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[theburmanetnews] BurmaNet News: Ju
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Subject: [theburmanetnews] BurmaNet News: June 19, 2000
______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
An on-line newspaper covering Burma
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________
June 19, 2000
Issue # 1558
The BurmaNet News is viewable online at:
http://theburmanetnews.editthispage.com
NOTED IN PASSING:
"Like my own people in neighbouring Tibet, you suffer under an
oppressive regime beyond the reach of international relief...We also
share your conviction that we can only achieve a lasting resolution
of our struggle by employing non-violent means. That does not make it
easier. It requires immense determination, for non-violent protest by
its nature depends on patience."
The Dalai Lama in a message to Aung San Suu Kyi. (See BURMA CAMPAIGN
UK: TONY BLAIR, MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, THE DALAI LAMA, DESMOND TUTU AND
OTHERS ON THE OCCASION OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AT
THE ROYAL COURT)
*Inside Burma
REUTERS: MYANMAR SAYS WANTS DEMOCRACY BUT NOT UNDER WEST
AP: MYANMAR'S SUU KYI SAYS WOMEN IN VANGUARD OF DEMOCRACY STRUGGLE
*Regional
BANGKOK POST: FOREIGN MINISTER DEFENDS DECISION NOT TO SUPPORT THE ILO
*International
AP: STATES LOSE TRADE DISCRETION CASE
NEW ECONOMY COMMUNICATIONS: FREE-BURMA ADVOCATES TO PUSH FOR NEW LAWS
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: EXILE KEEPS FAITH DESPITE LONG WAITING GAME
BURMA COURIER: EMBASSY BACKS OFF ENCOUNTER WITH TORONTO ROUNDTABLE
*Opinion/Editorials
BURMA CAMPAIGN UK: TONY BLAIR, MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, THE DALAI LAMA,
DESMOND TUTU AND OTHERS ON THE OCCASION OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AT THE ROYAL COURT
*Other
JOURNAL OF BURMA STUDIES: TABLE OF CONTENTS OF "THE JOURNAL OF BURMA
STUDIES," VOLUME 4
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________
REUTERS: MYANMAR SAYS WANTS DEMOCRACY BUT NOT UNDER WEST
YANGON, June 19 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government said on
Monday it was trying to build democracy, but it would never be a
``democracy under foreign influence.''
Official newspapers carried a speech by Myanmar's powerful
intelligence chief, Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, pledging movement
to democracy but rejecting the meddling of Western nations who wanted
to impose their own democratic models on the country.
``Being a member of (the) world community, Myanmar is also making
every endeavour to follow the correct path of democratic system which
is being practised by most countries in the world,'' the newspapers
quoted the Secretary One of the State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC) as saying.
``But the nation will not become a democratic one under the
influence of others forcibly shaped by some Western nations,'' he
told a meeting of service personnel in Myingyan Township, about 400
miles (640 km) north of Yangon, on Sunday.
He said Myanmar's democracy should be in conformity with the history
of the nation and the people, its customs and character, national
norms based on religion and the solidarity of races living in the
country.
He said some unnamed big Western nations were interfering in the
internal affairs of Myanmar through various means while ``internal
destructive elements had been ``undermining'' the development process
of the country for more than 10 years.
He did not elaborate on the kind of democracy he wanted.
Myanmar's ruling generals held a democratic election in 1990, which
was won by the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) of
Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
But the military authorities have never allowed the NLD to govern
and have arrested many of those elected at the polls.
The military says Myanmar is not ready for democracy and spent some
years organising discussions on a new constitution, under which it
would have held 25 percent of the seats in parliament.
That plan was rejected by the NLD and other opposition groups and a
normal session of a National Convention to prepare a constitution has
not been held since March 1996.
____________________________________________________
AP: MYANMAR'S SUU KYI SAYS WOMEN IN VANGUARD OF DEMOCRACY STRUGGLE
2000-06-19
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Women play a crucial role in Myanmar's
struggle for democracy, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said in a
videotape released Monday.
Suu Kyi spoke in a special message released on the occasion of her
birthday, which is celebrated as ``Women of Burma Day'' by groups
opposed to the country's military regime. Myanmar is also known as
Burma.
``To have peace and unity in our country, women need to lead the
way,'' said Suu Kyi in the tape, which contained messages in both
English and Burmese and was released by a Thai-based opposition
solidarity group on her 55th birthday.
``Women should not underestimate their strength and power,'' she
said.
Suu Kyi heads the National League for Democracy, the main legal
opposition group. The league won a landslide victory in a 1990
general election, but the ruling military did not allow parliament to
convene and continues its authoritarian rule.
Suu Kyi, who won the 1991 Nobel peace prize, was under house arrest
from 1989-95, and hundreds of her fellow party members have been
imprisoned as the party operates under harsh repression.
``Women suffer more when there is no peace and security, and when
there is no health and education development,'' Suu Kyi said. ``It is
the women who have to tend to their children.
``Hence, women should understand that politics and family matters or
survival cannot be separated from each other.''
Suu Kyi said women sometimes have a better understanding of the
struggle for democracy because they strip away all the political
jargon and get down to basic facts.
``What women want is a safer, better life for their children, for
their families. On the surface, this seems narrow and this seems
selfish but it's not like that... If you probe deeper, you find that
there are wells of understanding and empathy.
``Women can empathize with the fate of mothers whose children are in
prison, of wives who have lost their husbands, of women who are
struggling to feed families, of the housewife who goes to the bazaar
daily with her heart pounding in case prices have gone up again.
A Myanmar exile opposition group in India meanwhile reported that
several women's organizations celebrated Women of Burma Day on Monday
in New Delhi.
The Mizzima News Group said 100 Myanmar activists held an hour-long
rally at which several exile women's groups issued a joint statement
urging Myanmar's military government to release all political
prisoners and enter into a dialogue with Suu Kyi to break the
political deadlock in the country.
The statement described Suu Kyi as ``the symbol of inspiration and
hope for the Burmese people who have been struggling for democracy
and human rights in the country.''
___________________________ REGIONAL ___________________________
BANGKOK POST: FOREIGN MINISTER DEFENDS DECISION NOT TO SUPPORT THE ILO
MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2000
Over resolution on Burma
Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan has defended Thailand's decision to
withhold support for an International Labour Organisation resolution
on forced labour in Burma.
Thailand abstained because the resolution would have put too much
pressure on Burma, and more information was needed to clarify the
issue, he said.
"The resolution placed pressure on members to act upon it. "Thailand
considers all parties should do some fact-finding,'' the minister
said.
The ILO resolution called for governments, workers and employers
to "review their links with Burma and take appropriate measures to
ensure Burma cannot take advantage of such relations to perpetuate or
extend the system of forced or compulsory labour."
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam
voted against the proposal.
Thailand would await the outcome of a thorough examination of the
accusations against Burma, expected in four months, Mr Surin said.
A total of 31 ILO members abstained from the vote on Wednesday, while
257 were for and 41 against the motion.
The ILO governing body compromised by postponing deliberation of the
resolution until they meet again in November to review whether Burma
is making serious efforts to stamp out forced labour.
Foreign Ministry officials viewed the resolution as being drafted in
favour of the United States and other western nations.
They said it was too harsh on Burma.
One official acknowledged that the Asean version did not truly
reflect the serious situation in Burma.
A similar resolution by the ILO on Burma last year was largely
ignored by Rangoon.
The Burmese junta has argued that the labour situation was improving.
__________________ INTERNATIONAL __________________
AP: STATES LOSE TRADE DISCRETION CASE
Washington
June 19, 2000
by LAURIE ASSEO Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court on Monday made it harder for
states to refuse to buy from companies that do business in nations
known for human-rights abuses.
The unanimous decision essentially said that states have no business
engaging in foreign policy. The court threw out a Massachusetts law
that limits state purchases from companies doing business with
Myanmar, also known as Burma.
The law is pre-empted by the federal government's own sanctions
against Myanmar, the justices said.
''The state act is at odds with the president's intended authority to
speak for the United States among the world's nations in developing
a comprehensive, multilateral strategy to bring democracy to and
improve human rights practices and the quality of life in Burma,''
Justice David H. Souter wrote for the court.
The Massachusetts law is similar to the boycotts of South Africa by
many states and cities during the apartheid era.
However, Souter wrote, ''Since we never ruled on whether state and
local sanctions against South Africa in the 1980s were pre-empted or
otherwise invalid, arguable parallels between the two sets of
federal and state acts do not tell us much about the validity of the
latter.''
The decision upholds a federal appeals court decision that
invalidated the Massachusetts law.
A number of state and local governments, including New York City and
Los Angeles, restrict their purchases from companies doing business
in countries such as Myanmar, Northern Ireland and China.
During the 1980s, many states and cities protested racial apartheid
in South Africa by boycotting companies that sold goods to that
nation.
Massachusetts -- home of the 1773 Boston Tea Party in which
colonists dumped tea in Boston Harbor rather than pay taxes to
England -- argued that it had a right to apply a ''moral standard''
to its spending decisions.
But the law was challenged by a group that represents companies
involved in foreign trade. Foreign policy must be exclusively
controlled by the federal government, the National Foreign Trade
Council said, because allowing states and cities to have a variety
of foreign-trade policies would harm trade overall.
The Clinton administration supported the group, citing the federal
government's ''preeminent role in acting for the United States in
the international arena.''
____________________________________________________
NEW ECONOMY COMMUNICATIONS: FREE-BURMA ADVOCATES TO PUSH FOR NEW LAWS
Respond to Supreme Court Decision on Massachusetts "Burma Law"
June 20, 2000
Free Burma activists in Massachusetts and many cities including New
York City, Minneapolis, and San Francisco will launch a new round of
legislative efforts to use the purchasing power of state and local
government to discourage companies from doing business with the
brutal military regime in Burma. The state of Massachusetts and
twenty three cities had passed laws that sought to avoid doing
business with companies that indirectly supported the Burmese
generals by providing the cash-starved junta with foreign exchange
and profits.
In response to the Supreme Court's decision striking down
Massachusetts' "selective purchasing law" state Representative Byron
Rushing, announced his intent to introduce legislation that replaces
the existing law and complies with the Supreme Court's ruling. "It
is a shame that the Supreme Court has ruled against the strategy that
helped end Apartheid in South Africa," said Rushing, "But the Court's
decision leaves room for state and local governments to heed moral
concerns in the way they do business in the global economy. I want
all advocates for human rights and democracy, especially in Burma, to
be assured that the campaign for human rights and democracy is
redirected, not blocked."
According to the U.S. State Department, the United Nations, and
international human rights organizations, the military government of
Burma continues to engage in flagrant human rights violations. These
include use of forced labor, systematic rape and extrajudicial
killings, forced relocation of hundreds of thousands of minority
citizens, torture and imprisonment of pro-democracy advocates
including elected members of Parliament. The Massachusetts Burma law
was modeled after anti-Apartheid "selective purchasing" laws adopted
by 25 states and 164 local governments in the 1980s.
Across the nation, local legislators and members of the Free Burma
Coalition announced a campaign to enact a new generation of Burma
laws. According to Dr. Zar Ni of the Free Burma Coalition, "The
Court's decision will not abate our efforts to stop foreign
investment from flowing to the military junta in Burma. Our message
to multinational corporations is clear: We will fight, by all
nonviolent means, any corporation that tacitly condones human rights
violations abroad through their business ties with thugs and
illegitimate rulers, be they in Burma or elsewhere."
The Free Burma Coalition is circulating a four-part model for local
advocates to draw from in composing legislation to replace their
existing Burma laws. These options include:
Selective purchasing Avoid companies that benefit from human
rights violations. While the Court's decision would limit such
a purchasing standard regarding business in Burma, the Court
leaves open this possibility with respect to business in all other
countries.
Disclosure -- Disclose business in Burma before a company may bid on
procurement. Accountability Pension funds vote for
shareholder resolutions on corporate accountability.
Divestment - Public investors simply sell their shares to avoid the
moral taint of ownership. Petition to Congress Ask Congress to
authorize selective purchasing.
Representatives of the pro-democracy movement in Burma expressed
their continued support for state and local advocacy in the United
States. "Renewal of local Burma laws can continue to highlight the
economic links between trade and repression in my country," said Dr.
Sein Win, Prime Minister for the National Coalition Government of the
Union of Burma (NCGUB), who represents the elected government that
was deposed by the Burmese military junta. He added, "As recently as
February, Aung San Suu Kyi (the Nobel Laureate and leader of the
democracy movement in Burma) reminded us that, 'By investing now,
business is supporting the military regime. The real benefits of
investment now go to the military regime and their connections.'"
The Supreme Court ruled against the Massachusetts law on preemption
grounds alone. First, the Court concluded that the Massachusetts law
was an obstacle to the congressional delegation of power to the
President to control economic sanctions against Burma. Second, the
Court concluded that the state law interfered with the limited range
of sanctions authorized by Congress. Third, the Court concluded that
the state law was at odds with the President's delegated authority to
speak for the United States in order to develop a comprehensive,
multilateral strategy to promote democracy in Burma.
The Massachusetts Burma law was adopted in 1996, three months before
Congress authorized federal sanctions against Burma. Unlike the
federal sanctions that ban private investment in Burma, the
Massachusetts law only limits purchasing by the state government. It
provided a 10% preference for bids from companies that avoid doing
business in Burma unless the preference would impair essential
purchases or result in inadequate competition. In addition to
Massachusetts, there are 22 cities or counties whose local Burma laws
could be affected by the Supreme Court's decision.
Within hours of the Supreme Court's decision, local advocates
announced that they will seek new legislation in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, San Francisco and several Massachusetts cities. (See
contacts below.) Other cities are expected to follow.
"Over the next six months, we plan to introduce new Free-Burma laws
in several key cities and states in New England. Our message to
corporations is clear: If you do business in Burma, your business
will suffer in New England," said Simon Billenness, coordinator of
the New England Burma roundtable.
____________________________________________________
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: EXILE KEEPS FAITH DESPITE LONG WAITING GAME
Monday, June 19, 2000
WILLIAM BARNES
Sann Aung will tomorrow marry a fellow native of Bassein, the centre
of the watery delta region west of the Burmese capital, Rangoon. He
only wishes his octogenarian parents where there to see it.
"I have not seen them for 10 years. It is painful," said Mr Sann
Aung. Nor does the labour minister in the National Coalition
Government of the Union of Burma, an opposition exile group, expect
to be reunited with his family soon.
"I fear we will have to struggle for a while yet," Mr Sann Aung said.
That meant the continuation of many miseries in his homeland, he
said, not least the practice of forcing people, who are already
fighting to make ends meet in a shattered economy, to undertake
unpaid and often unpleasant work for the military Government.
"I meet many, many people who have fled from the country. This is the
thing that often breaks them, makes them flee. It's just too much."
The International Labour Organisation (ILO), a UN-affiliated body,
last week voted 257 to 41 to impose, for the first time, sanctions
against a member country to punish Burma's junta for its use of
forced labour.
The military regime hardly helped its cause by resolutely denying
that forced labour still existed, while acknowledging it might have
been practised sometimes in the past, said Mr Sann Aung. This
contradicts the ILO's own damning 1998 investigation and two
subsequent updates.
The International Confederation of Free Trades Unions, which
initiated the unprecedented ILO vote, estimates that 800,000 Burmese
are daily victims of forced labour.
"Just a few days ago I met a mother and daughter in a very bad
emotional state. They had fled from the Shan State because demands
for forced labour made it impossible for them to make enough to eat,"
Mr Sann Aung said. "They were very worried about the father, who had
had to leave earlier because the army suspected that he might be a
rebel. He wasn't, but the army has a suspicious and vengeful mind."
Mr Sann Aung was a dentist working quietly in Bassein until 1988,
when his interest in politics was ignited by nationwide protests
against military rule. Although he is now a firm supporter of Aung
San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, he stood as an
independent in the 1990 election, which the league won by a
landslide, a result the military has never accepted.
His fear that nothing much will change soon stems from the knowledge
that the generals are running a country where the national coffers
are nearly exhausted and where they fear for their own personal
futures under any non-military regime.
"So, no change soon. But when things do start to happen I think it
could come in a rush. We could surprise the world."
____________________________________________________
BURMA COURIER: EMBASSY BACKS OFF ENCOUNTER WITH TORONTO ROUNDTABLE
Copy of a letter sent to the Toronto Burma Roundtable: June 6, 2000
(abridged)
When the Embassy enquired about [attending] the [Toronto] Roundtable
it was not meant for the Ambassador himself to attend, we just
enquired whether your organization would invite a representative from
the Embassy also, because we learnt that the representatives from
Canada Embassy in Bangkok and the Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade were also invited to some of the Roundtable
meetings.
As an Embassy representing the Government of the Union of Myanmar, we
try to keep track and / or keep in touch with all Myanmar Communities
and Organizations dedicated to the country. Our enquiry was what
kind of organization the Toronto Roundtable is, what kind of people
attend to it and whether it is an open public forum.
The Roundtable meetings we are interested in are the ones where the
representatives from the Deparrment of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade and represntatives from Canada Embassy in Bangkok
attend, and the regular Toronto Roundtable monthly meetings.
Yin Yin Oo, First Secretary, Embassy of the Union of Myanmar ------
_________________OPINION/EDITORIALS________________
BURMA CAMPAIGN UK: TONY BLAIR, MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, THE DALAI LAMA,
DESMOND TUTU AND OTHERS ON THE OCCASION OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AT THE ROYAL COURT
June 18, 2000
I suppose the only way to begin this birthday message is with a big
thank you. Thank you for organizing this event and thank you for
organizing 55 candles if that is what you have organized. It makes me
feel very old but at the same time I think it's marvelous to have
lots and lots of candles because it means lots and lots of light.
Which brings me to what I really want to say. Thank you for all that
you have done to help the cause of democracy in Burma and for using
this event to further the cause to bring light to our people who are
struggling in the darkness of authoritarian rule.
In Burma, of the 53 years of independence, we have had about 40 years
of authoritarian rule. That is too much. Our years of maturity have
been taken away from us. For this reason we have to work doubly hard
that we may be able to hold our heads within the international
community. And we would like to thank all of you, all of the world
who are helping us to be able to achieve this, who are helping us to
become mature and effective members of the international community.
So I would like to thank you once again. And to say that I hope on my
56th birthday, we will be celebrating not just one more year of my
life but the achievement of democracy in Burma.
Thank you.
The Prime Minister Tony Blair
I join you tonight in wishing Happy Birthday to a truly remarkable
figure, one of the icons of our age. Despite huge personal sacrifice,
Aung San Suu Kyi remains undaunted in her struggle for the rule of
law and democracy in Burma. She is an inspiration, not only to her
fellow Burmese but to millions across the globe.
Ten years ago, the Burmese military set aside the people's verdict.
Burma cannot expect to be welcomed into the international fold until
that injustice is put right. We stand with Aung San Suu Kyi in
demanding an end to tyranny and human rights abuse.
Madeleine K Albright
Dear Suu Kyi,
Today we join together across oceans and continents to celebrate the
day of your birth and to anticipate Burma's rebirth as a democratic
society. We celebrate your bravery and sacrifice, and that of your
many Burmese allies. We celebrate your struggle for change and your
faith that the Burmese people will, one day soon, celebrate their
liberty in a free Burma.
Although that day has not yet come, the ruling junta in Burma has
failed to destroy its inevitability. The regime has arrested hundreds
of innocent Burmese citizens and launched personal attacks against
you and your colleagues; and yet the democracy movement carries on.
The regime has used such tactics to intimidate the Burmese people,
but the effect has been to demonstrate its own weakness and
insecurity. It has tried to discredit you and the NLD, yet virtually
the entire world recognizes you as the legitimate voice of the
Burmese people.
The Burmese people have a modest objective: a government that they
have chosen and that is accountable to them. We and our partners from
Asia to Europe support to struggle to achieve this objective. We join
you in seeking a peaceful transition to democracy and the rule of law
in Burma. This cause is a matter of urgent concern for the United
Nations. It will be pursued at our meetings with the Association of
South East Asian Nations this July. The international consensus is
clear: the Burmese government will not be reconciled with the world
until it is reconciled with its own people.
Your courageous and steadfast commitment to that goal inspires us and
gives us confidence that it will be achieved. We will be with you
every step of the way.
I extend my fondest wishes for a happy birthday and for happier days
to come.
His Holiness's The Dalai Lama
On the occasion of her fifty-fifth birthday, I wish Aung San Suu Kyi
and all the people of Burma peace, happiness and a long life.
Like my own people in neighbouring Tibet, you suffer under an
oppressive regime beyond the reach of international relief. Tibetans
too know what it is to exchange freedom and contentment for longing
and fear. We also share your conviction that we can only achieve a
lasting resolution of our struggle by employing non-violent means.
That does not make it easier. It requires immense determination, for
non-violent protest by its nature depends on patience.
Aung San Suu Kyi, your inspiring leadership is crucial. By your own
determined passive resistance you encourage the finding of a
peaceful, non-violent way for the forces of freedom, truth and
democracy to emerge from the current atmosphere of unjust repression.
Therefore, once again, I offer my prayers for the freedom and well-
being of all the Burmese people, for you and the members of your
family. And I also pray that your efforts may contribute to lasting
world peace, for the practice of genuine non-violence is something of
an experiment on this planet. Its pursuit is sacred. If the
experiment ultimately succeeds in places like Burma, it will surely
open the way to a far more peaceful world in the future.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Very dear friends gathered here tonight,
I welcome you so very warmly to this wonderful occasion, organised by
The Burma Campaign UK, to celebrate the fifty-fifth birthday of a
remarkable person: Aung Sun Suu Kyi.
I wish so very much that I could be with you physically, as I am with
you in spirit, as we all wish that Aung Sun Suu Kyi herself would
have been able to be present with you on this occasion.
But we know that the scared men of the military junta, armed to the
teeth, are frightened of this petite, attractive person Aung Sun Suu
Kyi, and would not let her travel unless she was willing not to
return to Burma.
And you know how mean-spirited they were in not even allowing her
dying husband to pay her a last visit, for him to come and say
goodbye to her.
But I know that we will carry her in our hearts as we celebrate
tonight, and look forward to the day when Burma will be free, when
democracy will be born in that land, and then we will be able to
celebrate together on that occasion.
You know, dear friends, there were very many moments in our struggle
against apartheid when it appeared as if the forces of evil were on
the rampage, as if evil and lies and injustice and oppression would
have the last word.
Wonderfully, exhilaratingly we have won a spectacular victory over
the awfulness of apartheid, and today South Africa is free and
democratic.
We were supported by the world. People such as yourselves supported
our cause for sanctions. Thank you for that support. And we want to
call on the world: "For goodness sake you can do something, you can
impose stringent economic sanctions on the military regime of Burma
and they too can, as the apartheid rulers, bite the dust."
My dear sister, Aung Sun Suu Kyi, your very beautiful picture that
you sent me hangs in my office in Cape Town. And when I come into the
office of The Truth and Reconcilliation Commission you don't know
just how much inspiration and strength many of us have drawn from
your courageous witness.
You have suffered grieviously, and yet you have remained so serene
and beautiful. You are able to smile in the face of ghastly
awfulness. Let this be the last birthday you celebrate as someone
restricted.
And you, friends, who are here tonight, thank you for coming. And I
am sure that all of you will have been inspired by the witness and
the courage of this attractive person. And that this will make you
commit yourself to wanting to work for the end of the injustice in
Burma.
As you go away from here take in your heart that inspiration, and
make sure that you are going to help make a difference. You see, the
sea is made up of drops of water, the contribution of each one of us
here, and of people in other parts of the world, is not something
that is going to be lost and disappear into the ether. It goes to
impregnate the ether. For this is a moral universe. Good and wrong
matter, lies and truth matter, and there is no way in which evil and
injustice and oppression and lies can ever ultimately prevail.
I know that one day we will celebrate a free, a democratic Burma.
God bless you
Leader of the opposition Conservative Party - The Rt Hon William
Hague MP I am delighted to send my support and best wishes to Aung
San Suu Kyi and everyone attending her 55th birthday celebrations.
I am confident that this celebration will go some way in fulfilling
the aim of The Burma Campaign UK and help highlight Aung San Suu
Kyi's courageous struggle for a free and democratic Burma.
have an enjoyable evening.
Glenys Kinnock MEP
"Do not think lightly of good, that nothing will come of it. A whole
water pot will fill up from dripping drops of water" - This was said
by the Buddha, and it speaks loudly to me about the potential you and
I have for supporting the pursuit of freedom in Burma. But I am more
ambitious, I believe we can become an ocean.
An epic struggle is currently taking place in Burma. A struggle which
has gone unnoticed for too long. But as always the world's attention
slowly shifts. And as it shifts we can see, coming into sharp focus,
a group of men sitting nervously in their green uniforms, medals and
braid. Across the city of Rangoon, where they reside, sits a friend
of mine, who without malice let alone uniforms, tanks or guns,
embodies the determination of a people to be free - her name is Aung
San Suu Kyi. One night after meeting Suu I found a scrap of paper on
my pillow in my hotel bedroom in Rangoon. It was inscribed with her
name - nothing more. That simple act took infinite courage. Aung San
Suu Kyi's people want freedom from a regime as tyrannical and
secretive as any the modern era has seen - a regime engaged in
killings, rape, genocide and the perpetration of relentless misery. I
have seen these tragic realities for myself and I remain convinced
that we must respond to this terrible human suffering. We have a duty
and a responsibility to call for political action.
In Burma each and every day thousands are risking their lives for
freedom, thousands are suffering in prisons for freedom, while their
brothers and sisters beyond Burma's borders work hard for the day
they can return home, to a free land. All refuse to give up until
this struggle is won. And it will be won, have no doubt of that - it
is a matter of when, not if. This is where we have a role. The
architects of Burma's freedom are hard at work and we can provide
their building blocks.
Sometimes dictators do stand down, sometimes elections are honoured,
sometimes people eventually gain their freedom - but this usually
happens when all of us, at some point, fight for it.
Fergal Keane
For Suu - A Personal Tribute
Aung San Suu Kyi is a figure of extraordinary stature both within and
outside Burma. Yet she has the grace and humility of one who might
appear to have no power at all. That is the secret of her
extraordinary power. Grace, humility and of course the courage of the
truly heroic. We live in an age when it is fashionable for
politicians to throw heroic shapes; invariably they do so backed up
by mighty armies, from the safety of peaceful cities. The Lady of
Rangoon has no army or guns. She has never threatened violence,
indeed she abhors it with an intensity that only those who have met
her can appreciate. Yet this woman of no weapons frightens the most
ruthless military regime in the world.
Why? I think it is because she embodies the power of a simple idea:
central to our human survival must be the belief that we have the
right to live free from fear. That is why we have human rights laws
and democracy. Aung San Suu Kyi understands that these are not
abstracts. In a country like Burma where this idea is daily trampled
into the ground, it takes extraordinary spirit to keep going, to keep
fighting the fight. (Five minutes in her company and you recognise
the deep well spring of determination inside.)
Burma is not like apartheid South Africa. It is much, much worse.
People sometimes say to me: why doesn't she urge people to rise up
against the government? Why don't they launch an armed struggle? Such
questions ignore two fundamental points: firstly, any such action
would result in a bloodbath of a kind that would make the South
African police response at Sharpeville look moderate. Burma has an
ongoing bloodbath in which its' minorities are savagely targeted, the
military has already shown its willingness to shoot down unarmed pro
democracy demonstrators. Secondly, when you are the leader of a
peaceful 'spiritual' revolution taking a gun to your enemies negates
the entire premise on which you fight. Aung San Suu Kyi should be
praised for not launching an armed struggle which would see her
people brutalised yet further.
If she were here tonight, I am sure she would be embarrassed by the
fuss. Privately happy of course but making a point of looking out for
other people. (One of my warmest memories is of a lunch in Rangoon
with Suu hovering around the table making sure the older members of
the party were well taken care of.) I can think of many world leaders
who have shown toughness and courage; I cannot think of any who could
add to that list Aung San Suu Kyi's qualities of personal warmth and
humility. Do I believe she will triumph in the end? Of course, of
course. To quote an old slogan: nothing can stop an idea whose time
has come. The idea is the simplest yet most hard won of all -
freedom. Freedom. And the time is coming. Happy Birthday Suu.
_____________________ OTHER ______________________
JOURNAL OF BURMA STUDIES: TABLE OF CONTENTS OF "THE JOURNAL OF BURMA
STUDIES," VOLUME 4
(subscription information at the bottom)
"THE NORTH WIND AND THE SUN: Japan's Response To The Political Crisis
in
Burma, 1988-1998," by Donald M. Seekins
Japan's response to the political crisis in Burma after the
establishment of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC)
in September 1988 reflected the interests of powerful constituencies
within the Japanese political system, especially business interests,
to which were added other constituencies such as domestic supporters
of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's struggle for democracy and those who wished
to pursue 'Sun Diplomacy,' using positive incentives to encourage
democratization and economic reform. Policymakers in Tokyo, however,
approached the Burma crisis seeking to take minimal risks--a "maximin
strategy"--which limited their effectiveness in influencing the
junta. This was evident in the February 1989 "normalization" of
Tokyo's ties with SLORC. During 1989-1998, Japanese business leaders
pushed hard to promote economic engagement, but "Sun Diplomacy" made
little progress in the face of the junta's increasing repression of
the democratic opposition.
"POTTERY IN THE CHIN HILLS," by Charlotte Reith
During my research on contemporary pottery villages in Burma, I was
given
the name of one such village, Lente, by a native now living in the
United
States. Lente is located in the Chin Hills, a remote area of western
Burma
difficult to access, inhabited by many tribes speaking a large number
of
languages. Foreigners are rarely given permission to visit the Chin
Hills,
and although I obtained permission to travel to Lente, I was
ultimately
prevented by the authorities from going further than nearby Falam. I
was nevertheless able to collect data from Lente in three ways:
first, my guide Daw Moe Moe was able to visit Lente and take
photographs of the potters there; secondly, Daw Moe Moe was able to
return to Falam with a potter from Lente village and with enough of
the proper kind of clay to facilitate a demonstration which I
photographed and documented; and thirdly, I was given a copy of a
videotape showing the potters working in Lente village. This tape was
taken by a young man from Falam who is interested in recording local
crafts processes. The tape allowed me to observe a process of making
pots with which I was totally unacquainted, and which has otherwise
escaped recent photographic or video documentation. This was a
true "discovery" concerning the ways in which pots can be made, and
still another indication of the imagination and ingenuity of
humankind.
"LANGUAGES IN CONTACT: The Case of English and Burmese," by Julian
Wheatley, with San San Hnin Tun
This article deals with the nature and the effects of the long period
of linguistic contact between Burmese and English. Part 1 deals with
general issues of contact and borrowing; part 2 provides examples of
English loanwords in Burmese, and considers the processes of
phonological and semantic accommodation that they reflect.
"SARIPUTTA AND MOGGALLANA IN THE GOLDEN LAND: The Relics of the
Buddha's Chief Disciples at the Kaba Aye Pagoda," by Jack Daulton
In this article, the author reconstructs and documents the story of
the relics of the Buddha's chief disciples, Sariputta and Moggallana,
at the Kaba Aye Pagoda in Burma. Using previously unpublished
archival materials, including first-hand archaeological reports and
internal museum documents, as well as contemporary newspaper
accounts, the author details the discovery of the relics by British
military officers in 19th-century
India, the subsequent removal of the relics to England where they
were placed on museum exhibition, and their eventual reenshrinement
in Burma and India 100 years later.
Purchase information:
Subscriptions to The Journal of Burma Studies are $16.00 for one
volume
per year, shipping included. Paid members of the Burma Studies Group
of
the Association for Asian Studies (membership is $25 a year) receive
the
annual issue of The Journal of Burma Studies along with two semi-
annual
issues of the Bulletin of the Burma Studies Group. Add US$10 to
ensure air
mail delivery. Send subscriptions and memberships to: Center for
Burma Studies, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb IL 60115, USA;
Phone: (815)
753-0512; FAX: (815) 753-1776; E-Mail: seap@xxxxxxx
________________
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For a subscription to Burma's only free daily newspaper, write to:
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