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BurmaNet News: October 10, 2000



______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
_________October 10, 2000   Issue # 1636__________

INSIDE BURMA _______
*AP: Suu Kyi's party gets eviction notice from headquarters 
*Asiaweek: Homeless in Yangon
*AFP: Myanmar taking tough line in meeting with UN envoy: government 
sources 
*AP: Apartment block collapses in Yangon, killing 11 
*Reuters: Suu Kyi refusing to meet U.N. Myanmar envoy-sources

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*AFP: EU talks postponed not cancelled: Myanmar junta 
*AFP: Vietnam tells ASEAN to stay out of Myanmar crisis 
*AFP: Myanmar junta leader congratulates new Yugoslav president
*AP: Official: Drugs hurt Southeast Asia's international standing 
*Reuters: Myanmar nationals languish in Bangladesh jails
*Mizzima: Dr. Sein Win re-elected as PM of Burmese exiled govt.

ECONOMY/BUSINESS _______
*The Financial Times: Burma denies economy 'stagnant'
*Globalexchange: Aeroground out of Burma
			
OPINION/EDITORIALS _______
*NCGUB: Dublin Declaration and Press Statement of NCGUB on Convention of 
Elected Members 

OTHER _______
*British Broadcasting Corp: Job opening, BBC WORLD SERVICE BURMESE 
SECTION

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


__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________
	


AP: Suu Kyi's party gets eviction notice from headquarters 

Oct 10, 2000

YANGON, Myanmar (AP)  The pro-democracy party of Aung San Suu Kyi has 
been asked by landlords to vacate the building housing its headquarters 
in the capital, party members said Tuesday.
 
 The owners of the aging two-story brick building, a rallying point for 
the embattled National League for Democracy, served the eviction notice 
two weeks ago, an NLD member said on condition of anonymity. 

 The party has until Oct. 25 to leave the premises, the member said. 

 It was not clear what the NLD planned to do, as Suu Kyi and all other 
members of its central executive committee are currently either in 
detention or kept incommunicado under virtual house arrest. 

 The military junta has in recent months stepped up pressure on the NLD, 
which can barely function outside Yangon with scores of its members 
detained or coerced into resigning. While access to the Yangon 
headquarters is often blocked, authorities usually allow party meetings 
to go ahead. 

 The NLD has occupied the property on Shwegondaing Road in central 
Yangon since 1989, one year after it was founded. The party won general 
elections in 1990 but Myanmar military refused to hand over power. 

 The NLD has reported that the building's owners, Khin Nu, 70, and Kyaw, 
whose age was not known, were arrested after the NLD marked the 10th 
anniversary of its victory at the polls on May 27. 

 Kyaw, who uses only one name, and Khin Nu were apparently accused of 
and held responsible for causing public disturbance when the NLD used 
loudspeakers. They were released from detention. 

 The eviction notice was served soon after the government slapped its 
latest restrictions on NLD leaders on Sept. 22 after Suu Kyi was blocked 
from traveling by train outside Yangon on party work. 

 It is not clear if NLD will go to court to fight the eviction. 
Normally, civil suits take years to resolve. 

 In early September, authorities for the first time raided the party 
office as part of an investigation into the NLD's alleged links with 
anti-government terrorists. The party denies such links. 

 The news of the eviction notice came as a U.N. special envoy was in 
Myanmar this week in an effort to end the political deadlock between the 
junta and the NLD. 

 
____________________________________________________


Asiaweek: Homeless in Yangon


Asiaweek: Intelligence

October 13, 2000

Who are Ma Kyaw and Ma Khin, two elderly sisters living in Yangon? And 
what is their significance to Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for 
Democracy? The two women own the premises which houses the NLD's 
headquarters on Shwe Gon Taing Road, where the party held almost daily 
meetings. The pair, who until now resisted pressure from the ruling 
junta to kick out their tenants, gave the NLD until Oct 25 to vacate the 
premises. The women's decision came after a few weeks in jail -- they 
were incarcerated in the sweep that follows Suu Kyi's August foray into 
the countryside. In their letter telling the NLD to leave, the sisters 
said neighbours were complaining of the disruption caused by the 
government frequently closing off the street. The letter said the 
decision was not due to any outside pressure. A blow for the NLD, yes. 
But possibly a setback for the government, which until now has been able 
to disarm critics by pointing out that the NLD has always been allowed 
to run its office and hold meetings. 

____________________________________________________


AFP: Myanmar taking tough line in meeting with UN envoy: government 
sources 

YANGON, Oct 10 (AFP) - Myanmar took a hard line in its meeting Tuesday 
with visiting UN envoy Razali Ismail, lecturing him at length about Aung 
San Suu Kyi's confrontational tactics, sources in the government said. 

 During the meeting First Secretary Khin Nyunt, head of intelligence, 
spent most of the time telling Razali the country's junta would give no 
ground to Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), the 
sources said. 

 The military regime would continue to take a tough stance against the 
NLD, which Khin Nyunt told Razali had adopted an extremely 
confrontational attitude that was damaging the process of democracy in 
Myanmar. 

 The NLD also was collaborating with dangerous "external elements," the 
sources said Khin Nyunt told Razali. 

 Thus far Razali appeared to making little progress on his four-day 
visit to Yangon, which began Monday, an attempt to break the deadlock 
between Myanmar's junta and the NLD, they said. 

 Aung San Suu Kyi and other party seniors have remained under de facto 
house arrest since they were prevented from travelling to the northern 
city of Mandalay on September 22. There has reportedly been little or no 
communication between them since then. 

 Earlier Tuesday a commentary in the state-controlled New Light of 
Myanmar newspaper had warned the UN against getting involved in 
Myanmar's affairs. 

 "No outside country should need to come to negotiate or settle or give 
guidance; should they send a scheme to settle, people will not accept 
it," the paper said. 

 The junta had not confirmed whether Razali would meet with Aung San Suu 
Kyi. 

 But a source close to the opposition party said she might not even want 
to meet the envoy unless the movement restrictions on the rest of the 
NLD's leadership were removed. 

 "Whether she'll see Razali alone without the rest of the party's 
Central Executive Committee and under the present restrictive 
circumstances remains to be seen," the source told AFP. 

 Diplomatic sources said Razali was also expected to meet with a number 
of foreign missions in Yangon and then travel upcountry to the tourist 
destination of Inle Lake. 
 Razali came to Myanmar to discuss "continuing violations of human 
rights in Myanmar" and would report back to UN Secretary General Kofi 
Annan, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said last week. 

 The veteran Malaysian diplomat's second trip to Myanmar under UN 
auspices has come against the backdrop of deteriorating relations 
between Yangon and the European Union and the junta's renewed crackdown 
on the NLD, despite fierce international criticism. 
 During his first trip in July Razali apparently made little headway in 
restarting relations between the NLD and the junta. 

 The UN special envoy is scheduled to end his visit on Thursday. 

 The NLD won a landslide general election victory in 1990, but the junta 
has never recognised the result and is accused by foreign critics and 
human rights groups of severe repression of its opponents. 

____________________________________________________

AP: Apartment block collapses in Yangon, killing 11 

Oct 10, 2000

YANGON, Myanmar (AP)  A three-story apartment building collapsed in an 
eastern suburb of Yangon last week, killing 11 people and injuring at 
least five others, local officials said Tuesday. 

 The tragedy, which occurred last Thursday, was not reported in official 
newspapers, the main source of news in this country where information is 
tightly restricted. 
 Rescue workers uncovered 11 bodies including a 12-year-old boy from the 
debris, said an official, who requested anonymity. One of the injured 
people was seriously hurt. 
 About 15 families lived in the 70-year-old brick building in the 
capital's Pazundaung township but not many were at home when it 
collapsed, apparently due to old age, lack of maintenance and vibrations 
from passing container trucks, a resident said. 
 Local people said residents had ignored earlier warnings by the local 
authorities to evacuate the building. 

____________________________________________________


Reuters: Suu Kyi refusing to meet U.N. Myanmar envoy-sources


By Aung Hla Tun 

 YANGON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi 
has refused to meet the visiting United Nation's special envoy unless 
the military government lifts restrictions on her movements, diplomats 
said on Tuesday. 

 Suu Kyi was refusing to meet special envoy Razali Ismail in protest at 
the restrictions, the diplomats told Reuters. She has been confined to 
her house with her telephone cut and diplomatic access barred since 
September 21. 

 There was no word from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD). 
Senior NLD members are cut off from contact and are subject to similar 
restrictions to the 55-year-old Nobel laureate. 

 There had been doubts on whether the authorities would allow Razali to 
visit Suu Kyi, but the government said earlier this week it would not 
prevent them from meeting. 
 Razali, a Malaysian national, arrived in Myanmar on Monday and is due 
to leave on Thursday. 

 U.N. officials in Yangon declined to comment on whether Razali would 
meet Suu Kyi, but said the envoy would leave Yangon on Tuesday for a 
trip up country. 

 Myanmar officials said Razali met the powerful Lieutenant-General Khin 
Nyunt, Secretary One of the ruling State Peace and Development Council 
(SPDC) and head of military intelligence, on Tuesday morning. 

 On Monday he met Foreign Minister U Win Aung and two other cabinet 
ministers. 

 MOUNTING CONDEMNATION 

 Myanmar has faced mounting international condemnation this year over 
its treatment of Suu Kyi and the NLD, which won elections in 1990 by a 
landslide but has never been allowed to govern. 

 Senior NLD officials are confined to their homes, and NLD Vice Chairman 
U Tin Oo has been in detention since the government blocked a bid by Suu 
Kyi to travel from Yangon to Mandalay by rail last month. 

 International anger at Myanmar has threatened to derail a planned 
meeting of Southeast Asian and European Union foreign ministers in Laos 
in December. 

 Myanmar's newspapers, regarded as mouthpieces of the military 
government, launched another of their regular attacks on Suu Kyi on 
Tuesday, saying the authorities were happy to hold dialogue with the NLD 
but not with ``illegal members'' like Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo. 

 ``Should the special representative of the United Nations come, it will 
be explained to him that efforts are being made for the emergence of a 
disciplined, flourishing democracy,'' said a commentary in the Kyemon 
and New Light of Myanmar newspapers. 

 Razali was appointed U.N. special envoy in April and visited Myanmar 
from June 29 to July 3 this year. 

 Razali's predecessor, Alvaro De Soto, visited Myanmar several times to 
mediate between the SPDC and the NLD but his visits produced no tangible 
success. 

 (With additional reporting by Andrew Marshall in Bangkok) 





____________________________________________________






___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
				

AFP: EU talks postponed not cancelled: Myanmar junta 

YANGON, Oct 10 (AFP) - Myanmar's ruling military junta said Tuesday that 
it had not cancelled a visit by an EU delegation scheduled for the end 
of the month but had postponed it because the timing was wrong. 

 "As the present environment is not favourable for the meeting to be 
constructive, Myanmar has requested the EU side to postpone the visit to 
a later date," a government spokesman told AFP. 

 "In fact, the visit was not cancelled but only postponed to a later 
date acceptable to both sides," he added. 

 An EU foreign policy troika was due to visit Yangon during the last 
week of October, tasked with trying to break the deadlock between the 
junta and the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD). 

 The EU deplored the decision to "cancel" the delegation's visit but 
reiterated its full support for UN special envoy Razali Ismail who began 
a four-day visit to Myanmar on Monday for talks with the military 
authorities. 

 The NLD won a landslide general election victory in 1990, but the junta 
has never recognised the result and is accused by foreign critics and 
human rights groups of severe repression of its opponents. 

 


____________________________________________________


AFP: Vietnam tells ASEAN to stay out of Myanmar crisis 

HANOI, Oct 10 (AFP) - Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien told 
Southeast Asian officials they should stick to their tradition of not 
intervening in others' internal affairs, despite mounting pressure for 
action in Myanmar, the official media reported Tuesday. 

 The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should "keep its 
basic principles -- non-interference, consensus, and the resolution of 
issues in ASEAN -- in sight," the official VNA news agency quoted Nien 
as telling a meeting of ASEAN officials here Monday. 

 The regional grouping has come under mounting pressure in recent weeks 
to intervene in the Myanmar crisis sparked by the military junta's 
placing of opposition leader Aung Sung Suu Kyi under de facto house 
arrest. 

 ASEAN should "re-examine its principle of non-interference" and "take 
all possible steps to end the current political crisis in Myanmar," the 
Alliance for Reform and Democracy, a network of Asian pro-democracy 
politicians, urged Sunday. 

 But as current ASEAN chairman, Vietnam has steadfastly opposed any 
action. 

 Last week the foreign ministry announced its contacts with other ASEAN 
members had concluded "the recent development of the situation in 
Myanmar is an internal affair for the Burmese and that foreign countries 
should not intervene." 

 Nien insisted that, instead of taking on a new more political role, 
ASEAN should focus on the widening gap between its new and longstanding 
members. 

 Without effective action by the grouping, growing globalization would 
lead to the "unavoidable danger of having two groups of countries -- 
rich and poor -- in ASEAN," the official English-language daily Vietnam 
News quoted him as telling delegates. 

 Critics say ASEAN's decision to admit Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and 
Vietnam, with their impoverished, long state-controlled economies and 
sensitivity to Western human rights criticism, has prevented the 
grouping from playing a more effective regional role. 


____________________________________________________


AFP: Myanmar junta leader congratulates new Yugoslav president 

BANGKOK, Oct 9 (AFP) - Myanmar military leader Senior General Than Shwe 
sent a message of congratulations on Monday to Yugoslav President 
Vojislav Kostunica, state-run TV Myanmar reported. 

 Kostunica was sworn in late Saturday as the new Yugoslav president 
before a joint session of parliament in Belgrade, ending 13 years of 
iron rule by Slobodan Milosevic. 


____________________________________________________


AP: Official: Drugs hurt Southeast Asia's international standing 

Oct 10, 2000

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP)  Thailand's foreign minister warned Monday that 
Southeast Asia's international standing has been hurt by illegal drugs 
produced and trafficked out of the region. 

 ``Drugs are a serious threat in the region that has tainted our image 
and affected our negotiating power with outsiders,'' Minister Surin 
Pitsuwan told a news conference. ``We will lose confidence from the 
international community.'' 

 Surin said the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 
need to work to achieve their goal of a drug-free ASEAN by 2015 _ the 
theme of a three-day conference that starts in Bangkok on Wednesday. 

 ASEAN includes major drug producers Myanmar and Laos, which with 
Thailand comprise the Golden Triangle, a major source of heroin and 
methamphetamines. 
 The other ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the 
Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. 


 About 34 countries, including China, Japan, the United States and 
European countries are expected to participate in the conference 
organized by the United Nations International Drug Control Program. 

 Surin said the meeting aimed to show ASEAN was serious about fighting 
drugs. He hoped it would encourage donor countries to give more aid. 

 ``It is necessary to lift this problem on the international agenda as 
it affects all of us,'' Surin said.
 
 Military-run Myanmar, the world's second largest producer of heroin 
after Afghanistan, has faced years of international criticism for 
failing to control drug production within its borders. The regime says 
it does all it can with limited resources and little foreign assistance. 


 ASEAN countries are careful not to comment on the affairs of fellow 
member states, but Thailand is increasingly outspoken on the drugs issue 
as it is the main market for huge amounts of methamphetamines produced 
in secret jungle refineries in eastern Myanmar. 

 In mid-November Myanmar will host a meeting in Yangon on narcotics law 
enforcement in ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific, said Laxanachantorn 
Laohathan, director of the international organization department of the 
Thai Foreign Ministry. 

____________________________________________________


Reuters: Myanmar nationals languish in Bangladesh jails

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Oct 9 (Reuters) - More than 500 Myanmar 
nationals have served full sentences in Bangladesh jails but are still 
languishing behind bars, a senior official said on Monday. 

 They are in jail because military-ruled Myanmar refuses to take them 
back and they would be arrested as illegal immigrants into Bangladesh if 
freed. 

 Pulin Bihari Dev, deputy commissioner of Cox's Bazar district, 
bordering Myanmar, said many of those in jail came from west Myanmar's 
Muslim-majority Arakan province. 
 In all, more than 2000 Myanmar nationals were in Bangladeshi jails, he 
said, for illegally crossing into the country or smuggling. 
	


  


____________________________________________________


Mizzima: Dr. Sein Win re-elected as PM of Burmese exiled govt. 


Dublin, Ireland, October 8, 2000

Mizzima News Group

Dr. Sein Win, a former professor and cousin of Burmese opposition leader 
Aung San Suu Kyi, was re-elected as Prime Minister of the National 
Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) for the next 
five-year term. At the meeting held in Dublin, Ireland from October 2 to 
7, the exiled Members of Parliament from Burma reformed the Burmese 
government in exile with a reshuffle of Cabinet ministers and some 
changes in governmental set-up. Observers say that there are no dramatic 
major changes in the exiled government, which enjoys little support 
among the Burmese democratic forces in exile.

The new set-up of exiled government has nine Cabinet ministers, 
including the Prime Minister. Speaking to Mizzima News Group after the 
meeting, U Maung Maung Aye, minister for News and Information Committee 
said that there are six governmental affairs committee, such as Human 
Rights Affairs Committee, Democracy Development Affairs Committee, 
Education and Health Affairs Committee, Federal Affairs Committee, and 
News and Information Affairs Committee. While a Minister heads each 
sub-committee, other Members of Parliament get involved in it. There are 
two Cabinet Ministers for the Prime Minister Office (PMO), which is 
currently based in Washington D.C.

The meeting was participated by 21 Members of Parliament who left Burma 
after the military regime refused to keep its promise of handing over 
power to the elected Members of Parliament in the 1990 general 
elections. The government in exile was formed with a group of elected 
parliamentarians at Manerplaw, the former stronghold of Karen guerillas 
ten years ago.






_______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
 

The Financial Times: Burma denies economy 'stagnant'

By Amy Kazmin

Published: October 8 2000 15:50GMT 
 
Burma's military regime insisted that the country's economy had not 
suffered from its international isolation, despite a recent US 
government report that described Burma as plagued by rampant inflation, 
stagnant growth and chronic scarcity of foreign exchange.  "There is no 
poverty, there's no starvation, there's no unemployment," Brigadier 
General David Abel, a top official in the military regime, said at the 
weekend after a meeting of economic ministers of the Association of 
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).  

He claimed that Burma's gross domestic product had grown 10.9 per cent 
in the last year, propelled largely by increased agricultural 
production, which accounts for around 40 per cent of GDP.  

He also said inflation was 7 per cent, and that the country had 
sufficient foreign exchange to cover six months of imports.  

"The foreign exchange problem is not so critical to Myanmar (Burma)," Mr 
Abel said. "In a time of crisis, we can sustain ourselves. We might not 
have the good things in life, but we can hold out for a long time."  

But a report of the US Commercial Service released last month suggests 
that Burma has paid a far higher economic price for the years of 
isolation and military rule since 1988, when the army violently 
suppressed a hugely popular pro-democracy uprising and installed itself 
in power.  

According to the US report, inflation and the overvalued currency - 
which has been pegged to the dollar at the same rate for 36 years - have 
created "serious macroeconomic imbalances", in Burma's economy, while 
increased "crony capitalism" has exacerbated the gap between the rich 
and the poor, the study said.  

Consumer price studies conducted by diplomats suggests that urban 
inflation was around 40 to 45 per cent last year, while bank interest 
rates, of about 10 per cent, were negative in real terms, discouraging 
savings. In April, the government was forced to give civil servants a 
five-fold pay increase to compensate for rapid erosion of the market 
value of the currency.  
Its value has depreciated by about 92 per cent over the past three 
years, while foreign direct investment since 1988 has been just $7.2bn 
and tapered off to just $278m in 1998-99, following the Asian economic 
crisis and the imposition of sanctions on new investments in Burma by 
the US.  

Two Japanese companies, Toyota and Ajinomoto, recently pulled out of 
Burma because of difficulties operating there, while other investors are 
said to be increasingly frustrated by corruption, according to the 
report.  

With per capital income stagnating at around $300 per year according to 
the World Bank, an estimated 23 per cent of the population lives below 
minimum subsistence levels while around 40 per cent of Burmese children 
are malnourished. The report also suggested that Burma's government had 
just $312m in net foreign reserves last year - enough for less than two 
months of imports.  

"The regime's economic mismanagement is the chief cause of the 
continuing downward spiral of Burma's economy," the report said, adding 
that "there is little likelihood of improvement in the business climate 
under the current regime."  

But a defiant Mr Abel said Burma's military rulers had no intention of 
relinquishing power until a long-promised constitution is completed. 
Nor, he suggested, did they have any intention of talking to Aung San 
Suu Kyi, Burma's democracy leader, who won an election in 1990 but was 
never allowed to take power.  

"Whether the opinion of certain countries might not be favourable to us 
doesn't matter," he said. "We're not worried about what the US or the UK 
thinks."


____________________________________________________


Globalexchange: Aeroground out of Burma

Oct 10, 2000

  From: Shannon Wolfe <shannon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

  Dear all Activists,

  Members of San Francisco Bay Area Burma Roundtable, Burma Image, 
representing all Burma activist groups in the San Francisco Bay Area met 
with the President of Aeroground Travel marketing on Friday October 6, 
2000. They accepted a copy of a letter from Aeroground Travel marketing 
to the Chairman of the Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board resigning from 
their contract to promote tourism in Burma. 


  The letter reads as follows:
  " Due to recent events at our corporate headquarters, our board of  
directors, on advise of council, has instructed me to advise you that 
Aeroground Travel marketing, must resign as the office of the Myanmar 
Tourism Promotion Board. Effective immediately." 

         San Francisco Bay Area Burmese activists representing San 
Francisco Burma Activist Groups and Relocated Burmese Students held a 
demonstration on Saturday, September 16 in front of Aeroground's world 
Headquarters in south San Francisco to protest Aeroground's promotion of 
tourism in Burma. Subsequently, Burma activists around the USA sent 
letters and emails to Aeroground requesting that the company discontinue 
operations in Burma. 

         In response to this pressure, the company decided to end their 
contract in Burma. This is significant victory for the democracy 
movement in Burma. Aeroground Travel Marketing had been hired by the 
Ministry of Hotel & Tourism in august to promote tourism in Burma among 
North Americans. 

         We commend Aeroground for their important decision for the 
people of Burma. 


_________________OPINION/EDITORIALS________________


NCGUB: Dublin Declaration and Press Statement of NCGUB on Convention of 
Elected Members 


Convention of the Representatives of the People
of the Union of Burma

2-7 October
Dublin, Ireland



The Representatives of the People of Union of Burma elected in the 27 
May 1990 general elections held a National Consultative Convention in 
Dublin, Ireland, 2-7 October 2000. The Representatives reviewed the 
situation in Burma, mapped out a strategy to resolve the political 
stalemate in the country with the strength of the people and assistance 
from the international community, and implemented plans to consolidate 
the forces dedicated to restoring freedom, human rights, and democracy 
in the Union of Burma.  Following the meeting they concurred with the 
National League for Democracy that the best means of achieving national 
reconciliation and restoring democracy and human rights in Burma is 
through substantive political dialogue between the democratic forces led 
by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leaders of the non-Burman ethnic 
nationalities, and the military. 

In order to achieve that goal, the Representatives decided to redouble 
their efforts to create a domestic and international atmosphere 
conducive to a political dialogue.  A four-prong strategy was adopted to 
implement political programs.  The Representatives will give priority to 
the empowerment of democratic forces inside the country while seeking 
greater international economic and diplomatic pressure, conduct closer 
consultations with all democratic forces to carry out political 
programs, build the capacity of individuals and organizations dedicated 
to restoring democracy in Burma, step up efforts to strengthen the unity 
of all ethnic nationalities, and at the same time prepare for the future 
by developing policies to reconstruct the nation with  Burmese and 
foreign experts and intelligentsia. 

The Representatives of the people of the Union of Burma attending the 
Convention also resolved to establish the Members of Parliament Union 
(MPU), adopted the Constitution of the MPU, and voted to form a Standing 
Committee to dedicate the MPU to the strengthening of relations with 
Parliaments, parliamentary institutions, political parties, and 
political institutions to seek their recognition for the Committee 
Representing the People's Parliament and their help in the efforts to 
peacefully restore democracy to Burma. 

Following the formalization of the Members of Parliament Union and in 
accordance with its Constitution, the elected representatives, 
officiating as Parliament for the duration of the Convention, 
unanimously elected Dr. Sein Win as the Prime Minister of the National 
Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, and bestowed him with powers 
to form a new Council of Ministers. 

The Prime Minister formed the Council of Ministers and assigned 
representatives of the MPU to the affairs committees under the 
Ministries formed. 
The Prime Minister also decided to invite from ethnic and democracy 
organizations various experts, women, and youth to join the affairs 
committees of the various ministries.   

----------------------                       ---------------------       
            ----------------- 
Dublin Declaration
of the
CONVENTION OF ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE UNION OF BURMA

2-7 October 2000
Dublin
Ireland



We, the representatives of the Union of Burma, elected in the 27 May 
1990 general elections hereby - 

Express our deep appreciation to the Government and the people of 
Ireland for their warm hospitality and kind assistance to facilitate our 
convention in Dublin; 
Thank all governments and peoples who have been unwavering in their 
support for Burma's democracy movement and the struggle of the ethnic 
nationalities for self-determination and equal rights; 

Affirm our firm support for the National League for Democracy (NLD) and 
its leaders who are trying to implement the principle that the will of 
the people shall be the basis of the authority of government as declared 
in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; 

Re-affirm our determination to join the NLD and the other political 
parties in their endeavors to establish a multi-party parliamentary 
democracy within the framework of a genuine federal union; 

Re-affirm our strong confidence in the Committee Representing the 
People's Parliament and appreciate the initiative it has taken to draft 
a federal constitution and the work it is undertaking on behalf of all 
the elected representatives before the Parliament can convene; 

Condemn the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) for illegally 
detaining the leaders of the NLD and unfairly incarcerating NLD members, 
other democracy activists, and politicians; 

Strongly urge the SPDC to stop placing its interests above those of the 
nation and the people, including the officers and the rank and file in 
the military, and to immediately release all detained political 
prisoners, restore their democratic rights, and start working for 
national reconciliation with the leaders of the NLD and the non-Burman 
ethnic nationalities so as to stop the deteriorating socioeconomic and 
political conditions in the country; 

Applaud the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General in his 
endeavor to seek a peaceful solution to the political problems in Burma, 
including the appointment of Mr. Razali Ismail as the UN Special Envoy 
to Burma; 

Thank the Governments and political leaders who have expressed their 
concerns regarding the restrictions imposed by the SPDC against the NLD 
leaders and for its violation of human rights in Burma; 

Call on the European Union to strengthen its common position on Burma 
given the deteriorating situation and to continue closely monitoring the 
situation in Burma and to take appropriate action to dissuade the SPDC 
from following through with its plan to eliminate the NLD; 

Appreciate the Government and the Congress of the United States for 
championing Burma's cause for democracy and urge the United States to 
strengthen its current policy of political and economic sanctions 
against the SPDC and to step up diplomatic initiatives aimed at 
expanding multinational action to bring about democratic change in 
Burma; 

Appreciate the Royal Thai Government for advocating efforts to bring a 
peaceful end to the political problems in Burma and urge ASEAN as a 
whole to initiate steps to stop the injustices being committed by the 
SPDC against the NLD--a party chosen by the people to lead the country; 

Applaud the International Labor Organization for its efforts to deter 
the SPDC from conscripting the people as forced labor to implement 
infrastructure projects and to make them carry military supplies and 
serve as "human minesweepers" in frontline areas; 

Welcome the dawn of democracy in Yugoslavia and the victory of the 
Yugoslav people who through their display of tremendous courage ensured 
that their will expressed through the ballot box is honored



_____________________ OTHER  ______________________



British Broadcasting Corp: Job opening, BBC WORLD SERVICE BURMESE 
SECTION


The BBC World Service?s Burmese Section is the best known and most 
respected international broadcasting organisation in Burma and the 
world.  Broadcasting for one hour and fifteen minutes every day, 
programmes cover news and current affairs as well as features. 
We currently have an opportunity for a Radio Journalist/Producer 
however, for applicants with a higher level of skills and experience it 
may be possible to be considered for a more senior vacancy. 
Radio Journalists/Producer (three year fixed term contract)

We need people with an international outlook on life who enjoy using 
their own initiative and developing their own ideas.  Benefiting from 
first class training, you will be required to undertake all aspects of 
radio production including translating and preparing scripts, reporting, 
interviewing, writing, recording, using a computer keyboard and 
broadcasting at the microphone.

To be considered you will need to demonstrate; Burmese as your first or 
best language, a good understanding of English (both written and 
spoken), education to degree level (or equivalent), the ability to 
translate quickly and accurately from English to Burmese, the ability to 
write well and to work effectively in a team (often under pressure) and 
a good microphone voice. Understanding of the target area, journalistic 
experience, a knowledge of good sources, the ability to conduct 
interviews and familiarity with new technology would be advantageous. 
Successful applicants will be offered a salary starting from ú23,290 per 
annum plus an allowance of ú1,957 per annum for working unpredictable 
hours.

If you are interested and you meet the necessary requirements, please 
send a full Curriculum Vitae, in English, detailing your education and 
work experience with a covering letter saying why you would like to be 
considered to; Recruitment Office, BBC World Service, Bush House, 
Strand, London WC2B 4PH, U.K, Fax 44 20 7836 3215 or you can e-mail it 
to wsrecruit@xxxxxxxxxx quoting reference 47442/www.

Applications must arrive by Monday November 6th 2000.  Written and voice 
assessments and interviews are expected to be held in November. 








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