|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEADLINE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFP - Six Myanmar protestors arrested in
Japan
AFP - Myanmar government losing patience in Aung
San Suu Kyi stand-off
WP - In a Field in
Burma
AP - Health of Burma's pro-democracy
leader could be in jeopardy, her party says
Reuters - Concern Grows As Suu Kyi Confronts
Myanmar Rulers
Reuters - War of words as Suu Kyi defies Myanmar
military
Channel Newsasia - Suu Kyi remains stranded,
health in jeopardy
The Age - Burmese
reject Australian criticism
AFP - US sends official protest to Myanmar over Aung
San Suu Kyi
News.com - Protesters call for Burmese
sanctions
Business Day - Japan
Urged To Help End Myanmar Stand-Off
Inside China - Opposition Radio Says China
Protested to Burmese Government over Taiwan
AFX news - TotalFinaElf boycotted by 4 Belgian ministers over Myanmar
links
Bkk Post - Asean's image in danger, says
Surin
Bkk Post - Army urged to join drug
fight
The Nation - Refugees' children to get
citizenship
The Nation - UN envoy is best hope for end
to Burma stalemate, says Surin
BBC - Burma hosts Indian
delegation
SCMP - State press heaps criticism on Suu
Kyi
SCMP - Junta threatens 'The Lady' with new
college closures
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRESS RELEASE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LDB - Six
Burmese activists detained while protesting at the Burmese Embassy in
Tokyo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BURMA RELATED NEWS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Six Myanmar protestors arrested in
Japan
TOKYO, Aug 29 (AFP) - Japanese police arrested six pro-democracy
Myanmar activists Tuesday after they staged a rally against a standoff between
their champion Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar's military junta, their group
said.
"The six were arrested by Japanese police, and have not
been released yet," said Michael Collins, a 32-year-old Myanmar national and
member of the Tokyo-based League For Democracy in Burma (LDB).
The six, all Myanmar nationals living in Japan, were
among 30 activists who demonstrated at the Myanmar embassy in Tokyo against a
road-side standoff pitting opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi against the
junta.
The Nobel peace prize winner and a dozen National
League for Democracy (NLD) supporters were preparing to spend a sixth night
camped out in their vehicles south of Yangon.
They were halted Thursday as they attempted to travel
to a party meeting.
The 55-year-old NLD leader was released from house
arrest in 1995 but her movements are closely monitored by the military
junta.
During the Tokyo demonstration, the activists
handcuffed themselves to the embassy gates to prevent guards pushing them
back.
"Police stormed into us immediately after we took off
the handcuffs to end the day's demonstration," Collins said.
"The League for Democracy in Burma appeals to the
Japanese government to release the six activists and to request the junta to
guarantee freedom of movement for all NLD members," the group added in a
statement.
"The LDB would like to encourage communities around the
world to ask for the activists' release."
A Tokyo police spokesman declined to comment on
the arrests. Tuesday, August 29 5:38 PM SGT
Myanmar government losing patience in Aung San Suu Kyi stand-off YANGON, Aug 29 (AFP) -
Myanmar's government unleashed a barrage of criticism at Aung San Suu Kyi
Tuesday, signalling it was losing patience in a six-day roadside confontation
with the opposition leader.
The military regime accused Aung San Suu Kyi of sabotaging the nation's
economy by urging foreign governments to impose sanctions and trade boycotts
that hurt ordinary workers and their families.
"The people of Myanmar realise that they are being used as sacrificial
lambs by the NLD (National League for Democracy) in stopping all forms of
foreign assistance and aid to Myanmar," it said.
Aung San Suu Kyi and a dozen supporters prepared Tuesday to spend a sixth
night camped out in their vehicles south of Yangon after being halted Thursday
as they attempted to travel to a party meeting.
The NLD has vowed its leader will not turn back until the junta forces her
to go home or lifts a ban which restricts her to the capital.
Myanmar's government has until now issued a flurry of statements insisting
the opposition leader was being well cared for during her "stay" in Dallah
township, but Tuesday began to pressure her to back down.
It said the opposition figure faced a security risk from "terrorist
organisations" as well as "resentful" citizens who had been adversely affected
by her calls for economic sanctions.
"The government of Myanmar is responsible ... for preventing prominent
persons like Daw Suu Kyi from being harmed by those who have sound reasons for
resentment and indignation towards her," it said in a thinly veiled
warning.
However, the NLD remained defiant Tuesday.
The military had no alternative other than to "immediately remove the
blockade," it said in a statement.
In another development that significantly raises tensions in Myanmar, the
NLD said Aung San Suu Kyi would refuse medical help offered by the authorities
during the stand-off.
Her last attempt to test the military's restrictions, in August 1998, ended
after 13 days when she became ill and dehydrated and was forced to return
home.
The international community has put the generals on warning that they will
be held accountable for her health and welfare during the latest
stand-off.
The NLD deplored the conditions that Aung San Suu Kyi and her 12 supporters
were enduring in countryside across the Yangon River from the capital,
describing them as "unsuitable".
Apart from their cars, they have only a collection of tarpaulins and
umbrellas to shelter them from the monsoon rains and there were complaints over
the weekend that they were running out of food and water.
Under the circumstances, the group and "especially" Aung San Suu Kyi would
refuse to accept any medical treatment or medicine made available by the
military authorities, the NLD said.
"It is the sole responsibility of those who have ordered the blockade if
the health of our leaders becomes threatened," it warned.
State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said Monday that US officials
understood the opposition figurehead had been prevented by the Myanmar
authorities from seeing her personal physician.
The NLD dismissed the military's claims that travel in the Dallah region
was unsafe.
"If military authorities justify their action on grounds of lack of
security even inside Yangon city limits, then their repeated contention that
unprecedented peace prevails in Myanmar is nothing but a blatant lie," it
said.
Diplomatic sources have also confirmed that there have been no reports of
rebel activity in the area.
The United States has stepped up pressure on the Myanmar regime by lodging
an official protest over its treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi.
State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said Monday that US Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright was closely monitoring developments in the opposition
leader's latest challenge to the military government.
The Washington Post
In a Field in
Burma
Tuesday, August 29, 2000; Page A16
IN RETROSPECT, acts of courage on behalf of democracy and justice that
become the stuff of legend can seem like clear moments on a preordained path.
The African American woman who refuses to move to the back of the bus, the
Polish shipyard worker who lays down his tools in protest: No one now can doubt
their bravery or even their tactical good sense. But how many people recognized
the significance or rightness of those acts as they were occurring? How many of
us can identify similar acts when they occur now?
At the moment, Aung San Suu Kyi is trapped on a soggy, mosquito-ridden rice
field halfway around the world. Aung San Suu Kyi, 55, is the rightful leader of
Burma, a Southeast Asian nation of 48 million people blessed with beauty and
natural resources and cursed with a corrupt and repressive military regime. The
National League for Democracy, a political party that Aung San Suu Kyi heads,
won a landslide victory in 1990 but has never been permitted to rule. The
military regime has jailed hundreds of party members and forced thousands more
to renounce their allegiance to the party. Aung San Suu Kyi herself was kept
under house arrest until 1995 and under virtual house arrest ever since.
Last Friday she set out from her home in the capital of Rangoon with her
driver and a few supporters to attend a party meeting south of the city. The
regime, apparently as fearful as ever of her popularity, sent goons to force her
off the road and deflate the tires of her vehicle. "To restrict leaders of a
democratic political party from moving around the country is a denial of
fundamental human and political rights," said British Foreign Minister Robin
Cook.
Burma's rulers explain that they have blocked Aung San Suu Kyi to protect
her from unrest and terrorism south of Rangoon, an interesting excuse given
their usual boasts of having brought peace with their authoritarian methods.
With their usual, almost laughable inability to understand how the world
perceives their thuggery, they also claim the democratic leader is "taking rest"
at Dala, "a small but charming and scenic town." They boast of having provided
her with beach umbrellas and "a new mobile bathroom to ensure her maximum
comfort and well-being."
We can only imagine how Aung San Suu Kyi would respond. The regime does
everything it can to restrict her communication with the outside world. When she
does manage to smuggle out an interview or essay, her message is consistent: She
will fight nonviolently, for however long it takes, for democracy and the rule
of law. If she someday prevails, the discomfort and perhaps danger she is now
experiencing will be seen as one more courageous step in her struggle. And those
who are so faint in their support--the governments of Japan and Burma's
Southeast Asian neighbors, the companies such as Unocal that merrily do business
with the regime--will no doubt claim to have been on her side all along.
WIRE:08/28/2000 14:08:00 ET
Health of Burma's pro-democracy leader could be in jeopardy, her party says YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi"s health could be in jeopardy while she
remains stranded in a swampy, mosquito-infested area in a standoff with the
military, her party said Monday. Suu Kyi will not accept any medical help from
the government, the National League for Democracy said, though authorities put
an ambulance and a medical team on standby. Suu Kyi, two other party leaders and
12 youth supporters have been stuck since Thursday in the Yangon suburb of Dala,
where police blocked their way to Kungyangon, 30 miles south of Yangon, for
party organization work. The government says it is not safe for Suu Kyi, winner
of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, to travel out of Yangon where she could be in
danger from "terrorists," a claim dismissed by her party. The group has spent
the last five days and four nights in the grassy, open area where the vehicles
were shunted by police. They have slept either in the vehicles or in makeshift
tents. Her party"s chairman, Aung Shwe, said the vehicles are parked in a muddy
field swarming with mosquitoes. He said four party members brought mosquito
repellent, medicine, bedding and plastic sheets Monday. In a protest letter sent
Monday to Gen. Than Shwe, the leader of the Myanmar junta, Aung Shwe said the
place where Suu Kyi and others were stopped "was unfit to live and could affect
their health." If that happens, "The authorities who commanded the restriction
will be held responsible," the letter said. Her last attempt to leave Yangon, in
1998, resulted in a similar standoff when the pro-democracy leader stayed in her
car for 13 days before returning home on her doctor"s advice. Party leaders fear
another lengthy deadlock with the military this time too. "They are a determined
group and we are a resolute group," Nyunt Wai, a senior party official, said
Monday. A government statement Monday said Suu Kyi was provided "with some beach
umbrellas, and a new mobile bathroom to ensure her maximum comfort and
well-being." Suu Kyi has long been at odds with the military rulers of Myanmar,
also known as Burma. She was freed from seven years of house arrest in 1995, but
her movements remain restricted. Her National League for Democracy party won a
landslide victory in the 1990 general election, but the military refused to
honor the results. It has since harassed and arrested party members.
WIRE:08/29/2000 01:11:00 ET
Concern Grows As Suu Kyi Confronts Myanmar Rulers YANGON, Myanmar (Reuters) - A
roadside confrontation between opposition figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi and
Myanmar"s military rulers entered a sixth day Tuesday with neither side
appearing prepared to back down and international concern growing. Thai Foreign
Minister Surin Pitsuwan warned the stand-off could tarnish the image of the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which controversially admitted
Myanmar in 1997 despite international condemnation of its human rights record.
The Bangkok Post quoted Surin as saying the stand-off was "of much concern" to
the international community and could jeopardize a planned meeting of ASEAN and
European Union foreign ministers in Laos in December. It would be the first
ministerial meeting of the two groups since Myanmar"s admission soured
relations. "We ourselves also don"t want the problem to continue because it may
affect the image of ASEAN as a whole," Surin said. The 55-year-old Suu Kyi, her
driver and 14 members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) were halted by
police in the town of Dala Thursday as they headed south of the capital in two
vehicles and have been there ever since. It was the first time Suu Kyi had tried
to leave Yangon since another roadside confrontation in 1998 that ended after 13
days, when deteriorating health and dehydration forced her to return home in an
ambulance. Suu Kyi was under house arrest for six years until 1995 and her
movements remain severely restricted. VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS The NLD, which
won national elections by a landslide in 1990 but has never been allowed to
govern, said it had sent a letter to the authorities Monday demanding the
blockade be lifted. "The actions of the authorities amount to a violation of
democracy and human rights," the NLD said. "The place where the NLD leaders are
being held is unsuitable for people to stay overnight, and their health will be
affected after some time. If this happens, those who stopped them and those who
ordered them to do so will be entirely responsible." The government says Suu Kyi
was stopped for her own safety as "separatist terrorist groups" were in the
area, and insisted it was doing everything to ensure her comfort. It has said
she is free to stay in Dala but is encouraged to return home. The NLD said it
would refuse medicines and treatment offered by the authorities. It said that if
travel in the area was dangerous, the government had been lying when it said it
had brought peace to the country. Several countries have criticized the
treatment of Suu Kyi, with the United States and European Union demanding that
she be allowed to travel freely. But the government says critics misunderstood
the situation, and insisted Suu Kyi was being provided with ample supplies. To
support its assertion, it has released several photographs said to show Suu Kyi
and her companions during their "rest at...Dala town, a small but scenic and
charming town which is a 10-minute boat ride from Yangon." Suu Kyi was visible
in one of the photographs, in a group of people the government said were
visiting a nearby family house. Another showed men beside Suu Kyi"s car "trying
to put more food and other amenities into an already overloaded trunk,"
according to the caption. Photographs released over the weekend showed the
group"s two vehicles -- a saloon car and a pickup truck -- parked beside a dirt
track. Journalists have not been allowed to visit the scene. (With additional
reporting by Andrew Marshall in Bangkok)
WIRE:08/29/2000 04:48:00 ET
War of words as Suu Kyi defies Myanmar military YANGON, Aug 29 (Reuters) -
Myanmar"s military government launched a stinging attack on pro-democracy
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday as she entered the sixth day of a
roadside confrontation with the authorities. In its most strongly worded
criticism of the 55-year-old Nobel laureate and her National League for
Democracy (NLD) since the standoff began, the government said Suu Kyi"s calls
for sanctions and boycotts on Myanmar had harmed ordinary people. "The people of
Myanmar realise that they are being used as sacrificial lambs by the NLD in
stopping all forms of foreign assistance and aid to Myanmar," it said in a
statement. "Although the party claims to be promoting human rights, in reality
the very rights of the people of Myanmar to enjoy a better and fuller life have
been undeniably violated and abused by the very same people calling for
democracy and human rights." The government lashed out at foreign governments
which have condemned its treatment of Suu Kyi. "Unfortunately, some of the
Western media and governments have continued portraying Daw Suu Kyi as a person
who is supported by all the Myanmar people. But reality cannot be ignored," it
said. "People are undeniably resentful of the NLD for breaking their rice
bowls." Suu Kyi, her driver and 14 NLD members were halted by police in the town
of Dala on Thursday as they headed south of the capital in two vehicles, and
have been there since. It was the first time Suu Kyi had tried to leave Yangon
since another roadside confrontation in 1998 that ended after 13 days, when
deteriorating health and dehydration forced her to return home in an ambulance.
Suu Kyi was under house arrest for six years until 1995 and her movements remain
severely restricted. WORLD CONCERN GROWS Both the United States and European
Union have demanded that restrictions on Suu Kyi be lifted, and Thai Foreign
Minister Surin Pitsuwan has warned the stand-off could tarnish the image of the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Bangkok Post quoted Surin
as saying the stand-off was "of much concern" to the international community and
could jeopardise a planned meeting of ASEAN and European Union foreign ministers
in Laos in December. It would be the first ministerial meeting of the two groups
since ASEAN controversially admitted Myanmar in 1997 despite international
condemnation of its human rights record. "We ourselves also don"t want the
problem to continue because it may affect the image of ASEAN as a whole," Surin
said. The Myanmar government"s attack on the NLD came after the opposition
accused it of violating Suu Kyi"s rights. "The actions of the authorities amount
to a violation of democracy and human rights," the NLD said. "The place where
the NLD leaders are being held is unsuitable for people to stay overnight, and
their health will be affected after some time. If this happens, those who
stopped them and those who ordered them to do so will be entirely responsible."
The government says Suu Kyi was stopped for her own safety as "separatist
terrorist groups" were in the area, and insisted it was doing everything to
ensure her comfort. It has said she is free to stay in Dala but is encouraged to
return home. It said local authorities and residents "continue to provide food,
drinks and other assistance to ensure her a comfortable and enjoyable stay." The
government has released photographs said to show Suu Kyi and her colleagues
during their "rest at...Dala town, a small but scenic and charming town which is
a 10-minute boat ride from Yangon." Suu Kyi was visible in one of the
photographs, in a group of people the government said were visiting a nearby
family house. Photographs released over the weekend showed the group"s two
vehicles -- a saloon car and a pickup truck -- parked beside a dirt track.
Journalists have not been allowed to visit the scene. (With additional reporting
by Andrew Marshall in Bangkok)
Channel Newsasia
Tuesday, August 29 12:10 PM SGT Suu Kyi remains stranded, health in jeopardy The health of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi could be in jeopardy while
she remains stranded in a swampy, mosquito-infested area in a standoff with the
Myanmar military, her party warned.
But despite the hazard, the National League for Democracy (NLD) on Monday
said their leader would not accept any medical help from the government.
It was referring to an ambulance and a medical team put on standby by the
authorities.
Suu Kyi was stopped while trying to go to Kungyangon, 50 kilometres south
of Yangon, for party organisation work.
Suu Kyi, two other party leaders and 12 youth supporters has spent the last
five days and four nights in the grassy open area.
They have slept either in the vehicles or under makeshift tents.
Suu Kyi, awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, has long been at odds with
Myanmar's military rulers.
She was freed from seven years of house arrest in 1995, but her movements
remain restricted.
Her last attempt to leave Yangon in 1998 resulted in a similar standoff
when she stayed in her car for 13 days before returning home on her doctor's
advice.
Party leaders fear another long-drawn deadlock this time around.
The Age
Burmese reject Australian
criticism
By CRAIG SKEHAN SOUTH-EAST ASIA CORRESPONDENT, BANGKOK Tuesday 29 August 2000 Burma's military regime has lampooned democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's
thwarted attempt to visit her supporters in rural areas.
An official information bulletin includes photographs of Ms Suu Kyi and
about a dozen loyalists who have been camped on the outskirts of the national
capital, Rangoon, since they were stopped by authorities on Thursday.
The government statement parodies what it suggests is an enjoyable visit to
the "small but charming scenic town" of Dala.
One photograph shows members Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD)
returning to their vehicles which were forced on to a side road with locally
acquired food and water.
"Suu Kyi's travel companions coming back from shopping at nearby food
stores in time for high tea," a sarcastic caption states.
A tarpaulin has been rigged up to provide shelter.
Another caption claims that "bathroom facilities are available for free" at
houses close to where the military regime's critics have been blockaded.
There is another reference to members of the group taking an "afternoon
dip".
Two years ago, similar quips were used to suggest that an attempt to visit
rural areas was more of a publicity stunt than bona fide political activity. At
that time Ms Suu Kyi refused to budge for 13 days before returning to
Rangoon.
This time the democracy campaigner said she wanted to travel to townships
near Dala to reorganise the youth wing of the NLD.
The party has rejected government claims that there would be a security
risk to Ms Suu Kyi from armed ethnic insurgents.
US sends official protest to Myanmar
over Aung San Suu Kyi
WASHINGTON (AFP) - - The United
States said Monday it had lodged an official protest with Myanmar over its
treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi, as the opposition leader spent a fifth night in a
roadside standoff with police.
State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was closely monitoring developments in Aung San Suu Kyi's latest challenge to the military government. "Our embassy in Rangoon has been following this very closely and delivered
a diplomatic note to the Burmese government protesting its actions," Reeker
said.
The United States led a chorus of international condemnation on Friday
after the National League for Democracy (NLD) figurehead was stopped south of
Yangon as she tested a military ban on her leaving the capital.
"Again, we deplore the attempts to restrict the movements of Aung San Suu
Kyi," said Reeker on Monday.
"The refusal of Burmese authorities to allow her travel flagrantly violates
international human rights instruments which guarantee freedom of
movement.
"We urge Burmese authorities to engage in dialogue -- uphold their
international obligations and have a dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and the
democratic opposition."
Aung San Suu Kyi's showdown with Myanmar's regime outside Yangon dragged on
into a fifth day Monday.
Aung San Suu Kyi and a dozen members of her National League for Democracy
(NLD) have now spent four nights camped out in two vehicles in the township of
Dallah, which lies on the other side of the Yangon River from the capital.
At the ferry pier in downtown Yangon where the group departed Thursday in
defiance of a ban which confines the opposition leader to the capital, party
members milled around her car which was still parked by the jetty.
Vendors were cleared from the area but commuters still made their way back
and forth from Dallah.
The 55-year-old Nobel laureate and her party were waved down on the
outskirts of Dallah as they attempted to travel on to Kawhmu for a meeting of
the party's youthwing.
Aung San Suu Kyi refused the military's request to turn back, in her first
attempt in two years to test the junta's restrictions on her movement around the
country.
In August 1998 she spent 13 days in a tense stand-off on a bridge outside
Yangon until illness and dehydration forced her to return home.
Her party vowed Sunday that the opposition leader would fight a "war of
endurance" to force the regime to allow her to travel freely and to go about
legitimate party business.
She would remain on the isolated road unless she was allowed to travel on
or forced to return home, it said.
NLD central committee member U Nyunt Wai said the confrontation was aimed
at pressuring the authorities to acknowledge the right to freedom of movement in
Myanmar.
"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is ready to endure all sorts of discomfort for as
long as it takes," he told AFP.
News.com
Protesters call for Burmese sanctions 29aug00 2.15pm (AEST) BURMESE protesters today rallied outside Prime Minister John
Howard's office in Sydney calling for the Australian government to impose
economic sanctions on Burma.
Spokesman for the Free Burma Action Committee Maung Maung Than said the
Burmese leadership's decision to stop democracy campaigner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
from visiting supporters in rural Burma since last Thursday was another example
of human rights abuses in the Asian nation.
"We want the Government to impose tough action in support of the democratic movement in Burma," he said today. The rally attracted 20 members of the Burmese community and democratic
supporters.
"Our leader is not allowed the freedom of travel in her own country, human
rights are not improving at all in Burma," he said.
He called on the government "to cut all ties with the military regime".
"It will be the best way to deal with the current political crisis in
Burma."
Business Day - Aug 29,
2000.
Japan Urged To Help End Myanmar
Stand-Off
TOKYO - Pro-democracy Myanmar activists appealed to Japan yesterday as a
road-side stand-off between their champion Aung San Suu Kyi and their country's
military junta dragged on for a fifth day.
"As the Japanese government has much influence on the military junta, we
would like to urge you to assist in alleviating this crisis by requesting the
Myanmar military junta to lift this blockade," said an open letter by the
Tokyo-based League For Democracy in Burma.
The 55-year-old opposition leader and 12 members of her National League for
Democracy (NLD) were halted south of Yangon on Thursday as they challenged the
military government's ban on her leaving the capital.
Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters have been camped out in two cars as
monsoon rains batter the region.
"Japan will be able to play a great role in convincing the Myanmar
governmentÉ that it should allow NLD members, including their leader Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi, to travel freely in their own country," the letter to Japan's
Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said.
Japan, among the few nations to recognize Myanmar's military regime, said
it had not taken a decision on intervening in the stand-off.
"We have not decided our stance," a foreign ministry official said. - AFP
Inside China
Opposition Radio Says China Protested to Burmese Government over Taiwan Aug 28, 2000 -- (BBC Monitoring) Text of report by Burmese opposition radio
on August 25
The Chinese government has recently protested to the Burmese SPDC [State
Peace and Development Council] military government about the Chinese from Taiwan
using Burma as a base to gather intelligence on mainland China. A similar
allegation made by the Chinese government was dismissed by SPDC Vice-Chairman
Gen Maung Aye during his visit to China last June.
Although the Burmese military government supports the Chinese government,
it has managed to maintain its good relations with Taiwan which is in dispute
with China. The SPDC military government secured an interest-free USD 25 million
in loans from the government of Taiwan last year.
In return, the SPDC government had to issue Burmese national registration
cards to the overseas Chinese in Burma and agreed to allow Taiwanese Chinese to
engage in economic enterprises, open Chinese temples along the border, and allow
teaching of Chinese language.
The teachers at the Chinese temples in border areas are reported to be
intelligence agents trained by Taiwanese government. The Chinese government has
claimed that teachers working at Chinese temples in the border areas are
intelligence agents trained by Taiwan and that they are engaged in intelligence
and subversive activities inside China through the border area.
The SPDC government, which has taken the loans from Taiwan is caught in a
difficult situation as the Chinese government has backed its allegations with
evidence.
Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 GMT 25 Aug
00
AFX news - Aug 29,
2000.
TotalFinaElf boycotted by 4 Belgian ministers over Myanmar links BRUSSELS (AFX) - The government's four Ecology Party ministers, including
Transport Minister Isabelle Durant, said they will boycott using TotalFinaElf
fuel in their cars due to the company's business links with Myanmar.
Durant, Health Minister Magda Alvoet, secretary of state for cooperation
Eddy Boutmans and secretary of state for energy Olivier Deleuze said they made
their decision after TotalFinaElf signed a contract to be the official fuel
supplier for government vehicles.
Bangkok Post - Aug 29, 2000.
WAR OF ENDURANCE - Asean's image in danger, says Surin Suu Kyi's health a concern, says NLD Bhanravee Tansubhapol And Ap
Nakhon Si Thammarat The foreign minister said Asean would suffer if the on-going stand-off
between the Burmese military junta and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
continues. Surin Pitsuwan said the situation was "of much concern" to the
international community.
The opposition leader, who has not been allowed to travel freely, yesterday
began the fifth day of her "war of endurance" with the junta, sitting in her car
on the outskirts of Rangoon.
"We ourselves also don't want the problem to continue because it may affect
the image of Asean as a whole," Mr Surin said. He was also concerned the media's
coverage of the stand-off might put a damper on talks in December between Asean
and the European Union in Vientiane.
The situation was also diverting the junta's attention away from bilateral
issues such as the influx of illegal Burmese workers and refugees into Thailand,
Mr Surin said. Mr Surin said the United Nations Special Representative Razali
Ismail would have to deal with the problem.
Thailand could only speak if an opportunity to bring about a solution
presented itself, he said.
Relations with Rangoon were beginning to thaw after the Burmese embassy
raid in October and January's hostage situation in Ratchaburi hospital, Mr Surin
said.
The National League for Democracy warned yesterday that Mrs Suu Kyi's
health could be in jeopardy while she remains stranded in a swampy,
mosquito-infested area in Dala, a 15-minute ferry ride from the capital.
But despite the hazard, Mrs Suu Kyi will not accept any medical help from
the government, the NLD said, though an ambulance and a medical team were put on
standby by the authorities.
Her last attempt to leave Rangoon, in 1998, resulted in a similar standoff
when she stayed in her car for 13 days before returning home on her doctor's
advice.
Party leaders fear another long-drawn-out deadlock this time too.
"They are a determined group and we are a resolute group," Nyunt Wai, a
senior NLD official, said yesterday.
Bangkok Post - Aug 29,
2000.
NARCOTICS
Army urged to join drug
fight
Wassana Nanuam The army should lead a suppression drive against the spread of illicit
drugs which had worsened and could affect the country's sovereignty, warned
outgoing supreme commander Gen Mongkol Ampornpisit yesterday.
It is time to root out the problem once and for all, he said.
The supreme commander voiced his concern during a farewell speech given at
the army headquarters where he urged the army to play a key role in the drug
fight along the border areas especially in the North.
"The spread of illicit drugs is another form of social destruction," said
Gen Mongkol, who will retire in October, noting that it was every one's duty to
join in the fight otherwise it could have a profound impact on the country's
sovereignty. It was a systematic threat that could destroy Thai society and the
military had to join hands with the police in its common struggle, he
said.
"What will our country look like in the next ten years if our people or
half of the population consists of drug addicts. No one will help us if we don't
help our own people," said Gen Mongkol.He said drug trafficking was another form
of international terrorism, an international crime that could wreak havoc on
humanity since it could have a wide global impact. He did not hide his
frustration over Burmese military junta's indifference over Thai calls to help
root out the drugs problem.
"It has maintained all along that the production area is not under the
government's control," said Gen Mongkol referring to the site of drug factories
inside Burma, widely known to be under the direct supervision of the United Wa
State Army which gained Burmese military junta's approval to administer the
area.
The Nation - Aug 29, 2000.
Refugees' children to get citizenship BY PIYANART SRIVALO and ANAN PAENGNOY THE Cabinet yesterday decided to grant Thai citizenship to tens of
thousands of descendants of ethnic minority groups who fled fighting in Burma
and took refuge in the country, as well as children of former Kuomintang (KMT)
Chinese and Nepalese refugees.
The exact number of people who will receive Thai nationality has yet to be
calculated but, judging from the numbers of the first generation, will be about
100,000, said Professor Phanthip Saisunthorn, head of a government committee on
minority affairs.
According to the Cabinet resolution passed yesterday, members of Burmese
ethnic groups who were born in the Kingdom after December 13, 1976 will be
granted Thai citizenship. Their elders will be allowed to continue to reside in
the country and given legal status but not citizenship.
The ethnic groups include Shan, Karen and Mon, who fled half a century of
fighting between Burmese troops and rebel armies fighting for self-rule. Most
live in the Northern border provinces. Official statistics show that there are
15,467 first-generation refugees.
The children of the KMT or Nationalist Chinese, whose parents fought
against the Communist troops in their homeland and Burma and fled to the Kingdom
between 1963 and 1988, will also be granted citizenship, according to the
resolution. Most live in the Northern provinces of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.
There are 16,581 members in the first generation, according to official figures.
Descendants of Nepalese refugees who fled to the Kingdom through Burma
during World War II will be granted citizenship as well. The number of
first-generation arrivals is 1,115, and most live in Kanchanaburi province.
Phanthip said the yesterday's resolution did not amount to "giving away"
citizenship to just anybody, adding that the people who fell into the three
groups were well documented.
According to Poosak Thammasal, minority-affairs expert at the Public
Welfare Department, there are about 900,000 people who fall into the hilltribe
and ethnic-minority categories in Thailand. The government is able to provide
direct support to only 300,000, he said.
Thailand has applied the same law that granted citizenship to children and
grandchildren of the so-called Dien Bien Phu refugees, who fled fighting between
French troops and Vietnamese nationalists in the early 1950s.
Members of the Communist Party of Malaya and their families also received
citizenship under the same law.
The Nation - Aug 29,
2000.
UN envoy is best hope for end to Burma stalemate, says Surin FOREIGN Minister Surin Pitsuwan expressed optimism yesterday that the
stand-off between Burma's military government and opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi would be resolved by a special envoy appointed recently by the United
Nations.
Surin said the special envoy, Malaysian national Razali Ismail, had been
mandated by the UN to look into the situation in Burma and suggest ways to end
the political stalemate.
When asked if Burma's admission into the Asean family had been a mistake,
given that little has changed in the military-ruled country, Surin said all
sides acknowledged there were disputes in Burma which would have to be resolved
in order to prevent further erosion of confidence within Asean.
Suu Kyi, 55, leader of the National League for Democracy, has spent six
days in a roadside stand-off on the outskirts of Rangoon after being blocked on
Thursday when she tried to travel to a party meeting outside the capital. She
refused the military's request to turn back, and has promised to stand her
ground until she is allowed to resume her journey or is forced to return home.
The ruling junta unleashed a barrage of criticism at the 55-year-old
opposition leader yesterday, signalling it was losing patience in the ongoing
confrontation. State newspapers continued to launch a daily barrage of attacks
against her.
"She will criticise the government saying that there is no democracy and
human rights in [Burma] ... She has nothing more to say. She'll go down the
drain eventually," the Keymon and Myanma Alin daily newspapers were quoted as
saying by Associated Press yesterday.
The Burma Lawyers' Council, which campaigns for the recognition of the 1990
elections won by the NLD, said the stand-off highlighted the lack of rule of law
in the country.
"Time will tell whether the Asean allies of the SPDC military regime will
act to permit Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to exercise her private and political rights
by allowing her to proceed with carrying out the legitimate political activities
of the NLD," the council said in a statement. The commentary was part of the
almost identical criticism that the two newspapers direct almost every day at
Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel peace laureate.
But the two newspapers, the only printed source of daily information for
many Burmese, have not reported Suu Kyi's situation since she was stopped by
police in the Rangoon suburb of Dala on Thursday while trying to drive to the
countryside on party organisational work.
BBC-Tuesday, 29 August, 2000, 14:08
GMT 15:08 UK
Burma hosts Indian delegation By Satish Jacob in Delhi India and Burma have been holding discussions on border issues.
The senior most civil servant in the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, Kamal
Pandey, is leading an Indian delegation to Rangoon.
Burma and India have never been close to each other in the past.
But ever since China began influencing the military regime, the Indians too
have started paying more attention to it.
China has been deepening its ties with Burma for many years.
The Chinese have a flourishing trade and are supplying arms.
They have also built a naval base in the Bay of Bengal, which is a source
of major anxiety for the Indian navy.
The growing relationship between China and Burma has naturally prompted the
Indians to follow a more pragmatic policy towards the military regime.
This explains why the Indian Government has toned down its support for the
pro-democracy movement led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
The visit by senior bureaucrat Kamal Pandey is chiefly aimed at curbing
insurgency, drug trafficking and smuggling.
But he will also be paying attention to India's ongoing efforts to improve
relations in the fields such as trade and commerce.
South China Morning Post
Tuesday, August 29, 2000 BURMA - State press heaps criticism on Suu Kyi ASSOCIATED PRESS in Rangoon Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday spent a sixth day stranded on
a road outside Rangoon in a standoff with the military government, as state
newspapers launched their daily barrage of attacks against her.
''She will criticise the government saying that there is no democracy and human rights in Myanmar [Burma]... She has nothing more to say. She'll go down the drain eventually,'' the Keymon and Myanma Alin daily newspapers said on Tuesday. The commentary was part of the almost identical criticism that the two
Burmese language newspapers direct almost every day at Ms Suu Kyi, the 1991
Nobel peace laureate.
But the two newspapers, the only printed source of daily information for
many Burmese, have not reported Ms Suu Kyi's situation since she was stopped by
police in the Rangoon suburb of Dala on Thursday while trying to drive to the
countryside for party organisational work.
Ms Suu Kyi, 55, has refused to go back to Rangoon and has stayed in a muddy
mosquito-infested area where her car was moved along with a truck carrying 12
supporters. Two septuagenarian party leaders, suffering from hypertension, are
also with her. All have slept in the vehicles or on the ground under makeshift
tents.
The latest state criticism focused on Ms Suu Kyi's message to the foreign
ministers of the ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations at their annual
meeting on July 24-25. Burma is part of Asean.
''So-called democracy leader and democracy princess sent messages to these
meetings saying that her party is trying to restore democracy in a country ruled
by the military dictators,'' the commentary said.
''Those who are unaware of the government's development works will be
swayed by her, though Myanmar citizens who know the truth cannot be cheated by
her sweet words.''
It criticised Ms Suu Kyi for urging the international community to pressure
the Burmese government to honour the 1990 general election results in which her
National League for Democracy party won a landslide.
It repeated the government line that power will be handed to the people
when ''the country is stable and peaceful''.
Burma has had no constitution since the 1974 Socialist constitution was
annulled after the military took over in September 1988.
Ms Suu Kyi led a pro-democracy uprising against the military that year, and
was put under house arrest a year later. She was let out in 1995, but her
movements remain severely restricted.
Her drive out of Rangoon on Thursday was the first time she had left the
capital since August 1998 when she was blocked in a similar way.
South China Morning Post
Tuesday, August 29, 2000 BURMA - Junta threatens 'The Lady' with new college closures WILLIAM BARNES in Bangkok The military Government appears to be gearing up to blackmail opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi - who is locked in a new stand-off with the generals -
by hinting that she is "risking" another round of university closures, diplomats
said in Rangoon.
The regime has repeatedly claimed that the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) is a trouble-maker. Its propaganda machine appears poised to link this to an all-too-convincing threat to close colleges that only this month fully reopened. Ms Aung San Suu Kyi was yesterday preparing to spend a fifth night in her
car at a police roadblock on a dirt track near Dala, a Rangoon suburb where it,
and a pick-up truck carrying a dozen NLD supporters, was stopped on Thursday to
prevent her leaving the capital for a political meeting.
The authorities claim they are worried about her safety, but observers say
they are trying to prevent her rebuilding the party's organisation in the
provinces, which has shrivelled under official pressure.
NLD chairman Aung Shwe said the vehicles were parked in a muddy field
infested with mosquitoes. He said insect repellent would be sent to them along
with medicine, bedding and plastic sheets.
A commentary yesterday in the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper
dealing with student matters noted how, whenever "they" make trouble, "we" have
to shut down the universities. It blamed NLD members disguised as students for
causing the universities to be closed in 1996. Other bulletins issued by the
State Peace and Development Committee also contain pleas from "students" hoping
that the NLD will not cause so much trouble that their colleges might have to be
closed.
"This is quite a cutting move. All Burmese will understand the hints that,
if 'The Lady' pushes her luck too far, they'll retaliate against the students,"
a Rangoon-based diplomat said. "This would be a tremendous blow to many young
people, no matter what doubts we have about the quality of this education."
Most universities have been open for just under three of the past 13 years,
crippling the aspirations of a generation of Burmese.
The regime has used sledgehammer propaganda to brand as a breeder of
disunity a charismatic and popular leader outside its control. Ms Aung San Suu
Kyi has been repeatedly dubbed an "axe-handle" because, the state media
suggests, she is cut from Burmese wood but used by outsiders to chop down her
own.
Other choice epithets flung at her include "puppet girl", "democracy
princess", "stick-like democracy stunt actress" and "Mrs Race Destructionist".
The latter taunt is a chauvinist reference to her marriage to the late British
academic Michael Aris.
Although Burma-watchers do expect the regime's propagandists to engage in
further back-handed attacks on the opposition leader, the media has so far made
no direct mention of a stand-off that is making headlines in the rest of the
world. The regime has published pictures - available on its Web site - taken
with long-distance lenses showing members of her party "preparing for high tea",
and a rather humiliating picture of her respected septuagenarian deputy Tin Oo
bathing in the nearby river.
The Government said yesterday Ms Aung San Suu Kyi had visited homes in Dala
during her time there, and that her companions "enjoy visiting downtown Dala as
well as taking daily dips in the Sarpachuan stream".
A Bangkok-based analyst said: "The subtext of this kind of propaganda is
that anyone who is not with the military establishment must be a ridiculous
person because all things good in Burma come from the [military]."
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # Press Release
Date 29th August 2000.
Six Burmese activists detained while protesting at the
Burmese Embassy in Tokyo |