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  __________________ THE BURMANET NEWS ___________________
/        An on-line newspaper covering Burma               \   
\___________________ www.burmanet.org _____________________/

Thursday, March 10, 2000
Issue # 1483

To view the version of this issue with photographs, go to-
http://theburmanetnews.editthispage.com

____________________ NOTED IN PASSING ___________________


"So much more has to be done. Otherwise Burma will become the biggest
AIDS Epidemic in the whole Asia." 


Dr. Peter Piot, UNAIDS Director (See VOA: BURMA CAN BECOME THE BIGGEST AIDS=
 EPIDEMIC IN ASIA, WARNS UNAIDS DIRECTOR)

_________________________________________________________


*Inside Burma


VOA: BURMA CAN BECOME THE BIGGEST AIDS EPIDEMIC IN ASIA, WARNS UNAIDS DIREC=
TOR

INDEPENDENT BANGLADESH: WHEN RICE BOWL BECOMES A BASKET CASE

VOA: NEWSPAPER STARTS UP IN BURMA, INTERNET EDITION MAY START SOON

SHAN: KHIN NYUNT VISITING BORDER AREAS TO MEET YAWD SERK?

THE JOURNAL (NEWCASTLE, UK): THE MORE THEY OPPRESS, THE STRONGER WE BECOME

AVA: EXCESSIVE LOGGING IN TANGYAN REGION OF NORTHERN SHAN STATE

SHAN: VILLAGE NEAR TOWN FORCED TO RELOCATE


*International


BURMANET: SENATE CONFIRMS PROMOTION FOR JUDGE IN UNOCAL PIPELINE CASE


*Opinion/Editorial

SPDC: IT'S TIME



______________________ INSIDE BURMA ________________________



VOA: BURMA CAN BECOME THE BIGGEST AIDS EPIDEMIC IN ASIA, WARNS UNAIDS DIREC=
TOR


New Delhi, March 10, 2000

At the end of 1999, estimated 6.5 million people are living with HIV
virus in Asia and over five times as many as have already died of AIDS.
The region contained about 20% of the world's estimated HIV infections
and Cambodia is recorded as Asia's highest levels of infection. Burma,
one of the world's largest producers of opium, is closed to Cambodia in
the spread of HIV infections though recent and accurate data are not
available. The United Nations reports say that over 60% of teenage drug
injectors are infected with HIV in Burma. What is being done at present
both by the government and non-governmental organizations in Burma is
not enough. Much more needs to be done to halt the AIDS epidemic in
Burma. Otherwise, Burma will become the biggest AIDS epidemic in the
whole of Asia.

SOE MYINT, Delhi-based reporter of VOA (Burmese Service) recently has an
exclusive interview with Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of Joint
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) on the alarming situation
of AIDS epidemic in Burma and why it is a serious concern for everybody
including Burmese government and the United Nations.

(Dr. Peter Piot who is also Assistant Secretary-General of the United
Nations formally launched the 2000 World AIDS Campaign, entitled "Men
Make A Difference" in New Delhi on 6 March.)

Excerpts from the interview:

Q. What is the HIV/AIDS situation in Burma?

A. The problem at the moment is to have accurate information on the AIDS
epidemic in Myanmar. There are data that have been collected by the
government but they are quite patchy. We believe that HIV/AIDS has
become a major problem in Myanmar. And that is very important because
AIDS does not know any border. It doesn't respect visa or passport. And
therefore if the whole region is trying to vigorously combat AIDS, but
one country is not doing enough or one country is having a major
problem, then that means that there is a problem for everywhere and for
everyone. That's why important that we support AIDS activities in
Myanmar as much as in any other countries in the region.

Q. When we look at the official responses and statements of the Burmese
government, it seems that government does not recognize HIV/AIDS
epidemic in Burma as a national problem?

A. There is a national AIDS programme in Myanmar and there are many NGOs
active on AIDS and for me, tackling the AIDS epidemic in Myanmar is not
only a top priority for the country itself but also for all countries in
the region because AIDS dose not know any borders. That means that if
there is rampant epidemic in Myanmar, that will have implications for
all the neighboring countries. And so, we are working at the same time
with the government but also with non-governmental organizations and the
reason for that is that we have to consider AIDS as a humanitarian cause
which should not be hampered by any political dispute which I know is
certainly real when it comes to Myanmar. And because this is a global
issue and therefore the United Nations system is indeed active on that
because we believe that this is one of THE most important issue for the
future of Asia including for South East Asia.

Q. What are your specific programmes being implemented in Burma?

A. We have got to invest in education programmes for young people and
also give them discourse to engage in safer sexual behavior. We have got
to promote condoms and the life skills. Thailand, for example, has been
very successful with its 100% condom promotion and policy. We have got
to make sure that people don't shoot drugs and those who shoot drugs
that they don't share needles. So, as the matter of education and of
programmes to provide clean needles. And we have got to make sure also
that people know whether they are infected or not so that they have
access to testing and counseling without being discriminated and without
being rejected from society. ...

Because with so many people infected today with HIV. Hundreds and
hundreds of thousands in all countries. That means that nearly every
family has someone who is HIV-positive and they can lead their quiet
life that is quite long and they should be treated as our brothers and
sisters. ...

Q. Are there any specific reasons behind Burma's explosive AIDS
situation? Burma is closed to Cambodia (which has highest levels of
HIV-infections in Asia) in AIDS epidemic in Asia.

A. In general, one can say that this AIDS epidemic is driven not only of
course by sexual behavior but also by migration of population. That can
be for economic reasons, be it women is often in sex work with men is
looking for work in bigger cities or in more wealthy cities. Going to
Bangkok for example....

We also have poverty, which is driven men and women into prostitution,
into migration and of course what happens in terms of AIDS depends on
how society reacts....

Q. A few years back, there were some media reports that Burmese
government did not give proper treatment to the AIDS patients who were
sent back from Thailand and some of them were even killed by injection
by the authorities. What is your comment?

A. We are not aware of any killings because of HIV infection in Burma.
But what I can say is that people with HIV should not be discriminated.
That they should not be rejected by society. Often what happens is that
society kills people with HIV before the virus kills them. And this, of
course, respecting people with HIV being compassionate is not only a
matter of fair treatment for these people but also when there is
discrimination and rejection of people with HIV, this will make
prevention campaigns very difficult....

Q. As you know, Burma produce thousands and thousands of migrants for
its neighboring countries. Many of them are infected with HIV in these
countries. And one of the ways HIV spread is through cross-border
migrants and refugees.

A. Yes, we have actually a meeting here organized by UNAIDS in Delhi to
address the cross border issues, how can we collaborate among the
different countries in South Asia. Among other things, (this is) to make
sure that migrant population who comes from another country that they
have prevention materials access to prevention materials in their
language respecting their culture because often migrant population are
at far higher risk for acquiring HIV because they are far away from
their families. Therefore, it is important that there is this
cross-border collaboration wherever in the world. This is not specific
for this region.

Q. Burma is one of the biggest heroine producers. And your report said
that 60% of HIV positives in Burma are found among injecting drug users.
How you are going to tackle this drug abuse problem in Burma?

A. Drug abuse is one of the most tragic aspect of human behavior, I
would say everywhere. And with AIDS it has become even more of tragedy
and even more lethal. And there are in addition that the problem is not
confined to those who shoot drug but also to their sex partners and
these partners and of their partners and so on. For us it is one of the
most difficult problems....

And of course it will be best that people don't shoot drugs, don't use
drugs. But for those who do, we have a responsibility as those who are
responsible for public health to make sure that injecting drug users are
not becoming infected and not transmitting the virus and through sex to
their sex partners. And so, what we are doing that varies very much from
country to country is that we are working with the national authorities
because this is something where you have to do that within the confines
of the law in each country....

Q. Will the working with Burmese government be satisfactory because of
rigid nature and functioning there of the government?

A. We are working with everybody who is willing to address this AIDS
epidemic. We know that that is not only the government. So not enough is
being done. That is for sure, be it on the government side or be it on
the side of non-governmental organizations. Myanmar has also so many
other problems. But much more has to be done. Otherwise, this will
become the country with the biggest AIDS epidemic in the whole of Asia.
And so it is not only a matter of putting in place prevention
programmes, condom promotion, sex education for young people, life
skills, addressing the issues of drug users but also respecting and
promoting human rights when it comes to people living with HIV as well
as for the population in general.


____________________________________________________________
  

INDEPENDENT BANGLADESH: WHEN RICE BOWL BECOMES A BASKET CASE


10th March 2000



When Myanmar achieved independence from the British more than 50 years ago,=

it was

one of Asia's largest producers and exporters of rice.But as a new century
dawns and after four decades of misrule by successive military juntas, the
country has gone from being the rice bowl of Asia into the basket case of
the region.How this happened is explained in a new report on the food
situation in Myanmar which reveals the true extent of food scarcity and
hunger across the country, and the role of the ruling military junta in
actively perpetuating this.According to the report issued late last year by=

the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong together with Myanmar Issues=
,
a human rights organisation based in Bangkok, the nexus between
militarisation and food scarcity in Myanmar is unmistakable.

"Myanmar's (Burma) military government has incorporated denial of food into=
 the
policies, structure and routine operations of state," says the report, whic=
h
is based on the findings of a "People's Tribunal" on the subject. 

Myanmar has one of the worst human development records in Asia. According t=
o 
the World Bank's 1999 report entitled Myanmar: An economic and Social Asses=
sment',
"life expectancy at birth in Myanmar (Burma) is 60 compared with an average=

in East Asia of 68; infant mortality is 79 per thousand births, compared
with the East Asia average of 34; child malnutrition rates are very high an=
d
represent the silent emergency' in Myanmar."According to the World Bank
report, wasting affects 30 per cent of children under age 10, "reflecting
long term deprivation."

The two major causes of food scarcity found by the
People's Tribunal were the junta's paddy or rice procurement policies and
its public works projects which enforce compulsory, uncompensated labour.
According to the tribunal, systematic counter-insurgency measures in zones
of conflict have also impoverished the population.The Myanmar military has
been waging war against ethnic groups, such as the Karen and Karennis
demanding independence and unwilling to come under Rangoon's control. The
destruction of crops, displacement of civilians and relocation of villages,=

in addition to arbitrary taxation and forced labour, has ensured the
systematic destruction of local people's food security, the tribunal
argues.Myanmar, with a population of 48 million, is one of the most
ethnically diverse nations in the world. 

It has more than a dozen major
ethnic groups and more than 100 different languages and dialects. The
tribunal's findings were submitted to a panel of three well-known figures i=
n
the Asian human rights movement.These are Justice H Suresh from the Bombay
High Court active in environmental issues, Professor Mark Tamthai, director=

of the Centre for Philosophy and Public at Chulalongkorn University in
Bangkok, and Dr Lao Mong Hay, executive director of the Khmer Institute for=

Democracy.While the Tribunal found that food scarcity and hunger exist
across the country, the differences were stark between the situation in
areas with armed conflict and those without conflict.The Myanmar armed
forces or Tatmadaw's Four Cuts' strategy in civil war zones aims to deny
local populations, both civilian and combatants, food, money, communication=

and recruits in order to crush their rebellion.

"We pay to work our own plantations," says New Ble, a subsistence farmer in=
 
Dawei township in Myanmar's south-west Yenasserim Division, a contested are=
a.
"We serve them without wages. Our paddy is looted, then we buy back rice to=
 
survive. Our fruit and crops are taken, our animals and plants are taken, w=
e 
are unable to escape," she recounts. Forced relocation in areas not entirel=
y 
controlled by the government is common and former village sites are declare=
d
"free-fire" zones where soldiers are allowed to shoot anyone on sight. 

Both measures ensure that people must move from their agricultural lands an=
d 
face death if they dare to return. Forced labour in turn does not allow loc=
al
people enough time to work for themselves, and on their fields. The
confiscation of rice and its poor delivery in the form of rations back to
people excacerbates their food insecurity. In non-civil war zones, the
junta's paddy procurement policy pushes farmers to buy rice at higher
prices. This policy involves the compulsory purchase from farmers of a
percentage of the produce of all paddy fields, usually at prices far lower
than the market price. 

Rural poverty and agriculture are closely linked in
Burma. For more than half of poor rural households, agricultural production=

is the primary economic activity. According to a government-determined
poverty line, about one quarter of the population of Myanmar lives below
minimal subsistence levels.-IPS feature



____________________________________________________________
  

VOA: NEWSPAPER STARTS UP IN BURMA, INTERNET EDITION MAY START SOON

VOICED AT:

INTRO:  A new English-language newspaper made its 
debut in Burma this week.  The newspaper is an 
independent publication, but is published with 
government approval.  As VOA correspondent Gary Thomas 
reports, the newspaper has to tread carefully in 
Burma's charged political atmosphere.

TEXT: The inaugural 24-page issue of the weekly 
Myanmar Times and Business Review rolled off the 
presses this week with a mix of local economic, social 
and cultural news and a roundup of world affairs.

But do not go looking for any articles on Aung San Suu 
Kyi or the opposition National League for Democracy.  
In Burma -  or Myanmar, as the ruling generals have 
rechristened it - openness only goes so far. 

Editor and publisher Ross Dunkley says he was never 
told by Burmese authorities that the Myanmar Times 
should not print items about the woman who is vilified 
almost daily in the state-controlled media.  But, 
speaking by telephone from Rangoon, he says there are 
what he calls sensitivities that have to be observed, 
especially in these initial days of publication.

// DUNKLEY ACT //

We never discussed what would be on limits and what 
would be off limits. But naturally, there are 
sensitivities in this country, and I'm not a citizen 
of Myanmar.  I don't interfere in its own internal 
politics.  I'm just planning to try and broaden the 
perspective on Myanmar.  The balance of reporting out 
of this country has been so one-sided that putting a 
little bit back into the equation is probably well-
called for at this moment.

// END ACT //

Mr. Dunkley has had experience starting up a 
publication under the eyes of a suspicious government.  
Nine years ago, he founded the Vietnam Investment 
Review.  He says it has been far easier starting a 
similar venture in Burma.

// DUNKLEY ACT //

I found it incredibly easier to establish myself on 
the ground here than we first did when I started what 
you could call a similar publication in Vietnam in 
1991.  I believe there's a great level of excitement 
by officials in Myanmar in having a publication of 
this nature.

// END ACT //

The newspaper sells for two dollars - a steep price in 
a country where state-run newspapers sell for the 
equivalent of less than one penny.  Mr. Dunkley says, 
however, his publication is not aimed solely at well-
heeled expatriates.  He says his audience is 70 per 
cent Burmese.

Mr. Dunkley says the newspaper is a commercial venture 
and relies on advertising.

// DUNKLEY ACT //

Advertising is what makes this publication go forward.  
I will make no hesitation in saying to you that this 
project has to be commercially viable.  This is a free 
market situation that I'm involved in.  If we don't 
attract advertising revenues, then the business will 
not survive.

// END ACT //

The initial press run was 30-thousand copies.  Mr. 
Dunkley says an Internet edition will also be 
available soon.  


____________________________________________________________
  

SHAN: KHIN NYUNT VISITING BORDER AREAS TO MEET YAWD SERK?


10 March 2000

No: 3 - 6

Khin Nyunt Visiting Border Areas To Meet Yawdserk?
Some Thai border watchers were asking whether the powerful secretary-1's 
projected visit to the border during the weekend had anything to do with 
the ongoing negotiations between junta representatives and the Shan State 
Army of Yawdserk, said the source form the border.

According to the source who is close to the border watchers, Lt-Gen. Khin 
Nyunt, Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council, shall be 
making a second visit to the Thai-Shan border on 12-13 March. It will be 
his second visit during three weeks.

"As General Khin Nyunt has been given 15 March as a deadline to reply to 
the 6-conditions made by the SSA during their meetings between 1-3 March, 
we are wondering if he is planning to meet Yawdserk," said the source.

Another source, who is working in Monghsat in the Wa area, however, disagre=
ed.

"I've heard that he's coming to preside over the opening ceremony of the 
Hsaikhao Bridge on the Kok River between Monghsat and Mongyawn," he said.

The two-lane wide Hsaikhao Bridge was constructed with funds from the 
United Wa State Army by the Sriraming, a Thai company from Chiangmai. The 
managing director is reported to be a Mr. Wongphand (last name not availabl=
e).

Photo caption: Wa fighters near the Hsaikhao Bridge.

____________________________________________________________
  


THE JOURNAL (NEWCASTLE, UK): THE MORE THEY OPPRESS, THE STRONGER WE BECOME



March 1, 2000, Wednesday 


Today James Mawdsley marks six months in detention for his pro-democracy
demonstrations against the Burmese government. Here, extracts from a 1998
journal in which he recounted a previous spell of detention explain the
reasons for his protest and how he was tortured.

BODY:

JAMES Mawdsley entered Burma from Thailand for the second time in April
1998, and following a two-week jungle journey arrived in the south-east
Burmese town of Moulmein.

He recalls: "It took me two hours to get scrubbed up and find a likely spot=

in the centre of town to begin demonstrating.

"I switched on the cassette player I had with me and democratic songs blare=
d
out. Then walking slowly through the streets and eventually the main market=
,
I distributed stickers calling for the release of student leader Min Ko
Naing - imprisoned in solitary confinement for 10 years but still with a
formidably strong spirit.

"Eventually with a crowd of 200 or 300 watching, the police arrived to take=

me in.

"I repeatedly asked the police if I was being arrested and if so on what
charge. They did not understand the concept of due process. After 10 minute=
s
of passive resistance I was manhandled out to a waiting truck.

"There followed four hours of polite questioning. They wanted to know my
name, nationality and how I had got to Moulmein.

"I said I would happily respond to an officer appointed by the elected
Government, the NLD, but not to them. I was not only trying to make a very
firm political point, but also to give my escort time to get away. [I have
returned to Burma since then - they are alive and well].

"After threatening to hit me a few times, the authorities decided to revert=

to type and do it for real.

"I was blindfolded, handcuffed behind my back and bundled into the back of
the van. An army major laughed melodramatically as he told me I was going t=
o
be tortured, I have never ever prayed as fast and hard as I prayed then.

"So there followed 15 hours of beating [the blindfold kept slipping down so=

I could see the clock on the wall]. I have talked to other victims and what=

I went through was not nearly as intense or as brutal as what they have had=

to endure.

"My white skin gave significant protection. Even so I experienced
excruciating pain and twice passed out. By the end I was utterly exhausted
and crying. The type of tears you just cannot stop or control. Maybe for
less than one or two minutes, but a lot of pressure behind them. It was tim=
e
to tell them my name.

"I tried never to lose my temper, never be hostile, never insulting. Instea=
d
to remain calm and dignified, reasonable and open-minded.

"I told them as much truth as was sensible because I wanted to establish
that I was honest and unafraid. That gave credibility to all I was able to
say about human rights violations in Burma and what democracy means.

"We talked about many things - politics, religion, philosophy, human rights=
,
family life, working conditions in Australia, etc, etc.

"One of my main motives for demonstrating in Burma [first time Rangoon,
second time Moulmein] was precisely to get this opportunity to meet with th=
e
authorities.

"On day 12 in Rangoon the first public trial in Burma for over a decade
began. I was charged with illegal entry as I had come without a passport or=

visa. On the second day of the trial my only chance to speak was to plead
guilty [I was running out of defiance by now] and on May 15 I listened in
calm silence as I was sentenced to five years imprisonment plus a fine of
50,000 Kyat [about £100].

"There are things I saw in prison which I am not yet ready to write about.

"The traumatic suffering of other prisoners, the tragedy, men and women who=

are slowly dying. I will never forget them . . .

"If I spent the first few weeks in desolate terror then I spent the final
weeks in uplifting contentment. The more they oppress us the stronger we
become. I discovered this for real in prison.

"Not by my own strength but by the gift of God's grace I grew content,
fulfilled, even happy. In prayer I said that I had absolutely no concern
whether I had to stay there for another week or another year. All I wanted
was a chance to serve His Will, whatever it might be.

"Four hours later I was told I was to be released but in fact . . . [sic] I=

had already been free for weeks."

On September 1 last year James was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment, just=

10 hours after entering the country at the border town of Tachilek.

Five years were for entering the country illegally, five for distributing
pro-democracy leaflets and seven from the sentence, described above, of the=

previous year.

____________________________________________________________


AVA: EXCESSIVE LOGGING IN TANGYAN REGION OF NORTHERN SHAN STATE


[BurmaNet Editor's Note:  The Ava News Group is a new organations
collect and provide news from inside Burma, especially from 
the Shan and Kachin States.]


February 29, 2000

SPDC troops under North-East Command, MI 9 troops, as well as Wa troops fro=
m 
special region 2 have been logging excessively in the TangYan region 
according to resident eyewitnesses. The troops have claimed that the loggin=
g 
is to support their new camps and development of the Wa region.


During the 3rd week of February 2000, the MI 9 intelligence permitted the W=
a 
to log a total of 2000 tons of hard wood that would be used towards the 
development of the community's new market. In addition, another 100 tons 
were allowed for the construction of the two Wa commanders' new houses. The=
 
SPDC troops under the military operation command 16, based at  HsenWi are 
logging excessively for the construction of their new regiment camps. 
According to experts, at this rate of deforestation, the forests in the 
region would be completely depleted in a matter of years.

Reported by AVA News Group, March 7, 2000
____________________________________________________________


SHAN: VILLAGE NEAR TOWN FORCED TO RELOCATE


10 March 2000

No: 3 - 5


A thriving village just outside a southern Shan town was forcibly relocated=
 
late last January, Maihoong reported S.H.A.N. from the border.

On 27 January, 120 households from the village of Hofailong in Mongpan 
Township were ordered without notice to a section just 200 meters from the =

town by Captain Than Maung, LIB 520, and his 70 - 80 strong company.

"The village had 150 households. Only the section with 30 households that 
was nearest to the town was not relocated. However it became the relocation=
 
site instead," said the reporter.

On that day, the Hofailong Tract headman, Zingna, 45, was paid a call by 
Capt. Than Maung, who told him to summon an ad hoc meeting of the 18-men 
Tract Committee that included village headmen and their secretaries "to 
receive the visiting commander of the local military operations command." 
When all the committee members arrived, they were tied up and locked up at =

the Battalion post. Meanwhile, the villagers were all rounded and moved to =

the section near the town, a location only 200 meters from the LIB 332 camp=
 
at the town entrance.

"While they were taken away all their belongings, including their furniture=
 
and livestock were looted by the soldiers," he said.

The 18 committee members together with other 37 villagers are still 
reported to be under arrest. Many others have fled leaving their wives and =

relatives behind who were interrogated and molested by the officers and men=
 .

"To my knowledge, altogether 19 (5 married and 12 single) women, have been =

raped," he added.

The reason for the forced removal was said to be suspicion that the 
villagers were harboring members of the Shan State Army led by Yawdserk, 
whose 756th Brigade, commanded by Ltc. Khurhlao, was known to be active in =

the area.

The campaign against the Shan resistance during the last 4 years have 
already killed and dislocated at least 300,000 people, according to human 
rights reports.


_____________________ INTERNATIONAL ________________________


BURMANET: SENATE CONFIRMS PROMOTION FOR JUDGE IN UNOCAL PIPELINE CASE

March 10, 2000

The U.S. Senate today confirmed the nomination of District Court Richard Pa=
ez
for a seat on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Paez, a Hispanic-America=
n,
was bitterly opposed by a number of conservative Republican Senators who 
believed him to be too liberal.  Although the opposition had much more to 
do with several other cases Paez presided over, his refusal to dismiss
two lawsuits against the Unocal Corporation for forced labor and other
abuses on the Yadana pipeline was one factor cited by some pro-business
Senators.  Paez's nomination was stalled for four years, the longest a
federal court nomination has ever been delayed.  

Paez's nomination finally went through because of presidential
politics.  Republicans were loathe to give Al Gore a
campaign issue in California by continuing to stall a Hispanic
nominee.  During the vote on Paez's confirmation, Gore returned
to Washington to be on hand in case he was needed to cast a tie
breaking vote in the Senate although in the end he was not
needed.

The Unocal cases will most likely be transferred to another
Federal judge in Los Angeles, resulting in a potentially
significant delay.  


___________________ OPINION/EDITORIALS _____________________


SPDC: IT'S TIME

March 10, 2000

[Note from BurmaNet: the regime's website (www.myanmar.com) and accompanyin=
g 
mailing list regularly post poetry/editorials.  The following piece, distri=
buted
today, is representative of the genre.  The spelling and grammar are unchan=
ged.]

   It's time
    ******

* Keeping Tatmadaw
  As hardcore
  All citizens
  Always solidarized  [SIC]
  Bound in umity  [SIC]
  With happy smiles
  Unending pride
  In our land
  New human era
  Has emerged
  Over a decade
  Now again
  In solidarity
  Tatmadaw and people 
  Few sow bad blood
  All the rest
  Are citizens
  Must see the truth
  Adamant
  With eyes closed
  Start thinking
  Who does the people good. 

>From myanmar@xxxxxxxxxxx




[Tatmadaw=People's army]
[SIC=Spelling is correct; i.e. the errors are in original]


________________

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comprehensive coverage of news and opinion on Burma  
(Myanmar).  

For a subscription to Burma's only free daily newspaper, 
write to: strider@xxxxxxx 

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