**************************BurmaNet*************************** "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ************************************************************* The BurmaNet News:22 March 1995 Issue #128 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NOTED IN PASSING: Nevertheless, intellectual and artistic life survive. New business magazines struggle to increase coverage of social issues. Video filming, though censored, constitutes a new industry. Hints of change are found in unlikely places; readers comb the business press for news excluded from mainstream papers, and official denunciations of the "inaccuracies" of foreign news reporting are scrutinized for hidden information about Burma. Contents: ***********************INSIDE BURMA*************************** ARTICLE 19: POLITICAL DEADLOCK DEFIES STIRRINGS OF ECONOMIC CHANGE BKK POST: BURMA'S "NEW LIGHT" CONSPIRACIES AP: KARENNI REBELS HAND OVER ARMS ***********************SHAN STATE***************************** BKK POST: PRE-DAWN RAID FIERCEST IN 40 YEARS, CLAIM REFUGEES NATION: FEAR OF RANGOON FORCES DRIVES SHAN INTO THAILAND S.H.A.N.: BATTLE NEWS FROM SHAN STATE **********************INTERNATIONAL*************************** USG: SHATTUCK--"THE REGIME MUST CHOOSE." SENATOR MURRAY [DEM, USA]: INT'L WOMEN'S DAY SPEECH ON SUU KYI U.WASHINGTON BOARD OF REGENTS: DECISION ON BURMA INVESTMENTS ************************THAILAND****************************** BKK POST: DEPUTY FM WILL VISIT BURMA TO CO-CHAIR MEETING NATION: ITD THREATENS TO QUIT BURMA BKK POST: TACHILEK TRADE DROPS SHARPLY AFTER CLASH NATION: TROOPS STAND READY AS BORDER REOPENS AT BURMA BATTLE SITE ************************************************************** The BurmaNet News is an ********************************* electronic newspaper * Iti * covering Burma. 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Burma Issues is a Bangkok-based non-governmental organization that documents human rights conditions in Burma and maintains an archive of Burma-related documents. Views expressed in The BurmaNet News do not necessarily reflect those of either NCGUB or Burma Issues] ************************************************************** *************THE BURMANET NEWS--MARCH 22, 1995*************** ************************************************************** *************************INSIDE BURMA************************* ARTICLE 19: POLITICAL DEADLOCK DEFIES STIRRINGS OF ECONOMIC CHANGE Lancaster House, 33 Islington High Street, London N1 9JH, UK On 21 March 1995, ARTICLE 19 publishes CENSORSHIP PREVAILS: Political Deadlock and Economic Transition in Burma. The ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) is attempting to promote economic development while reinforcing the structures of military rule. Harsh laws stifle political debate; opposition politicians are imprisoned; censorship controls all media; and despite a number of recent ceasefires, the military government continues a civil war against its own ethnic minority peoples. In the midst of economic upheaval, the SLORC is promoting tourism, natural gas and mineral resource development, and international business of all kinds. ARTICLE 19's Executive Director, Frances D'Souza, comments : "Burma cannot sustain these contradictions. Future stability and economic development depend upon opening up the political process to debate; the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and political prisoners; and the repeal of laws which deny the rights of association. Military operations against minority ethnic groups must give way to renewed dialogue." The report examines Burma's censorship laws, and its record of repression. These conditions create what the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights has described as the "atmosphere of pervasive fear" in Burma. No aspect of life escapes the consequences of the 1988 military coup, and the SLORC's refusal to yield power after the 1990 election victory of the National League for Democracy. Alarmingly, the SLORC continues to defy UN resolutions and calls for access by the International Committee of the Red Cross to Burma's prisons. Nevertheless, intellectual and artistic life survive. New business magazines struggle to increase coverage of social issues. Video filming, though censored, constitutes a new industry. Hints of change are found in unlikely places; readers comb the business press for news excluded from mainstream papers, and official denunciations of the "inaccuracies" of foreign news reporting are scrutinized for hidden information about Burma. For further information, please contact: Catherine Drucker (Campaigns): Tel: (44 -71) 713 -1357, Fax: (44-71) 713-1356 or Martin Smith: Tel (66-2) 255-0190-9, Fax: (66-2) 253-8492 Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. BKK POST: BURMA'S "NEW LIGHT" CONSPIRACIES Sunday, 12 March 1995 "Guest Columnist" feature, Sunday Perspectives By Alan Dawson Burma's "New Light" Conspiracies THE Rangoon government had nothing to do with recent fighting in the Karen state opposite Thailand, at least according to lengthy descriptions of the battles in the official Burmese media. A series of articles in _The New Light of Myanmar_ newspaper not only claims Burmese forces didn't gas, didn't bombard, didn't besiege and didn't overrun Mannerplaw, Kawmoora and other sites. They purport to prove Karens fought both sides of the battle against themselves in a conspiracy to discredit the Burmese regime. Just because it's paranoid doesn't mean an international conspiracy directed by Karens isn't out to get the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), according to the series. Wonderfully discordian articles are nothing new for Burma's government-run media, where Newspeak has reached heights unknown this side of Pyongyang. But the series late last month entitled "Whither KNU?" reached a new high -- or low. According to the newspaper series, unnamed Burmese officials monitored conversations among Karens, and between Karens and officers of "the other country" (Thailand). The monitoring was possible because whenever these people talked or even acted, they were next to "three big communication sets" supplied by "the other country." Because of this, we get to hear Nga Mya (Bo Mya) order his Karen forces to shoot up Karen villages and kill civilians, and to kill a few of his own soldiers with poison gas. "I have asked Soe Soe to get me some chemical bombs," Bo Mya says into the conveniently placed radios so _The New Light of Myanmar_ reporters can hear him. "Must explode them among my men, must explode them at Kawmoora. We may lose four or five men. I will have their bodies photographed. I will have them videotaped. I have asked them to bring in two Japanese to see for themselves how the Na Wa Ta (Burmese) army has been using poison bombs. The Na Wa Ta government will then become another Iraq. Do you know what happened to Iraq...?" "It suffered an international trade embargo, Bogyokegyi," answers the dutiful Law Wadi, who is Bo Mya's straight man for the conversation. "Yes, that is what they told me," says Bo Mya. "Well, get more potassium cyanide, poison bombs and bacteria bombs. Try and get them urgently". "Law Wadi's eyes bulged," notes the newspaper series, supposedly bulging right over the powerful communications setup. In fact, however, this was only a demonstration of the power of this radio network from "the other country." Later, we learn from _The New Light of Myanmar_ of a dispute between two Karen military men. One insists on firing into civilian villages (to discredit the Burmese); the other is hesitant about this. "As the (Karens') Mae Sot Committee and the Myawaddy Committee kept trading protests, Htaw Hla kept grinning secretly," writes the newspaper. Listening to eye-bulging seems like peanuts next to the ability to monitor secret smiles of demented but genocidal Karen officers. From the beginning of its offensive against the Karens, Burmese spokesmen have maintained the fighting at Mannerplaw and beyond was an internal Karen dispute. The fanciful newspaper accounts of passive and magical radio monitoring of conversations and eye bulges will convince few outside Burma. But Burmese themselves have few news sources in a country where all outside publications and other media are banned. Bo Mya, by the way, is controlled by his wife, or so "the other country's" magic radios reveal. "Everybody at the KNU central headquarters knew that Nga Mya was henpecked." And Naw Larmu, the henpecker of the newspaper series, tells Bo Mya, "We are already very rich and should be satisfied with that much. We can always go and live either in Chiang Mai or in Bangkok and live in peace and luxury." According to _The New Light of Myanmar,_ the Karen are so good at conspiracies, one wonders just how they lost their headquarters last month. Among other achievements Rangoon attributes to the Karen, they: - conspired to call off a planned visit to Rangoon by a Thai deputy minister, who is unnamed in the report; - managed to end chances of a visit to Bangkok any time soon by the head of the Burmese regime, Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt; - fooled the Norwegian foreign ministry into denouncing (mythical, of course) Burmese attacks on the Karen. The newspaper series makes it clear these are unjust events, since Burma itself took no action in the fighting along the Thai frontier. Only the United States, apparently, is immune to Karen magic, for the powerful communications setup records a conversation between Soe Soe and Htaw Hla. "Why don't you then try to stop Americans from going to Rangoon," asks Htaw Hla. "Aren't Americans going there to gather information about poppy fields?" "That is where I can't do anything, Bogyoke". Htaw Hla cursed Soe Soe and he heard Soe Soe chuckle at the other end, the newspaper series reveals. And they say SLORC has no sense of humour. * Alan Dawson is a free-lance journalist based in Bangkok AP: KARENNI REBELS HAND OVER ARMS 22 March 1995 RANGOON, Burma (AP) -- Another rebel ethnic group surrendered its weapons Tuesday, leaving only two of Burma's 16 major guerrilla organizations without ceasefire agreements with the government. The rebel groups, many of which had been fighting the government since the country became independent in 1948, were demanding greater autonomy. But most of the groups have responded to a recent call for national reconciliation from Rangoon. On Tuesday, members of the Karenni National Progressive Party handed over 8,000 weapons to the state military commander in a formal ceremony in the eastern border province of Kayah, the government news agency reported. Led by party Vice President Htebu Phe, the rebels also turned over a list of 7,000 members. Leading members of the ruling junta were present, the report said. The ceremony brought to 14 the number of major ethnic insurgent groups that have concluded ceasefires or otherwise come to terms with the government. Three other rebel groups in Kayah state previously reached accommodations with the government, along with nine groups in Shan state and one in Kachin. One of the more powerful groups, the Karen National Union, has not reached any agreement with Rangoon. But it was severely weakened in late January when government forces drove the rebels from their longtime jungle headquarters. The other group still fighting the government is the much smaller Mon New State Party, based along the eastern border with Thailand. Government forces in eastern Shan state, meanwhile, continued battling another guerrilla force, the so-called Mong Tai Army of drug warlord Khun Sa. Khun Sa is thought to be the biggest drug trafficker in the Golden Triangle, the region where the borders of Burma, Thailand and Laos meet. The region is the source of most of the heroin smuggled into the United States. Burmese military sources on Tuesday confirmed reports in Thai newspapers that the guerrillas had attacked Tachilek, a town 220 miles northeast of Rangoon, then retreated across the border in Thailand. A military official said government troops killed at least four of the guerrillas and captured two, including the captain who led the unit. ***********************SHAN STATE***************************** BKK POST: PRE-DAWN RAID FIERCEST IN 40 YEARS, CLAIM REFUGEES 22 March 1995 Monday's pre-dawn raid by Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army(MTA) troops on the Burmese government border town of Tachilek opposite Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district was the fiercest battle in 4o years, according to Burmese refugees who fled to Thailand to escape the fighting. The raid killed 12 and sent baout 1,500 people fleeing across the border from Tachilek to four temples in Mae Sai District. Most of them, however, returned yesterday. Only about 300 who had lost their homes remained in Thailand but said they will return when the situation has returned to noemal. Kham Hee, a 70-year-old woman, displayed genuine fear when asked to given an account of the raid. The woman, a native of Kengtung who moved to Tachilek over 10 years ago, said she paid some people 200 baht to carry her to the Thai side of the border when the shooting started. Chang Sou, 60, a Shan man living in Tachilek, said he had never seen a battle as fierce as the fighting between the MTAand Rangoon forces. He recalled hearing the ear-shattering sound of gunfire from every direction and MTA soldiers southing in Burmese: "Kill them all, Burmese soldiers." He said as the battle engulfed the town he decided to take his wife and young son across the Mae Sai River to Thailand. "I want to stay here for a few days to wait for the situation to return to normal. I am afraid the MTA will attack again. If I return I don't know if my family would survive another attack. "Our house was destroyed by fire. We managed to save only a few pieces of clothing," Chang Sou said, adding that the fighting raged for several hours. Tan, a 14-year-old girl who sells spectacles in Tachilek market, said she swam across the river with her nine-month-old brother on her back. She then left her brother on the Thai side as she swam back to get her mother. She said she neraly fainted at the end of the life-saving ordeal. Tan said she made about 1,000 baht a month selling spectacles she got from Thai teacher in Tachilek. She was one of his students of the Tahi-langue class, paying a monthly tuition fee of 30 baht. "I don't think we will be able to resume class. All the books were reduced by fire to ash. The teacher's house also went up in flame," she said. Tan said she was so frightended that she forgot to save about 1,000 baht she had put aside for a "rainy day." Roun, a 19-year-old girl from Kengtung who visited her aunt in Tachilek at the time of the attack, said she would return home when the situatiion returns to normal. "But because of the ongoing suppression drive she will have to pay 1,500 baht for safe conduct and transportation back home which is about 160 kilometres away. More than 10 houses in Tachilek were burnt down in the pre-dawn raid. Five vehicles were also set ablaze. Twelve people were killed, including a police captain and an army lieutenant. Seventeen people were injured. Several people who flocked to see the charred remains of the houses were taken by Tachilek authorities in for questioning. They included SupolChitwichak, a reporter of the Siam Post, and another Thai. Supol said he was released after being questioned for about an hour. All his film was seized. (BP) NATION: FEAR OF RANGOON FORCES DRIVES SHAN INTO THAILAND 22 March 1995 Tachilek, Burma - Thaousands of Burma's Shan minority have fled to Thailand as Burmese troops in the northeastern town of Tacjilek hunt for rebels and sympathisers after a Shan guerrilla raid, civilian in Burma said yesterday. More than 30 houses in Pongthune district on the edge of the normally busy trade and tourist town of Tachilek were burned down during the fighting on Monday when guerrillas loyal to Burma's opium rebel Khun Sa raided Tachilek. "Burmese soldiers attacked and burned down thisvillages because most of the people living here are Shan," one distraught man told Reuters. He said his house was destroyed. The bodies of two men in civilian clothes were lying on a road, their heads shattered by what appeared to be point-blank gunfire. A third charred body lay in a burnt-out house nearby. A Thai intelligance source later told Reuters the two men were executed by Burmese soldiers late on Monday because they were suspected collaborators with Khun Sa's Mong Tai (Shan state) Army (MTA) guerrillas. Thai authorities on the border said most of tachilek's Shan inhabitants had fled into the jungle on the Burmese side or crossed into Thailand. Some 60 MTA fighters attacked Burmese army positions in Tachilek in the early hours of Monday. The raid was the latest in a series of guerrilla atacks which rebel officials say are aimed at deflecting a Burmese army offensive launched against a rebel bese area in mountains 25 km to the west last week. Fighting in Tachilek raged until early Monday afternoon after many of the rebels were trapped by Burmese troops. One Thai police officer said 29 MTA fighters crossed a border river on Monday into Thailand, where they and their weapons were seized. Others were believed to have been killed in Tachilek. An MTA official said three were cornered in a house in the town and killed by Burmese troops while another five were wounded. Thai officials said at least 12 Burmese soldiers were killed and many civilians were killed or wounded in crossfire. (TN) S.H.A.N.: BATTLE NEWS FROM SHAN STATE SHAN HERALD AGENCY FOR NEWS (S.H.A.N) P.O. Box 41 MaeHongSon 58000 Thailand For Immediate Release Monday, March 20, 1995 Contact: Hseng Jern Fax: 66 53 278 152 (Thailand) Fax: (301) 208-8012 (United States) -------------------------------------------------------------- --------- Homong, March 14, 1995 -- A 1,000-strong force from the military regime's (SLORC) 43rd, 327th and 221st Infantry Regiments accompanied by 800 conscripted porters and 150 mules carrying heavy weapons set out to attack the Moung Tai Army (MTA) and the Shan people at Loi Hpaleng, west of Takhilek, on March 11. The first skirmish broke out at 1130 on March 13 when a Shan patrol led by Aungsa intercepted a SLORC's advance column from the 43rd Infantry Regiment at Ban Pangkawtai. At 0930 on March 14, SLORC Army units attacked Huanamsai, north of Pangkawtai. The battle raged all day. Commenting on the fighting, a Liaison Officer in Maesai said, "Shan troops are putting up a good fight and doing well in the battle," and added, "the Burmese military regime may declare that it is fighting 'drug traffickers', but it's quite evident that their aim is to remove us from the strategic Economic Quandarangle area." Meanwhile, on March 14, a SLORC military column with about 3,500 to 4,000 soldiers was dispatched to the area. Fierce battles broke out south of Pangkaw village, south of Mak O, Kung Hsa villages, Loi Taw Kham Township, about 10 miles from Takhilek Township. The intruding forces made up of troops from the 311st, 334th and 335th Infantry Regiments in Mong Yawng, the 43rd, 528th and 360th Infantry Regiments in Mong Peng, the 331st, 526th and 316th Infantry Regiments in Takhilek and the 227th Infantry Regiment in Mong Hpayak, were armed with G2, G3, G4 and M-79 automatic weapons and 60mm, 81mm, 82-105mm and 120mm heavy weapons. The Moung Tai Army was equipped with M16, M22, M23, M79 automatic weapons and RPG2, RPG5, RPG7, 60mm and 81-82mm heavy weapons. The running battles, fought between 1115 and 1500 hours, left 17 SLORC soldiers dead, including one captain and Lieutenant Colonel Myo Win, commander of the 311st Infantry Regiment from Mong Yawng, who died in Takhilek after suffering battle wounds. In addition, more than 40 SLORC soldiers were wounded, including one captain who lost a leg, and six others with full military equipment surrendered to the MTA. The MTA lost three soldiers while 12 others were wounded. It seized four 60mm, nine G3 and G4, and 17 mules laden with supplies. March 15: The MTA encircled and attacked the SLORC troops at the new Pangkaw village, Loi Taw Kham Township. In that encounter that lasted from 0430 to 1300 hours, a total of 21 SLORC soldiers were killed, more than 50 of them were wounded and 17 porters took refuge with the MTA at Ya Aye village. The MTA suffered one dead and seven wounded. It captured five G3-G4 and seven horses. Over 200 war refugees took shelter in Thailand while 13 other porters took refuge with the MTA. March 16: A fierce battle broke out at Huai He (village of the Akha people) in Loi Taw Kham Townhip today. Over 30 SLORC soldiers were killed and 60 of them were wounded. Eight porters and five mules were also killed in crossfire. March 17: Another major battle took place at Phak Koot village of the Akha people, Loi Taw Kham Township, from 0900 to 1500 hours. After the battle, bodies of 18 SLORC soldiers were found at the battle site while 27 others were reported to be wounded. Thirteen porters lost their lives while 10 others were wounded. Seventeen mules were captured at Kung Hsa village. The MTA lost three men while 13 others were wounded. In the ensuing engagements in the same area on March 17, the MTA killed 36 SLORC soldiers and wounded more than 60 others. Fifty-six SLORC soldiers surrendered with arms to the MTA and six others fled to Maesai on the Thai side of the border. Five porters were killed and three were wounded. The MTA also ambushed the SLORC's supply line at Nam Mae Hok bridge, five miles from Takhilek, and at Ho Yang bridge, 10 miles from Takhilek. Two military trucks were destroyed and the bridge at Nam Mae Hok was left partially destroyed. According to a statement issued by the Office of the Chief of Staff on March 17, the ambush was carried out by a commando unit from the Eastern Command of the Shan Resistance. The unit captured 11G3s and G4s, one 9mm pistol and a submachine gun. The Chief of Staff has expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the battle. March 18: Fierce fighting is continuing in Pangkaw region with heavy casualties on the Burmese side. Details of the battles will be reported as soon as they are available. **********************INTERNATIONAL*************************** USG: SHATTUCK--"THE REGIME MUST CHOOSE." Testimony of Asst. Sec. of State Shattuck with commentary by Phil Roberton. March 16, 1995 From: reaproy@cais.cais.com (Phil Robertson) For all those interested in what one part of official Washington says about Burma, I'm posting the Burma portion of the Congressional testimony that John Shattuck, the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, gave before two subcommittees of the U.S. House of Representatives on March 16, 1995. While I'd be the first to argue that State's actions on Burma have not been all that I would wish -- for instance, they were extremely slow in moving to condemn the SLORC offensive against Manerplaw in the days before Manerplaw fell and they still come up with the "we neither promote nor discourage" U.S. investment in Burma when they know that the economic officer in Rangoon is certainly (in a de facto way) promoting investment by providing assistance and contacts to U.S. businessmen when they call the Embassy in Rangoon -- I can also say that this statement is OK. Now the question to ask is what will the State Department really move ahead and take actions to punish SLORC, after the attacks on the KNU and the extension of Aung San Suu Kyi's detention, as they said they would under the U.S. "two visions" policy if SLORC continued to act appallingly. All of the Congressman present at the hearing -- especially Asia and Pacific Subcommittee Chairman Doug Bereuter (R-Nebraska) who asked two tough questions about Burma -- strongly condemned SLORC and their refusal to release Aung San Suu Kyi and transfer power to the elected peoples' representatives of the NLD. I also saw a representative of Lester Wolff's group (Washington lobbyist scumbag for dictators around the world and SLORC paid go-fer...no money too bloody for him to accept!) at the hearing, which means SLORC heard the message too. ============================================================== ====== Here's the Burma part of Shattuck's statement: "Since the Burmese military's assumption of power in 1962, and especially since its usurpation of the 1990 democratic elections -- which overwhelmingly rejected military rule -- Burmese citizens have been subjected to the arbitrary and sometimes brutal dictates of the military. Government security forces commit serious abuses, including extrajudicial killings and rape, and forced labor on public works projects. Although some political prisoners have been released, Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi began her sixth year of house arrest last July, and key leaders of her National League for Democracy Party remina in prison under harsh conditions. The military regime, or SLORC, has also renewed it's offensive against the Karen ethnic minority, pushing some 10,000 refugees across the border to Thailand, and undermining its avowed policy of reconciliation with ethnic minorities. And in a situation with devastating impact on our interests, opium production has doubled in Burma since the SLORC took power, and the drug trade has become more deeply ingrained in Burma's political and economic life. In the long run, our interest in narcotics control in Burma is inextricably linked to our interest in accountable government and the rule of law. Multilaterally, we have succeeded in passing strong resolutions on Burma at the United Nations General Assembly and at the UN Human Rights Commission, and will do the same this year at the International Labor Organization. We also oppose multilateral loans to Burma. In November 1994, a U.S. delegation led by EAP Deputy Assistant Secretary Tom Hubbard and Nancy Ely-Raphel, my Principal Deputy, met with the military leadership in Rangoon to outline two visions of a future relationship with Burma -- the first, an improved relationship based on improvements in human rights, democratization, and counternarcotics; the second, further isolation and deteriorating relationship in the absence of such improvements. The regime must choose. We have been disappointed by the lack of progress on human rights to date and have expressed our displeasure to the Burmese government." At the end of his statement, Shattuck finished by saying: "I will...close with this human rights appeal to the world from Aung San Suu Kyi: 'It is precisely because of the cultural diversity of the world that it is necessary for different nations and peoples to agree on those basic human values which will act as a unifying factor...the values that democracy and human rights seek to promote can be found in many cultures. Human beings the world over need freedom and security so that they may be able to realize their full potential'." SENATOR MURRAY [DEM, USA]: INT'L WOMEN'S DAY SPEECH ON SUU KYI March 8, 1995 Date: Tue, 21 MAR 1995 21:16:43 -0800 Posted by: Timothy Landon Newgroups: soc.culture.burma, soc.culture.thai, rec.travel.asia Subject: Int'l Women's Day Speech on Suu Kyi The following speech was given at the International Women's Day Conferance on March 8,1995 by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA). ******* Thank you for inviting me to speak today on this very special and important occasion. As we commemorate International Women's Day this year, I am very pleased to note that the President is announcing today a renewed U.S. commitment to help girls remain in school around the world - especially in the poorer nations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. I share the President's firm belief that poverty around the globe will not end until the lives of women and families are substantially improved. And ensuring access to education for girls around the world will make an incredible contribution to this goal. Promoting and supporting increased opportunities for women. whether at home or abroad, is one of my highest priorities as a US Senator. Towards this goal, during the last Congress I joined with Representatives Joe Moakley and Jan Meyers in founding the Congressional Working Group on International Women's Human Rights. Everyday, human rights abuses against women go unpunished around the world. These violations often receive little or no attention from governments and even the international human rights community. The Congressional Working Group's mission is to bring increased attention to abuses against women around the world, and to press for accountability from the governments involved. I am proud to be a part of this effort, and I take this opportunity to thank Human Rights Watch for their support of the Working Group. And, of course, I invite all members of the House and Senate to join us in promoting this very worthwhile cause. Today we pause from our busy lives to reflect upon the price paid by so many women around the globe who courageously defend human rights despite extreme opposition and hardship. Perhaps no woman deserves our honor and respect more today than Aung San Suu Kyi, the democratically elected leader of Burma. As most of you know, Suu Kyi is currently under house arrest in Rangoon. Her crime: exercising non-violent protest against the State Law and Order Restoration Council, which is the military regime in Burma. Although her political party, the National League for Democracy, received 80% of the vote in the 1990 elections, the military regime in Burma continues to deny Suu Kyi the right to participate freely in the political process, and has prevented her from taking her rightful place as the leader of Burma. The people of Burma exercised their political right at the polls, and should be granted their duly elected leader. Suu Kyi's accomplishments are great. When she was honored in 1991 with the Nobel Peace Prize, the Nobel Committee stated that she had become "one of the most extraordinary examples of civil courage in Asia in recent decades." Sadly, since she was still under house arrest, she was unable to accept the award. Her 18 year old son accepted the prize in her place. In reaction to Suu Kyi receiving this prestigious tribute, the military regime in Burma blocked all news of the award and launched a series of media attacks against her. Suu Kyi has spoken out on the principles of democracy, and on behalf on all ethnic minorities. She should not be punished for exercising her right to free expression of thought. It is obvious by the continued captivity of Suu Kyi that the Burmese military regime respects no opinions other that their own. The military would like to see Suu Kyi leave the country. She has been given this option numerous times in exchange for permanent exile from her country, but she has refused, remaining steadfast to her principles and her cause. Her determination to remain in Burma, with her people, and to see her democratically elected party take its position as leader of the country is admirable and deeply courageous, and I am proud to be among those honoring her today. Despite the international community's demands, the military government continues to deny Suu Kyi her fundemental human rights. It is our responsibility to continue to speak out against the Burmese government's blatent disregard for human life and democracy. As I learned a long time ago, when people tell you you can't make a difference, they are usually just afraid you will. Together, our voice on behalf of women victims of human rights can make a difference. So I am proud to be with you all today, in support of Suu Kyi and so many women like her around the globe. ---- Senator Patty Murray, from Washington State. United States Senate Washington, DC 20510-4704 U.WASHINGTON BOARD OF REGENTS: DECISION ON BURMA INVESTMENTS UW Board of Regents Decision on Burma Investments (fwd) On Thursday, March 16, 1995, the University of Washington Board of Regent's Finance Committee passed the following resolution: ****** Delegation of Authority - Shareholder Resolutions V'Ella Warren Treasurer, Board of Regents Recommended Action: It is the recommendation of the administration that the Finance Committee delegate authority to the Treasurer of the Board of Regents to act on behalf of the Board of Regents with regard to shareholder resolutions related to human rights violations in Burma. This delegation will remain in effect up to five years from the date of approval. Background: For the past several months, the administration has been working with a group of students concerned about human rights violations in Burma, to identify the ways in which the University could publicly voice its concern. Unlike the South Africa movement, the actions which have been identified revolve not on divestment which has a direct portfolio impact, but on actions around shareholders resolutions. These actions include: 1.voting on shareholder resolutions; 2. communicating the position of the Board of Regents to a corporation; and 3. participating in the sponsorship of shareholder resolutions. By policy, actions related to shareholder resolutions are delegated to the University's outside investment managers. At its discretion, the Finance Committee may make proxy determinations and/or request the action of the entire Board on proxy matters. To identify companies with operations in Burma and to track the progress of shareholder resolutions, the University will rely upon the Investor Responsibility Research Center (IRRC). The IRRC is an independent, nonprofit corporation located in Washington, D.C., which provides a variety of tracking and monitoring services around issues of social policy. Based on the preliminary research, there are only a handful of publicly traded companies in the U.S. with confirmed ties to Burma. The Burma movement has attracted attention on campus with numerous articles appearing in The Daily in recent months. The ASUW Student Senate recently passed a resolution urging the University of Washington to support shareholders resolutions regarding proposed reports on and proposed cessation of corporate operations in Burma. A petition urging the Board of Regents to recognize the human rights violations in Burma was signed by over 200 students, faculty, and staff in February. The Burma movement has spread to other University campuses as well. Harvard University and Williams College voted in support of a shareholder resolution involving UNOCAL last year. In addition, other public agencies, e.g., TIAA/CREF and the State of Connecticut, have taken actions in support of the movement. The recommended action, if approved, will have no direct impact on the performance of the University's investment portfolios. ************************************************************** *************** Burma Action Group University of Washington tlandon@u.washington.edu Box 119, HUB 207, FK-30 (206) 548-9029 Seattle, WA 98195 ************************THAILAND****************************** BKK POST: DEPUTY FM WILL VISIT BURMA TO CO-CHAIR MEETING 22 March 1995 Deputy Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan will visit Burma this month to co-chair the Thai-Burmes Demaracation Committee talks on border problems which include the ownership dispute over Hill 491 on the border of Chumphon's Thasae District. Mr Surin said he would hold talks on the hill with a deputy foreign minister with the aim of reaching a clear solution. He said Interrior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart told the Cabinet yesterday the sttuation at Mae Sai District in Chaing Rai had returned to normal. The fighting between Rangoon forces and Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army has hurt Thailand's trade and tourism, said Mr surin, as it was impossible for the country to avoid some impact. (BP) NATION: ITD THREATENS TO QUIT BURMA 22 March 1995 Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD) said it is ready to cancel Bt300 million hotel project in Burma unless the Rangoon government reduces the tax burden on the project. Chaiyuth Karnasuta, chairman of Thailand's largest construction company, said the Burmese government has placed a five per cent tax on the project's gross revenue and asked for an up-front payment of US$3 million. "There have been some changes. Previously, the Burmese government asked for US$2.5 million," said Chaiyuth. "We can't accept it. We don't mind if they find other investors (in the project)," he said. Italian-Thai is the majority shareholder of the Amari Group of Hotels which operates an extensive hotel network in Thailand. Chaiyuth said the Burmese government should accommodate investors in the hotel which will be situated in the historic city of Pagan, located about 800 km from Rangoon. (TN) BKK POST: TACHILEK TRADE DROPS SHARPLY AFTER CLASH 22 March 1995 Monday's clash between the Burmese army and the forces of Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army left a normally busy border trading point in Mae Sai District deserted. Although Tachilek trading point has reopened, trading volume is reported to have shrunk considerably and only a handful of people braved their way to the trading area yesterday. "Burma assured us it had the situation under control and said it would prevent a recurrence of the violence," said Mae Sai district Chief Pakdi Rattanapol. Mr Pakdi said many goods had been left on the Thai side because truck drivers had stopped for their own safety. The number of people crossing over to Burma at Mae Saiwhich is normally 3,000 to 5,000 a day on weekdays and double that on weekends, has dropped sharply. Mr Pakdi said the stateagencies concerned should in form people that the situation has returned to normal. He added that he believed the Burmese Government would have to protect its Tachilek trading point because what was at stake economically. The head of Mae Sai districtcustoms checkpoint, Therdsak Pensuk, said Tachilek is currently the only trading point along the Thai-Burmes border which still allows goods to be exchanged. (BP) NATION: TROOPS STAND READY AS BORDER REOPENS AT BURMA BATTLE SITE 22 march 1995 Mae Sai, Chiang Rai - Thai troops remained on alert yessterday as the border with Burma was reponed a day after guerrillas loyal to opium warlord Khun Sa attacked a neighbouring Burmese town. Army Commander in Chief Wimol Wongwanich told reporters there were no reports of Thai casulties after the major clash between Khun Sa's troops and Burmes soldiers near the border. Wimol said the Mae Sai border is essential to local economies of both countries and would only be temporaily and partially closed during heavy fighting. "We will close the border when the situation threatens the lives of Thai people, but when the situation improves, we will reopen it," Wimol said. He added that border crossings will be shut down if they are believed to have served as drug smuggling routes. Echoing Wimol's remark, Defence Minister Vijit Sookmark said the Mae Sai border will be closed only if there isa threat of fighting spillovers. Thousands of eager market traders yesterday streamed across the bridge spanning the Mae Sai River connecting Thailand and Burma. Bicycles and carts loaded with goods flowed in both directiions past border checkpoints which had closed early on Monday after a small contingent of Khun Sa's Maung Tai Army (MTA) attacked Burmese government positions in the market town of Tachilek with rockets and machine guns. "No one knows if [the MTA] will come back, but we have t o eat," a Thai jade vendor said, arranging her wares. Several buildings in Tachilek were damaged in the battle before the MTA strike team - some 70 troops according to Thai officials - retreated north into Burma, towards their main force at Pangma-O. Thailand's Naraesuan Task Force, which supervises the border here, reported that fighting continued ten km inside Burma. Neither side has indicated the number of casualties they suffered. Reinforced Thai border police units were yesterday repatriating the more than 1,000 refugees who had fled the area, a mix of Burmese, Shan and ethnic Akha, according to Mae Sai district chief Pakdi Rattanaphol. He said he expects all of the refugees to be returned before today. Eighteen MTA soldiers who crassed the Sai River into Thailand had also been sent back to Burma, east of the fighting, after they were disarmed, a border officer added. Several MTA soldiers were treated for wounds at Mae Sai District Hospital, but were sent back on Mondau with their comrades, Pakdi said. Thai officials speculated the raid had been an attempt to draw away Rangoon troops from the MTA's outppost at Pangma-O, which came under artillery assault early last week. As recently as May last year, Khun Sa and Rangoon fought sporadically but bitterly in areas surrounding Tachilek, through the notorious opium trader had not attacked the lucrative market itself. Mae Sai and Tachilek are reputed to conduct 20 million baht in cross-border trade daily. By yesterday morning, Thai and Burmese shops were open along the crammed river front and thousands of traders and labourers swarmed acros the bridge. Some of the fiercest fighting took place less than a half kilometre from the bustling trade bridge, at a clump of houses along the river where Burmese troops concerned a small group of MTA soldiers. Several houses were destroyed in the two--hour skirmish, during which Rangoon soldiers lobbed grenades and rockets at their targets. "Everything was just black smoke," said one Thai cloth trader who abandoned her business to get a closer look. "You would hear an explosion, see some fire and then there would be a lot of guns suddenly shooting." Maj Gen Pairot Vandrong of the Nareasuan Task Forces said: "It was like a movie fora lot of the people here. They just sat and watched at the edge of the river. One Thai villager was wounded by a stray shell in that melee and was being treated at Mae Sai District hospital, a border official said. Prime Minister chuan Leekpai yesterday confirmed Burma had rejected Thailand's offer to mediate between Rangoon and ethnic insurgent groups fighting for autonomy. "I sent a direct message to the Burmese government that if they want us to serve as a mediator in peace talks, we will be glad to do so. But I have heard that Burma still wants to treatthe issue as their own internal problem which should be solved internally," Chuan said. (TN) ************************************************************** NEWS SOURCES REGULARLY COVERED/ABBREVIATIONS USED BY BURMANET: ABSDF: ALL BURMA STUDENT'S DEMOCRATIC FRONT AMNESTY: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AP: ASSOCIATED PRESS AFP: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE AW: ASIAWEEK Bt.: THAI BAHT; 25 Bt. EQUALS US$1 (APPROX), BBC: BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION BF: BURMA FORUM 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 GOA: GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA IRRAWADDY: NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY BURMA INFORMATION GROUP KHRG: KAREN HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP KNU: KAREN NATIONAL UNION Kt. BURMESE KYAT; UP TO 150 KYAT-US$1 BLACK MARKET 106 KYAT US$1-SEMI-OFFICIAL 6 KYAT-US$1 OFFICIAL MOA: MIRROR OF ARAKAN MNA: MYANMAR NEWS AGENCY (SLORC) THE NATION: A DAILY NEWSPAPER IN BANGKOK NCGUB: NATIONAL COALITION GOVERNMENT OF THE UNION OF BURMA NLM: NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR (DAILY STATE-RUN NEWSPAPER,RANGOON) NMSP: NEW MON STATE PARTY RTA:REC.TRAVEL.ASIA NEWSGROUP RTG: ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT SCB:SOC.CULTURE.BURMA NEWSGROUP SCT:SOC.CULTURE.THAI NEWSGROUP SEASIA-L: S.E.ASIA MAILING LIST S.H.A.N.: SHAN HERALD AGENCY FOR NEWS SLORC: STATE LAW AND ORDER RESTORATION COUNCIL TAWSJ: THE ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL UPI: UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL USG: UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT XNA: XINHUA NEWS AGENCY **************************************************************