**************************BurmaNet*************************** "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ************************************************************* The BurmaNet News: 7 April 1995 Issue #141 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Contents: ********************INSIDE BURMA******************** THE NATION: TEAM OF 80 SWISS BUSINESS TYCOONS IN BURMA FOR TALKS THE NATION: BURMA, EMPIRE OIL IN OIL, GAS VENTURE ***********************SHAN STATE*********************** THE NATION:MONG TAI ARMY MADE DECISION IN 1993 TO JOIN PLANNED BURMA UNION ****************************THAILAND************************** BKK POST: SUPACHAI: CHIANG MAI SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN STOCK EXCHANGE BKK POST: NGO BACKS THAI OFFER TO BE BURMA PEACE MEDIATOR BKK POST: MILITARY SET TO PROTEST AGAINST BURMA SHOOTING ************************************************************** 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] TEAM OF 80 SWISS BUSINESS TYCOONS IN BURMA FOR TALKS April 6 1995 A GROUP of about 80 businessmen from Switzerland's private business club, World Economic Forum, arrived in Rangoon on Yesterday to discuss investment opportunities in Burma, State- run Radio Rangoon reported in a broadcast monitored here. The delegation called on leading Burmese minister, Air-Chief Marshal Tin Tan, and National Planning and Economic Development Minister, Brig Gen David Abel, shortly after arriving i the Burmese capital by special chartered flight, it said. During the talks, the minister explained current economic development and investment opportunities for foreign firms in Burma, the radio said. The World Economic Forum delegation is touring countries in the so called Quadrangle which apart from Burma also included Laos and Southern China. They were in Bangkok over the week- end. According to an earlier Radio Rangoon report, another group of 32 businessmen from the Netherlands are also in Burma on a similar trade mission.(TN) BURMA, EMPIRE OIL IN OIL, GAS VENTURE 6 april 1995 Burma has signed an agreement for the joint exploration and production of oil and gas in the southwestern state of Arakan, the New Light of Myanmar reported yesterday. The agreement, between Empire Oil Co (Pacific) and the Burmese energy ministry's Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, was the second contract signed for oil exploration in Arakan state. (TN) SUPACHAI: CHIANG MAI SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN STOCK EXCHANGE 6 April 1995 Deputy Prime Minister Supachai Panitchpakdi says Chiang Mai should have its own stock exchange to serve the economic quad- rangle. He said the exchange and a Regional Resources Exchange Centre should be set up to help Chiang Mai become a northern regional economic hub. "it sounds like a dream, but it is a possible one," he said. Mr Supachai said he would proposed to an ADB meeting to be held in Rangoon late this month that the Mekong regional edu- cation centre be built in Chiang Mai and a northeastern region. The centre will provide business administration courses and would train officers. Chiang Mai has been seen as a small centre for the fast grow- ing electronics industry. There have been a number of foreign investors who have expressed interest in registering their business in Thailand especially in the northern region, but they faced obstacles under limitations of Thai law, said Mr Supachai. "There will be a lot of joint-venture companies in the region. Foreign investors both from Europe and Japan are looking closely to invest in the North as it is rich in natural resources, and a land link to Laos, Burma and china where a lot of energy resources are available," he said. The Deputy Prime Minister yesterday gave a speech to more than 200 guests at a seminar on Chiang Mai's 700th Anniversary - Vision into Action. He said Thailand, especially the northern and northeastern regions, will get great benefits when two dams being built in Laos are completed and about 800 megawatts of power is sold to Thailand through the regions. "The two regions will be able to develop industry by using the electricity. More investors will come as we can supply them the essential factors," he said. Bur Chiang Mai still needs to develop in many aspects, especially waste measures, he said. bur he said a power plant fuelled by lignite and garbage will be a modern step towards coping with waste. He urged Chiang Mai residents to pay attention to city planing and development including infrastructure improvements which are being carried out. Chiang Mai must learn a lesson from Bangkok about land use plans. People must launch social sanctions against rule breakers. (BP) NGO BACKS THAI OFFER TO BE BURMA PEACE MEDIATOR 6 April 1995 A non-governmental organization - Action committee for Democracy in Burma (ACDB) - yesterday demanded that the Thai Government serve as mediator to stop continued fighting between Rangoon forces and ethnic minorities. Four representatives from the ACDB, led by Chalidda Tacharoensak, submitted an open letter to Suthon Chuensomchit, an adviser to foreign Minister krasae Chanawong, at the ministry. "The ACDB would like the foreign Minister to review Thailand's foreign policies and interpret the meaning of the so-called 'constructive engagement' policy. The policy should not only emphasise the economic aspect, but also human rights and democracy," Ms Chalidda said. She said the Foreign Ministry should demand that the Burmese Government, known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), take responsibility for recent incidents along the Thai-Burmese border which led to the deaths of Thai nationals and damage to property. Ms Chalidda requested that the Slorc investigate the incidents, bring to justice those Burmese soldiers involved and compensate families of the victims. The ACDB also asked both the Thai Government and private sector to withdraw their investments in Burma, especially as they do not benefit the Burmese people. The Slorc has undertaken an offensive against ethnic minorities along the Thai- Burmese border. Ms Chalidda said the ACDB would like to propose a policy based on democracy and peace rather than constructive engagement. "The Burmese Government should talk with all the minorities because if the problems remain unsettled, it would have an impact on Thailand," she said. (BP &TN) MILITARY SET TO PROTEST AGAINST BURMA SHOOTING 6 April 1995 Defence Minister Vijit Sookmark has order the Supreme Command to lodge a protest with the Burmese Army over an incident on Sunday when its troops shot dead a Thai as be was crossing the Mae Sai River in Chiang Rai. Gen Vijit said the Thai military believed Burmese soldiers had over-reacted in killing Thawee Khamtankaew, 38, of Chiang Saen district as he tried to cross the river into Thailand after having visited Tachilek market illegally. Thawee, who reportedly suffered mental problems, was carrying a toy gun which Burmese troops took away from him. He then apparently ran away and tried to cross the river. Burmese troops shot him in the back as he was bout to reach the Thai side of the river bank. "I told the Supreme command to inform the Thai-Burmese Border Committee to notify its counterpart that they could not have used violence against mr Thawee and that Thai soldiers would not have reacted the same under similar sircumstance," said the Defence Minister. The Defence Ministry reported to the Cabinet on Tuesday that Thawee suffered from mental problems but did not say what action it should take against the Burmese troops for killing a Thai citizen. Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai has ordered Thai authorities at all levels to lodge protest with Rangoon over the incident. Gen Vijit said it should be the responsibility of Rangoon to investigate the fatal shooting and the action they should take against its soldiers. Defence Permanent Secretary Prasert Sararit confirmed that Thailand would lodge a protest with Burma, saying that the life of a Thai, no matter who he was, is valuable. Gen Prasert said the incident could not be sen as a misunderstanding between Thailand and Burma because the two countries have enjoyed good relations at a high level. He suspected the shooting might be the work of low-level ordinary Burmese soldiers and had nothing to do with the policy of Burma. Meanwhile Deputy Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said the Foreign Ministry was in the process of collecting information to base its complaint to the Burmese Government on. "Prime Minister Chuan wants to see a clear explanation from both Thai and Burmese authorities," said Mr Surin. He disclosed that a meeting of the Thai-Burmese Border committee will be held soon at Third Army headquarters in Phitsanulok and the incident may be raised for discussion to prevent future tragedies. "We also want the Burmese side to learn of our sorrow over the incident and how important it is to Thailand", the deputy minister said. He said Thailand and Burma should find measures to revent a recurrence of such a thing. Mr Chuan said yesterday that the Defence ministry report did not clearly say what kind of gun the Burmese had confiscated from Thawee but he considered the Burmese troops had over- reacted and it was necessary to get the facts from the Thai and Burmese sides. The prime Minister said he has ordered the Interior Ministry to warn Thai people along that area to beware of the uncertain situation in Burma and the ongoing fighting between Rangoon troops and Burmese minority rebels. In defence of Army Commander-in-Chief Wimol Wongwanich who said Burmese soldiers had to shoot Thawee in the name of national security, Army Spokesman Palangkul Klaharn said the Press did not publish the full interview of Gen Wimol so the report was incomplete which could possibly damage the reputation of the army chief. Gen Wimol was reported to have said the Burmese soldiers had to shoot the man to protect their national security and that Thai authorities might inevitably have to do the same with Burmese illegally crossing the border into Thailand. Col Palangkul emphasised that report could create the wrong impression that the army chief did not care about the life of a Thai citizen but instead approved the action of Burmese soldiers. (BP) MONG TAI ARMY MADE DECISION IN 1993 TO JOIN PLANNED BURMA UNION 6 April 1995 The decision of Golden Triangle warlord Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army (MTA), Burma's largest resistance movement in Shan State, to join th e future union of Burma was made late last year in a resolution passed by members of the Shan National Congress. The congress, which was established in December 1993, and whose 70 members represented various townships in Burma's northeastern Sha n State, conferred in late November to deliberate on the future of Shan State. Congress members agreed in that plenary meeting that Shan State would opt to join Burma rather than seek the historical legal rights to secede from the Southeast Asian nation. The decision was a clear departure from the MTA's previous stance to fight for the complete independence of the Shan State, where th e majority of the people are ethnic Shan, and ethnic brethren of the Thai people, who enjoyed freedom and autonomy until Burma's ind ependence from Britain in 1948. Kheunsai Jaiene, a leading MTA member and a close aide of Khun Sa, told The Nation in an interview yesterday that the Shan congress issued a resolution dated Dec 1, to express its decision to see the Shan State join the union of Burma. Kheunsai said the decision has not yet been officially passed on to the Burmese junta, known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), which has pledged to crush Khun Sa and his MTA. Slorc, which has opened peace talks with over a dozen armed ethnic groups active along the Burmese border, has repeatedly rejected d ialogue with the MTA, dubbing the group a drug trafficker. In a statement released on Tuesday, Sao Gunjade, chairman of the Shan National Congress and Khun Sa's right hand man, said the issue of Shan State joining the union of Burma has to be settled _at a negotiating table, not on bloody battle fields._ Thai border authorities said yesterday that they were surprised to hear the MTA's proposal to join Burma, as the decision _Is the mo st important shift from the previous MTA stance._ They said they have yet to see a response from Slorc to the MTA's olive branch, which came at a crucial time as Rangoon had publicly announced its intention to launch a massive military offensive against it. With the two remaining active ethnic guerrilla groups, the Karen National Union and the New Mon State Party, preparing to enter or c onclude peace talks with Slorc, Burma analysts predicted the MTA would be Slorc's next target. Gunjede has warned that the MTA, which has _troops operating in two-thirds of the whole area of Shan State,_ will retaliate with urb an guerrilla assaults if its headquarters at Homong, about 30 km from the Thai border, comes under attack. He said the only concern he has in the safety of the civilians population and their properties. The MTA forces, which operate as mob ile guerrilla units and could easily disperse into the jungle. The MTA gave Slorc a slap in the face last month when commando unit launched a successful raid into the Slorc controlled border town of Tachilek, killing several Burmese troops. Kheunsai has killed speculation that the MTA and Slorc have already opened a peace dialogue to end the war in the strife-prone state . He said those who approached Burmese authorities were individual citizens who had no connection with the MTA, nor any authorizatio n from the group to negotiate with Slorc. The MTA, said Kheunsai, wants to include political agendas in its peace talks with Slorc and will pursue a two-pronged approach in i ts peace deal, including attack and negotiation, until a peaceful settlement is achieved. However, he cautioned that conflict is never the best means to resolve any dispute. _Military activities and political work have to go along side [by side]. If we can talk, then we don't have to fight,_ he said. Gunjade defended the MTA's involvement in the narcotics trade, saying the major transporters of the drug are groups _allied_ with th e Burmese authorities. He cited the Ka Kwe Ye, which was established by Rangoon in the 1970s as a local self-defence force, and armed ethnic groups which h ave struck cease-fire agreements with Rangoon, as examples. He played down the role of the MTA in the trade, claiming they only tax the groups who transport drugs through their territory and a re given safe passage by the Burmese authorities. _So it is preposterous to put all the blame on the resistance. If we are to be blamed, it should only be for the last factor, not th e rest,_ said Gunjade. He added the MTA was _ready to cooperate with any organization, including the Burmese government, for the cause of drug eradication. _ (TN) RANGOON SIGNS OIL AND GAS ACCORD WITH AUST COMPANY 6 April 1995 Burma has signed an agreement for joint exploration and production of oil and gas in the southwestern state of Arakan, the New Light of Myanmar reported yesterday. The agreement, between Empire Oil Co (pacific) and the Burmese Energy Ministry's Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, was the second cont ract signed for oil exploration in Arakan state. Energy Minister Khin Maung Thein said the area, where the South Pacific Oil Company had already begun exploratory drilling, had long been known for its surface well production. Burma opened up its onshore oil reserves to foreign companies in 1989, when leading oil companies such as Shell and Amoco made test drillings after signing production-sharing contracts. Most left, however, when they failed to find any commercially feasible sites during an initial three-year period. Similar contracts with foreign companies for offshore exploration and production have uncovered large supplies of natural gas. A pip eline from the offshore wells is to be built soon to carry natural gas to Thailand. (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 BITNET MAILING LIST 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 **************************************************************