SPDC/SLORC ON POLITICAL TERRORISM V (r)

[uneoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: SPDC/SLORC ON POLITICAL TERRORISM VS.CRIMINAL CONDUCTS

Wed 6-Oct-99; 3:00pm

Thai Interior Chief, Gen Sanan, may be right in refusing to call the 5
students who held Burmese Embassy last week as "terrorists". This is
because the word, 'terrorism' or 'political terrorism' have broad
meaning and is very much value laiden word, for which one
side may choose to call 'terrorist' and other side 'the warriors'.

Nevertheless, these students who staged a siege on embassy and took
hostage of bystanders may be accurately called 'criminals'. This is
because, by taking hostage of innocent people and making political
demands, they may have violated international humanitarian laws (or)
Thai domestic criminal laws.

Then again, it is much to our relieve that these students were
(apparently) forgiven by their captives: no where in the history may we
find that kind of situation in which captives would support the action
of their captors. Furthermore, the way in which the crisis has been
peacefully resolved do deserve of our every praise and thanks to the
Thai authorities. On the other hand, SPDC/SLORC seem unable to cope with
the notion that any kind-hearted foreigners could in fact be supporting
the causes of human rights and democracy in Burma. The NLM went out to
even accusing these foreigners of 'colluding' with the students.


When SPDC/SLORC choose to call these students 'Terrorist & Criminals',
they should rather look themselves and their own actions. Just few
months ago, the family and friends of an activist, including his 3-years
old daughter, were taken hostage by MI units in Pegu
in order to capture that activist. And how about Burmese military
detaining 200 NLD MPs and pressuring them into quitting politics or
demanding withdraw of support to NLD ? Aren't
they too 'Terrorist and Criminal' actions of Burmese military
government ?

In any case, our response should be any 'one' accusation the Burmese
military made to call these students 'Terrorist', we should counter it
by publicising 'ten' of the military's  own 'Terrorist  and Criminal' 
actions.

With best regards, U Ne Oo.

Please visit my CRPP LINK PAGE

http://www.physics.adelaide.edu.au/~uneoo/crpplink.html

------------------------------


Dr U Ne Oo
18 Shannon Place
Adelaide SA 5000
AUSTRALIA

2nd August, 1999.

Mr Kofi Annan
UN Secretary-General
United Nations Headquarters
New York, NY 10017
United States of America

Dear Secretary-General:

Please find enclosed letter to the General Secretary of ASEAN,
H.E.Rodolfo Severino, on 14 July, 1999. I have requested
ASEAN regional grouping at their annual meetings to refuse
to give floor to H.E.U Win Aung unless Burmese military
junta agrees to international mediation and to start dialogue
with the opposition. In this connection, I also like to recall
my letters to you on  17 November 1998, as well as letter to
US Secretary of State on 15 September 1998.

Because the time for 1999 United Nations General Assembly
has come closer, I like to remind the Secretary-General as
well as international community to refuse to give floor to
H.E.U Win Aung (or anyone appointed by SPDC/SLORC as
Burmese Foreign Minister) during this years' general assembly,
because the SPDC/SLORC has no legitimate right to
appoint a cabinet minister. The SPDC/SLORC appointed
cabinet ministers are illegitimate unless such appointment
being approved by Committee Representing People Parliament
(or) the Burma's Parliament. I believe it is the right time
for international community to recognise the CRPP and
Burma's Parliament as a legitimate instrument of the will of the

Burmese people.

Another disturbing development is that the military government
in Burma resorting to terrorist methods, such as taking
of hostage, to stamp out the political dissidents. The Amnesty
International reported in their Urgent Action (UA 183/99)
on 27 July 1999 that the local Military Intelligence in Pegu
City held 19 people to hostage in an attempt to arrest one
pro-democracy and non-violent activist. The Military
Intelligence
have arrested the family members of above mentioned
activist, including his 3 years old daughter, in order to
pressure
the activist to come out of the hiding. The girl was
released after 5 days in detention--thanks to the concerns
raised by Amnesty. However, the wife of the activist as well as
close relatives remained in detention of MIS. I fear that such
inhuman practice of hostage taking by government may be
widespread within Burma. I ask Secretary-General and
competent organisation such International Committee of Red
Cross to take appropriate action on Burmese military government
regarding with such illegal and terrorist conducts.

Yours respectfully and sincerely
Sd. U Ne Oo
--------------------------------------

PUBLIC  AI Index: ASA 16/19/99

UA 183/99       Possible prisoners of conscience/fear of torture

27 July 1999

MYANMAR Thaint Wunna Khin (f), aged 3
                Ma Khin Khin Leh, 33, her mother
                U Aye Swe, aged 55
                Daw Tin Tin, 50, his wife
                Kyaw Kyaw Oo, 33, their son
                U Zaw Myint, aged 49
                Daw Tint Tint, his wife, 47
                Ko Zaw Zaw Latt, their son, 20
                U Ba Chit, 48
                U Ye Tint, teacher, 45
                U Win Myint, 45, shopkeeper
                Dr. Shwe Bo (f), 45, medical doctor
                Ma Thida Htway (f), 27, teacher
                Ko Lwin Moe Myint, 27, student activist
                Ko Myint Oo, 30, market vendor
                Ko Ah Thay Lay, 21, student
                Ko Hla Win, 23, student
                Two unnamed female physicians in their mid 40s


Amnesty International considers the 19 people listed above, who
were
arrested between 19 and 23 July 1999, in Pegu, central Myanmar
to be
possible prisoners of conscience. They are also at risk of
torture and
ill-treatment. One of those arrested, Thaint Wunna Khin, is
three years
old, and the organization is particularly concerned about her
health.

Kyaw Wunna and other pro-democracy activists in Pegu were
reportedly
planning a march on 19 July, Martyrs' Day, the 52nd anniversary
of the
assassination of General Aung San. General Aung San, who fought
for
independence from the British, was the father of Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi,
leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD). Between 16
and 18 July,
pamphlets were distributed announcing the march and messages
were
spray-painted on walls in Pegu calling for support for the NLD,
prices to
be lowered, and civil servants' salaries to be raised.

When the local Military Intelligence (MI) could not locate Kyaw
Wunna, they
arrested his three-year-old daughter Thaint Wunna Khin and wife
Ma Khin
Khin Leh on 19 July, and six more of his family on 23 July. A
further 11
people who distributed pamphlets were arrested between 19 and 24
July. The
local branch of MI, MI3, is believed to be interrogating all 19
people at
several locations.


Detainees, especially students and young people, are frequently
tortured
and ill-treated in Myanmar's detention centres, particularly in
the early
stages of detention.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The NLD won almost 82% of the seats in the 1990 general
election, but have
never been permitted to form a government. Instead, hundreds of
NLD members
of parliament-elect and other NLD activists were arrested and
sentenced to
long terms of imprisonment. Although many have been released
since April
1992, hundreds of others have been arrested, particularly since
the NLD
became more active after the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
from house
arrest in July 1995. The NLD has always advocated non-violent
political
activities and has opposed the use of violence.

In June 1998 the NLD called on Myanmar's military government,
the State
Peace and Development Council (SPDC), to convene the parliament
elected in
May 1990. When the SPDC failed to do so by August 1998, the NLD
announced
that they would convene it themselves. In order to prevent the
NLD from
convening parliament, beginning in early September 1998 the SPDC
arrested
hundreds of NLD MPs-elect and other NLD officials and kept them
in
"Government Guesthouses" without charge or trial. The NLD also
announced
the formation of a 10-member Committee Representing the People's
Parliament
(CRPP), which the SPDC has demanded be dissolved. An unknown
number of NLD
activists arrested in September 1998 are still detained.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send
telegrams/telexes/faxes/express/airmail
letters in English or your own language:
- urging the SPDC to immediately and unconditionally release
three-year-old
Thaint Wunna Khin and her mother Ma Khin Khin Leh;
- urging the SPDC to immediately and unconditionally release the
other 17
political activists, or charge them with a recognizably criminal
offence;
- urging the SPDC to ensure that those detained are not tortured
or
ill-treated, and that they all have immediate access to their
families,
lawyers, and proper medical care.

APPEALS TO:
Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt, Secretary 1
State Peace and Development Council
c/o Director of Defence Services Intelligence (DDSI)
Ministry of Defence, Signal Pagoda Road
Dagon Post Office
Yangon
Union of Myanmar
Telegrams: General Khin Nyunt, Yangon, Myanmar
Telexes: 21316
Faxes: +95 1 229 50
Salutation: Dear General

Senior General Than Shwe, Chairman
State Peace and Development Council
c/o Director of Defence Services Intelligence (DDSI)
Ministry of Defence, Signal Pagoda Road
Dagon Post Office
Yangon
Union of Myanmar
Telegrams: General Than Shwe, Yangon, Myanmar
Telexes: 21316
Salutation: Dear General

COPIES TO:
diplomatic representatives of Myanmar accredited to your
country.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International
Secretariat,
or your section office, if sending appeals after 7 September
1999.