IT'S ALL DOUBLE DUTCH TO SPDC

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

AFTER THE HOSTAGE CRISIS: It's all Double Dutch to SPDC
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IDENTITIES OF THE DISSIDENT BURMESE UNKNOWN.......
By Julien Moe
6TH OCT.,'99

With the recent hostage crisis staged by the Burmese dissident students in
Thailand, the ruling generals and their followers are now confused and angry
with the responsible dissident students. Rangoon is angry not only with the
hostage takers but the Thai government for letting the event take place.
Since  the incident came to an end peacefully last Saturdy, the Thai
government's intelligence agencies have been making onerous efforts to blow
the lid of the students' identities. So far the Thai intelligence agencies
have got no clue at all. Neither has the SPDC any clue who are the hostage
takers and who's beind them. The Burmese governmnet warned the Thai
government about possible  deteriorating rlations between the two countries
unless the former tightens its security measures in Thailand where dissident
students and dissident groups take refuge. The warning came after dissidents
took 38 hostages at the Burmese embassy in Bangkok. The Burmese newspaper
gave a warning to the Thai government. In terms of identities of the hostage
takers, the Thai authorities reck that two of the hostage takers are from
the refugee camp where asylum seekers are put  temporarily before they are
relocated in a third world country. The media reported that one of the
hostage takers is the student  who was involved in the hijacking of a
Burmese plane in 1989. This cannot be confirmed either.

As far as the U.S. policy toward Burma is concerned, the United States
certainly is second to none in opposing the policies of the Burmese
leadership that have repressed their own people, denied democracy to Aung
San Suu Kyi and the numerous other brave activists who have sought only
their legitimate international rights.The United States condemns the use of
terrorism for any purpose. This week seven countries were found by the State
Department to have engaged in or tolerated ``particularly severe''
violations of religious freedom over the past year, according to U.S.
officials. Burma has been one of them. According to the U.S. Department, "
the Burmese government arrests and imprisons Buddhist monks who promote
human and political rights." 

Despite the fact that nothing serious occured on the 9th of September 1999,
the regime can never assure themselves that there is peace. If there is
peace, that peace will be a bogus peace that is quite fragile until the
regime initiates real political reforms in the direction of having a genuine
dialogue with the democratic opposition.