmese people themselves, through a relentless media
campaign of personal vilification, as well as other more secretive methods,
they have failed.  The delightful and spontaneous affection that the ordinary
people of Rangoon showed during her market visit proves that nothing has
changed since 1990, when 86% of the nation voted for her party to lead the
country.  The Burmese people have the same desire as Daw Suu, for a truly
democratic Union of Burma, based on human rights and dignity for all.


WHAT IS ?MOJO??

?Mojo? means ?Lightning? in Burmese, and it is the name of a new monthly
publication from the expatriate Burmese community in Thailand.  Its primary
content is social, political, and economic news from inside Burma, and its
primary target is the Burmese population inside the country.  

We will provide English-language excerpts regularly to the BurmaNet.  If you
would like to be on the mailing list for the Burmese hard-copy version, please
e-mail your postal address to bina@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

?Dialogue is inevitable. We will not just sit and wait. We will continue doing
what has to be done.?
NLD General Secretary Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
 .


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BINA  -- The Burma Independent News Agency  --  

Window on Burma  #2     (from ?Mojo?, Issue 3, June 1999):


SPDC ?HUSTLERS? AT THE MANDALAY RAILWAY STATION

SPDC troops are now selling black market train tickets at the Mandalay Railway
Station. The soldiers buy out the ticket supply early, as the military has
?priority? on ticket purchases.  Later, civilians who line up to buy
tickets at
the railway?s window leave empty-handed.  The soldiers then sell their
?military quota? tickets to the civilians to earn extra cash.  One upper-class
ticket for a Special Express train normally costs 1,290 kyat, but on the
soldiers? black market travelers must pay 2,000 kyat.

Tank, Support, and Communications Unit soldiers all take turns milking the
desperate civilians who need to travel.  One sergeant complained, ?There are
not enough food rations for the soldiers; that is why we are doing the black
market ticket business.?  This kind of ?railroad robbery? is therefore the
direct result of SPDC military policy.


THE ?WORLD OF CORRUPTION? IN PHA-KANT CITY IS RUN BY THE LOCAL INFANTRIES

Local residents are calling Pha-Kant City, in Kachin State near the Chinese
border and famous for its jade and other precious gems, the ?World of
Corruption?.  Of Pha-Kant?s seven wards, the Sait-Ma district is in the center
of the city, and is also the center of the gambling, drugs, and prostitution
businesses that are flourishing under SPDC rule.

The Sait-Ma district is said to have 32 brothels, 15 massage parlors, 12
?beauty salons? (such as the ?Than Yaw Zin? and the ?Yin Gwin Oo?), as well as
over 30 rooms for heroin users, and many gambling dens.  Over 100 rooms are
reserved for Chinese ?four-animal? gamblers and ?six-animal? gamblers.  The
?36-animal? gambling house is opposite the ?Rendez-vous Tea Shop?, and is the
largest in the region.

The owners of the gambling houses must each pay 10,000 kyat monthly to the
Township regiment for ?security?, while the brothels and drug houses pay 3,000
kyat each.  U Tin Htut, U Myint Thein, and Rakhine Hla Kyaw, gangsters
hired by
the army to collect the bribe money from the Sait-Ma businesses, turn the
funds
over to the regiment via Military Intelligence Sergeants Ko Ko Naing and Ne
Win.  The monthly extortion amounts to well over a million kyat.

Furthermore, more than 100 illegal gold-panning operations in the area must
pay
2,000 kyat each to the regiment as monthly bribes.

Infantries from Moe-Kaung Township, Moe-Hnin Township, and Ban-Maw Township
run
the extortion one after another on a rotating basis.  Major Soe Tint, of Light
Infantry Unit #15, gambled daily, sometimes losing over 100,000 kyat, but he
never got angry, he always smiled.  He was also famous for deflowering many
virgin girls in the town.

Jade trader U Tin Win, and brothel house owners Daw Aye Sein and Daw Kyi Sein,
are officials of a committee to build a pagoda at Kyauk-Thway-Taung village,
sponsored by the Infantries.  Land for the pagodas was obtained by the
forcible
relocation of many villagers in the area.

As for the drug houses, the regiment arranges for the owners that addicts who
die from overdose are carried out of the city.  This close cooperation between
the SPDC soldiers and the local illegal businesses has made Pha Kant famous as
the ?World of Corruption?.


THE ?ROYAL GROUP? STRIKES GOLD IN THA-BEIT-KYIN TOWNSHIP

Gen. Khin Nyunt gave a nice gift to some of his ex-military officers.  Under
his authority, they established the ?Royal Group? in Tha-Beik-Kyin Township in
northern Kachin State.  This gang of ex-soldiers formed the ?Myanmar Economic
Holding Company?, which is now the ?partner? for all gold production in the
area, and controls the panning and digging operations in Swe-Son, Leik-Kya,
Wet-Thay, Phet-Shay, Zayat-Kwin, and Chaunggyi villages, and at the 8th mile,
7th mile, and 4th mile operations.  Chaunggyi Village PDC Chairman U Kyaw
Shwe,
and the military and police officers in the region, have joined together to
profit from their power over the gold miners in the Township.

Recently the ?Royal Group? began their so-called ?Gold Survey Department?,
where they collect one out of every three buckets of gold-containing ores from
the citizens? fields for ?sampling purposes?.  They are repeated asked by the
gold field owners when the ?surveying? will finish, but of course they never
reply.  This has caused great resentment among the local people.

Additionally, every gold-cleaning pond must pay 3000 kyat to the Township
Police Officer in Tha-Beik-Kyin, and all gold produced must be sold to U Win
and his wife Daw Than Htay at a fixed price.  This couple now owns several
luxury cars, and has accumulated much money. 

At the same time, the workers in the gold fields labor under unhygienic
conditions and eat poor food.  One resident said that many workers have
already
died there from malaria.  Only the SPDC can so thoroughly enjoy itself while
the ordinary people suffer great hardship.


TROOPS BLOCK RIVER ACCESS IN PYIN-MA-NAR TOWNSHIP, MANDALAY DIVISION

The villages of Kyi-Taut and Khaw-Ma in Pyin-Ma-Nar Township have always
depended on the nearby Paung Laung River for their water, fishing, and
transport.  Recently, however, the SPDC troops have refused access to the
river
by the local people, due to ?security concerns? about their
electricity-generation project, which is opposed by the displaced ethnic
minorities in the area.  Under cover of ?security?, Sergeant Mya Kyit and
others from the Light Infantry Unit #423 are now harvesting teak near the
river.

Additionally, although the nearby troops of the LIU #414 regularly raid the
local banana farms, no one dares to complain.  Residents say they have to pay
more and more money for ?security? if they want to protect their banana crops
from the soldiers.

Forced labor is also an issue in Pyin-Ma-Nar.  Local people are obliged to
plant and harvest crops on land owned by the LIU?s #315, #316, #413, and
#414. 
When they protested to the officers, they were told,  ?Don?t make any
complains, or we will have to give you a sunburn.?  Indeed, nobody dare talk
back to the SPDC.


DESPITE CONSTANT ATTACKS FROM THE JUNTA?S MEDIA, DAW SUU IS DEEPLY LOVED BY
THE
BURMESE PEOPLE

The General Secretary of the NLD Party, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party
won a
landslide election in 1990, had a visit from her younger son, Maung Thein Lin
(?Alexander? in English), after the recent death of her husband, Dr. Michael
Aris.  During Alexander?s stay in Rangoon, from April 22nd to 26th, mother and
son had the chance to visit the famous Bo Gyoke Market, the largest in
Rangoon,
which is also named after Alexander?s grandfather, General Aung San.

On hearing that Daw Suu had come to the market, many of the market customers,
along with the traders, shopkeepers, and other staff, crowded around both
mother and son.  They eagerly wanted to wish them well, and offered many gifts
of gold, silver, precious stones, and edible treats like apples and other
fruit.  Only the fruit was accepted, though.

Because the people made such a stir during the visit, with owners and traders
leaving their shops and stalls, the Military Intelligence agents came and took
photos, and some citizens were later taken away by the agents for
interrogation.  

Although the SPDC has constantly tried to split Daw Suu from the other party
leaders, and from the Burmese people themselves, through a relentless media
campaign of personal vilification, as well as other more secretive methods,
they have failed.  The delightful and spontaneous affection that the ordinary
people of Rangoon showed during her market visit proves that nothing has
changed since 1990, when 86% of the nation voted for her party to lead the
country.  The Burmese people have the same desire as Daw Suu, for a truly
democratic Union of Burma, based on human rights and dignity for all.


WHAT IS ?MOJO??

?Mojo? means ?Lightning? in Burmese, and it is the name of a new monthly
publication from the expatriate Burmese community in Thailand.  Its primary
content is social, political, and economic news from inside Burma, and its
primary target is the Burmese population inside the country.  

We will provide English-language excerpts regularly to the BurmaNet.  If you
would like to be on the mailing list for the Burmese hard-copy version, please
e-mail your postal address to bina@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

?Dialogue is inevitable. We will not just sit and wait. We will continue doing
what has to be done.?
NLD General Secretary Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
 .



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