APRIL 1997

Volume 8, No.4

ATTENTION

The April issue of the `BURMA ALERT' is late due to

a re-organization. In the future, the `ALERT' will be published in cooperation

with the yet to be established Euro-Burma Office in Brussels. The Editor will

re-locate to belgium in the summer and a Sub-editor will be engaged in Canada.

Apologies for the delays and inconveniences - Ed.

BURMA FAX

For your faxing pleasure, the following is an update of fax numbers in Burma.

The country code for Burma is 95:

Due to the late publication of the ``BURMA ALERT'', significant news items

will be presented in chronological order in this issue - Ed.

News Chronology

SLORC BASE AT MANERPLAW

SLORC has stationed three regiments and is building a military airport at

Manerplaw with aid from China. Four small patrolling aircraft and six

helicopters use Manerplaw as a base. Larger aircraft are expected after the

airfield is completed. The base could provide close support to SLORC troops

engaged in military offensives in Karen and Karenni States. Manerplaw was the

headquarters of the KNU until it fell to SLORC in 1994 [DVB970312].

SLORC'S KAREN OFFENSIVE

From 14 Mar to 31 Mar the SLORC offensive against the KNU continued in the

3rd, 5th and 7th Brigade areas. Fighting took place in Thaton, Kyauk Kyi and

Bawgahta [KNU970409].

33 MOSQUES DESTROYED

Between 16 and 28 Mar, 33 mosques in Mandalay, Rangoon, Pegu and Prome and

other townships in central Burma were destroyed in riots. At 6 pm on 16 Mar,

100-200 people in Buddhist monks' robes attacked mosques, muslim shops and

houses in Mandalay. A few days later, a Rangoon mosque frequented by

Indonesian embassy officials was attacked by 50 people in monks' robes who

were released after a brief detention. At Rangoon's Kanbe mosque, riot

police reportedly stood by while demonstrators attacked with sticks and stones.

Lieut-Gen Myo Nyunt, Minister for Religious Affairs, reportedly met with

muslim leaders in Rangoon and said, ``Let them destroy it - don't resist them,

the army will compensate you for everything.'' Meanwhile Mandalay and Rangoon

residents claimed that some of the monks carried pistols and walkie-talkies,

fuelling suspicion that they were SLORC personnel in disguise [IS970328,

N970328, NCUB/ABSDF970324].

MARTIAL LAW IN MANDALAY

On 18 Mar, martial law was declared and a curfew imposed in five Mandalay

townships after demonstrations by Buddhist monks and riots in which two mosques

were attacked. Residents said the main market was closed and barricades were

erected in the streets. The All Burma Young Monks Union said the monks had

been demonstrating to protest the recent deaths of 16 monks who had been

beaten, disrobed and sent to do hard labor, and not because of an alleged rape

of a Buddhist girl by muslims. Mandalay residents confirmed that the alleged

rape case had been resolved before 15 Mar. The Mandalay monks were also

protesting the forcible disrobing, and the continued detention of about 100

prominent abbots and senior monks since 1988. They were also angry over

SLORC's faulty repair of the Maha Myat Muni Buddha. It is cracked and the

Padamya Myetshin ruby, believed to bring victory to its owner, is missing

[ABYMU970318, Reu/AP970321].

News Chronology:

THAIS BLOCK REFUGEES

Relief workers reported that on 19 Mar, the Thai Army prevented about 1,000

Karen refugees from crossing the border into Thailand's Ratchburi province.

The refugees were fleeing mortar attacks from SLORC's 77th Light Infantry

Division, in the area of Huay Tha Ma Piew, Huay Khi Ma and Huay Tha Ma Muang,

about 6 miles from the border. A spokesman for the Thai Army's 9th Division

said Karens were `being asked' not to cross to Thailand unless they were in

great danger [AP970320].

GERMANS MEET KHIN NYUNT

On 21 Mar, a delegation from Germany's lower house of Parliament headed by

Williams Winner, a senior member of the lower house's Committee for Foreign

Affairs, met Lieut-Gen Khin Nyunt and National Planning and Economic

Development Minister Brigadier-General David Abel [AFP970326].

EUROPE CANCELS GSP PRIVILEGES

On 24 Mar, Ministers from the 15 European Union nations approved without

debate, the removal of trade privileges for SLORC under the Generalized System

of Preferences. A British EU official explained, ``We believe this is an

appropriate response to human rights violations in Myanmar and the use of

forced labour in the country.'' A quarter of the US\$66.5 million/year

EU-Myanmar trade enjoyed lucrative GSP tariff breaks [BT970319, AP970324,

ST970406].

REFUGEES - WE WON'T GO BACK

In an open letter to Colonel Manat of the Thai 9th Army Division on 29 Mar,

Karen refugees in Pu Muang camp, Kanchanaburi, said they would not go back to

Burma for fear of human rights abuses by the SLORC army. Thai aid workers

reported this week that 1,700 of the 2,700 refugees at Pu Muang camp were

suffering from diarrhoea, flu and malaria. An estimated 15 to 20,000 refugees

have fled Burma in the past six weeks due to the SLORC offensive against the

KNU [N970324].

THAI CHIEF FORBIDS U.N. AID

On 25 Mar, General Chettha Tanajaro, Commander-In-Chief of the Thai Army,

stated that the Government does not have a policy to allow the United

Nations High Commission for Refugees to provide aid to the Karen fleeing the

fighting in Burma [B970326].

CHINA-BURMA BORDER DEAL

On 25 Mar, China and SLORC signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation in

border trade and management. The two parties agreed to add entry and exit

ports and to cooperate in suppressing the drug trade [X970326].

DRUG SUSPECT IN RANGOON

On 26 Mar, a Thai intelligence source reported that Li-Yun Chung, accused by US

courts of importing 486 kg of heroin, was in Rangoon after jumping his 30-day

bail. Li was indicted for the shipment of the heroin into Hayward, California

in 1991, and was arrested on July 23 by Thai authorities at the request of the

US government. A Burmese military source said on Mar 30 that, ``The

allegations (about Li) are so ridiculous that Myanmar does not think it is

worth refuting'' [B970327].

ANTI-MUSLIM UNREST SPREADS

On 29 Mar, a curfew was imposed in Toungoo, 200 km north of Rangoon, after

attacks on mosques and muslim property. A few days later, 50 monks in Kalemyo

threw stones and attempted to destroy a mosque. When the news spread,

villagers from Myauksi, Hsadaw, and Letpanchaung,

marched towards Kalemyo shouting slogans. Col Sein Kyawt, tactical commander

of Northwest Military Command, personally asked them to go home. A night

curfew was imposed and gatherings of more than 5 people were prohibited

effective 1 Apr [AA970331, DVB970406].

REFUGEES RETURN TO BURMA

On 29 Mar, about 1,500 Karen refugees in the Umphang district of Thailand's

Tak province, returned to Burma. The refugees, from Ban Nu Pho

camp, were mostly women and children. They are reported to be family members

of soldiers of the KNU 16th Battalion who surrendered to SLORC in Feb.97

[TT970330].

News Chronology:

N.L.D. AND MONKS HELD

On 1 Apr, U Htin Gyaw, a National League for Democracy organizer in east

Mandalay and nine other were arrested in the wake of anti-moslem disturbances.

150 monks have been disrobed by SLORC since 15 Mar [AFP970401].

DR THAN NYEIN RELEASED

On 1 Apr, Dr Than Nyein, NLD member and brother-in-law of Lieut-Gen Khin Nyunt,

was released from prison. He had been detained in Feb for seeing patients

in a private clinic without having filed a photograph of the consultation room.

He was released after the payment of a Kyat 1000 (US\$170) fine [Net970404].

NATIONAL CONVENTION - K.N.U.

On 1 Apr, Lieut-Col Tamuhae, who surrendered along with troops from KNU's 16th

battalion in February, was reported to have been appointed to the SLORC's

National Convention as the representative for Karen state [TT970402].

WA TAKE OVER HEROIN FACTORIES

According to a drug enforcement officer with the US Embassy in Bangkok, the

United Wa State Army (UWSA) has taken over most of the drug production from

Khun Sa. A Thai narcotics officer also said that the heroin refineries at Doi

Lang and Huay Maekham are now under control of the Wa. Wei Siao Gang,

commander of the UWSA, and his brother Wei Siao Long, ``are the new drug kings

in the Golden Triangle,'' he said. The monthly output of these factories is

140 kgs of heroin. Khun Sa surrendered to SLORC in Jan'96 [N970404].

NEWS SOURCES:

BOMB KILLS TIN OO'S DAUGHTER

On Sunday 6 Apr at 8 pm, a bomb exploded at the home of General Tin Oo,

killing his daughter Cho Lei Oo, 34. Cho, a mother of two, reportedly received

a phone call asking if she had received mail from Japan. When she opened the

parcel, the bomb exploded. Tin Oo, Secretary-2 of the State Law and Order

Restoration Council (SLORC) and Chief-of-Staff of the Burma Army, was in the

house at the time but was uninjured. SLORC said the parcel was sent by

airmail from Japan. On 9 Apr, SLORC blamed ``anti-Myanmar government groups

within Japan'' for the explosion and asked Japan to help its investigations.

A recent visitor who arrived in Bangkok on 10 Apr from Rangoon, discounted

the allegation because all mail in and out of Burma is closely checked.

Rangoon residents say the bomb was planted in front of the residence gate and

exploded as Cho Lei Oo drove out. An unidentified guard at the gate was also

reportedly killed. Tin Oo's home was not damaged by the blast lending

credibility to the reports [N970409].

KAREN, ABSDF DENY INVOLVEMENT

On 7 Apr, the KNU denied any responsibility in the Tin Oo bombing. Mansha,

Joint Secretary of the KNU, said, ``This situation does not concern the KNU.

It concerns the SLORC...they're having more and more power struggles.'' He

denied that the KNU had the technical means or motivation to carry out the

bombing. The All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) also stated that

they ``had no involvement whatsoever'' in the bombing and that they do not

believe `terrorist acts' will bring about lasting solutions to Burma's

problems [AFP/ABSDF970407].

TEXACO HIRES MERCENARIES

Texaco, which is laying a second natural gas pipeline in Burma from the Yetagun

field in the Andaman Sea to Thailand, has hired Ordsafe, a US company,

to control security for its operations. At least half a dozen members of the

20-plus Ordsafe team are former members of the South African military. It was

reported in Dec.95 that Total SA hired French mercenaries to provide security

for its joint venture operation with Unocal [A970411].

End