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______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________

June 29, 2000

Issue # 1566


The BurmaNet News is viewable online at:
http://theburmanetnews.editthispage.com
	
*Inside Burma

KYODO: MILITARY JUNTA CONDEMNS WHO REPORT ON HEALTH CARE

BBC: BRIDGE-BUILDING MISSION TO BURMA

KNU MERGUI-TAVOY DISTRICT INFORMATION DEPARTMENT:  BURMA ARMY-- MEANS 
OF THEIR MILITARY TRANSPORTATION IS FORCED PORTERING

*Regional

THE NATION: REFUGEES CLAIM THAI SOLDIERS BEAT THEM 

BANGKOK POST:  CHUAN WANTS MORE PRESSURE ON BURMA TO TAKE BACK ITS 
PEOPLE

DPA: EYE OF THE NEEDLE' AT THREE PAGODA PASS

*International

DAILY CALIFORNIAN (U CAL. BERKELEY): BERKELEY RECONSIDERS BOYCOTT OF 
BURMA

FREE BURMA COALITION: BURMESE POLITICAL REFUGEES RESETTLE IN NEW 
ZEALAND


*Economy/Business

AFP: BEST WESTERN HOTELS PULLS OUT OF MYANMAR 

FREE BURMA COALITION/BURMA FORUM L.A.: BEST WESTERN HOTELS LEAVES 
BURMA!
			
*Opinion/Editorials

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: WHO REPORT ON MYANMAR HEALTH CARE SERVICES 
UNFAIR

*Other

LANDMINE MONITOR AND NONVIOLENCE INTERNATIONAL:  STATE OF LANDMINE 
POLLUTION IN BURMA AND ITS IMPACT FOR FUTURE PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT

TREND MICRO ANTIVIRUS: W97M_SHERLOCK (NEW NON-DESTRUCTIVE MACRO VIRUS 
REPORTED IN-THE-WILD)





__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________
	

 
KYODO: MILITARY JUNTA CONDEMNS WHO REPORT ON HEALTH CARE

YANGON, June 29 (Oana-Kyodo) - A senior leader of Burma's military 
junta has condemned a World Health Organization (WHO) report that 
puts Burma near the bottom in terms of global health care, local 
newspapers said today.  

WHO, in its ''World Health Report 2000,'' graded Burma 190th in 
overall health system performance of 191 countries surveyed.  

''The WHO report, based on false information from antigovernment 
sources aimed at tarnishing the image of the country, is unjust and 
unacceptable,'' junta secretary Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt said at a meeting 
of the national health committee in Rangoon yesterday, the papers 
said.  

''(the) astonishingly unjust report...turns a blind eye to Burma's 
achievements and cooperation with the WHO in health services in the 
country...It amounts to the bullying of small developing countries,'' 
the general charged.  

Khin Nyunt is chairman of the health committee. 

A press release by the ministry of health, also reported in today's 
newspapers, said, ''the ministry of health has learnt with deep 
regret that WHO...ranks myanmar near the bottom of the list 
notwithstanding the significant gains made by Burma's health system 
in recent years. The ministry finds it highly objectionable that 
unreliable methods have been employed to arrive at the assessment.''  

''It is tantamount to an insult to the patriotic health personnel who 
are dedicated and are providing health care. The ministry totally 
rejects the assessment,'' the release concluded.  


____________________________________________________


BBC: BRIDGE-BUILDING MISSION TO BURMA

Thursday, 29 June, 2000, 11:27 GMT 12:27 UK 


The Burmese military shows little sign of relinquishing power 

By regional analyst Larry Jagan 

The United Nations' special envoy for Burma, Razali Ismail, has 
arrived in Rangoon for talks aimed at encouraging dialogue between 
the military government and the opposition National League for 
Democracy.  

It will be his first official visit since the UN Secretary General 
Kofi Annan appointed him earlier this year after the resignation of 
his predecessor, Alvaro de Soto.  

During the three-day visit Mr Razali will also be assessing the human 
rights situation in a country frequently the target of strong western 
criticism on the issue.  

The UN has been involved in trying to break the deadlock between 
Burma's military leaders and the pro-democracy opposition led by Aung 
San Suu Kyi for more than 10 years.  

But successive envoys to Burma, including a human rights rapporteur, 
have made little progress in getting the two sides to talk to each 
other.  

The international community is now hoping that Mr Razali, a senior 
Malaysian diplomat and close confidant of Malaysia's Prime Minister 
Mahathir Mohamad, may be able to produce some concrete changes.  

Unlike his predecessor, Alvaro De Soto, the new envoy has been 
mandated to work solely on Burma.  

Asian diplomat 

Following his appointment in April, Burma's Foreign Minister, U Win 
Aung, remarked cautiously that as an Asian, Mr Razali ought to 
understand more about the region than did his predecessor.  

Many Asian diplomats have also welcomed his appointment, hoping that 
Dr Mahathir's support may help Burma's Generals recognise the need 
for democratic change in the country.  

According to diplomatic sources in Rangoon, Mr Razali's visit is 
being seen as a fact-finding and exposure trip.  

He is expected to meet Burma's head of State, General Than Shwe and 
the military intelligence chief Lt General Khin Nyunt as well as Aung 
San Suu Kyi.  

Malaysian sources close to Mr Razali said he wanted his visit to be a 
low-key affair and wasn't going to make his itinerary public.  

Developing trust 

They said Mr Razali hoped to make frequent visits to Rangoon in 
future and try to develop trust on both sides through regular 
contact.  

The Association of South-East Asian Nations is also anxious to see 
Burma be more conciliatory towards the opposition leader.  

It is keen to convince the generals that economic development and 
democracy go hand in hand.  

However, Burma's military rulers have steadfastly refused to hand 
over power to a civilian government, even though the National League 
for Democracy convincingly won the national elections 10 years ago.  

So far Burma's Generals have ignored Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD's 
frequent appeals for the military to enter a meaningful dialogue on 
the country's political future.  

Western and Asian diplomats alike are hoping that the Malaysian envoy 
may have more success than his predecessors have had. 









____________________________________________________


KNU MERGUI-TAVOY DISTRICT INFORMATION DEPARTMENT:  BURMA ARMY-- MEANS 
OF THEIR MILITARY TRANSPORTATION IS FORCED PORTERING 

June 28, 2000
 

An interview with an escaped porter from Burma army's troops.  
Interview date: 25.06.00

 

Note:

There are at least 25 battalions of SPDC's troop assigned for the 
frontline areas in Tenasserim River region in Tenasserim Division. 
During and after the SPDC's troop occupied this area in 1997, the 
only military transportation was forced local villagers for their 
transportation needs. Villagers were regularly forced to carry 
military food and other supplies to those frontlime camps. In 
addition, they were forced as porter for military operations. Being a 
porter for military operation is danger than being military regular 
porter. There are three major military camps, where the villagers 
were forced to transport the military supplies. Those are Htee Hta 
camp, Katawnni camp and Aungthawara camp.  
 

 

 

Name:                    Ko Than Shwe

Sex:                       Male

Age:                       30 Yr.

Father's name:          U Chit Tin, Daw Ohn Shwe

Ethnicity:               Burmese

Religion:                Buddhist

Occupation:           Farmer

Address:                Chaung Wa Byin village, Thayetchaung 
township, Tavoy                     District, Tenasserim Division 
 

 

 

Me and three other villagers from my village have started to serve as 
in term (regular) porter on May 3, 2000. We along with other 
villagers from neighboring villages were sent to the Light Infantry 
Battalion 404 base in Thechaung Gyi village. There, more than two 
hundreds porters already arrived at that military camp. On May 4, we 
more than two hundred porters were forced to carry military food 
supplies from Thecahung Gyi to the east of Thayetchaung township to 
Katawnni village where the Operation Commending HQ No.9 based.  
 

Only the porters are on the travel and no soldiers guarding us. When 
we left, the SPDC authorities have given us the list of the supplies 
we have to carry. When we arrived to the destination camp, the SPDC 
soldiers inspect the load and the list. If the list do not fix with 
the load the porters will be facing action. The SPDC soldiers 
punished them by kicking, beating, and punching. In addition, when 
they arrived back to their village they have to pay for compensation 
in double for the lost. Therefore, there is no easy ways being a 
porter. We have to carry our own food while serving as porter. Some 
villagers have their own food to carry with but some who earn their 
living in difficulties could not. They were not allowed to take any 
bit of the military food they are carrying. Therefore, some poor 
villagers who could not carried their own food; have taken a small 
amount of military food to eat on the way. Those who done this did 
faced the SPDC's official punishment. Sometimes it happened often 
that the SPDC patrolling troops took away some food they want from 
the porter or the KNU troops confiscated or destroyed the food the 
porter are transporting. If it happened like that the village tract, 
the porter came from have to take responsible by returning double 
price for the lost supplies to the military. 
 

Serve as in term porter you were allowed to go back to your village 
after you have served your term. Nevertheless, often during your 
term, the SPDC soldiers could conscript you for the front line porter 
anytime. Me and U Aung Than, 47 yr. were conscripted as the frontline 
porters after arrived to the Katawnni village.  
 

On May 10, we left from Katawnni village with 50 porters followed a 
military column of Light Infantry Battalion 376 to Htee Hta village 
to the east in Tenasserim Riverside. One porter has to carry 24 
Kilograms of rice, three milk-can, three meat-can, two bottle of fuel 
(One and half Litre. 2 kilo. weigh included bottle). From Katawnni to 
Htee Hta it took four days walk by foot. Some porters who walk slow 
and did not catch up military column were beaten, kicked, and 
punched. For those who got sick, have no chance to rest. After we 
arrived to Htee Hta we were not allowed to return instead we were 
further used as military field porters. Those who got sick did not 
receive any treatment from the military instead we have to buy from 
the soldiers one Paracitamol tablet cost 5 kyat. For those who have 
no money have no chance to get any medicine. In this camp, malaria 
and sickness are severe and people died almost every day. My fellow U 
Aung Than has died at Htee Htan camp because of malaria and has not 
received any treatment.  
 

I stayed at Htee Hta camp for more than ten days. Every day we were 
forced to work for the soldiers clear the bushes around the camps. On 
May 31, the troops from Operation Commanding HQ No.8 has arrived to 
this camp and we the porters along with the troops of Operation 
Commanding HQ No.9 left for Myitta village. On June 4, we arrived to 
Myitta village. On that day, I ran away because I fear that they may 
force me again to serve as porter. After I have ran away I decided 
not to return to my village because I have not received a 
recommendation sheet from the military that I have done my porter 
duty. When you return without this paper the village SPDC authority 
used to blame that you ran away from porter duty and they will arrest 
you and forced you to serve as porter again. Therefore, I decided to 
coming to Thailand and looking to earn my living for a while. 
 







___________________________ REGIONAL ___________________________
					

THE NATION: REFUGEES CLAIM THAI SOLDIERS BEAT THEM 

 June 29, 2000.



TAK - Displaced Burmese in Mae Hla camp will submit a complaint to 
Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai that they were beaten by Thai soldiers, 
a source in the camp said yesterday.  

The complaint will be submitted when the premier makes a visit to the 
camp this Sunday, the Burmese source said.  

"The Thai soldiers beat us several times. We are under pressure 
particularly after the seizure of the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok last 
year and the takeover of a hospital in Ratchaburi province in 
January," he said.  

Chuan is scheduled to make his first visit to Mae Hla camp in Tak 
province's Tha Song Yang district on Sunday, during which he will be 
briefed on the camp's operation and related problems.  

Meanwhile, Nerdah Mya, the Karen National Union's deputy secretary 
for foreign affairs, said Mae Hla camp and Baan Umpium camp in Tak's 
Pop Phra district are big markets for amphetamines produced in 
factories operated by United Wa State Army (UWSA) along the Thai-
Burma border.  

"We have learnt that there are some 20 factories belonging to UWSA 
and Democratic Karen Buddhists Army (DKBA) in areas opposite Tak and 
Mae Hong Son provinces that have produced millions of amphetamine 
tablets," Nerdah Mya said. DKBA was a splinter group of the KNU and 
is now under control of the Burmese government.  

Tak and Mae Hong Son are also used as a transit point for 
distribution of the amphetamines to other areas of Thailand.  

KNU will soon attack the factories along the border, Nerdah Mya said, 
adding that the UWSA and DKBA pay an "illegal tax" to the Burmese 
government.  

Meanwhile, a senior Thai security source said the UWSA has bought 
young hill-tribe boys from Mae Hong Son's Pai and Pang Mapha 
districts to train them to join their drug-running activities.  

Many parents agreed to sell their children although they know they 
will work in the UWSA's narcotics smuggling ring, he added. Mae Hong 
Son's security authorities will discuss the matter this month.  

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said other countries 
have accepted 545 Burmese students from Maneeloy camp in Ratchaburi 
province for resettlement.  
New Zealand, the United States and Finland were among six countries 
that agreed to accept students who fled the repression in Burma to 
Thailand.  

Some 320 students from Maneeloy camp have already left Thailand for 
resettlement abroad and 132 others are scheduled to depart this month 
for New Zealand.  

Thailand called for the UNHCR to speed up resettlement of the 
students after the Ratchaburi hospital takeover. in January. five 
Burmese students, some from the camp, seized the Burmese embassy in 
Bangkok last year. The camp residents were also among those who 
seized a hospital in Ratchaburi province in January.  


____________________________________________________


BANGKOK POST:  CHUAN WANTS MORE PRESSURE ON BURMA TO TAKE BACK ITS 
PEOPLE



 June 28, 2000. 

Chuan wants more pressure on Burma to take back its people. It is 
hoped that the prime minister's long-planned visit to Mae La refugee 
camp on Sunday will send a serious message to Rangoon that the Thai 
government wants to see the Burmese refugee problem resolved. 

Saritdet Marukatat and Bhanravee Tansubhapol


Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai will visit the Mae La camp on Sunday, 
July 2 to get a first-hand look at how Burmese refugees there live. 
His destination has been carefully chosen from the various sites-from 
Mae Hong Son to Ratchaburi, before officials decided on Mae La in Tha 
Song Yang district of Tak province. 

Mae La, built five years ago, is the biggest camp, housing some 
30,000 of the more than 102,000 refugees from Burma, most of whom are 
ethnic Karen. 

"We want to continue building a momentum for the international 
community regarding the problem of Burmese refugees at our border," 
an official said. 

Thailand knows only too well that keeping other countries and 
international organisations informed and interested in the issue is 
crucial to solving the problem. They can help the country share the 
financial burden of caring for the refugees and perhaps, more 
importantly, increase pressure on the Burmese government to take a 
serious look at the situation. Past lessons from the success in 
ending refugee problems with Cambodia and Laos have shown Thailand 
cannot act alone. 

Over the past few months, many senior officials have been visiting 
Burmese refugee camps. Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra 
led Bangkok-based diplomatic corps to the Ban Nai Soi camp in Mae 
Hong Son's Muang district and other camps in Tak in March. 
A month later British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook was a guest at 
Tham Hin camp in Ratchaburi. In fact, his staff in London had made 
clear to Thai organisers his desire to visit a refugee camp. 

This time, Mr Chuan's visit is aimed at showing the world that there 
are many Burmese who are homeless. 

Mr Chuan certainly will express sympathy for the suffering they have 
had to endure due to internal conflicts in Burma. To see all camps 
emptied of refugees is the government's ultimate goal and to achieve 
this needs a concerted effort by all supporters as well as the 
Rangoon regime itself. 
Thai negotiators on refugee issues have gained experience from years 
of talks with Laos and the United Nations High Commissioner for 
Refugees to eventually end the problem by reducing tens of thousands 
of Lao refugees to merely 116 now living in Napho camp in Nakhon 
Phanom. 
But the problem of Burmese refugees is getting bigger and more 
complicated. 
Burmese leaders still regard its border areas with Thailand a war 
zone, citing armed clashes between their soldiers and the Karen 
National Union, the last resistance group defying Rangoon. 
With the military junta in Rangoon not guaranteeing their safe 
return, the UNHCR is reluctant to help Thailand repatriate the 
refugees. 

Worse, Burma has claimed the people in the camps are refugees in 
disguise, and that these camps are shelters where Karen insurgents 
rest before crossing the border back into Burma to fight against 
Rangoon's forces. 

Thailand has repeatedly denied the claim.

The country of origin where refugees come from should work closer 
with the UN agency, says Defence Ministry spokesman Lt-Gen Sanan 
Kachorn-klam. 

"If that country denies to resolve the problem, we should condemn it 
in order to solve it through international meetings," says Lt-Gen 
Sanan. 

It sounds like a warning but Burma seems to be shrugging off 
international pressure. And Rangoon knows very well that Thailand is 
unlikely to resolve the refugee problem with radical and unilateral 
measures. 

The UNHCR also can do nothing without the consent of the Burmese 
government. 
The junta told Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees Soren Jessen-
Petersen in March that it is not ready for talks. 

The junta does not want to see foreigners involved in their country 
especially concerning problems at the border, as it feels it is 
nearing a solution to the KNU problem either militarily or 
peacefully, an official observed. 

Chief of the UNHCR in the region Jahanshah Assadi has acknowledged 
difficulties in starting talks on repatriation as long as Burma's 
stance remains unchanged and until the KNU problem ends. 

After that, he said, "the Rangoon government might allow the UNHCR 
access to the country". 
The first step has to come from Rangoon, whose present junta is one 
of the most difficult regimes Thailand has ever had to deal with.


____________________________________________________


DPA: EYE OF THE NEEDLE' AT THREE PAGODA PASS

June 29, 2000

THAILAND  AND BURMA


BERND KUBISCH
Sangbhla Buri, dpa

-Visitors to the occasionally troubled border will find a friendly 
reception from local Mon and Karen people- 

Even in first gear, the ancient mini-bus could hardly chug its way up 
the last few kilometers of the steep and winding mountain road to 
Sangkhla Buri, near the border with Burma.  

Sangkhla Buri is four hours by bus from Kanchanaburi, the River Kwai 
Bridge and mass tourism. But the remote town is just 23 kilometres 
from the Three Pagoda Pass, which has gone down in history as trading 
route and smuggling route, as a scene of war and liberation 
struggles.  
The three or four few hostels and restaurants on a hill in Sangkhla 
Buri offer views down to the Khao Laem Lake and the longest wooden 
bridge in Thailand, 400 metres long, which leads to a Mon village.   

The Mon and Karen people have for decades fought in vain against the 
regime in Burma for their independence. Today they live in dire 
poverty, on both sides of the Thai and Burmese border.  
The colourful Wat Wang Wiwekaren and the small market in this village 
are well worth a visit. The best times to walk over the bridge are at 
sunrise or at dusk, when the light makes it particularly attractive 
and you can avoid the harshest heat of the day. 

At the Burmese Inn in Sangkhla Buri, landlady Meo Hermann serves a 
three course meal of sweet and sour fish, Burmese curry with 
potatoes. and a nut salad with beans and mint, for just 150 baht. You 
can hire a small, simple bungalow for the night here for 200 
baht. "We would like to attract more tourists. We have plenty to 
offer. But we are rather at the end of the world here," said Ms 
Hermann, a 36-year-old Thai married to an Austrian. 

The trip to the Three Pagoda Pass by moped taxi or minibus, takes you 
through a few more Mon and Karen  villages. You often hear rumours of 
shotgun fire being heard in this region. But Walter Skrobanek of the 
human rights organisation Terre des Hommes ;in Bangkok, who knows the 
region well, said: "The area is very safe at the moment. The Mon are 
pleased about visitors and international contacts." The Karen are 
also a friendly people, despite their years of oppression and 
harassment. 

The pass is just 300 metres above sea level and can even be conquered 
on an old moped. You pass by a few small pagodas, or temples, along 
this road, and directly on the border to Burma are the three pagodas 
after which the pass was named.  

There are many stories and legends about their origin. One of these, 
dating from the 18th century, says that, following a war with Burma, 
the king of Siam had three large stones erected here to mark out the 
border. The outer stones symbolised the two countries, the middle 
stone stood for peace. Villagers later built the three pagodas over 
the stones. 

Pedestrians, moped drivers and trucks cross the small border control 
here, but tourists are seldom. If you want to pass through, you must 
first inform the police in Sangkhla Buri of your intentions. Then at 
the checkpoint you have to pay $18 to the Burmese border guards. The 
Mon and Karen have sought in vain over the years to win control of 
the pass and collect these fees. 
The permit to visit the border village of Payathonzu is valid for one 
day until 6 pm. This leaves enough time to make the trip by foot, but 
a moped taxi will  also take you to the two attractive  Buddhist 
temples over the dusty roads outside the village in just 10 minutes. 
The best way to communicate with the monks is with gestures and 
smiles. 

Burma's holy shrines, art treasures and its history, make it one of 
the most interesting countries in Asia. Experts believe tourism would 
boom if the dictatorship were to be replaced by a democratic system. 

__________________ INTERNATIONAL __________________
		


DAILY CALIFORNIAN (U CAL. BERKELEY): BERKELEY RECONSIDERS BOYCOTT OF 
BURMA

By Bonne Chance

  U. California-Berkeley

12:00 PM ET June 26, 2000 

  (U-WIRE) BERKELEY, Calif. -- Although the U.S. Supreme Court 
effectively   struck down the city's boycott of Burma this week, 
local activists and council   members said they will continue to 
pursue the city's groundbreaking foreign policy   objectives.

  The court unanimously declared unconstitutional a Massachusetts law 
that   implemented sanctions on Burma, also known as Myanmar. A 
coalition of   business groups and the Clinton administration had 
challenged the law on the   grounds that it undermined federal 
authority.

  In 1995, Berkeley paved the way for Massachusetts and other 
governments to   combat what is considered a repressive dictatorship 
in Burma by refusing to do   business with companies engaged in 
commerce with the country. 

  "People are being killed left and right," said Councilmember Betty 
Olds, who   helped kick-off anti-Burma activism when she co-authored 
the bill. "People's lives   there are in danger. It is a terrible 
place, the way people are treated. They are   lovely people who just 
don't deserve that kind of treatment." 

  In response to the court's ruling, Berkeley City Attorney Manuela 
Albuquerque   advised the city to end its boycott against Burma.

  She emphasized, however, that the court's decision was narrow, 
dealing only with   one nation. The city can continue its bans on 
companies that do business with   Nigeria, Tibet and Indonesia, for 
example.

  "(The ruling) will have no affect on those other countries," said 
an aide from   Albuquerque's office.

  Local government still will have an opportunity to impact federal 
foreign policy,   according to Councilmember Kriss Worthington.

  "I would argue that their ruling does not preempt us in taking a 
stand on human   rights issues," Worthington said. "And that is good, 
because one of the main   purposes of local government taking on 
issues is to build pressure on the federal   government."

  One local resident and Burmese boycott supporter said that although 
the ruling   was a setback to the free-Burma movement, innovative 
activists will not be   deterred by the high court's decision.

  "Our reactions are mixed," said Kevin Danahar, co-founder of the 
human rights   organization Global Rights. "Even though it was a blow 
to the movement, it was   more of a slap than a spear to the heart. 
The way the movement is taking it is as a   challenge to reinvigorate 
the free-Burma movement."

  Danahar said Massachusetts residents are currently rewording 
legislation to   accommodate the court's ruling.

  In the Bay Area, Global Exchange is contacting legislators in 
Berkeley and Contra   Costa County. If municipalities require every 
company doing business with them   to disclose whether or not they 
are operating in Burma, those companies will be   motivated to leave 
Burma to improve their public relations, Danahar said. 
  "The danger is that (the court's ruling) creates a precedent for 
putting the   corporation above the citizen," he said. "In a sense, 
the government is saying that   we the people in our democratic 
branches don't have the right to decide how we   are going to spend 
our tax money if it interferes with the corporation's profits.   
Putting profits above all else is creating a backlash on the 
citizenry." 



____________________________________________________


FREE BURMA COALITION: BURMESE POLITICAL REFUGEES RESETTLE IN NEW 
ZEALAND

[Abridged]

June 29, 2000


 New Zealand is accepting 133 Burmese refugees  from a camp in Thai 
Burma Border area.  They will be arriving on the 11th  of July.  They 
consist of 40 families and 11 single persons.  And include  not only 
Burmese but also other ethnic groups.  They will undergo six weeks  
of orientation in a Refugee centre in Auckland, New Zealand, 
undertaken by  the Refugee Migration Services.  The Burma Support 
Group and members of the  Burmese community will also act as a 
support base to help these persons  settle into New Zealand Life.










_______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
 

AFP: BEST WESTERN HOTELS PULLS OUT OF MYANMAR 

WASHINGTON, June 29 (AFP)  Global hotel chain Best Western said 
Thursday it was joining a growing list of US-based corporations which 
have pulled out of Myanmar due to concern over iron rule of the 
military government. 

 In a statement issued from its Phoenix, Arizona headquarters, the 
firm said it had decided to remove its brand from the Kandawgyi 
Palace hotel in the capital, Yangon. 

 "This hotel will not operate as a Best Western Hotel until the 
political and social situation in that country has stabilized," the 
company said in a statement. 

 Best Western also ruled out sublicensing any new hotels in Myanmar 
until what it called "civil rights" issues were solved. 

 The decision was immediately hailed as "significant victory for the 
democracy movement" by anti-junta activists in the United States. 

 Burmese activist Khin Maung Shwe said in a statement circulated by 
activists groups that the move was a blow to Myanmar's tourism 
industry, one of the country's few sources of foreign exchange. 

 "We are pleased to see that yet another US corporation has acted 
conscionably and withdrawn its operations from Burma," he said, using 
Myanmar's former name. 

 Corporations including Pepsi-Co, Eastman Kodak and Texaco have 
already left Myanmar, following vociferous campaigns from activists 
determined to isolate the junta. 

 Myanmar faces a range of international sanctions and punitive 
measures imposed by foreign governments critical of its human rights 
performance and refusal to hand over power to Aung San Suu Kyi, who's 
National League for Democracy won an overwhelming election victory in 
1990. 

 Hotel operators in Yangon privately admit they are facing increasing 
difficulty filling the rooms of a range of new upscale buildings. 

 The activists' campaign against the country, and a dearth of 
businessmen visiting the capital have bitten deep into revenues. 


FREE BURMA COALITION/BURMA FORUM L.A.: BEST WESTERN HOTELS LEAVES 
BURMA!

June 29, 2000

[Abridged]

The Burma Forum received a phone call yesterday from Best Western 
headquarters.  Their Public Relations Department told us 
that "effective immediately"  they will be pulling out of Burma!  In 
addition, they have agreed "not to sublicense any new hotels in Burma 
until the civil rights issues are solved."

Free Burma activists once again proved that when we organize we can 
do anything!

Best Western's Public Relations Department asked that we also contact 
all the activists and ask them to stop the campaign immediately. 

Call In Days:

The National Call In Days really had an impact!  By the third 
National Call In Day, all the Best Western customer service reps had 
been trained on what to say about Burma which meant that the company 
had to spend their own money in training their staff on the situation 
in Burma.  Not to mention the fact that Best Western had to pay for 
all the calls made by activists telling them to get out of Burma!

Visiting Best Western Hotels:

Free Burma Activists really started shocking Best Western when Best 
Western managers from Washington State, California, Nevada, Kansas, 
New York, Philadelphia, Florida and even ENGLAND started calling 
headquarters complaining that Best Western's involvement in Burma was 
causing them to lose business because "all these activists" kept on 
fliering their hotels, taking up their precious time requesting 
meetings, disturbing their guests by demonstrating both outside (and 
inside!) their hotels.  One manager in Los Angeles who is originally 
from Africa wrote a letter demanding that Best Western leave Burma 
and even took the initiative to call Best Western headquarters and 
let them know that he participated in the anti-apartheid movement and 
knew from first hand experience that it wasn't worth being the target 
of a consumer boycott and that Best Western should just get out of 
Burma immediately in order to save themselves a lot of trouble. 

Activist packets on how you can run a Unocal campaign at your 
University will be ready by August for anyone attending a University 
who is interested. You can contact Heidi at bfla@xxxxxxxxxxxxx to 
receive a packet. 

For more information on how you can become involved in the Suzuki 
campaign please contact Dan Orzech at orzech@xxxxxxxx


_________________OPINION/EDITORIALS________________


THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: WHO REPORT ON MYANMAR HEALTH CARE SERVICES 
UNFAIR

Thursday, 29 June, 2000

29th meeting of National Health Committee held 

YANGON, 28 June-The 29th meeting of National Health Committee was 
held at the Ministry of Health this afternoon, attended by Chairman 
of National Health Committee Secretary-l of the State Peace and 
Development Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt.  

The Secretary- 1 said Myanmar has been actively participating in the 
movements of international organizations as a member of the world 
community and projects and movements of the World Health 
Organization.  

Whenever he met WHO officials, regional directors and resident 
representatives, they expressed satisfaction of Myanmar's active 
participation in the WHO activities, he said. 

Most suprisingly, how ever, statements that discredited Myanmar were 
reported in the WHO report published in June 2000, ignoring Myanmar's 
cooperation and active participation in the health sector.  

Minister Maj-Gen Ket Sein and Deputy Minister Dr Mya Oo and Director-
General of Health Planning Department Dr Kyi Soe reported on 
implementation of resolutions of the previous meeting, measures 
undertaken for ensuring equitable health care services in Yangon and 
Mandalay, uplifting of health education and arrangements for holding 
of a national level seminar on food. Deputy Minister Dr Mya Oo 
reported on response to 2000 WHO Report and the ministry's response 
to false review on Myanmar.  

Deputy Minister Dr Mya Oo and departmental officials reported on 
attendance of the 5th ASEAN Health Ministers' meeting and senior 
officials' meeting, study of medical education in Singapore, measures 
for production of vaccines for hepatitis B and production of 
medicines by national entrepreneurs.  

Director-General Dr Kyi Soe reported on resolutions for approval. The 
Secretary-l took part in the discussions. The Secretary-l and party 
inspected the sample of medicines produced by local entrepreneurs..  




_____________________ OTHER  ______________________



LANDMINE MONITOR AND NONVIOLENCE INTERNATIONAL:  STATE OF LANDMINE 
POLLUTION IN BURMA AND ITS IMPACT FOR FUTURE PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT

A Briefing by

Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan


Thursday, July 6, 2000

1-3 pm

UN Church Centre, 777 UN Plaza
(Corner of 44th St. & 1st Avenue)
Meeting Room, 10th Floor


Burma is now believed to be producing more landmine victims than 
Cambodia, making it the most serious landmine crisis in Southeast or 
East Asia. Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan will offer a briefing on the state 
of Landmine pollution in Burma and comments on its impact for future 
peace and development of the country and resettlement of displaced 
populations. 
Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan is the Burma researcher for Landmine Monitor, 
an initiative of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, and he 
is the Southeast Asia coordinator of Nonviolence International.


Co-Sponsored by the Burma UN Service Office
Quaker UN Office
The Open Society Institute (Burma Project)

RSVP to: Dr. Thaung Htun (Tel: 212-3380048)


____________________________________________________


TREND MICRO ANTIVIRUS: W97M_SHERLOCK (NEW NON-DESTRUCTIVE MACRO VIRUS 
REPORTED IN-THE-WILD)

[June 29.  BurmaNet adds?new virus warning are included in BurmaNet 
to give subscribers advance warning of coming problems.  New viruses 
are far more dangerous than old viruses because the anti-virus 
program you have is only as current as your most recent update.  Even 
if you update your software today, you are vulnerable to any viruses 
released tomorrow.  Update regularly!]


W97M_SHERLOCK is a new encrypted macro virus, which was recently 
reported by users. Compared to many other macro viruses, it does not 
contain any destructive payload. It only infects other documents and 
changes the user information to:
 
User Name: sherl0ck
User Address: xxxx96@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
User Initials: Bad
 
Infected documents also have the Application Caption changed to 
"sherl0ck on the move" + document name.
 
For additional information about W97M_SHERLOCK, please refer to:
http://www.antivirus.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?
VName=W97M_SHERLOCK
 
W97M_SHERLOCK is detected and removed with Trend pattern #733 and 
above.




____________________________________________________

________________


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coverage of news and opinion on Burma  (Myanmar).  


For a subscription to Burma's only free daily newspaper, write to: 
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________________





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