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BurmaNet News: September 28, 2001



______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
          September 23, 2001   Issue # 1888
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________


INSIDE BURMA _______
*Reuters: Myanmar opposition tells military free Suu Kyi now
*AFP: Myanmar's NLD calls for Aung San Suu Kyi's release at anniversary 
event 
*Bangkok Post: ILO turns spotlight on use of forced labour
*DVB : ILO team at controversial Burma pipeline site International 
Labour team at controversial Burma pipeline site 
*Far Eastern Economic Review: Intelligence- Time Running out for Burma's 
Forests

MONEY _______
*Bernama [Malaysia]: Source Food Imports From Myanmar 
DRUGS______
*Fear Eastern Economic Review: Osama Bin Laden--The Cash Flow

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*AFP: Belgrade closes 13 embassies for economic reasons 
*The Nation: Glitches in signups of illegals ?over? 
*BBC: Bin Laden - the Asia connection
*Mizzima: Chin immigrants being evicted from Mizoram



					
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________





Reuters: Myanmar opposition tells military free Suu Kyi now

By Aung Hla Tun 

 YANGON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Myanmar's opposition on Thursday demanded 
the immediate and unconditional release of pro-democracy figurehead Aung 
San Suu Kyi, in its most strongly worded statement since peace talks 
with the military began last year. 

 At a ceremony marking the 13th anniversary of the founding of the 
National League for Democracy (NLD), which won Myanmar's last election 
in 1990 by a landslide but was never allowed to govern, the party called 
for the release of all political prisoners. 

 ``We demand the unconditional and immediate release of our 
secretary-general, Daw (Mrs) Aung San Suu Kyi, and all other political 
prisoners,'' the NLD said in a statement read by a party representative 
from the Karen ethnic group. 

 The party also reaffirmed the mandate of Suu Kyi and NLD Chairman Aung 
Shwe to carry on their duties in working for the emergence of democracy 
in Myanmar. 
 The 56-year-old Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, has been 
held under de facto house arrest for more than a year, cut off from 
contact with the outside world. 

 But since last October, the military government has been holding 
regular meetings with her to discuss ending the political deadlock that 
has gripped Myanmar for more than a decade. 

 The NLD and the government agreed to cease verbal attacks on each other 
after the start of the talks, and the government has released more than 
150 political prisoners. 

 MORE THAN 1,500 STILL IN JAIL 

 But according to Amnesty International, more than 1,500 political 
prisoners remain in jail. 
 Around 400 people attended the ceremony at the NLD's central Yangon 
headquarters, including senior party leaders, veteran politicians and 
diplomats from the United States, Britain, Japan, France, Australia and 
South Korea. 

 A year ago, amid a military crackdown on the NLD, such a ceremony would 
have been unthinkable. All senior NLD leaders were in forced confinement 
this time last year, and the military government barred access to the 
NLD's headquarters. 

 ``It is pretty long since we held such a ceremony,'' said Hla Pe, a 
member of the NLD's central executive committee who acted as chairman 
for the ceremony. 
 ``It is a very auspicious day but we cannot feel complete happiness, as 
our secretary-general, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, cannot attend this 
ceremony.'' 
 NLD Vice Chairman Tin Oo, recently released from de facto house arrest, 
told NLD members they had to be flexible in their fight for democracy.
 
 ``There is no such thing as an enemy forever or a friend forever,'' he 
said in an address to the ceremony. 

 ``Of course, a noble friend is best. But a noble enemy is second 
best.'' 

 Few details of the talks between Suu Kyi and the military have emerged, 
and the dialogue has not passed beyond the stage of confidence-building. 



 The start of dialogue was welcomed by the international community and 
by representatives of Myanmar's many ethnic groups. But diplomats say 
the goodwill will not last forever. 

 Opposition members and ethnic groups are pressing for more transparency 
and for concrete signs of progress, to prove the dialogue is more than 
just a public relations exercise. 

 The government insists it wants to move Myanmar towards democracy, but 
says the country faces anarchy and disintegration if the process moves 
too quickly. 

 (Additional reporting by Andrew Marshall in Bangkok) 




___________________________________________________






AFP: Myanmar's NLD calls for Aung San Suu Kyi's release at anniversary 
event 

[Abridged]

YANGON, Sept 27 (AFP) - The opposition National League for Democracy 
(NLD) called for the unconditional release of its leader Aung San Suu 
Kyi Thursday at a ceremony to mark the 13th anniversary of its founding. 


 Some 500 party members were joined by diplomats from the United States, 
Britain, Australia, Japan and other nations, as well as veteran 
politicians from other pro-democracy parties and the media at the 
ceremony. 

 The NLD called on all its members and elected MPs to "further 
consolidate their strength and unity for renewed efforts to achieve the 
party's objective to attain genuine democracy." 

 A final resolution proclaimed the members' "complete trust and 
confidence" in the party's leaders to do "whatever was necessary through 
discussion,
 negotiation or co-ordination" to achieve democracy. 

 Aung San Suu Kyi has spent the last 11 months in secret talks with 
junta leaders, which observers hope will herald a fully-fledged 
reconciliation process that could one day introduce democracy to 
military-ruled Myanmar. 

 At Thursday's ceremony, party chairman Aung Shwe, who was recently 
released from house arrest in a goodwill gesture aimed at bolstering the 
talks, noted that the current political climate was conducive to 
national reconciliation. 

 And in an obvious reference to the ongoing dialogue, vice-chairman Tin 
Oo said there was no such thing as "an eternal foe" or an "eternal 
friend". 

 "Time and circumstances always dictate changes," he said, going on to 
point out that in any "fruitful negotiation" there had to be "give and 
take" and that the end result should not be seen in terms of losers and 
winners. 

 In a sign of the political thaw initiated by the talks, the security 
presence at the meeting was less obtrusive than in previous years when 
each guest was photographed entering NLD headquarters. 

 On Thursday, no attempt was made to hinder party members or invited 
guests who were allowed to enter the venue freely, and traffic on the 
busy road outside was not affected. 


 

___________________________________________________




Bangkok Post: ILO turns spotlight on use of forced labour

September 28, 2001

LARRY JAGAN


Things are changing in Burma and another sign of this is the presence of 
a high level delegation from the International Labour Organisation to 
investigate the use of forced labour.

Human rights groups like Amnesty International say the Burmese military 
routinely forces villagers to work on the construction of roads and 
bridges and to act as porters. "Anyone who refuses," said a Burma 
researcher for AsiaWatch, "is brutally beaten and put in jail."

The members of the mission have had extensive discussions with both the 
government and the opposition. They have had a long meeting with the 
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is still under virtual house 
arrest. Now they are spending two weeks travelling round the country's 
border areas, where forced labour is still believed to be used 
extensively.

The director-general of the ILO, Juan Somavia, said the mission would be 
extremely rigorous and had been guaranteed freedom of access. Any 
witnesses that give evidence will be protected. The members of the 
mission are internationally eminent jurists led by the former 
governor-general of Australia, Sir Ninian Stephen. "The high calibre of 
its members," said Mr Somavia, "will guarantee that they are not 
hoodwinked by the Burmese generals."

Burma's generals have promised the ILO full co-operation. "The team will 
be given freedom of movement and we will not accompany them except to 
take care of their security," Burma's Deputy Labour Minister 
Brigadier-General Win Sein told the government-sponsored Myanmar Times.

The ruling junta was stung into action last November when the ILO 
condemned Burma for its use of what the international community calls 
slavery. They called on members to implement what would in effect be an 
international economic boycott of Burma. With its economy plunging 
deeper into crisis, this is the last thing the Burmese generals want to 
see happen.

Since then they have officially outlawed forced labour and circulated 
directives banning the use of forced labour throughout the country. The 
mission now hopes to assess to what extent forced labour has been 
stopped.

Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, says the 
use of forced labour has been substantially reduced. "It's not as 
prevalent as it was," said NLD spokesman U Lwin.

But that is not the experience of the ethnic groups like the Shan, Karen 
and Mon, who all live in Burma's border areas. These are the areas where 
the delegation is currently visiting. A Mon spokesman said that while it 
was not as bad as it was, forced labour is still a problem.

The Burmese military are so anxious to impress the ILO mission that many 
of the country's regional commanders toured around the border areas in 
the weeks before the delegation arrived telling villagers what to say. 
In Mon state, the local military commanders even made villagers sign 
petitions saying there is no forced labour in their area.

Human rights activists believe that forced labour is still used 
extensively in border areas, where the army still needs local people to 
help with the construction of roads and bridges and to carry supplies. 
"In the past few years, the army has certainly reduced its use of women 
and children," said an AsiaWatch researcher. "But forced labour 
persists. We have over a thousand fresh documented cases since last 
November."

The mission will report back to the ILO in November at its major annual 
session. "The results of the mission will be crucial to whether western 
government's respond to Burma's attempts to lessen its international 
isolation," said a western diplomat based in Rangoon.

The ILO says this mission is part of an on-going process. In private, 
senior officials admit that establishing a permanent presence in Rangoon 
is the only way to ensure the elimination of forced labour and to 
monitor the prosecution and punishment of those found to be using force 
labour.

Observers feel this issue is going to be very divisive for the country's 
military leaders. There is likely to be great resistance to ending the 
practice within the army. "The army, especially in border areas, where 
there is rugged terrain, cannot do without press-ganging local villagers 
into service as porters and guides," said a Bangkok-based military 
specialist.

The ILO mission's report is expected to be a strong of indicator of how 
much change is happening in Burma. But the ILO chief, Juan Somavia, 
probably best summed up the international mood when he said: "The ILO 
won't be satisfied with something that doesn't appear to be real 
progress. It is progress for a mission to be there, but progress has to 
continue."

- Larry Jagan is the BBC's regional editor for the Asia-Pacific region. 
He is currently based in Bangkok.




___________________________________________________




DVB : ILO team at controversial Burma pipeline site International Labour 
team at controversial Burma pipeline site 


Excerpt from report by DVB on 24 September

DVB has learned that the visiting ILO high-level delegation has split 
into two groups and begun their study tour of Arakan State and 
Tenasserim Division. A six-member ILO team led by the delegation leader, 
Sir Ninian Stephen, arrived in Tavoy today and the team later inspected 
Myittha and Yebyu Villages in Tavoy District in the afternoon. Forced 
labour and confiscation of land were rife in the region due to the 
construction of the SPDC natural gas pipeline. The other ILO team has 
already arrived in Maungdaw, Arakan State yesterday...  

The ILO team arrived in Rangoon last Monday [17 September] and the teams 
will go for field inspection trips in the forthcoming two weeks. An ILO 
official said the teams currently touring Arakan State and Tenasserim 
Division will return to Rangoon on Friday and they will be leaving for 
other states and divisions next week.  

DVB correspondent Aye Chan Naing contacted a local abbot from Tavoy and 
inquired about the ramifications of the visit.  

[Unidentified abbot] I do not think it will make any difference because 
they will not be able to visit the places they wanted on their own.  

[Aye Chan Naing] The government has promised them that they will be 
allowed to go anywhere they want.  

[Unidentified abbot] Well, the government did give their promise but I 
think what they had promised before and what they are going to direct 
now will be different.  

[Aye Chan Naing] What is your view then? 

[Unidentified abbot] Well, I do not want to give my view because it will 
not be appropriate. That is why I do not want to say anything.  

[Aye Chan Naing] Do you know that the ILO delegation has arrived?  

[Unidentified abbot] We heard that they are in Rangoon. 

[Aye Chan Naing] The latest we heard was that they have arrived in Tavoy 
today.  

[Unidentified abbot] Well, I haven't heard about that. They may have 
arrived but I do not know. It does not concern us too.  

[Aye Chan Naing] What about the current situation? Do they still use 
forced labour?  

[Unidentified abbot] Well, think for yourself. What they say and what 
they do are two different things. It will be much better now with the 
arrival of the inspection team. They have reduced and later stopped the 
practice before the arrival.  

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 gmt 24 Sep 01 


___________________________________________________



Far Eastern Economic Review: Intelligence- Time Running out for Burma's 
Forests

Issue cover-dated October 4, 2001


Western environmentalists warn that northernmost Burma's remaining 
forest will all be gone within a few years if current rates of 
clear-cutting continue. Unchecked logging could have severe long-term 
effects as the watersheds of two of Burma's most important river 
systems--the Irrawaddy and the Chindwin--are located in the far north. 
Over the past year, companies based in the adjacent Chinese province of 
Yunnan have felled hundreds of thousands of logs in Burma's Kachin 
state, and new roads have been built across the border to get the timber 
out. Previously, logging was confined to border areas east of the Kachin 
capital of Myitkyina, but the loggers have moved into the central part 
of the state and concessions are being extended all the way to India in 
the west. According to local Kachins, those involved in the 
clear-cutting include a Yunnan company, a Beijing-based firm, a 
Malaysian-Chinese outfit and an Australian-listed mining company. The 
companies have hired more than 1,000 local tribesmen--former 
anti-government rebels--to cut the trees in what appears to be the most 
extensive deforestation in Southeast Asia today.






______________________MONEY________________________





Bernama [Malaysia]: Source Food Imports From Myanmar 
  
   KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- Malaysian importers were today 
urged to consider sourcing cheaper and competitive food supply from 
Myanmar and pass the benefits on to the consumers. 

In making the call, the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Tan 
Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said his visit to the country last April convinced 
him that Malaysia could source supply of fish and other sea food as well 
as poultry and livestock products from Myanmar besides maize. 

Presently a Malaysian company has been granted an area in Myanmar for 
poultry farming but there was no taker yet for a proposed 
maize-cultivation project there, he said. 

Muhyiddin told reporters this when approached on an offer by Myanmar's 
Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Senior General Than 
Shwe yesterday that Malaysian investors cultivate farming land his 
country to meet Malaysia's food needs. 

Than Shwe, who is also the Myanmar prime minister said Malaysia could 
cut down on its RM10-billion imported food bill by growing food in his 
country which has 10.4 million ha of virgin and fallow land for 
cultivation. 

-- BERNAMA 





________________________DRUGS______________________




Fear Eastern Economic Review: Osama Bin Laden--The Cash Flow


It won't be easy to track Osama bin Laden's money network, and it will 
be harder to destroy it


By Alkman Granitsas/HONG KONG

Issue cover-dated October 4, 2001




IN SINGAPORE AND HONG KONG the accountants have been poring over bank 
records. In Malaysia, the central bank is thinking about conducting a 
probe. Japanese stockmarket regulators are looking into unusual share 
transactions, while the Philippine Congress plans to pass much delayed 
legislation against money laundering by the end of this month.

As the United States threatens to punish foreign banks that do not 
freeze terrorists' assets, Asia's financial regulators are looking for 
one thing: the money trail of Osama bin Laden. So far there's no hard 
proof that the Saudi millionaire and alleged terrorist leader has been 
moving money through the region's banks and financial institutions. But 
that doesn't mean it isn't there.

In fact, there are hints that Asia may be at the centre of bin Laden's 
worldwide financial network. The problem regulators face is how to crack 
down on the region's vast underground banking system--the likely channel 
bin Laden used to transfer his cash--without imposing onerous new 
regulations on legitimate business transactions.

"There's obviously got to be a way of drying up funds to these terrorist 
organizations," says Alan Johnson, of financial-services group Horwath 
Hong Kong. "But I don't believe you should use sledgehammers to crack 
nuts. Regulators should not turn the whole financial world upside down 
and impose restrictions on ordinary people trying to do business."

There's certainly evidence that bin Laden's money is floating around 
Asia. His past associates say he used banks in Hong Kong and Malaysia, 
while his brother-in-law spent years in the Philippines and has been 
linked to terrorist group Abu Sayyaf. In Indonesia too, there are dark 
suspicions that bin Laden has helped finance extremist Islamic groups.

The region's financial cops have been coming together in an all-out 
effort to track that money--the financial equivalent of a regionwide 
manhunt. Sources tell the REVIEW that in the past week the international 
police organization Interpol has begun conducting daily briefings for 
police commercial crime units across Asia. The move, though not 
unprecedented, represents a significant step in regional police 
cooperation.

But so far, there's not much to show for all the effort. One reason is 
that bin Laden may have a lot less money than most people think. He is 
said to have inherited $300 million from his father's construction firm, 
but may have lost much of that when Saudi Arabia froze his assets 
sometime between 1992 and 1994. Several failed business deals, primarily 
in Sudan, may also have cost him and left him with only a few million 
dollars to his name.

A bigger impediment to tracking bin Laden's money may be Asia's age-old 
underground banking systems that are widespread in South Asia and among 
Chinese communities in East Asia. It's a system based on trust--and 
cash--that leaves almost no paper trail.

"What is unique about Asia is that the region has underground banking 
systems that are unlike anything else in the rest of world," says Sam 
Porteous, country manager for investigations firm Kroll in Shanghai. 
"These are systems that move money instantaneously across borders. It's 
better than the modern banking system and it's untraceable."

TRANSACTIONS WITHOUT RECORDS

Known as hawala in India, hundi in Pakistan or fei qian in China, Asia's 
underground banking system is enormous and widespread. By some 
estimates, as much as 60% of money from Burma's drug trade passes 
through underground banks.

It works like this: A client approaches a local underground bank in, 
say, Islamabad--usually a business like a goldsmith's shop or a travel 
agency. He deposits $10,000 to be remitted to an associate in, say, 
Bangkok. The shop in Islamabad gives the sender a receipt or chit, 
something as simple as a specially marked movie-ticket stub or a 
low-value rupee note. The chit is mailed to the Bangkok recipient, who 
then presents it to an associated goldsmith or travel agent and 
withdraws the $10,000 in Thai baht. With no banks involved, there is no 
record of the cross-border transaction.

Says analyst Kent Brown of Pinkerton security services: "Investigation 
into bin Laden and his finances will provide a modern Rosetta Stone on 
how to attack terrorists' financial networks."
 



___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
				


AFP: Belgrade closes 13 embassies for economic reasons 

BELGRADE, Sept 27 (AFP) - The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), 
which is made of Serbia and Montenegro, announced on Thursday that 
economic reasons had forced it to close 13 of its embassies around the 
world. 

 The decision to close embassies in Chile, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, 
Lebanon, Myanmar, North Korea, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, 
Zambia and Zimbabwe was part of a "rationalisation programme of 
diplomatic representation," Belgrade said in a statement. 

 But the closures will "in no way affect relations" with the countries 
concerned, as ambassadors in neighbouring countries will ensure 
diplomatic continuity, the FRY statement pointed out. 




___________________________________________________




The Nation: Glitches in signups of illegals ?over? 


Published on Sep 28, 2001 


Labour Minister Dej Boonlong yesterday attributed the slow registration 
process for illegal migrant workers to unanticipated technical glitches 
that had already been rectified.

In the first three days of registration, 39,160 illegal immigrants had 
registered: 32,558 from Burma, 3,787 from Laos, and 2,181 from Cambodia. 
About 10,000 registered workers were employed in plantation works.

The registration process was marred by power outage and dataprocessing 
glitches, Dej said, adding the glitches had caused a slowdown in issuing 
registration cards.

Dej expected the registration to pick up speed for the remainder of the 
process, which ends on October 13. The ministry estimated that hundreds 
of thousands of illegal immigrants would register.

When asked how his ministry would ensure that registered workers were 
from the approved neighbouring countries, Dej said he might request 
those suspected of reporting a bogus nationality to sing their national 
anthem as proof.




___________________________________________________



BBC: Bin Laden - the Asia connection

Thursday, 27 September, 2001, 11:37 GMT 12:37 UK 

By BBC regional analyst Larry Jagan in Bangkok 
 
They seek him here, they seek him there, they seek the elusive Osama Bin 
Laden everywhere. Even in east Asia, rumours abound as to his 
whereabouts. 
 
First he was supposed to be in hiding in China, having fled across the 
Pamir mountains into China's restive Xinjiang province - a suggestion 
strenuously denied by the authorities in Beijing.   
Although few took this very seriously - intelligence experts thought it 
would be impossible for him to remain there undetected - the US embassy 
in Beijing sent its foremost resident expert on the area to see for 
himself. 
 
Then there were reports that Bin Laden's supporters and followers - from 
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand - were meeting at the 
Indonesian holiday resort of Batam, not far from Singapore. 
 
Bin Laden's connection to Indonesia has long been rumoured. So the 
search went on.   
Planning meeting 
 
The idea that the Bin Laden group was planning further attacks in the 
small island resort seemed inconceivable. 
 
In the midst of the few chalets, long sandy beach and imported rocks 
that make up this seaside location, a group of Muslim activists would 
not have remained incognito for very long.   
The Indonesian police and army chiefs both dismissed the report as 
totally groundless.   
A Thai military intelligence officer dealing with the Muslim movements 
in southern Thailand dismissed the reports as totally unfounded. 
 
While another insurgent expert said it was impossible that a series of 
independent cells would be meeting, let alone discuss strategy or what 
to do next. 
 
Underground organisations like Bin Laden's depend on being completely 
separate, with independent command structures. 
 
The search for Bin Laden will go on. It will not be long before the 
Philippines becomes the next hiding place. 
 
Suspicions 
 
After all, there have long been strong suspicions that Bin Laden is 
involved with the shady Abu Sayyaf group, responsible for a series of 
kidnappings over the last year or so.   
What is clear is that there has been an Afghan connection throughout 
Asia with several Muslim groups. 
 
Certainly arms and explosives from Afghanistan have made their way into 
Xinjiang and may well have involved in a series of bomb blasts that have 
occurred there in the past few years.   
And two Indonesians accused of involvement in the bombings of a 
Christian church in 1999, according to the police, were trained in 
Afghanistan and were members of the Afghan militia there in the early 
1990s. 
 
Chasing shadows 
 
But rumours outweigh the reality by far. 
 
The Burmese army - hoping the pro-democracy groups along the Thai-Burma 
border might believe it - circulated their own rumour suggesting that 
the Taleban were training a rebel ethnic group, the Shan State Army. 
 
No one has taken that rumour seriously - although at least one news 
organisation reported that the biggest Bin Laden organisation was based 
in Burma. 
 
So whether predominantly Buddhist or Muslim, most countries in Asia do 
not seem to have dispelled the rumours that Bin Laden is taking refuge 
there.  



___________________________________________________





Mizzima: Chin immigrants being evicted from Mizoram

Mizzima News
 
New Delhi, Sept. 27: Thousands of Chin nationals who are living in 
Lunglei District of Mizoram State are being asked to leave the place by 
the powerful local Mizo body, according to some of them who fled from 
Mizoram to New Delhi. 
 
A 48-year old Pu Pan Tu who arrived New Delhi this morning told Mizzima 
News that he had to leave his house in Lunglei District after local 
branch of Young Mizo Association (YMA) issued an eviction notice that 
all the "foreigners" who are staying illegally in the area have to leave 
their houses. He had been staying in Lunglei District for more than ten 
years.   
In Lunglei district, five Quarters namely Ramthar Veng, Salem Veng, 
Electric Veng, Chanmari Veng and Farm Veng house many of the Chin 
nationals from Burma. Most of them survive on daily-wage odd jobs. 
Lunglei District is one of the eight districts of Mizoram State, which 
has about 400 km long international border with Burma. 
 
On August 18 this year, Ramthar Veng Branch of the Young Mizo 
Association made a wide spread circular announcing that all the 
foreigners and non-Mizo living illegally in the locality have to leave 
their houses by the end of August and action will be taken against even 
those who receive them secretly. Mr. K. Lalhmingliana, secretary of the 
Ramthar Veng Branch of the YMA, signed the circular. 
 
Similar eviction announcements were made in other adjoining localities. 
On September 8, Salem Branch of the Young Mizo Association made an 
announcement to the effect that all the foreigners and non-Mizos in the 
area have to leave their houses by September 15 and urged the house 
owners not to rent any one of those "illegal foreigners". Mr. C. 
Lalrimawia, secretary of the YMA Salem Branch, signed the announcement, 
which appeared on a daily newspaper, Lunglei Times.   
"Following the announcement, some YMA members came into our house and 
broke our dishes and threatened us not to dare to live anymore", 
recalled Pu Pan Tu who lived in Ramthar Veng with his family of five. 
"The worst is that YMA even does not allow us to bury those who died in 
the locality. We are forced to bury the body in far away villages. For 
us, there is no place even to bury our body after we die". 
 
Pu Pan Tu, along with two closed friends, fled to New Delhi to seek 
support from their fellow countrymen, non-governmental organizations of 
India and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Office 
in New Delhi for the plight of Chins in Mizoram. He worked as a joint 
secretary of National League for Democracy (NLD) in his San Baung 
Quarter in Matupi township of Chin State until March 1990 when he fled 
from the eminent arrest of the military authorities for his political 
involvement. 
 
According to local people, there are over 5,000 Chin nationals from 
Burma living in Lunglei District alone and some NGOs estimates the total 
number of Burma immigrants living in the entire state to be around fifty 
thousands although the exact numbers are not available.   
With the new drive against "foreigners" (Chins) in Lunglei District, 
some families have already left their homes to the far away villages and 
border areas in the past few days. Many of them rent new houses in 
villages, pretending to be Mizo nationals. 
 
These Burma nationals who are mostly from Chin State of Burma left their 
native places due to deteriorating political and economic situation 
under the military regime.   
Mizoram government officials and YMA leaders said that the overwhelming 
presence of the Chins in the state threatens the economic, political and 
societal stability of Mizoram. And it had tried several times in the 
past to deport these Chin immigrants to Burma but forced to stop 
deportation after outcry from NGOs and human rights organizations in 
India and abroad.   

In an interview in July this year, Mizoram Chief Minister Mr. 
Zoramthanga once again expressed his worry over the presence of a large 
number of Chin nationals who are staying illegally in the state. He 
wants the border with Burma to be fenced to check further infiltration 
of immigrants into the State. 
 
Moreover, Mizoram government claims that more than 75% of the crimes and 
drug-related activities in the state are being committed by the people 
from Burma. 








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