************************** BurmaNet ************************** "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ************************************************************** The BurmaNet News: Friday, January 27, 1995 Issue #101 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Contents: *****************KAREN STATE/KOWTHOOLEI*********************** NATION: BURMESE BORDER FIGHTING INTENSIFIES BKK POST: KAREN FLEE TO THAILAND AS BURMESE ARMY CLOSES IN *************************INSIDE BURMA************************* BKK POST: LATE NEWS--SON OF BA MAW SURRENDERS **************************SHAN STATE************************** BURMANET: AKHA HERITAGE FOUNDATION BURMANET: LETTER--NORTH TO KENGTUNG ***************************THAILAND*************************** BKK POST: PROSECUTORS TO RECOMMEND EXTRADITION [OF THAI DRUG MP] ****************************REGION**************************** BURMANET: LETTER CONCERING CARTER CENTER STATEMENT ***********************VISIT MYANMAR 96*********************** COLUMBUS DISPATCH: ATROCITIES MAKE BURMA BAD PLACE TO VACATION ************************************************************** The BurmaNet News is an ********************************* electronic newspaper * * covering Burma. 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Tel/Fax: (in Thailand) (66)2 234-6674 By snailmail: Attention to BurmaNet, care of Burma Issues PO Box 1076, Silom Post Office, Bangkok 10504 Thailand By email: strider@igc.apc.org *****************KAREN STATE/KOWTHOOLEI*********************** NATION: BURMESE BORDER FIGHTING INTENSIFIES 26 January 1995 Army rangers and border patrol police have been moved in to the northern provinces of Mae Hong Son and Tak to reinforce a long stretch of the Thai-Burmese border and deter any spillover fighting from a massive offensive by Burmese Army troops against the head-quarters of Karen guerrillas. The presence of military and police units, whose strength senior Thai authorities have refused to disclose, is aimed at deterring any territorial transgression as a result of the fighting which has been continuing since Jan 20. The offensive has forced large numbers, estimated in the thousands, ofKaren refugees across the Moei and Salween rivers into Thailand.The officials said Thai forces will not get involved in the conflict but will disarm any troops crossing into the kingdom. Karen and dissident Burmese students sources yesterday described the Burmese military operation as "very heavy" and the situation as "very tense and very serious." The sources said at least nine Burmese battalions numbering 2,700-3,600 troops are being deployed. The KNU headquarters on the banks of the Moei River is being defended by some 1,000 ethnic Karen troops. Burmese government units are trying to cut off the KNU Manerplaw headquarter's communications and transport links by blocking access to the town. As of yesterday, the Burmese Army continued its artillery bombardment and ground-level attacks on the Karen headquarters and frontline outposts. According to Karen and students sources, three battalions from the Burmese Army's 44th Light Infantry Division were yesterday engaged in an all out offensive, shelling positions in Manerplaw from the frontline at Nawta, some 30 km to the South. They added that more troops and war meteriel - some 100 trucks and 50 tanks - have been moved into the area from the strategic Burmese town of Tingannyinaung. Advancing from the North, three battalions from the Burmese 66th Light Infantry Division have combined with a group of about 50 KNU mutineers to launch an attacks on Haw Ma Daw, some 10 km from the Salween River. The sources said the Burmese are trying to capture They Law Tha on the Salween, and Tu Mae Tha located on the confluences of the Moei and Salween rivers, in order to gain control off all transport and communications links to Manerplaw, some 20 km to the south. On the western front, troops from the Burmese 33rd Light Infantry Division are positioned on Sleeping Dog Hill and shelling Manerplaw, some 15 km away. The sources said that on Jan 24 at least two companies of about 150 troops managed to cross the Salween River to the KNU frontlines located near Naw Day Hill and White Elephant Hill, only seven km from Manerplaw. However the Burmese troops have been completely surrounded by Karen forces, the sources added. (TN) *****************KAREN STATE/KOWTHOOLEI*********************** BKK POST: KAREN FLEE TO THAILAND AS BURMESE ARMY CLOSES IN 26 January 1995 Several thousand karen civilians from Burma have fled to Thailand as Rangoon government forces closed in on the minority group's guerrilla headquarters and Thai military sources said yesterday. A Thai officer monitoring the situation said Burmese government troops were continuing a heavy artillery bombardment of Karen positions around their Manerplaw headquarters. Burmese troops have cross the Salween River, Manerplaw's last major line of defence to the west,and fighting was taking place along a ridgeline above the rebel headquarters, a senior guerrilla sources said. Government forces had also made significant advances from both the south and the north towards the Karen National Union (KNU)headquarters, the sources said. More than 2,000 civilians and wounded guerrillas have crossed the border River Moei to Thailand last week when Burmese troops began what may be their final push on Manerplaw. "The situation is getting bad. We have been forced to relocate a field hospital to the Thai side of the river," said a karen guerrilla source who asked not to be identified. The KNU, in a statement dated Tuesday, confirmed that the government troops had attacked and seized important positions around their headquarters. "The military situations to become more tense...In recent days the Slorc troops have occupied key positions along the Salween River," the KNU said, referring to the Rangoon junta. The KNU is the strongest guerrilla army still fighting the Burmese government for greater autonomy. As well as the headquarters of the KNU, which has been fighting since 1949, Manerplaw is also headquarters for an opposition alliance grouping other autonomy-seeking minority groups and democracy-seeking guerrillas from the majority Burman community. There has been sporadic fighting in the area since the middle of December when Burmese troops, taking advantage of an unprecedented mutiny within the KNU, launched what were then the heaviest attacks on the guerrillas in more than two years. One guerrilla source said yesterday that some of the Karen mutineers had joined Burmese government forces and were guiding them through the rugged ridgelines and valleys towards Manerplaw. Preliminary moves to open ceasefire negotiations between the KNU and the Slorc were under way last year but became bogged down over agreeing on a venue for the talks. (BP) *************************INSIDE BURMA************************* BKK POST: LATE NEWS--SON OF BA MAW SURRENDERS 26 January A leading self-exiled Burmese dissident has surrendered to the military regime in Rangoon, state-run Radio Rangoon reported in a dispatch monitored here yesterday. Zarli Maw, the vice chairman of anti-government organisation, the Alliance for Democratic Solidarity Union of Burma, gave himself up to military authorities on January 13, the radio said. Maw, son of Burma's former head of state Ba Maw, 'went underground for the first in 1965. (BP) ************************SHAN STATE/AKHA*********************** BURMANET: AKHA HERITAGE FOUNDATION January 27, 1995 The following appeal was sent by Richard A. Crooker: . Date: Thu, 26 Jan 1995 Subject: Akha Heritage Foundation I returned from Mae Sai, where I met a very sincere fellow who is trying to help improve living conditions in the Akha villages of the Thailand-Burma border region. His name is Matthew McDaniel. He has established the Akha Heritage Foundation. He wants to extend his operation to more villages, particularly in Burma. As readers of BurmaNet News are aware, these villages are among the poorest villages of the border region. Mr. McDaniel seeks donations of medicine and medical supplies, as well as financial contributors. He has provided the following information: "At present there is a need to get into as many villages as possible and establish a medical contact with these people, supplying them with the basic things that they are in need of for life preservation. I have listed below some of the major illnesses encountered, but the actual need is complex and large." "The first need the villagers have is to know that someone is working on their behalf. My work requires that I enter the villages with medical supplies as often as possible. Secondly, a lot of ailments require lab support, so it is inefficient for me to travel to a series a villages, return to a central lab, then go back to my patients with the necessary medicines. As Akha villages are spread over a vast region, I accrue relatively high transport and travel expenses." Mr. McDaniel's list of needed medicine and medical supplies are for the following illnesses: malaria, TB, head lice, sexually trnsmitted diseases other than HIV, eye injuires and infections, dysentery, typhoid, scabies, ear infections, fungus infections and tooth abscesses. His list of equipment needs is extensive, but his immediate needs include an infant incubator and monitor, a culture incubator, a centrifuge, an auto clave, a system for preparing vacuum tubes for taking blood samples, a sterilizer for boiling hand instruments, and a portable battery-operated fetal doppler. I spoke with Mr. McDaniels at length and visited his office. He seems sincere and could certainly use some assistance. If you are interested, if you know someone who might be interested, or if you can provide him with some ideas regarding fund-raising, please contact him at The Akha Heritage Foundation, c/o PO Box 40, Maesai, Chiangrai, Thailand 57130 (FAX 66-53-733-055). ***** BurmaNet adds: I've recently had discussions with Claes Bratt, a Swedish journalist who has just completed a short film on the Akha. Bratt's story bears out Mr. McDaniel's assessment of the needs in the Akha area. According to Bratt, the Akha look set to become the first ethnic group in history to become extinct because of the AIDS virus. It isn't that they will all die of AIDS, but the HIV-positive rates are so high that there will not be enough of them alive in a few years to constitute a distinct human culture. The reasons they are getting hit so hard by AIDS are threefold. First, they are on the edge of the Golden Triangle and for years, most of the world's heroin has gone by or through their villages. Use of I.V. drugs is epidemic and they are extremely poor, which leads to further problems of lack of education and inability to afford clean needles. The second factor is that relatively large numbers of young Akha women are drawn into, or sold into, Thailand's sex trade. These women work in brothels downcountry and then return to their villages. Among the Akha, promiscuity seems to be culturally accepted, which also serves to accelerate the spread of the disease. **************************SHAN STATE************************** BURMANET: LETTER--NORTH TO KENGTUNG January 27, 1995 Richard Crooker has asked that the following message be forwarded to BurmaNet readers: >From crooker@kutztown.edu Thu Jan 26 13:52:23 1995 Date: Thu, 26 Jan 1995 16:48:49 -0500 (EST) From: "Richard A. Crooker" Subject: North to Kengtung To: strider@igc.apc.org I recently travelled to Kengtung via the Mae Sai-Kengtung road. My guide was excellent, and I highly recommend him. His name and the necessary contact information are as follows: Joe Esparzo, King Kobra Maesai Guest House, 135/5 Sailom Joi Rd., Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, Thailand 57130. Telephone/FAX 66-53-733055. I plan to return to the Kengtung area during my fall semester sabbatical. Contact me , if you are interested in conducting a joint travel\research experience. I will also gladly share insights regarding travel in this part of Burma. ***************************THAILAND*************************** BKK POST: PROSECUTORS TO RECOMMEND EXTRADITION [OF THAI DRUG MP] 26 January 1995 The office of the Supreme Attorney-General will tomorrow ask the Criminal Court to order former Chart Thai MP for Nakhon Phanon Thanong Siripreechapong extradited to the United States to stand trial on drug charges. Chaikasem Nitisiri, special prosecutor assisting the Interna- tional Cooperation Division, said a working group under his chairmanship has finished examination of evidence provided by the US and will recommend the extradition. The US Drug Enforcement Administration last year subsmitted a request through the Foreign Ministry for Thailand to extradite Mr Thanong to stand trial on charges of smuggling 49 tons of marijuana there between 1977-1987. The Government decided to ask the Office of the Supreme Attor- ney-General to consider the US request and empowered it to recommend whether to extradite Mr Thanong. The courts would have the final say. Mr Chaikasem said his working group had examined the US indictment against Mr Thanong and an arrest warrant. It found Mr Thanong's alleged offences involved the Thai courts and were committed in both Thailand and the US. It also said the case was not political. Mr Chikasem said the court will also be asked to issue a war- rant to arrest Mr Thanong. If found guilty,Mr Thanong faces life imprisonment under US law, he said. If the court ordered the extradition, Mr Thanong would be sent to a US court in California, he added. "ON receiving our request, the court may or may not conduct an examination of the request before issuing an arrest warrant. It depends on the court to decided whether or not to extradite Mr Thanong," mr Chaikasem said. In a separate case, the International Cooperation Division of the Office of the Supreme Attorney-General asked the Criminal Court to order 10 alleged lieutenants to the US. The 10, arrest in November in separate raids in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son, are among 20 suspects the US has asked Thailand to arrest and extradite under an extradition treaty. Mrs Piyaphan Udomsilpa of the International Cooperation division said her office had examined the US indictments against the 10 and decided to recommend their extradition. The court set January 30 for examination of the case. (BP) ****************************REGION**************************** BURMANET: LETTER CONCERING CARTER CENTER STATEMENT January 27, 1995 BurmaNet received the following letter in response to the statement from the Carter Center on the continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi: Date: Thu, 26 Jan 95 14:35:52 -0800 From: sayc@pogo.WV.TEK.COM (Chaosinh Saysanom) To: strider@igc.apc.org Subject: Re: Carter Center Statement on Aung San Suu Kyi DEAR SIR, HOW ABOUT LAOS ? MY FATHER WAS POLITICAL PRISONNER WHEN THE LAOS'COMMUNIST TOOK OVER. HE WAS IN PRISON AT VIENG-XAY SAM-NEUA. MY BROTHER LT.GENERAL CHAOSINH SAYSANA 2ND IN COMMAND OF THE FIRST MILITARY REGION (NORTH OF LAOS) IS STILL HELD PROSONER IN SECRET DEAD CAMP OF LAOS'COMMUNIST. HAVE YOU FORGOT THIS AREA, ANY COMMENT PLEASE. THANK YOU CHAOSINH SAYSANOM sayc@pogo.wv.tek.com ******* In reply ******* Sir, BurmaNet was created to gather and distribute information about Burma. Laos is another mostly forgotten human rights basket case but BurmaNet doesn't have the resources to address more than one country at a time. Perhaps after democracy is reestablished in Burma, BurmaNet can change to LaosNet. In the meantime, there is no monopoly on the BurmaNet model. Perhaps you could seek out like-minded people on the Internet and begin sharing information on Laos with them?. If you decide to do this, BurmaNet would be happy to share our experiences with setting up such a project. Regards, Strider ***********************VISIT MYANMAR 96*********************** COLUMBUS DISPATCH: ATROCITIES MAKE BURMA BAD PLACE TO VACATION Columbus, Ohio USA January 22, 1995 Editorial and Comment I appreciate The Dispatch running the Jan. 8 article on tourism in Burma in the face of a military dictatorship. The sad reality is that many of the world's governments brutally oppress their citizens and ravage the environment. Indeed, Burma is no exotic vacationland for the adventurous, upscale traveler. It is a land of unspeakable atrocities. Perhaps some day humans everywhere will stop abusing each other. Perhaps, some day, those of us who are not oppressed will do more to look out for those who are. Even if we do not ever completely eradicate misery and blight, however, then if nothing else, we must at least recognize that the site of human suffering should not serve as a playground for the privileged. Andrew M. Kercher Westerville Social Action Columbus ************************************************************** NEWS SOURCES REGULARLY COVERED/ABBREVIATIONS USED BY BURMANET: AP: ASSOCIATED PRESS AFP: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE AW: ASIAWEEK AWSJ: ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL Bt.: THAI BAHT; 25 Bt.3 DUS$1 (APPROX), BBC: BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION BI: BURMA ISSUES BKK POST: BANGKOK POST (DAILY NEWSPAPER, BANGKOK) BRC-CM: BURMESE RELIEF CENTER-CHIANG MAI BRC-J: BURMESE RELIEF CENTER-JAPAN CPPSM: C'TEE FOR PUBLICITY OF THE PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE IN MONLAND FEER: FAR EAST ECONOMIC REVIEW IRRAWADDY: NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY BURMA INFORMATION GROUP JIR: JANE'S INTELLIGENCE REVIEW KHRG: KAREN HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP Kt. BURMESE KYAT; 150 KYAT3DUS$1 BLACK MARKET 100 KYAT3DUS$1 SEMI-OFFICIAL 6 KYAT3DUS$1 OFFICIAL MOA: MIRROR OF ARAKAN NATION: THE NATION (DAILY NEWSPAPER, BANGKOK) NLM: NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR (DAILY STATE-RUN NEWSPAPER, RANGOON) R.T.A.:REC.TRAVEL.ASIA NEWSGROUP S.C.B.:SOC.CULTURE.BURMA NEWSGROUP S.C.T.:SOC.CULTURE.THAI NEWSGROUP SEASIA-L: S.E.ASIA BITNET MAILING LIST SLORC: STATE LAW AND ORDER RESTORATION COUNCIL USG: UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT XNA: XINHUA NEWS AGENCY **************************************************************