Window on Burma #17

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BINA  -- The Burma Independent News Agency  --  

[SPECIAL NOTE:  In their morning press conference of August 13 on "Myanmar
Television", the SPDC said the following: 

"?The PDC under the NCUB asked funds from NGOs in February 1999 with the
reason for supporting the hardcore families in the country. With some of
those funds, it published "Moegyo" newspaper with the aims of creating
upheavals in the country, making instigations among the public, and sowing
discord among Tatmadaw members ?"

While we are pleased that the SPDC is now able to read the MoJo in the
comfort of their Rangoon offices, we would like to correct their
misinformation.  Funding for MoJo comes directly to the newspaper from
European and American NGO's who have chosen to support a free press for the
Burmese people.  It does not come from NCUB.

Furthermore, we loudly condemn the SPDC for arresting and harassing the
brave individuals who made the effort to bring MoJo into Burma.  Those
Burmese citizens are guilty of no crime.  They were exercising their human
rights of free speech and access to information, rights confirmed in the
United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, to which the nation of Burma is
ostensibly a signatory.

The SPDC dictatorship's reprehensible behavior towards their own citizens
is simply a function of their irrational fear of free speech.  Such
behavior further confirms the need to eliminate the archaic thinking and
overbearing attitude of Burma's military junta, firstly by removing them
from any direct access to political or economic power, and secondly by
installing the freely elected government headed by the NLD.

All rational people around the world, Burmese and non-Burmese alike, should
strive toward this goal.]


Window on Burma  #17      (From MoJo #5, August 1999)

[NOTE: "Window on Burma  #16" was inadvertently labeled as "Window on Burma
#15 (NEWS NOTES)"]


1)	U KYAW MIN, ARCHITECT AND NLD MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, DIES AFTER RELEASE
FROM SPDC PRISON 
2)	SPDC NEWSPAPERS, WITH NOTHING NEW TO SAY, REPEAT OLD LIES AGAIN AND AGAIN 
3)	SPDC SPONSORS DEDAYE THAN HTUN?S COMPLAINT AGAINST NLD 
4)	"DOUBLE SUICIDE" OF TWO PERSONAL ASSISTANTS TO SEC.-1?S WIFE
5)	9-9-99 MOVEMENT TO START IN EVERY TOWNSHIP
6)      STUDENTS FROM PEGU MARCH TO MARTYR'S DAY CEREMONY DESPITE
PATROLLING TROOPS


U KYAW MIN, ARCHITECT AND NLD MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, DIES AFTER RELEASE FROM
SPDC PRISON

U Kyaw Min died at Rangoon General Hospital on Thursday evening at 5:30 pm,
July 1st, 1999.  He was an Elected Member of the People's Parliament, as
well as NLD Central Executive Committee Member.  He studied from 1949-54 at
Rangoon University, where he was an officer in the Student Union and took
part in the student political movement of 1953.  In his 3rd year of
engineering, he went to M.I.T. in the USA on a government scholarship, and
received a Bachelor Degree in Architecture.  He later became Department
Head in Architecture at Rangoon University.  

He began private practice in architecture in 1960, and is well known for
his great mausoleum structures for Sayagyi Thakin Ko Daw Hmine and Daw Khin
Kyi (Gen. Aung San's widow and Daw Aung San Suu Chi's mother).  

During the 1988 uprisings, he gave active support to the students, and he
worked for the NLD when it began organizing in Pan Zun Daung Township.  He
was chosen for the NLD Central Executive Committee, and also worked in the
party's Public Relations Department.  

In the 1990 elections, he was voted MP by the people of Western Bassein
Township, but the SLORC arrested him in 1991, because he had worked on the
NLD's "Three Strategies Paper", which proposed responses if the SLORC were
to refuse to recognize the election results.  Although he was released in
1992, the SLORC pressured the NLD to dismiss him from the party, and he was
dismissed from the Parliament by the Election Commission soon after that.

The SLORC never forgave him for his plan to counter their betrayal of the
election.  He was arrested again in 1996 under provisions of the "State
Protection Act", and was severely ill much of his time in jail.  The SPDC
only released him from prison earlier this year, shortly before he died . 


SPDC NEWSPAPERS, WITH NOTHING NEW TO SAY, REPEAT OLD LIES AGAIN AND AGAIN

Newspapers usually record history, but SPDC newspapers record lies.  This
becomes obvious to the attentive daily reader.  Discussions among citizens
in public places are full of complaints about these lying state-sponsored
journals. 

For example, every day during the founding of the USDA, the SPDC wrote over
and over again how many people were joining it.  A popular comedian, who
likes math, told the story of reading and counting the reported number of
joining members every day.  After a short time, his count was more than the
total population of Burma.

Nowadays, SPDC uses the same technique to report exaggerated numbers of
resignations from the NLD.  They tell their old lies again and again, with
great relish.  Furthermore, it well known that these resignations have
largely been forced on the members by threats, intimidation, and sometimes
physical torture, but this is never mentioned by the newspapers.  

Anyone can see that these numbers are lies.  On 5 July 99, the government
newspapers said that 58 people in Mai Pyet Township resigned from the NLD.
But these same people were said to have resigned on 9 February 99.  Had
they rejoined the NLD in the interim, only to be told to resign again?  But
do not bother to ask the newspapers, they dare not say anything about it.


SPDC IS BEHIND DEDAYE THAN HTUN?S COMPLAINT AGAINST NLD

When the MP from Dedaye Township, U Than Htun, decided to turn against the
NLD leadership and support the SPDC, he visited MP U Paik Chone from Shwe
Daung Township, in order to get another signature on his letter.  But U
Paik Chone refused to sign.  Then Than Htun asked his confederate U Tin Pe
to try to convince MP Paik Chone to sign.  However, Paik Chone still
refused.  

Finally, the SPDC joined in.  On July 2nd, U Paik Chone was detained for 24
hours at SPDC?s Light Infantry Unit #90 headquarters for ?discussions?.
Although subjected to strong SPDC pressure, U Paik Chone never did sign
Than Htun's complaint.  

This event clearly revealed the complicity between the SPDC and Dedaye Than
Htun?s group of disaffected NLD MP?s.


DOUBLE SUICIDE OF TWO PERSONAL ASSISTANTS TO SEC.-1?S WIFE 

Army Maj. Tin Maung Naing, the personal assistant to Daw Khin Win Shwe,
wife of SPDC Secretary-1 Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, and the personal assistant to
Maj. Tin Maung Shwe, were both found by the police to have committed
bribery.  Arrangements were being made to arrest them and hold them for
inquiry.  

But on hearing the reports of their imminent arrest, they are said to have
shot each other in a successful double suicide attempt.  Whether it was
truly suicide or some other form of murder is unknown, as the SPDC media
only mentioned that they had ?died suddenly?.

Certain people claim that this event is the result of growing rivalries and
increasing jealousies between the various SPDC factions.  Weaknesses in
opposing groups are discovered, attacked, and then must be covered up at
all costs.  We are likely to see more of these unsavory ?suicides? as the
inevitable pressure of their failures builds on the military dictatorship.


9-9-99 MOVEMENT TO START IN EVERY TOWNSHIP

It is well known that under the oppression of the military dictatorship of
SLORC and SPDC, the people have become continuously poorer.  The majority
has to face higher prices with lower income each year, and life becomes
impossible.  If a large family can only buy three or four milk-tins of rice
per day, how can they survive?  They eat only rice soup.

On the other hand, the SPDC generals are living well, and their troops use
force and cunning to steal what little the people have saved.  It seems
clear that the people?s anger will burst forth soon.

People are discussing this in all the big towns and cities.  In Rangoon,
Irrawaddy, Pegu, Mandalay, and Sagaing, posters and pamphlets can be seen
everywhere calling for the overthrow of the military regime.  In Mandalay,
for example, at the Zay Cho Watchtower on 84 Tar Road, on Mandalay Hill, at
Police Station #1 Football Field, at the Train Station and on the
carriages, at Mandalay Pagoda Moat on 22-C Road and at the back corner near
the lions, posters and pamphlets can be seen in abundance.  Graffiti is
also in daily evidence, one writer saying ?When 9-9-99 begins, the military
dictatorship will end.?


STUDENTS FROM PEGU MARCH TO MARTYR'S DAY CEREMONY DESPITE PATROLLING TROOPS

About midnight of July 18 in Pegu, eight people were arrested by the MI #3,
with help from SPDC troops.  The arrested people, who had been organizing a
march to honor Martyr's Day, were student leader Ko Lwin Moe Myint (age
27); students Ko Myint Oo (age 29), Ko A Thay Lay (age 22), and Ko Hla Win
(age 23); Daw Khin Khin Leh (age 32, high school teacher) and her daughter
(age 3 years only); and two women doctors.

On July 16, a witness said, he saw these students delivering MoJo, The New
Era, and other political pamphlets.  Furthermore, on the walls of the Town
Square in Pegu, the witness saw graffiti slogans stating, "Bow to the
Heroes who have sacrificed their Lives for their Country", "Re-open the
Universities", "Raise Government Worker Salaries", "We Don't Want a
Military Regime", "Support the CRPP".  

"The public in Pegu seems to be very interested in these events," said the
witness.  "All day long, seven military trucks full of troops were
patrolling all over the town.  The MI agents are also everywhere.  But on
Martyr's Day (19 July), there was little movement, only we heard the news
that the marchers were arrested.  When the schools opened again on July 20,
many students did not show up for classes."


********************************** 
WHAT IS MOJO? 

MoJo means "Thunderbolt" in Burmese. MoJo is an independent newspaper from 
the Burmese community in Thailand. Its primary content is social, 
political, and economic news from all over Burma, and its intended readers 
are the people inside Burma itself. 

BINA will regularly provide English-language excerpts from MoJo to the 
BurmaNet. If you would like to receive a Burmese-language MoJo newspaper 
by post, please send 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