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[theburmanetnews] BurmaNet News: Ju
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Subject: [theburmanetnews] BurmaNet News: June 4, 2000
______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
An on-line newspaper covering Burma
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________
June 4, 2000
Issue # 1545
NOTED IN PASSING:
(1) "...the Burmese have implemented policies that have aborted the
process of development... These wrong policies have risen out of a
fear of losing political control."
Lee Kuan Yew, authoritarian former ruler of Singapore (See ASIAWEEK:
INTERVIEW WITH LEE KUAN YEW (EXCERPT))
(2) "Though I'm all for boycotting Lonely Planet, the real
significance of the argument is cultural. Discerning liberal
consumers are now so self-confident and self-pitying that they pose,
without irony, as the victims of Stalin and Hitler when anyone
suggests they might make the tiniest moral choice."
Nick Cohen, a British columnist, on boycotting Lonely Planet for
promoting tourism to Burma. (See THE GUARDIAN (UK): WITHOUT
PREJUDICE--BURMA'S SHAME )
*Inside Burma
IRRAWADDY: CHINESE ENGINEERS TO HELP WITH BASES
NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY: A PARENT ON HARDSHIP CAUSED BY UNJUST
SCHOOL FEES
RSO NEWS SERVICE: BURMESE JUNTA CONTINUES SETTING UP MORE BURMAN
MODEL VILLAGES IN ARAKAN
BURMA COURIER: MONS DEMAND COMPENSATION FOR LAND SEIZURES
*International
ASIAWEEK: INTERVIEW WITH LEE KUAN YEW (EXCERPT)
AFP: HIGH-RANKING DELEGATION FROM SECRETIVE MYANMAR JUNTA TO VISIT
CHINA
*Economy/Business
BURMA COURIER: CANADIAN COMPANY DENIES 'FINANCING SLAVERY'
BANGKOK POST: PAYMENT URGED FOR BURMA GAS
MYANMAR TIMES: OCTOBER DATE FOR GEMS AUCTION
*Opinion/Editorials
THE OBSERVER (UK): TROUBLE IN THE PARADISE INDUSTRY
THE GUARDIAN (UK) : NOT TO TRAVEL IS BETTER
THE GUARDIAN (UK): WITHOUT PREJUDICE--BURMA'S SHAME
*Other
THE IRRAWADDY ON-LINE: APRIL-MAY EDITION
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________
IRRAWADDY: CHINESE ENGINEERS TO HELP WITH BASES
http://www.irrawaddy.org/
May 2000 Issue
Two delegations of engineers from China's armed forces recently met
with Burmese military officers at a navy base in Tenasserim Division
from May 2 to 5, according to a report from Radio Free Asia. The
meetings focused on the construction of two bases in the area with
assistance from the Chinese Navy and Air Forces
Maj Gen Sit Maung, Coastal Region Military Command, Gen Kyi Min,
Chief of Staff (Navy), Gen. Min Swe, Chief of Staff (Air), and other
high level officials including the commander of Military Intelligence
Unit 19, Colonel Thet Lwin, were present at the meetings.
At the meeting, officials decided that Navy base #58 would increase
its fighting capacity and be moved to Bya Date Kyee Island, where a
new airport and maintenance service center will be built by Chinese
Air Force engineers cooperating with their Burmese counterpart. The
cost will be US$ 5 million.
Also, a site on Shwe Kyun Aur Bay, northeast of Bya Date Kyee Island,
was chosen for an army repair and maintenance base. The cost is
US$2.2 million. Construction on both projects will begin in June
____________________________________________________
NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY: A PARENT ON HARDSHIP CAUSED BY UNJUST
SCHOOL FEES
No: (97/B), West Shwegonedine Road
Bahan Township, Rangoon
Statement 76(5/00) (translation)
1. Impositions of unjust fees causing hardship to students and
parents has been reported to us by a letter from a parent.
2. The facts stated in the letter are:-
* At No 6, Basic Education Middle School, in No 10 Ward, Hlaing
township, entrance fees for primary students is Kyats 10,000 because
of a deficit of funds allotted by government for a new school
building. Government's contribution was only Kyats 35 lakhs and the
estimated cost is Kyats 90 lakhs.
* This exorbitant demand at a time when the cost of living has
inflated is making the people angry and disgruntled..
* For people who make money by dishonest means, this is not a
problem, but for honest to goodness hard working people, this is
beyond their means.
* So much publicity has been given on TV and the media about the
country's riches and natural resources and the modern advances and
developments. But nothing is being done for the education, health
and social welfare of the people. Education of children has become
the total responsibility of parents which means that education is
for the rich and not the poor. "Fry the nga-gyin fish in its own
fat" is the appropriate Burmese saying.
* In addition to this, collections are taken up for several causes,
some of which are for the headmaster who will be transferred, school
mugs, brooms, water pots, students festival (three tickets per
festival and two festivals compulsory). Parents are often called
upon to perform social welfare odd jobs. The system of class
teachers has given rise to private tuition with exorbitant fees,
which is not affordable by many parents resulting in poor results
for their children. Thus "money for education" system has been
created.
* In a nut shell, the author of that letter asks "what is happening
to all the country's above ground, under ground, above water and
under water wealth?" The masses have no share in the benefits.
Parents have to educate their children at great expense.
3. At the present time, ordinary citizens are experiencing great
hardship because education is associated with money. Those in
authority and their cohorts who have access to lots of money are not
experiencing these hardships. For them everything seems to be
working well.
4. This inequality and wealth associated education foreshadows a
dark future for the youth and the generation to come. Lip service
only is being paid to nurturing the youth while havoc and
destruction for the future is being practiced.
5. Genuine education cannot be achieved while avarice and greed
pervades the system. It is all talk and superficial. "Quickly
brought to the boil to swell the rice" describes the kind of
education that exists today.
6. We believe and remind the authorities that education makes a
person. His future, and his worth are dependent on his education. A
policy with equal opportunities for all at minimum cost to them must
be created and genuinely and honestly adhered to.
Central Executive Committee
National League for Democracy
Rangoon
30 May 2000
____________________________________________________
RSO NEWS SERVICE: BURMESE JUNTA CONTINUES SETTING UP MORE BURMAN
MODEL VILLAGES IN ARAKAN
Rohingya Solidarity Organization
News Sheet No.2/May
May 24, 2000
On April 10, the ruling SPDC authorities in northern Arakan State of
Burma confiscated approximately 65 acres of farmland in order to
setup another two Burman model villages according to a local farmer.
The district chairman of Maungdaw Peace and Development Council had
ordered the village chairman of Qazirbil on 10th April that the 30
acres of farmland in the south east of Qazirbil village would be
needed for construction of a Burman model village with 50 houses and
asked the owners to surrender it to the authorities at the earliest.
Similarly a 35 acres farmland belonging to Muslim farmers located in
between Kaindapara and Hitalia village has been under orders of
confiscation to set up yet another Burman model village with 70
houses.
Besides, the authorities have been raising fund from local traders
and shopkeepers for purchase of construction materials for the model
villages.
In order to start construction work at the two locations the district
authorities has conscripted about 200 forced labours from nearby
Muslim villages.
The houses of model villages if completed would be distributed to
retired Burman military officers and veterans according to a
knowledgeable person who requested anonymity.
The Burmese ruling junta has been setting up several model villages
in Muslim populated area since last 3-4 years. In all the cases, the
Muslim settlements have been evicted or farmland confiscated to
provide them to the occupants of new model villages. Side by side, it
has been making infrastructure development of military importance in
northern Arakan and for which supply of materials as well as work
force have to be made by the Muslims of the area.
The Burmese junta issued an order No.1/99 dated 14th May 1999, which
forbids the use of forced labour in the country.
____________________________________________________
BURMA COURIER: MONS DEMAND COMPENSATION FOR LAND SEIZURES
No. 234 May 28 - Jun 3, 2000
SANGKHLABURI, June 1 (MUL) -- The Mon Unity League is demanding that
the Rangoon military regime compensate farmers in Ye township whose
lands have been taken over by army battalions newly stationed in the
township.
The MUL says that over 900 acres of land in the northern part of
the township were appropriated by LIB 343 last year, while 200 acres
were seized in southern Ye township by LIB 299 in the same period.
The land, sown with various varieties of tropical fruits, vegetables
and rubber trees, by local farmers is estimated to have a value of
at least 90 million kyat ($US 260,000), but requests for compensation
have been ignored.
The MUL says the land seizures are in clear violation of the cease-
fire agreement signed by the New Mon State Party with the military
in 1996 and it is demanding that the appropriations of land in areas
covered by the agreement cease forthwith and that arrangement for
compensation be set up immediately. The League, which brings
together Mons from around the world, has denounced the expansion of
central army control in Ye township.
__________________ INTERNATIONAL __________________
ASIAWEEK: INTERVIEW WITH LEE KUAN YEW (EXCERPT)
June 9, 2000
[Bernard Krisher for Asiaweek]: Burma's economy suffers severely as
the U.S., the E.U. and other parties impose sanctions for the
military regime's failure to loosen its tight grip. How can the
Burmese people attain a level of economic and political development?
[Lee Kuan Yew]: The European Union boycott and American prohibitions
are not seriously handicapping Burma. The ASEAN countries have
invested in tourism, hotels, etc., but the Burmese have implemented
policies that have aborted the process of development. They changed
their policies after the fall of Suharto in Indonesia. They fear that
opening up might lead to the same sort of problems. These wrong
policies have risen out of a fear of losing political control. How to
put it right? Only when they realize that cutting off the flow of
trade, investment and tourism will make it worse, that non-
development with an increasing population will mean increasing
discontent due to little development with few job opportunities and a
poorer life compared with their neighbors. That will force them to
open up again.
For full text of interview (no other Burma content), see:
http://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/magazine/2000/0609/nat.interview.h
tml
____________________________________________________
AFP: HIGH-RANKING DELEGATION FROM SECRETIVE MYANMAR JUNTA TO VISIT
CHINA
YANGON, June 4 (AFP) - General Maung Aye, vice-chairman of the
Myanmar junta, will visit China from June 5-12, where he will
commemorate diplomatic relations between the two states, official
sources said.
Official sources in Yangon told AFP the visit will celebrate the
fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations
between China and Myanmar.
During Maung Aye's visit, China and Myanmar are expected to sign
a "broad framework on bilateral cooperation in the twenty-first
century," officials in Yangon said.
The sources also said the high-level Myanmar delegation, which
includes Foreign Minister Win Aung and Military Affairs Minister Lt
Gen Tin Hla, will attempt to strengthen military ties between the two
states.
China, the first country to recognise Myanmar's military regime
after it seized power in a bloody coup in September 1988, is the
junta's main arms supplier.
According to official sources in Yangon, the junta'a army chief of
staff Lt Gen Tin Oo made an unpublicized trip to China on May 23
allegedly to make new arms purchases.
Since 1988, senior Myanmar generals have made frequent visits to
China and several high-ranking Chinese officials have travelled to
Yangon.
Chinese State Councillor Ismail Amat met the leader of Myanmar's
military junta, Senior General Than Shwe on Friday, state television
reported.
Neither Than Shwe nor Ismail Amat released any details of the
meeting saying only the talks had been "friendly and amicable."
This visit will be Maung Aye's third trip to China since 1991. The
military has been in control of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, in
various guises since 1962.
_______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
BURMA COURIER: CANADIAN COMPANY DENIES 'FINANCING SLAVERY'
CALGARY, June 1 (BN-BC) -- The head office of Transcanada Pipelines
(TCPL) in Calgary is distinctly displeased with unwanted publicity
that links the company with forced labour and forced relocation of
villagers along the Yadana pipeline in Burma.
Under the title of 'Financing Slavery', an article in the May edition
of the Regina-based alternative monthly magazine, Brierpatch, put
TCPL at the head of a list of twelve Canadian companies "doing
business with Burma". The article, written by freelance journalist
Asad Ismi, said that "Canada's largest pipeline firm, is assisting in
the construction is of the Thai portion of the Yadana gas pipeline"
which carries gas from offshore wells in Burmese waters in the
Andaman Sea to a generating station in Ratchaburi in southern
Thailand.
But Glenn Herchuk, a Transcanada spokesperson, told the Burma Courier
this week that TCPL has never had and has no intentions of investing
in Burma. He said that when TCPL took over Nova Gas of Calgary in
July 1998, it inherited a contract from Nova to provide technical
assistance in the construction of the Thai portion of the Yadana
pipeline. When the contract expired in December of 1998, it was not
renewed, Herchuk said.
An editorial writer at Brierpatch said all the information
in 'Financing Slavery' had been checked and was valid "when the
article was written". He said that another reference in the article
to garment purchases from Burma by Sears Canada was no longer current
and would be corrected in the July edition of the magazine.
Corinne Baumgarten of the Canadian Friends of Burma in Ottawa said
that the organization had been made aware that TCPL was not invested
in Burma, but was waiting for "written confirmation".
BANGKOK POST: PAYMENT URGED FOR BURMA GAS
4 June 2000
Overdue bill could affect relationship
Nattaya Chetchotiros and Ampa Santimetaneedol
The former head of an arm of the state oil company has called on the
government to open talks about an overdue payment of US$280 million
owed to Rangoon for gas from the Yadana field.
Surakiat Sathirathai, who was executive chairman of PTT Exploration
and Production Plc, said instead of keeping silent the government
should negotiate for terms of payment, or explain the delay.
Its silence is a cause of discomfort for Thai officials in Burma, he
said. Burmese Industry Minister Lun Thi and Finance Minister Khin
Maung Thein had asked him to pass the message on to the government.
Mr Surakiat also suggested Thailand pay US$22 million interest it
owes Japan. "I think the government should make it clear when PTT
will be able to make the payment," said Mr Surakiat, who resigned
from PTT in March to accept a post as deputy leader of Thai Rak Thai
Party.
PTT paid the Yadana group $50 million in the first year of the
contract. It was due to pay $280 million for the second year's supply
contract in February. The payment represents the full contractual
volume of gas PTT was obliged to accept under a take-or-pay deal,
even though the company was to take delivery of only a fraction of
the committed supply.
PTT failed to take delivery because of delays in the construction of
the Ratchaburi power plant, which began operation only in December
and is still not up to full capacity. The Electricity Generating
Authority of Thailand (Egat) has not signed a gas purchase contract
with PTT, leaving the state oil company solely responsible. Next
year's scheduled payment is almost $300 million.Industry Minister
Suwat Liptapallop, who oversees PTT, expressed frustration over
Egat's failure to sign a purchase contract, and the cabinet's
silence. He said he had raised the matter on several occasions but no
action had been taken.
"The prime minister only said that he sympathised with PTT. The
cabinet and the council of economic ministers have not taken any
action. "Should we continue to pay for the gas while Egat has no idea
when the plant will operate to its full capacity? It is not fair," he
said. The minister said the fault lay with Egat, which failed to
complete the construction of Ratchaburi power plant on time.
"It is not PTT's fault. It is Egat's fault and Egat still insists it
won't sign a gas purchase contract," he said.
Earlier, the cabinet approved the sale of government bonds to raise
money to pay for the natural gas.
Mr Suwat said PTT's failure to honour the contract could threaten the
relationship between Thailand and Burma. He denied any conflict with
PM's Office Minister Savit Bhodivihok, who oversees Egat.
____________________________________________________
MYANMAR TIMES: OCTOBER DATE FOR GEMS AUCTION
May 29-June 4 issue
THE mid-year Myanma Gems Emporium will be held in October 2000 and
gems and jewelry belonging to local gem entrepreneurs will be made
available at foreign exchange prices.The Myanmar Gems Enterprise will
extend advance loans to Myanmar citizen entrepreneurs according to
the rules and regulations to ensure smooth circulation of money to
them. The 37th Myanmar Gems Emporium held in March was attended by
437 foreign and 183 local gem merchants. Entrepreneurs wishing to
sell gems and jewelry at the mid-year gems emporium should contact
MGE between 5 June and 31 August.
_________________OPINION/EDITORIALS________________
THE OBSERVER (UK): TROUBLE IN THE PARADISE INDUSTRY
Campaigns to stop us visiting Burma play right into the hands of the
junta
Dea Birkett
Thursday June 1, 2000
Tourism Concern is sending off its holiday postcards early this year.
They show a pretty picture, a paradisal scene, with white sand and
whispering palm trees, but the message is less than idyllic. It
reads: "The cost of a holiday in Burma could be someone's life."
Last Friday, Tourism Concern joined forces with the Burma Campaign
UK. Their unlikely target was Lonely Planet, publishers of
backpackers' bibles, including among its 480 guides one to Burma
(Myanmar). Most of the postcards will be sent to the publisher's
London offices, bombarding its postal system. The campaign is calling
for a complete boycott of all Lonely Planet publications until its
Burma guide is withdrawn.
But Lonely Planet doesn't present this far-flung destination as all
Buddhist art and beach parties. Its guidebook opens with a two-page
section entitled "Should You Visit Myanmar?" Dissent of any sort is
suppressed, it says. "Political prisoners are jailed for expressing
their opinions publicly. Crimes have ranged from telling jokes to
owning unregistered fax machines." Ironically, Lonely Planet is
publicising the very atrocities Tourism Concern accuse it of
colluding in.
The guide asks travellers to make up their own minds about the rights
and wrongs of travelling to a country controlled by a brutal military
junta. But that is the last thing Tourism Concern trusts us to do. It
appears to hold a deeply patronising attitude towards ordinary
travellers, as if they will surely fail to see cruelty and injustice
even if it stares them in the face. Cultural contact is fine as long
as it's a certain kind of person who indulges in it. Members of the
Burma Campaign went out to Myanmar last year on a "research trip".
But God forbid that Joe Bloggs, with no preconceived ideas about the
world beyond, dares tread in distant lands.
Our views are considered so dispensable, that if, after listening
carefully to the debate, we still dare to differ we will be forcibly
overruled. The Burma Campaign has publicly admitted that if it fails
to convince us through argument, it will lobby government to
introduce laws to prevent British passport holders travelling to
Burma. To restrict freedom of movement is the hallmark of a
totalitarian regime, the very same sort of system the Burma Campaign
purports to be against.
In truth, repressive regimes discourage cultural contact, the very
essence of travel. Any sensible dictator knows the last thing he
wants is a load of foreigners arriving with their different ideas,
uncensored books and awkward questions. Even Burmese opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in her many statements critical of tourism,
admits: "Tourists can open up the world to the people of Burma just
as the people of Burma can open up the eyes of tourists, if they're
interested in looking." It's through such contact that we learn there
are other ways of living than our own. That is why Tourism Concern
isn't the only organisation who would prefer to see the Lonely Planet
publication pulped.
According to Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet, the Burmese
military junta "would be overjoyed if one of their most long-standing
and most widely-available critics were to be silenced".
Lonely Plant has been publishing information about Burma for over 25
years. So why has the campaign against it just been launched? Because
holidaymakers are now travelling in a new climate. The simple,
delightful notion that we go on holiday to have fun has been
hijacked. Today, taking a break - the very same thing that was once
seen as an antidote to the overwork and stress of our everyday lives -
is ridden with trouble and torment. Tour operators Discover the
World's recent press release extols, not the joy of discovering the
world, but the agony. Travel, they say, can be "tainted with unease",
promising that they will deliver a package that can be "enjoyed with
a clear conscience". Perhaps most startling is the slogan of BTCV
Conversation Holidays: "Go on Holiday - and Help Save the World!"
But aren't holidays supposed to be carefree times, for suntans and
self-indulgence? Is it really such a crime to seek out somewhere
where you can simply enjoy yourself? Is spreading on factor 10,
rather than reading up on the local medieval history and contemporary
political systems, the sign of a lesser moral soul? Does every annual
leave have to be an educational experience or a payback for the harm
we westerners have done?
Tourism Concern and the Burma Campaign's moral outrage is designed to
make us feel bad about being good to ourselves. Lonely Planet's
attitude is otherwise. It sees travel as a big adventure, to be
embraced rather than agonised over. The guide book publisher should
be congratulated for encouraging us all to wander into the world with
our eyes, as well as our minds, wide open.
Dea Birkett's latest travel book, Serpent in Paradise, is published
by Picador.
____________________________________________________
THE GUARDIAN: NOT TO TRAVEL IS BETTER
Saturday June 3, 2000
Dea Birkett's article (Trouble in the paradise industry, June 1) is a
travesty. It fails to mention any of the real arguments surrounding
tourism in Burma, and the boycott of Lonely Planet publications.
For those who are interested in the arguments, as opposed to an
emotional response about the sanctity of travel, here they are: the
development of tourism in Burma is directly linked to mass human
rights abuses. Income generated through tourism is helping sustain
one of the most brutal military regimes in the world.
For these reasons, Burma's elected representative, led by Nobel Peace
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, are asking people not to visit. Lonely
Planet's promotion of tourism to Burma and the inaccuracies in the
current guide concerning problems in Burma, have left pro-democracy
activists with no choice but to boycott their publications. Rather
than allow tourists to make up their minds, Lonely Planet's guide
misinforms them and then makes it clear that it believes the
positives outweigh the negatives.
Birkett and Lonely Planet are doing the junta's work by absurdly
describing as totalitarian a campaign that informs people of the
issues and then gives them the choice to buy or not to buy Lonely
Planet publications. The last word should be left to Aung San Suu
Kyi, leader of the party elected by Burma's people: "Burma will be
here for many years, so tell your friends to visit us later. Visiting
now is tantamount to condoning the regime."
Dr Sein Win,
Prime minister, Burmese government in exile
John Pilger
Glenys Kinnock MEP
____________________________________________________
THE GUARDIAN: WITHOUT PREJUDICE--BURMA'S SHAME
The fat-cat lawyers are licking their lips
Nick Cohen
Sunday June 4, 2000
The burden of being a groovy Observer reader is hard to bear. Our
food, clothes, restaurants and haircuts, our very soft furnishings
and kitchen utensils may come to life at any moment and denounce us.
They 'say so much about you', as our crack team of style
correspondents warn weekly. If we make a mistake on our choice of
lemon squeezer, for instance, will we be able to get away with
passing off vulgarity as irony and turn the tables on our mockers? Or
will we merely rebrand ourselves as jerks in the eyes of right-
thinking people? Treason festers in every scatter cushion. The
pressure is constant.
Holidays bring no respite. Stress begins with the task of telling
everyone we know that we do not fly out as 'tourists', thank you very
much. Tourists are plebs. They are fat, smelly and thick. We
are 'travellers' and, by definition, none of the above. Once the
nuances of this important distinction have been explained, we must
agonise about where to travel to and calculate what our decision
might 'say' in evidence against us. Last year Cuba and New England
looked pretty good. But nothing is as dated as yesterday's fashion.
Syria, then? Or perhaps Paraguay? A friend on Life magazine was
informed the other day that 'Scotland is the new Ireland'. Can this
be true? If so, what on earth does it mean?
To direct us through the social minefield are the Lonely Planet
guides. Christ but they're cool. Every volume oozes concern for the
environment and local cultures. Lonely Planet takes you 'past the
tourist traps', the publishers assure readers, by 'building bridges'
and 'breaking barriers.' The company is a beacon for those who
don't 'buy into brochure blurbs' but crave the authenticity that can
be found only when they 'are sent out with the right attitude about
travel'.
Our reliable friend has saved us from making a crass error by
answering that ticklish where-to-go question decisively. Burma is the
place to see and be seen this summer.
Well, Burma's certainly different. Ten years ago almost to this day
the Burmese armed forces refused to accept the overwhelming victory
of the National League for Democracy in free elections and suppressed
the population. If you wanted to be hyperbolic you might get away
with describing the regime that resulted as the most wretched on
Earth. There are tens of thousands of refugees from torture and
attempted murder. The democrats who remain are persecuted. The
economy has collapsed and the army makes its wealth by cutting deals
with heroin suppliers. Last week the United Nations demanded that the
junta end a 'saga of untold misery, suffering oppression and
exploitation' brought by its use of 'forced labour', or slaves as we
used to say.
Lonely Planet is concerned, but it also wants to sell guidebooks.
There's a niche market to corner as the editors of the Rough Guide
series, its business rivals, refuse to cover Burma on a point of
principle. Lonely Planet's new book on Burma begins by dismissing
such concerns and the requests of the legitimate government not to
fund the terror. The Burma Campaign UK and Tourism Concern responded
by calling for a boycott of Lonely Planet's merchandise. They might
have expected to at least have started a reasoned debate. Instead the
suggestion that globe-trotting liberals should sacrifice any
gratification has led to the opponents of tyranny being denounced as
tyrants themselves.
Lonely Planet supplied hacks with a letter of thanks from the Burma
Relief Centre in Thailand, which tries its best to comfort refugees.
The company had given it (British Pounds) 4,500 and seemed the model
of the caring stakeholding corporation. No one reported the response
of the aid workers to being manipulated in a PR offensive. Pippa
Curwen, the director of the Relief Centre, said she was 'dismayed' to
see in the Daily Telegraph that the present was used by Lonely Planet
to justify visiting Burma. 'This has led us to question your
organisation's motives in donating to us,' she wrote to the
company. 'As you are aware... we believe that foreign tourism is one
of the factors sustaining the regime, and prolonging the kind of
misery we are witnessing daily. Thus we would prefer not to be
complicit in any defence your organisation is making.'
Curwen needs every penny she can get, yet decided that she could do
without Lonely Planet's money and returned the cheque. She will
probably be vilified as some sort of monster. For the Burma spat has
been distinguished by the extremism of the invective of bohemian
travellers. Dea Birkett, a travel writer, whined rhetorically in the
Guardian of all places: 'Aren't holidays supposed to be carefree
times for suntans and self-indulgence? Is it really such a crime to
seek out somewhere where you can simply enjoy yourself? Tourism
Concern and the Burma Campaign's moral outrage is designed to make us
feel bad about being good to ourselves. To restrict freedom of
movement is the hallmark of totalitarian regimes.'
Forget her wheedling style for a second, and consider the
implications of Birkett's words. The opponents of dictatorship, who
fight without resources, international support or any military force
which might defeat the junta on the field of battle, are
totalitarians. Rich Western tourists, by contrast, are the true
victims even when they stay in Rangoon hotels built on the site of
the homes of the Burmese poor - which were bulldozed without
compensation - or travel on a moving staircase built by forced labour
to catch the marvellous view at sunset from Mandalay Hill. Only a
sadist would want to make them 'feel bad about being good to
ourselves.'
Birkett wasn't an isolated ranter. Sue Ockwell, spokeswoman for the
Association of Independent Tour Operators, agreed that the Burma
campaigners had 'adopted a totalitarian approach'. These people must
lie awake every night waiting for the hammer of the secret police on
the door.
Neither Ockwell nor Birkett seemed to know that New Labour won't
restrict anyone's freedom of movement. True, it promised sanctions in
opposition and a moist-eyed Tony Blair virtually broke down when he
stammered out his sincere compassion for Aung San Suu Kyi, the
elected leader of Burma who has been harassed by the military for
years. In government, Labour not only broke its word - which is to be
expected - but successfully sued American states and cities which
refused to use European Union firms that traded with the regime.
Though I'm all for boycotting Lonely Planet, the real significance of
the argument is cultural. Discerning liberal consumers are now so
self-confident and self-pitying that they pose, without irony, as the
victims of Stalin and Hitler when anyone suggests they might make the
tiniest moral choice. It says so much about them.
On Tuesday, the most radical measure of this government will come
into force and be welcomed with an embarrassed silence from Downing
Street. Despite the opposition of Tony Blair, the Labour leader who
boasted in the election campaign that under his administration
Britain will still have the strictest anti-union laws in the Western
world, workers will be able to vote for the right to represent
themselves.
It was a hell of a battle to push the legislation through. The
magnificently old Labour Ian McCartney used all his duplicitous
skills to out-manoeuvre Blair and Peter Mandelson. But he had to make
concessions. The union votes will be the hardest ballots to win in
Britain.
It won't be enough to secure a majority of those who vote. The pro-
union camp must also include 40 per cent of all those eligible to
vote. (If these conditions had applied at the general election,
incidentally, there would scarcely be an MP in Westminster.) There
will be arguments about who is entitled to vote. Victory will be
followed by rows about what unions can talk to management about. A
central arbitration committee, chaired by a judge who represented
Rupert Murdoch in his campaign against the print workers, is meant to
resolve disputes amicably. But the real action will be in the courts.
'There are huge grey areas,' beamed Martin Warren from Eversheds, a
City law firm whose rates are of the 'if you have to ask you can't
afford them' order. 'There's loads and loads of potential for
litigation.'
Eversheds has flown its lawyers across the Atlantic to study how US
firms shut out unions. Last week, the traffic was in the opposite
direction when it brought an American union-busting lawyer, one Alan
Lips, to tell Gap and McDonald's executives how to keep the staff in
line.
Some tactics had a sweet touch to them. 'Companies should win the
hearts and minds of employees by demonstrating care,' he cooed. The
charm offensive will be limited, however. 'Unions and employers are
natural enemies,' Lips told People Management magazine. They are 'an
economic heart attack'.
Corporations should 'threaten to exercise the employer's economic
power to coerce rejection of unions. This can be useful'.
What can he have meant? He couldn't have suggested that union
organisers should be fired because that would be illegal. But he did
hint that McDonald's and the rest should make it clear that promotion
depended on obeying orders.
Staff must be told that their 'loyalty should be to the company, not
the union'. They should be encouraged to wear badges declaring that
they found the thought of democratic representation vile. Those who
refused would, presumably, be making a bad career move.
With opponents like this, unions will inevitably lose as many battles
as they win. The rest of us will be able to enjoy the spectacle of
all those firms which assert that their people are their greatest
asset employing some of the most expensive lawyers in the country to
ensure that their assets are seen but not heard.
_____________________ OTHER ______________________
THE IRRAWADDY ON-LINE: APRIL-MAY EDITION
http://www.irrawaddy.org
The latest edition of The Irrawaddy is now on-line. This issue
includes:
Cover stories on efforts to implement the results of the 1990
elections, including a chronology of key election-related events
covering the past decade
Both sides in the struggle for power in Burma have relied too heavily
on confrontation
An editorial on drugs, democracy, and the demands of the Thai
government and the Burmese people for action on both
An interview with Shan resistance leader Col Yord Serk
An examination of the role of corruption in Burmese society
A look at the possible impact of globalization on Burma
A regional story examining Japan's efforts to become first among
equals in Asia
The conclusion of a three-part series on the past thousand years of
Burmese history, focusing on Burma's relations with its neighbors
A personal account of life inside the Burmese military
And
Special on-line features, including current news, photo galleries,
and the research page, all in addition to regular features from the
print edition, such as news in brief, intelligence, and business.
Articles from previous issues are now available in our on-line
archive.
The Irrawaddy is a publication of the Irrawaddy Publishing Group
(formerly Burma Information Group). IPG is an independent news agency
established by Burmese citizens living in exile and is not affiliated
any political organization. The Irrawaddy seeks to promote press
freedom and access to unbiased information.
________________
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coverage of news and opinion on Burma (Myanmar).
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write to: strider@xxxxxxx
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