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BurmaNet News: October 15, 2001



______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
          October 15, 2001   Issue # 1899
______________ www.burmanet.org _______________


INSIDE BURMA _______
*BBC: Burmese opposition criticises UN envoy
*DVB: Rangoon junta remains silent on Prome religious clashes Rangoon 
junta remains silent on Prome religious clashes
*Burma Courier: Yebyu Villagers Face Heavy 'Tax' Burden

MONEY _______
*AP: U.Va. endowment sells shares tied to Burma
*Nation: PTT to supply oil and lubricant 
*Bangkok Post: Pongpol wants Mae Sot-Rangoon air link 
*Narinjara News: Military Personnel smuggle rice in Rakhine State
*Burma Courier: Ivanhoe Closes Financing for Exploration Projects
*Xinhua: Myanmar Earns 9.5 Mln Dollars From Gems Sale

GUNS______
*Irrawaddy Online: Junta Hunting Down Muslim Extremists

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*New Straits Times: Stranded pilgrims return home from Burma
*Mizzima: George Fernandes returns to the Cabinet

EDITORIALS/OPINION/PROPAGANDA________
*Asiaweek: Desperately Seeking Ne Win - A correspondent's search for an 
interview with Myanmar's elusive patriarch 


					
__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________


 


BBC: Burmese opposition criticises UN envoy


Monday, 15 October, 2001, 11:08 GMT 12:08 UK 


In Burma, the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) has 
criticised the visiting United Nations human rights envoy, Paulo Sergio 
Pinheiro.  

An NLD spokesman, U Lwin, told the BBC that Mr Pinheiro was not spending 
enough time consulting local communities.
  
He said Mr Pinheiro's schedule compared unfavourably with those of 
previous UN officials, who had spent more time talking to prisoners, 
opposition activists and ethnic minorities.  

U Lwin said that a meeting with the central leadership of the NLD 
planned for Friday had been cancelled.  

It is not known whether Mr Pinheiro's scheduled meeting with the 
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi went ahead. Mr Pinheiro is now 
visiting the northern Shan state.  

The Burmese authorities released five NLD prisoners on the day he 
arrived in the country.  
After his first visit in April, Mr Pinheiro said there was room for 
cautious optimism about events currently unfolding in Burma.  



___________________________________________________




DVB: Rangoon junta remains silent on Prome religious clashes Rangoon 
junta remains silent on Prome religious clashes

Text of report by Democratic Voice of Burma on 12 October

DVB has already reported that a curfew has been imposed in Prome on the 
western part of Pegu Division since 9 October because of Buddhist-Muslim 
riots. According to latest reports received today, although the 
situation is calm the curfew remains in place and the SPDC has still 
imposed restrictions on all mosques in Prome.  

When DVB contacted some monasteries in Thayet and Toungoo, which are in 
close proximity to Prome, one monk gave the following remarks.  

[Unidentified monk] We were going on our regular alms collecting round. 
We did not know exactly what happened but heard that the riots broke out 
and some were hurt. The police, monks, people, and some Muslims were 
injured. There were no casualties, only some injuries.  

Another monk said the situation has almost returned to normal.  

[Unidentified monk 2] We also heard that. Nothing more. 

[Htet Aung Kyaw] I believe the phone lines were cut in Prome.  

[Unidentified monk 2] Yes. We could not call from here. All the lines 
were cut.  

[Htet Aung Kyaw] Reverend, could you please explain to us what happened? 
 

[Unidentified monk2] We did not get clear news report either. We heard 
that there were some problems. These things are never quite certain and 
not easy to confirm.  

[Htet Aung Kyaw] Did the riots break out? 

[Unidentified monk2] Yes, it did happen. We know that it happened for 
two nights and were later controlled.  

[Htet Aung Kyaw] Were there any casualties? 

[Unidentified monk2] Well, we heard that some shops and houses were 
destroyed. We did not hear of any casualty.  

That was DVB interview with two monks from Thayet and Toungoo regarding 
the religious riots in Prome. DVB correspondent Myint Maung Maung also 
filed the following report.  

[Myint Maung Maung] Fighting broke out between some Burmese and Muslims 
at the central mosque on Aungchantha Road in Lanmadaw Ward, Prome from 
1500 to 1700 on 9 October. The Lone Htein riot police arrived and 
managed to disperse the crowd. Eight Burmese and two Muslims were 
injured in the  clashes. 

It all started when Ma Khin Ni, a 19-year-old Burmese girl, from 
Lanmadaw Street eloped with Abdullah Ahmed, age 28 years, from the same 
street who later forced her to become a Muslim. When Ma Khin Ni's 
parents discovered that she had become a Muslim and planning to get 
married they approached the mullahs at central mosque and requested them 
not to marry Ma Khin Ni. The mullahs did not accept the proposal and 
fighting broke out after a heated argument. The following morning, Ma 
Khin Ni's parents and her relatives entered Abdullah Ahmed's house and 
forcibly took Ma Khin Ni away. Fighting again broke out and this time 
the relatives also destroyed Abdullah Ahmed's house. The Muslims in the 
neighbourhood gathered together and tried to attack those that were 
destroying the house and the situation went beyond control.  

The Lone Htein riot police and the Fire Service Department personnel 
then arrived at the scene and used tear gas and water cannon to disperse 
the crowd. At the same time Muslim-Burmese riots broke  out in the Prome 
central market and the Lone Htein riot police had to disperse the crowd. 
In the riots one Burmese was killed and over 40 Burmese and 65 Muslims 
were injured. The injured were all taken and treated at the hospital.  
At 1700 on 10 October the Prome District authorities issued a curfew 
under Section-144 in Prome. According to Section-144 no one must be seen 
on the road between 1800 and 0600 and anyone seen during that time is 
liable to be shot. The curfew also states that any form of gathering at 
restaurants in  town and protesting and walking with weapons such as 
sticks, knives, and spears are prohibited and violators are liable to be 
shot. The curfew has not been revoked and 30-member strong platoons are 
patrolling the town. Furthermore, heavily armed policemen are stationed 
at schools, markets, bus  terminals, and railway stations. 

Although the news of the riots has been circulating inside and outside 
the country, the SPDC authorities have not reported anything about the 
riots so far. Furthermore, the SPDC officials have warned Rangoon-based 
news agencies that such news must not be reported.  

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 gmt 12 Oct 01 









___________________________________________________






___________________________________________________




Burma Courier: Yebyu Villagers Face Heavy 'Tax' Burden


Based on a report from the KNU's Mergui-Tavoy Info Dep't (edited): 
October 12

YEBYU -- According to townsfolk from Natkyizin arriving at the 
Thai-Burma border on Sept 24, township authorities have ordered the 
chairman of the town council to have every household supply materials 
for the repair of the rail line between Ye and Tavoy.  Each household 
has been required to provide a hundred cubic feet of road metal and a 
wooden sleeper and take it to railside before the end of September.

Natkyizin is in Yebyu township of the Tavoy district in northern 
Tenasserim division. It has about 500 households.

According to the villagers the damage to the rail-line was caused by 
poor workmanship and materials used during the construction of the line 
from 1994-8.   The embankment which were never properly compacted washes 
away during the rainy season and the sleepers decay year after year 
because of the poor quality of the wood.  Trains on the line are often 
derailed and overturn and passengers have been injured and died in some 
incidents. 
The Ye-Tavoy line was constructed using the forced labour of thousands 
of villagers from four townships in Tavoy district as well as Ye 
township in Mon state. More than a hundred persons died from illnesses 
brought on by exhaustion, heat, malaria and diarrhea as well as 
landslides and killings. 

Residents of Natkyizin are also required to provide five porters a day 
to assist a platoon from the Burma Army's Infantry Battalion 273 that is 
quartered in the town. Those unable to participate have to pay 500 kyat 
to hire someone else to do their duty.

In addition, a Mon militia unit that split from the New Mon State Party 
has been demanding 1.5 million kyat (approx US$ 3,000) from the town 
every year. This has meant that the each household has secretly had to 
give 3,000 kyat to support the Mon group every year.

Other payments required without fail from each household include a 100 
kyat a month towards a village development fund, 100 kyat to host 
visiting military officers and 100 kyat for an armed militia unit 
connected to the Burma army.




______________________MONEY________________________




AP: U.Va. endowment sells shares tied to Burma


By the Associated Press

Published October 14, 2001

    A money manager for the University of Virginia's endowment has sold 
the school's shares in an energy company with ties to the Burmese 
military. 

Alice W. Handy, the president of U.Va.'s Investment Management Co., 
wrote a letter to the student council president stating that the group 
had sold 50,000 shares of Unocal Corp. held by the university. The 
letter was released Friday.

    Students have been urging the sale for months because Burmese 
soldiers hired to provide security for a construction project by a 
consortium that includes Unocal have been linked to human rights 
violations. 
"As is our normal mode of operation, this was an investment decision 
made by our manager based on his assessment of Unocal's prospects," 
Handy wrote in the letter.

Richard Mayo, the manager who sold the stock, could not be reached for 
comment.

Handy said that Mayo was aware of the controversy surrounding U.Va.'s 
investment in Unocal, but university officials did not instruct Mayo to 
sell the stock.

The university has been under pressure for several months to sell its 
Unocal holdings, which were valued at about $1.6 million.

Andrew Price, the president of U.Va.'s Free Burma Coalition, believes 
student protests played an important role in the decision to sell. 
"I don't think it's a coincidence that this happens after a nine-month 
campaign for divestment," Price said.

Student leaders were scheduled to meet with U.Va.'s Board of Visitors on 
Friday to discuss the Unocal issue, but said they will now use that 
meeting to continue a broader discussion with university officials about 
the role of social responsibility in U.Va.'s investment decisions.




___________________________________________________



Nation: PTT to supply oil and lubricant 


Published on Oct 15, 2001 


PTT Plc recently signed a memorandum of understanding to sell oil and 
lubricant to the Burmese government, said Apisit Rujikeatkamjorn, senior 
executive vice president in the oil business group.

The deal marks Thailand's first government-to-government oil sales 
contract with its Western neighbour. The three-year agreement calls for 
PTT to supply one million litres of lubricant a year and between five 
million to seven million litres of diesel and petrol a month, sources 
added.

Trucks will deliver the petroleum products Tachilek in Burma, which is 
near Mae Sai, to serve mainly the Shan State and eastern Burma. - The 
Nation.









___________________________________________________



Bangkok Post: Pongpol wants Mae Sot-Rangoon air link 


Monday 15 October 2001 

Supamart Kasem 

Deputy Prime Minister Pongpol Adireksarn wants a direct air link between 
Mae Sot and Rangoon, saying it would help boost trade.

He made the suggestion during a visit to Myawaddy.

Mr Pongpol said he would raise the issue with the Transport Ministry and 
suggest they forward a proposal to cabinet for consideration. 

If there was no objection, officials would be sent for talks with 
Burmese authorities. Mr Pongpol yesterday led a delegation to meet 
Lt-Col Kyaw Soe, chairman of the Myawaddy Township Peace and Development 
Council, and Burmese senior officials in Myawaddy, opposite Tak's Mae 
Sot district, for talks on transportation and trade co-operation.

Mr Pongpol has also proposed joint investment in making rubber-wood 
furniture. Thailand exported 200 billion baht of rubber-wood furniture 
last year. Lt-Col Kyaw Soe said he would forward the air-link proposal 
to Rangoon for consideration.

He also expressed interest in the joint investment, saying there were 
many rubber plantations in Burma's Karen state.




___________________________________________________


	



Narinjara News: Military Personnel smuggle rice in Rakhine State
  

15/10/2001


Cox's Bazaar, Oct 15 :  According to a woman from Buthidaung, Rakhine 
State, Burma, who came to visit her relative in Cox's Bazaar, 
Bangladesh, a few days ago, the members of the Burmese Army are engaged 
in racketeering rice.  Though officially there is an open market economy 
in Burma under the Burmese junta SPDC, the rice from Sittwe, the capital 
of the state cannot be carried to Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships 
close to Bangladesh.  The ban is official, so the price of rice is 
180/200 kyat a kilo in Maungdaw and Buthidaung.   The price of a kilo of 
rice in Sittwe is 120/150 kyat.  One day's wage for a labourer is about 
500 kyat.   The general people are barred from carrying rice to the 
border areas while the military personnel carry on the black market 
trade in rice and other foodstuff.  Smugglers who have link with the 
military can smuggle rice in boatloads from Sittwe into Maungdaw.   



___________________________________________________




Xinhua: Myanmar Earns 9.5 Mln Dollars From Gems Sale


YANGON, October 15 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar fetched a total of 9.556 million 
U.S. dollars through sale of locally-produced gems, jade, pearl and 
jewelry under tender and competitive bidding systems at the country's 
10th Mid-Year Gems Emporium which ended here Sunday evening. The 
eight-day state-sponsored gems emporium, which was introduced in 
addition to the annual one and began on October 7, attracted 302 gem 
merchants of 121 foreign companies from 13 countries and regions, mostly 
from China, China's Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan and Singapore, and 314 
from local companies. However, the foreign exchange earning of this 
year's mid-year gems emporium was 42.16 percent less than that gained in 
last year 's event, due to the slowdown of the global economic growth 
rate and the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. 
Myanmar, a well-known producer of jade, ruby and sapphire in the world, 
has fetched over 330 million dollars from its 38 annual and nine 
mid-year gems emporiums, according to official statistics. Myanmar 
enacted the New Gemstone Law in September 1995, allowing national 
entrepreneurs to mine, produce, transport and sell finished gemstones 
and manufactured jewelry at home and abroad. Since April 2000, the 
government has reportedly started mining of gems and jade in joint 
venture with 10 private companies on profit sharing basis. 




___________________________________________________




Burma Courier: Ivanhoe Closes Financing for Exploration Projects


Based on news from Canada NewsWire:  October 12, 2001

SINGAPORE -- Ivanhoe Mines' Chairman Robert Friedland announced today 
that the company has closed a US$1.5 million (CDN$2.35 million) 
special-warrant financing to increase capital available to fund the 
company's exploration programs in Mongolia, Burma and South Korea.

The special warrant offer was the third in a series which Ivanhoe has 
used to raise a total of US$11.75 million (CDN$18.21 million).  The 
money will be used for the company's exploration programs at its 
Turquoise Hill gold-copper-molybdenum discovery in Mongolia and at its 
high-grade gold discoveries in Myanmar and South Korea. The balance of 
the funds raised will be used for working capital and corporate 
purposes.

In its most recent financial statement to shareholders before the 
special financing activities, Ivanhoe reported that it had current 
assets of over US$ 55 million, including $ 25 million in cash and 
inventories of almost $ 17 million, and current liabilities amounting to 
over $ 43 million. 
The company's current liabilities regularly includes repayments to two 
Japanese trading houses that financed the renovation of the copper mine 
in central Burma that the company jointly owns and operates in 
partnership with Burma's military government.   The debt repayment and 
an upgrading project at the jointly owned Monywa mine are being financed 
through cash flow from current operations.

In recent months, Ivanhoe has been tight-lipped about securing financing 
for the US$ 400 million expansion project at the Letpadaung project of 
the joint venture company.

The company will use US$ 500,000 of the capital from the funds raised 
through the warrants' program to finance further work at its Moditaung 
exploration project south of Mandalay at the end of the monsoon season. 
Ivanhoe shares on the Toronto market moved up almost 30% this week to 
CDN$ 2.36 on a heavy volume of over a million and half shares.  Spot 
copper prices on the New York market moved slightly slower to close out 
the week at US$ 0.6355 a pound.  Gold was down to US$ 284.90 an ounce.  
Clearly, something other than commodity prices was driving the optimism 
about Ivanhoe prospects.




_______________________GUNS________________________





Irrawaddy Online: Junta Hunting Down Muslim Extremists


By Maung Maung Oo

October 15, 2001?Burma?s Ministry of Home Affairs last week ordered all 
police forces and intelligence units to discover the source of 
anti-American pamphlets being circulated among the country?s Muslims, 
according to a reliable source in Rangoon. The ministry also said that 
"serious action" should be taken against those caught distributing the 
pamphlets, which attack the United States for its recent airstrikes on 
Afghanistan. 

The pamphlets have been distributed widely within Burma?s Muslim 
community, which constitutes roughly 4% of the country?s population. 
They originally appeared early last week in major urban centers of 
central Burma, including Magwe, Taungoo, and Pyinmana, before spreading 
to the capital Rangoon a few days later.  

Sources have reported signs of Muslim unrest throughout central Burma 
since the attacks on Afghanistan began last Monday. In Prome, located 
about 300 km northwest of Rangoon, five people were believed to have 
been killed last week in communal clashes between Muslims and 
non-Muslims, while many others were reported injured, according to 
sources. Although the country?s military regime has not reported the 
recent violence, sources in Prome said that a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew 
has been imposed, and all phone links to the city have been cut. The 
unrest appears to have been brought under control, the sources added. 

Earlier this year, a wave of anti-Muslim violence swept much of central 
Burma, as well as areas of the northwestern part of the country 
bordering Bangladesh. Information about these incidents was also 
suppressed in Burma?s strictly controlled press. 

According to sources, the recently circulated pamphlets accuse the 
United States of unfairly blaming Muslims for a series of terrorist 
attacks on New York and Washington on Sept 11. Echoing sentiments 
expressed throughout the Muslim world, the pamphlets say that the US has 
offered no evidence to prove that Osama bin Laden and the Taleban regime 
in Afghanistan were behind the attacks, which claimed at least 6,000 
lives. The pamphlets, believed to have been published by an extremist 
Islamic group, also call on Burmese Muslims to join the global jihad, or 
holy war, against America.  

News of the events of Sept 11 has been subject to stringent censorship 
in Burma, with the regime reportedly concerned about the risk of renewed 
communal violence. Although the junta has denied reports published in 
Jane?s Defense Weekly and the New York Times that there are terrorist 
cells linked to bin Laden operating in Burma, mosques around the country 
have come under intense scrutiny since Sept 11.







___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________
				



New Straits Times: Stranded pilgrims return home from Burma


OCT 13, 2001 SAT

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian missionaries stranded in a Burma jail for more 
than a year, have been brought home by Umno Youth.

The six missionaries from the Tabligh group had been jailed for entering 
Burma illegally, Berita Harian Malaysia reported yesterday. 

Umno Youth had brought them home at a cost of RM10,000 (S$4,700) after 
learning about their plight from the Malaysian Embassy in Rangoon. 

Upon their release, they had walked 200 km over 40 days after crossing 
the border between Thailand and Burma.

Missionary Syed Sultan said the episode had begun when the group 
attended a gathering of missionaries in Thailand last year.

He and his colleagues had decided on a pilgrimage to Mecca overland. 

They had lost their passports in Thailand but travelled on until they 
were caught by Burmese soldiers.

Umno Youth official Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman said: 'They were released in 
April this year after a year's jail but stranded because they had no 
money to fly home.'

He said the International Red Crescent Society had come to know about 
their problems while visiting the Kyaingtong Prison in Chengton, about 
1,000 km from Rangoon.

'We were well treated in prison,' said Syed Sultan.






___________________________________________________




Mizzima: George Fernandes returns to the Cabinet


Mizzima News 

New Delhi, Oct. 15: Mr. George Fernandes, who is known for his support 
for the Burmese pro-democracy movement, got his old job back today as he 
was inducted into Cabinet as the defence minister in a Cabinet reshuffle 
this afternoon.  

The Samata Party leader Mr. Fernandes had resigned from the government 
"on moral grounds" after a Tehelka exposé on corruption in defence deals 
seven months ago. The defence portfolio was then given to External 
Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh.  
It is likely that strong protests will be heard from the opposition in 
the coming days and weeks. The main opposition Congress Party and left 
parties already made clear on Saturday that they oppose the reinduction 
of George Fernandes into Cabinet as "the Venakatswami Commission probing 
Tehelka's revelations has not cleared him".  

In a startling revelation in March this year, the Internet news portal 
alleged corruption in defence deals in high places. In video recordings, 
presidents of two ruling political parties (Bharatiya Janata Party and 
Samata Party) were shown receiving bribes from the Tehelka reporters who 
pretended to be arms dealers. The Venkataswami Commission was set up by 
the government to probe the allegations. 



___________EDITORIALS/OPINION/PROPAGANDA__________




Asiaweek: Desperately Seeking Ne Win - A correspondent's search for an 
interview with Myanmar's elusive patriarch 

By ROGER MITTON

Friday, October 12, 2001
Web posted at 01:40 p.m. Hong Kong time, 01:40 a.m. GMT 

When I started reporting on Myanmar several years ago, I set my heart on 
trying to interview pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the man 
regarded as her counterpart in the military regime, Lt.-Gen. Khin Nyunt. 
I accomplished this, but there is one other person I have been even more 
determined to meet -- the former dictator, Gen. Ne Win, widely known 
simply as Number 1. So far, I have not succeeded, but neither have I 
given up. Recent news, however, makes me worry that the Grim Reaper 
might beat me to him. 

Ne Win was rushed to hospital in Singapore after suffering a heart 
attack last week. His family, including favorite daughter Sanda and son 
Pyo gathered at his bedside. After a week in hospital, during which he 
had a heart sensor implanted, the 90-year-old general returned to his 
palatial lakeside home on Maykha Road in Yangon on Oct. 11. Given his 
healthy interest in women, his otherwise abstemious lifestyle, and his 
former sporting prowess, I always suspected that he would survive. I 
hope he has recovered enough to grant me a short interview. Hey, it 
could be mutually rewarding. 

After all, he is keen on history and concerned about his own role in 
modern Burma being recorded properly. Message to the patriarch: I'm 
here. Sanda has my fax number. Just message me and I'll be there with 
notebook and recorder. It's not like I haven't been trying. Two years 
ago, after lunching with a banker at L'Opera in Yangon, I told the taxi 
driver to take me to Shwegondine Road. It was the anniversary of the 
1990 elections and I knew Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy would 
be holding a special meeting of some sort. On the way there, I suddenly 
had a whim and told the driver to go to Maykha Road. 

We drove to the end of the mansion-lined lane bordering Inya Lake and 
stopped at a checkpoint. The guard was asleep and when I roused him he 
seemed no more aware of reality than when asleep. But a more senior 
officer arrived. Explaining that I had flown all the way from Bangkok, I 
handed over a letter I had written addressed to Ne Win, asking for an 
interview. I also left a box of chocolates for the general. 

I heard nothing. A couple of days later, I lunched with a former member 
of Ne Win's government who told me that the old man was in good mental 
and physical health, though he required a cane to walk. He said Ne Win 
favored traditional medicines, meditated quite a lot, and liked to read 
historical books of a religious bent. On that same day, I interviewed 
Suu Kyi at Tin Oo's house. The latter, a former brigadier-general, was 
once Ne Win's chief of staff. He told me a bit about his former boss, 
with whom he had traveled to the U.S. in 1965 at the personal invitation 
of President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Tin Oo told me, as many do, how Ne 
Win was an admirable man in his early career; but he added that he was 
sure he would never agree to see me. 

I was not going to let that daunt me. So the following March I wrote to 
his daughter, Daw Khin Sanda Win, and asked if I could see her. I was 
pretty upfront about indicating I hoped she would assist me in meeting 
her father. I was surprised when Daw Sanda replied by fax, explaining 
that she knew about me, that I had interviewed other important people in 
Myanmar, but she would not agree to meet me as she preferred a quiet, 
unpublicized lifestyle. I thought that was fair enough -- but being a 
journalist, I could not let fairness put me off. I wrote to her a few 
more times, but never heard from her again. 

It was time to try a different tack. I had been given the name of a 
German businessman, Hannes Schlemmer, who lived next door to Ne Win on 
Maykha Road. I called him up to ask if we might meet some time. He 
promptly invited me round to his house for tea. I equally promptly 
accepted. It was rather odd to be sitting next door to Ne Win and for 
Hannes to tell me he had recently been invited over for a chat. I asked 
Hannes if he thought Ne Win would agree to meet me. Absolutely not, he 
replied. It sounded pretty definitive. 

Still, I never gave up. Yet another tack was possible: Ne Win's current 
(but estranged) wife, Daw Ni Ni Win. I had heard Daw Ni Ni was head of 
the Historical Institute at Yangon University. So I faxed her office and 
she agreed to an interview. I met her last October. I took along a copy 
of a pictorial book about Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew. The book had a 
section about Ne Win that was rather complimentary. I thought he would 
like to see it. I gave the book to Daw Ni Ni and she promised to give it 
to Ne Win. I attached a short note saying I hoped he liked the book -- 
and attached my card in case he might like to contact me. Nothing. 

I have still not given up. On my next trip, I'll go to Paungdale, near 
Prome, where Ne Win was born in 1911. Maybe I can rustle up some old 
family connections that might help me strike a chord with him. If that 
doesn't work, I may just send him another letter telling him that we 
have something in common: we are both former mail clerks. Old posties 
stick together. But I'm open to other ideas. Please send them in quickly 
as time is running out. If Ne Win reads this, I'm ready when you are. 
And I've got another box of chocolates. 












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