-------------------------- BurmaNet -------------------------- "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" -------------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: May 4 1995, Wednesday Issue #163 -------------------------------------------------------------- FREEBURMA WWW: BURMA CONFERENCE IN CYBERSPACE NATION: INTRUDERS THREATEN MORE RAIDS NATION: NO SECURITY THREAT SEEN TO YADANA LINE BKK POST: BO MYA APPEALS TO UNHCR FOR ASSISTANCE BURMA FORUM: MEETING REPORT HUMAN RIGHTS PROJECT: APPEAL FOR HELP NATION: COMMANDER PAYS PRICE FOR BORDER CHAOS NATION: ARMY CAN'T AFFORD ANOTHER SLAP IN FACE FROM DKBA NATION: REFUGEE CAMPS ARE FAR ENOUGH FROM THE BORDER , INSISTS SURIN OBSERVER: BRAVE DEFY FEAR IN BATTLE FOR DEMOCRACY THE NATION: 4,500 HOMELESS AFTER BURMESE BLAZE THE NATION: CRACKDOWN ON BURMESE POLICE BKK POST: UK LORDS VOTE AGAINST SANCTIONS ON RANGOON BKK POST: 10 HILLTRIBE WOMEN FOUND IN POLICE RAID BKK POST:THE WEEK IN RETROSPECT THE NATION: WIMOL PUSHING HARD FOR KAREN REFUGEE RESISTING MNRC: MON REFUGEES--HUNGER FOR PROTECTION IN 1994 NATION: BURMESE REFUGEES TO BE MOVED FURTHER FROM BORDER NATION: KNU CHIEF APPEALS TO PM FOR HELP IN INITIATING NATION: SUMITOMO TO UPGRADE BURMA'S TELECOM ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: NEWS ON "BEYOND RANGOON" THE BANGKOK POST: WIMOL'S REFUGEE CAMP PLAN BACKED ---------------------------------------------------------- o-------------------------------o The BurmaNet News is an | | electronic newspaper | Iti | covering Burma. 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It is easily accessible by TELNET, a program available to almost everyone using a unix system, and most others receiving the BurmaNet News. WWW access is NOT needed. All persons interested in meeting the others on this mailing list, keyboard to keyboard, are requested to express that interest to me, Glen, at FreeBurma@POBox.com. Please include the DAY and TIME (GMT) that you would prefer to meet. I will find a time most convenient to all interested on a day next week, and post it to the FreeBurma Bulletin Board and the BurmaNet News. Further details (and access) are available from http://199.172.178.200/freebrma/bbs/bbs.htm Anxious to meet you all, Glen NATION: INTRUDERS THREATEN MORE RAIDS 1.5.95/The Nation MAETAWAW, Burma - Renegade Buddhist Karen who have launched repeated raids on Karen refugee camps in Tak and Mae Hong Sond Provinces have threatened more violence unless Thailand forces more than 70,000 refugees back into Burma. Leaders of Democratic Karen Buddhist Army [DKBA], which broke away from the 47 year old Karen National Union [KNU] in December , said yesterday they expecred all the refugees to return to Burma, either Volunation or by force , before the start of the rainy season. The DKBA threat came as the Army began reinforcing the 250 kilometre stretch of the Thai - Burmese border with soldiers, paratroops and border patrol police and heavy equipment including helicopter gunships, jeeps with mounted machine guns , and recoiless rifles. The Army has been harshly criticized over the past week for failing to stop the repeated violations of Thai sovereignty , which have been occurring since February . The successive attacks prompted KNU leader Gen Bo Mya to make an urgent appeal to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for emergency measures to protect and assist the frightened refugees, many of them homeless and forced to hide in the Thai jungle . The DKBA , which is politically and military supported by the Burmese junta, claimed responsibility for the attacks and destruction of about 10 border refugee camps. In their first public exposure since the inception of the group , six DKBA leaders including a Buddhist Monk , U Yanika, told The Nation on Saturday at their Maetamaw base that the violence was intended to forces the refugee to return to Burma. They said they had approached Thai security forces in Tha Song Yang district, where most of the 30 refugee camps are located, to hold talks whth them yesterday about pushing the refugees off Thai soil. However , Tha Song Yang authorities said yesterday that they did not show up for the talks . During the interview Captain Tu Na , 46, speaking fluent Thai, admitted that several hundred DKBA fighters had attacked and set fire to a number of refugee camps in Thailand . He said the refugees' continued presence in Thailand could create misunderstanding between the DKBA and Thailand. The group also accepted responsibility for the violence and destruction at Baw Naw , a camp of about 7,000 people , last Friday in which 800 houses were burned down, an 18 year old Karen woman killed and four others wounded, including a young girl . A total of 800 fighters were involved, they said . They also admitted they had burned down a Thai police post and said they had captured an Army sergeant, Thawatchai Wanind, and taken him to Burma for questioning about why the Christian -led KNU forces had beebn allowed to remain on Thai soil. He was released about 4 pm the same day, they said. Maetawaw commander Lt Gen Tho Hlaing, who was also present at the interview, led the attack on Baw Naw . Thai security forces have given the intruders until today to return two 11 mm pistls, walkie- talkies and other equipment they stole from the brunt sentry post, or face retaliatory action. Army Commander in Chief Gen Wimol Wongwanich on Saturday warned that the Army would take harsh measures, which he declined to reveal, against any future intruders. The assault on Baw Naw and four other camps on Friday took place only one day after Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai gave the DKBA that security forces would retaliate harshly if the incursions continued. Yesterday, two helicopter gunships flew to Tha Song Yang village where three uniden dified intruders armed with M 16 and AK 47 assault rifles had arrived in a pickup they hijected from the Baw Naw area . Tha Song Yang is about 25 KM north of Baw Naw . The intruders , two in plain clothes and one and green army fatigues , fled when border patrol police, alerted by the pickup owner , Somkid Kheunmeechar, arrived . Task Force 34 , which is responsible for the long stretch of frontier , immediately despatched Army reinforcements mounted on jeeps an with artillery to the scene . During the interview , Tu Na said DKBA forces would continue to cross the Moei River in to Thailand to raid and set fire to the remaining refugee camps unless the resident whether Buddhist or Christan , returned to Burma . " We [DKBA] have attacked and razed the camps . If we did't do so , Then the refugees would not return home . Their presence in Thailand could create alot of problems for us . If there are robberies in Thailand , then we could be blamed," he said. " We want all of them to come back. All will have to return...If Thai authorities don't intervene , we expect to get all of them back before the onset of the rainy season " .Tu Na claimed the DKBA had 8-9000 well-armed fighters . The DKBA's targets were the Karen refugees and not Thai people or Thai security forces . He said the DKBA's forces had always avoided Thai people when operating in Thailand . He said Sgt Thawatchai had been taken captive on Friday morning because he was guarding the refugees. Thai forces at Tha Song Yang said the DKBA often urged them to retreat from their positions so that they could transgress into Thailand and easily attack the refugee camps . Asked if they knew that their violent actions were considered violations of Thai sovereignty , Tu Na said, " we did not know about it . we believe it is not harmful . we are the same Karen people. How come the [ KNU] Christians can do it . They drive around inside Thailand and they also carry arms .We only burnt down Karen houses " NATION: NO SECURITY THREAT SEEN TO YADANA LINE 1.5.95/The Nation The construction of the Burmese Yadana gas pipeline is set to start after the next monsoon season to meet the planned 1998 deadline , and there was no problem with security over the peoject , a western diplomat said in Rangoon recently . The European diplomat, who asked not to be named , though , did admit that there had been no fundamental improvement in Burma's human rights since 1988, but added that did not constitute criteria for the private sector doing business in Burma . Earlier , the Karen and Mon ethnic groups in the area urged the companies to wait until peace and democracy was restored in Burma before implementing the project . Yet, the diplomat said neither Thailand nor Burma would delay construction because their own vested interests were more imprtant . "It's economically a sound project. Thailand is going to pay for the gas. Thailand needs the gas. This is a very important project, one of the biggest projects they [the pipeline project consortium ] have attempted ," the diplomet said . In February ,Burma signed an agreement with Thailand to supply natural gas from the Yadana offshore gas field in the Martaban Gulf to Ratchaburi power plant in 1988. France -based Total and US-based Unocal , are the major developers who hold a 36.75 per cent and 32.25 cent share resprctively . The diplomat told The Nation that fighting in the area, which often occurs in the dry season when the gas pipeline is to be laid , is not an obstacle . Every dry season there have been some skirmishes , but no major battles. In the past the Burmese government used to startoffensive , but they have suspended such programmes since 1992, " he said. " What happened in February was different . There was a split inthe Karen army." He said those developing the project has taken all the necessary security precautions to ensure its safety, but refused to disclose any information. " All these people [Total and Unocal engineers ] are specialized in working on this type of project. They take into account all possible problems that could arise . They don't underestimate any threats ," he said . The diplomat said that other such pipelines which pass though highly sensitive security areas are safely operational. " Of course , security is a concern. But many pipelines in the world , including those in Iraq, Turkey, Angola, Columbia , had orerated normally, " he said . The diplomat said although the European Union [EU] has cut economic aid to the Burmese military government since 1988, after the brutal crackdown against prodemocracy supporters, the policy does not apply to private European companies. " Private companies can do what they like , there is no trade embargo is, however , seldom effective in Burma's case. " Nobody has put an economic embargo on Burma . Even if the EU launched one , the Burmese government would look elsewhere , to countries that didn't join such an embargo ," he noted . " If we were to do business concerned only with human rights we would have to close down a lot of established projects in countries whose human rights records were worse than here, " the diplomat said. He said the resumption of economic assistance to Burma was based on further establishing a democratic process and improving human rights, as well as offering good financial plans for repayment of debts. The diplomat also denied that five Burmese working on the project were killed at the work camp. He said the incident took place eight kilometers away and nobody has so far claimed responsibility . last week , Brig Gen David Abel, Burma's Minister of National Planning and Economic Development , said the workers were killed when a guerrilla group attacked the project's base camp . The diplomat said there was no major obstacle for the construction except the geographical conditions of the area. " I don't think the area the pipeline is to run through is easy country side to work in. The area is just mountains and jungle ," he said. Concerning the environmental problems that could affect the area, he noted :" They don't need to cut down a lot of the forest . The pipeline is not very big .Total will be very careful." This gas project is very improtant .It is one of the biggest project the country has undertaken . You must remember that practically all the major companies in this field bid for the project in 1992 ," he said . The Asian Development Bank [ADB], last week , hailed the Yadana gas project as an excellent example of sub- regional cooperation. The ADB is interested in funding the pipeline from the Thai- Burmeese border to the power plant in Ratchaburi. " If we are requested to put in our money, I think we should . This is basically a commercial project," Noritada Morita, ADB's director of Programme Department [ West] , told The Nation. BKK POST: BO MYA APPEALS TO UNHCR FOR ASSISTANCE 1.5.1995/Bangkok Post President of the Karen National Union Bo Mya has appealed to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees whose camps in Thailand have been attacked and burned . A letter from Bo Mya said more than 7,500 people have been made homeless by the attacks ,said the letter , a copy of which was given to The Associated Press. " The refugees have to face many hardships relating to food , clothing and shelter ," the letter said . It asked the UNHCR take emergency measures to give the refugees official protection and assistance. In the latest attack, troops loyal to the Burmese government on Friday attacked and burned a Karen refugee camp and forced as many as 4,000 people back into Burma, a Thai Army spokesman said. The kidnappings were not confirmed by other sources. One woman was killed and another five refugees were injured in the attack, said other military and police sources . The attackers joined collaborators inside the Baw Naw camp who set fire to about 800 of the 1,000 homes , which housed 6,000 refugees. The camp, in Tak province , is known by a variety of names according to the language used . At least three other camps have suffered similar attacks since April 19. Bo Mya's letter said other camps were also threatened , an opinion shared by police and refugee workers at the border . The refugees are loyal to the Karen National Union , which has been battling Burma's central government for greater autonomy for more than four decades. The raiders are mostly members of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Organization the DKBO a Buddhist breakaway faction of the KNU whose leadership is mostly Christian. Witnesses say they have been accompanied by small groups of heavily armed soldiers in uniforms without insignia, who are assumed to be Burmese government troops. DKBO guerrillas helped Burmese government troops capture the KNU's border headquarters at Manerplaw in January . The DKBO wants control of the refugees to deprive the KNU of its constituency, and lay claim to being the legitimate representative of the Karen. The Thai Foreign Ministry on Friday sent a strong protest to the Burmese Embassy over the raids, calling them a "violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity" and promising " appropriate retaliatory action". Because of the raids, the UNHCR issued a second request on Thursday for the Thai government to place a permanent representative on the border, said UNHCR representative in Bangkok Ruprecht Von Arnim. He also suggested the camps be consolidated and moved further from the border for the refugees' protection. Von Arnim said that last month, when he first asked Thailand for permission to station a permanent roving representative on the border " we told the National Security Council that the border situation was volatile. Unfortunately our predictions have come true". An NSC spokesman said the agency received the latest letter form the UNHCR and was considering the request. (AP) HUMAN RIGHTS PROJECT: APPEAL FOR HELP An appeal for help and assistance Yesterday night, there were raids on the residences of the Burmese refugees in Bangkok. Most of them are refugees already recognised by UNHCR Bangkok office an d those who have applied to the UNHCR for refugeeship ( Many of them are NLD an d ABSDF ex-members). We would like to appeal all the NGOs and the Embassys here to provide help and assitance to these people to be freed from arrest, imprisonment and forced repatriation to Burma. These people are currently at police stations including that of BANKAN. NAME AGE ORG: SEX 1. TUN TUN OO 25 NLD-LA M 2. TIN SAW 27 " " 3. THAUNG TAN CHO 24 " " 4. KO KO NAI 28 " " 5.KYAW NUUNT 25 " " 6. MYINT HTAY 28 " " 7. BANYAR AUNG 25 " " 8. KYAW SOE MOE 25 " " 9. MA MYAIN 32 ABSDF F 10.ZAR NI 23 " M 11.MAUNG WIN 31 " " 12.MA THAN 19 " F 13.(THEIR 1-YEAR OLD SON) 14.SOE NAI 28 " M 15.MAR MAR AYE 18 " F 16.(THEIR 8-MONTH OLD SON) 17.NAI NAI 23 " M 18.KYU KYU WIN 20 " F 19.(THEIR +DOUAHTER 9-MONTH OLD) 20.CHIT KO 27 " M 21.MYA IN (PREGNANT) 21 " F 22.SOE CHIT 25 " M 23.MA THAUNG YIN 19 " F (PREGNANT) 24.HLA WIN 38 " M 25.AUNG NAI SOE 27 " " 26.AUNG NAI 29 " " 27.SOE MYINT 31 " " 28.SOE LWIN 29 " " 29.NGWE HTUN 33 " " Sann Aung BURMA FORUM: MEETING REPORT Ninety-seven persons attended the morning session ofThe Burma Forum at Orange Coast College and ate lunch on Saturday, 29 April 1995 and 120 persons attended the afternoon session. When recorded speeches are transcribed, I'll ask someone to put it on the net. It was a successful symposium and the audience overwhelmingly indicated a repeat a year or two hence. But the bones in this old frame are getting tired and new and more energetic blood is needed to help him shoulder the burden. U Kyaw Win Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, CA 92626 USA NATION: COMMANDER PAYS PRICE FOR BORDER CHAOS 2.5.95/ The Nation Mae Sot --- Third Army Region Commander Lt Gen Surachet Dechatiwong yesterday ordered the immediate transfer back to his former post in Nakhon Sawan as punishment for his failure to prevent the repeated border intrusions by Burmese and Karen troops . The sudden order surprised Col Direk Yaemangamreap's subordinates at Task Force 34 in Tak's Mae Sot district , They suspected that the transfer was prompted by the failure to deliver accurate information to the Army about territorial violations. Task Force 34's reports to higher authority in the Third Army Region often contradicted those of other military and government agencies , whose information proved to be more accurate. Direk was ordered to leave Mae Sot by 3 pm yesterday . He will switch posts with Col Sajja Yodpetch, deputy commander of the Fourth Infantry Regiment in Nakhon Sawan, who will take up command of Task Force 34. Direk took the Mae Sot post in November 1994 and had a " clean" record, as well as being well liked by his colleagues and subordinates, some Task Force officers said . Mae Sot District Chief Kasem Wattanatham said he sympathized with Direk over the move as the Army commander was " a good man who got along well with everybody" . " If Colonel Direk was transferred because of the border problems. then it is a sad story. The frontier is several hundreds Kilometers long of rugged terrain, so any force could enter Thailand at any point", Kasem said. Panithi Tangphati, deputy chairman of Tak Chamber of Commerce, yesterday urged the Army to modernize and improve its border intelligence gathering, saying that the military has failed several times to protect border villagers and prevent territorial violations and robberies. Even a Thai Army sergeant was kidnapped by the armed Karen Buddhist forces, he said . While local officers were unaware of the intrusions, people on the border often learned about the imminent incursions and potential attacks on refugee camps a week before the actual incident occurred, panithi said. The least raid happened last Friday morning when 500 Karen intruders attacked Baw Naw refugee camp in Tha Song Yang district of Tak and burned down 800 houses there . An 18 year old girl was killed in the fire and several people were wounded when the armed forces opened fore , forcing about 7,000 frightened refugees to flee into the jungle . Task Force 34 is responsible for the security along the border areas from Tak's Tha Song Yang to Umphang district. ************************************************************** NATION: ARMY CAN'T AFFORD ANOTHER SLAP IN FACE FROM DKBA 2.5.95/The Nation In blatant defiance of Thai warnings , renegade Buddhist Karen forces who have launched repeated raids on Karen refugee camps in Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces have threatened more incursions unless Thailand forces more than 70,000 refugees back into Burma. The threat is another slap in the face for the Thai Army , which has been harshly criticized for failing to prevent previous incursions by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army [DKBA]. The DKBA threat came as the Army began reinforcing a 250 km stretch of the Thai- Burmese border with soldiers, para-troops border patrol police and heavy equipment , including helicopter gunships , jeeps with mounted machine guns and recoilless rifles. The DKBA's hit and run operations have been the largest embarrassment for the Thai Army in years. The latest threat cannot be ignored because similar DKBA warnings have already proved to be serious. This time the Thai Army cannot afford to let the DKBA venture even one inch into its territory ,so much is at stake this time - the country's dignity and the fragile honour of the Army itself . Criticism and suspicion have eroded public confidence in the Army. First the reports of incursions were denied in official Army press releases. When the reports later proved true , no decisive action was taken by the Army and raids on the refugee camps continued. Is it sheer ignorance or extremely poor intelligence? Or is it because of " friendly ties " with Rangoon , which allegedly helped form the DKBA in order to spawn violent ethnic conflicts? Whatever it is , it is hurting the Army badly , and the only way to recover is to ensure that the aggressors are kept at bay at all costs . Over the past two weeks , the government has sounded tough, while Army Commander in Chief Wimol Wongwanich ironically turned diplomatic. The Army could hit back with artillery and mortars, he said , but what if the shells injure innocent people on the Burmese side? Wimol changed his tone somewhat over the weekend ." Let them do it again and they're in for ." he said . That was before the DKBA displayed its latest defiance on Sunday , telling reporters raids on the camps will continue until all refugees return to Burma. The Burmese and DKBA war with the Karen National Union has flooded Thailand with tens of thousands of refugees. The DKBA's lame reasoning for wanting the refugees back in Burma is so it cannot be blamed for robberies or violence committed on the Thai soil. Source say the Thai Army is being made to taste its own bitter medicine . The Burmese government formerly accused the Thai military of giving the KNU safe sanctuary in Thai territory , from which hit and run forays against Rangoon forces have been launched. Thailand has denied such allegations, and Rangoon is doing the same regarding charges that it backs the DKBA. But Rangoon's denial may give the Thai Army good opportunity to eliminate the DKBA for repeated violations of Thai sovereignty . " Hot pursuit" operations should be one option if the hit and run tactics continue. Wimol has floated the idea of moving the refugees deeper into Thailand , but the Foreign Ministry has insisted the priority now should be to ensure there will be no further insults to the country's sovereignty.` ************************************************************** * NATION: REFUGEE CAMPS ARE FAR ENOUGH FROM THE BORDER , INSISTS SURIN 2.5.95/ The Nation THE Foreign ministry believes camps for refugees escaping fighting in Burma are located far enough within Thai territory, Deputy Foreign Ministry Surin Pitsuwan said yesterday. Surin said the main problem facing Thai authorities is how to prevent repeated, destructive incursions by Burmese forces. " We believe the camps for the Burmese are far enough from the border , but the Foreign Ministry is ready to consult the military and Interior Ministry on the issue", Surin said. Army commander-in-Chief Gen Wimol Wongwanich has criticized the Foreign Ministry for disagreeing with the Army's proposal to move the remaining shelters in Mae Hong Son and Tak provinces deeper into Thailand. The idea is to prevent further incursions by Burmese forces into Thailand, where they have burned down hundreds of shelters and abducted refugees. "The problem is that the violations have been repeated. We must cope with it and stop them," Surin said. Surin played down reported conflicts between the Army and the Foreign Ministry over the location of the camps, saying the ministry has not yet made a decision but is ready to talk with the authorities concerned to find the best solution. Responding to a report that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees wishes to help run the camps, Surin said as long as Thai authorities cannot guarantee safety for the Burmese, there will be more requests from the other organizations, including countries whose citizens are working in the areas where the camps are located. "Before moving the camps further from the border, we have to be sure there is enough space and safety for the refugees, and we must consider the effects on Thai people already living there," he said. Most important is whether the Burmese in the camps will agree to be relocated and whether they can abide by Thai law, Surin said. Foreign Minister Krasae Chanawongse said if he has to choose between human rights and national security, he would choose the latter. In an apparent response to the Army's call for Foreign Ministry officials to visit the areas where the incursions have taken place, Kresae scheduled an urgent visit to the border area for today. Krasae yesterday visited Gen Wimol at his office for one hour to discussed the possible relocation of the camps. The Foreign Minister yesterday also inviter Burmese Ambassador U Tin Win to a meeting at the Foreign Ministry and later has dinner with the envoy. Krasae said border problems were discussed, but he declined to be specific. Army spokesman Col Phalangkul Klaharn said the meeting was "very cordial". Wimol reiterated his stance that the best way to resolve the intrusions and violence is to move all Karen refugees to one site. He said Krasae did not oppose Wimol's plan and expressed the understanding that the camp would not be a permanent one. Phalangkul said the Army wants people along the border to be on the watch and inform authorities if they see or hear any suspicious activity. OBSERVER: BRAVE DEFY FEAR IN BATTLE FOR DEMOCRACY Burma's military junta has been unable to silence the opposition Catherine Field reports from Rangoon for The Observer (Reprinted in The Guardian Weekly April 23, 1995) In Burma little is what it seems. The military regime appears to have an unquestioned grip on power. The opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is under house arrest, where she has been since 1989. A massive offensive against the Karen rebels in the east has forced them to desert their stronghold at Manerplaw. Without Suu Kyi, the opposition National League for Democracy, which struck fear into the heart of the junta in 1988 with its popular pro-democracy uprising, is leaderless and divided. But its members remain brave. In a discreet show of support some Burmese women are to mark Suu Kyi's birthday this week by eating only vegetarian food and making rice offerings to Buddha. In Mandalay, which has an active underground democracy network, tape recordings of songs praising Suu Kyi's determination are traded in student dormitories and street cafes. And, despite strict laws forbidding government opponents from talking to journalists, a few risk prison to meet reporters secretly in the hope that news of the junta's latest excesses is passed abroad. "Things are happening here that no one would have dared to imagine at the time Slorc (the State Law and Order Restoration Council) took over," said an opposition politician. "If I were them, I couldn't sleep at night." Another said: "This is essentially a fascist government. The military has never changed their idea that politicians have no role to play." There was optimism last year after two highly publicised meetings between Suu Kyi and top Slorc officials. But the gesture -- part of a Slorc campaign to shed its status as an international pariah -- was empty. Suu Kyi demanded her colleagues be allowed to attend any future meetings; the regime refused. The Slorc insists that if released she should shun politics for five years. Last month the regime seemed to signal a change of heart by releasing 31 political prisoners, including Tin Oo and Kyi Maung, the two most prominent opposition figures freed since April 1992. But, human rights monitors say, thousands arrested since 1988, including 26 members of the 1990 parliament-elect, remain in detention. Only a handful of the 300 monks held during fierce anti-government rallies in Mandalay in October 1990 has been released. The junta's power comes from the secret police, the Directorate of Defense Services Intelligence, whose tentacles reach into every aspect of life. Diplomats estimate that one in seven Burmese works for the service or is an informer. "Until 1962 we had a law that meant anyone taken in by police had to be released within 24 hours or charged," said a Rangoon University student. "Now they knock at the door at night and just take you away, no one knows where or for how long." Another Burmese said: "There is real resentment at how this government is run, particularly towards the arrogance and brutality of the Burmese army." Thousands of Burmese civilians are forced to work for the military, checking for land mines by walking ahead of army patrols, building bunkers, fetching water and cutting trees. The junta claims they are all unemployed labourers who volunteer rather than sit at home but Human Rights Watch/Asia says they are all subject to physical abuse and that many are severely beaten. Three years of high inflation and six years of military rule have crippled Burma economically and spiritually. The environment is being pillaged by gem miners and logging firms, and middle-class families are fleeing abroad. "We are being left with a population of peasants that will breed peasants," said a shopkeeper. "The intellectuals are all gone." In the main cities the retired, who find their state pension cannot even pay their monthly electricity bill, are forced to be street vendors. In the centre of Rangoon, women sit in the raging heat selling iced water. Wizened men sell individual corn plasters or repair umbrellas. If lucky, they will earn enough in a day to by a bowl of curry or a cup of yoghurt. Abroad, Slorc seems to have mocked attempts to deny it trade and diplomatic recognition; it is negotiating a multi-million dollar dea l with China and a trade agreement with India is in its final draft. Japan said last month it was ready to resume some humanitarian aid. Most countries have applied an arms embargo, but the regime has been able to buy weapons, including jet fighters, worth nearly 1.3 billion pounds from China, at favorable prices. The junta seems stronger than at any time since it grabbed power in September 1988, and a new constitution is being written which enshrines the military's role in governing Burma. The opposition is directionless and split without Suu Kyi. In keeping with their Buddhist beliefs, many see dialogue as the only path. "Confrontation for confrontation's sake will not work against Slorc." said an anti-government politician. "Suu Kyi will have to allow herself to get into dialogue with Slorc." But Suu Kyi, locked away in her family home, does not agree, and she is the real threat to the junta. "Slorc's overriding concern is internal security and stability," said a westerner in Rangoon. "This overrides any international pressure and any economic advantages they could obtain by releasing Suu Kyi." But Slorc must make a move within months. Suu Kyi's sentence expires on July 20. Last year the junta lengthened it by a year, declaring the first an arrest period. "They cannot hold Suu Kyi past July on any interpretation of the law, but there is nothing to stop them changing the law or the offence she is being held under," said a Western diplomat. --The Observer. ------------------------------------ UK LORDS VOTE AGAINST SANCTIONS ON RANGOON 30 April 1995 Resisting pressure from peers of all parties, the House of Lords on Friday voted against imposing trade sanctions against Burma's military junta. We do not believe sanctions would be effective without international support, which we do not judge to be forthcoming, Lord Inglewood, the government's spokesman on foreign affairs, told members of the unelected upper house of Parliament. Britain and its partners in the European Union already have suspended non-humanitarian aid, imposed an arms embargo, and severed defense links with Burma's hard-line State Law and Order Restoration Council. Summing up a short debate, Inglewood stressed the government's genuine wish to see democracy, freedom and full respect for human rights restored in Burma. But measures already in place represent the most realistic way we can exert pressure for the re-establishment of those rights for that tortured country, he said. While we do not wish to offer succor to the regime, we don't believe isolating it entirely is necessarily going to benefit the Burmese people. He added that the value of Britain's trade with Burma, which became independent from Britain in 1948, amounted to only 13 million pounds ($20.8 million) in 1994. Inglewood called the continued house arrest of pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi indefensible and in flagrant contradiction of all principles of justice. (BP) 10 HILLTRIBE WOMEN FOUND IN POLICE RAID 30 April 1995 Crime Suppression Division police raided a restaurant in Chiang Mai on Friday and found 10 hilltribe women selling sex. Women were said to be Burmese, Tai Yai and Musso aged between 18 and 20. Police arrested Mrs Wandee Thasi, 26, who allegedly admitted to be the owner of the restaurant which is only about 500 metres from Chiang Mai police station. Police seized a list of customers, condoms and cash. (BP) THE WEEK IN RETROSPECT 30 April 1995 Military forces from Burma crossed into Thailand's Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces. They burned refugee camps, abducted and killed Karen refugees and touched off political division in Bangkok. The Army accused newspapers of a lack of patriotism. Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai ordered the military to retaliate. Mr Chuan dismissed Rangoon claims they could not control the invaders and the Foreign Ministry formally protested to Burma. The Burmese government said it would press ahead with its oil pipeline despite terrorist attacks on the work. The American city of Seattle joined efforts urging the Unocal oil company and others to pull out of Burma until democracy is restored there. (BP) WIMOL PUSHING HARD FOR KAREN REFUGEE RESITING 30 April 1995 Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Wimol Wongwanich yesterday insisted he would push for Karen refugees to be relocated in one central camp deeper inside Thailand in the wake of the attacks by armed Karen intruders who burned down refugee camps in Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces last week. Wimol said the Army would propose the idea to the government once the Interior Ministry had expressed its support. I am preparing to submit a written proposal to the government. The Interior Ministry fully agrees to the idea but there seems to be a problem on the part of the Foreign Ministry, he said. Besides the new refugee camps set up after troops of the Burmese government and a Buddhist Karen splinter group overran Karen strongholds in Burma recently, about 100 similar shelters were set up along the border by Karen hold fled fighting in Burma the past decade, Wimol said. Many people had criticized the Army for having failed to protect those shelters from intruders, he said. Although the camps were located on Thai soil, critics just did not understand that the Army was unwilling to waste funds and man hours taking care of the refugees. One of the best alternatives was to push the Karen refugees back to Burma. Another was to put them inside a central refugees camp. The Army could not opt for repatriation because it would be denounced by foreign countries as lacking humanity, he said. In Tak province, Governor Kasem Nakkharat yesterday said Sgt Thawatchai Wanond, a Thai soldier who was captured and taken across the border into Burma by Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) troops who attacked the Baw Naw camp in Tak's Tha Song Yang district on Friday, was freed unharmed yesterday. The camp was one of the five attacked and burned down by the intruding Karen troops in the northern border district on Friday. Kasem said provincial officials had already discussed with the Third Army Region and local Army commanders the possibility of relocating the Karen refugees at one central camp. (TN) 4,500 HOMELESS AFTER BURMESE BLAZE 30 April 1995 More than 4.500 people were left homeless when fire swept through a neighbourhood in the central Burma town of Pegu, the state media reported yesterday. Firefighters supported by 30 fire engines battled the blaze for five hours before they were able to put it our, the media reported. A total of 745 houses were destroyed and 4,558 people left homeless in the fire on Thursday. The reports did not say how the fire started in the town 70 kilometres northeast of Ran- goon, nor were there any reports of deaths or injuries. (TN) CRACKDOWN ON BURMESE POLICE 30 April 1995 A tough new law to enforce discipline among Burma's police was announced yesterday by the country's military rulers. The law invests the police director-general with powers to dismiss, retire, demote or take any other action against any police officer who violates its provisions. Offences specified include drunkenness, desertion, insubordi- nation, moonlighting or failure to act on a criminal complaint. (TN) SANAN BACKS IDEA OF KAREN CAMPS AWAY FROM BORDER 29 April 1995 Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart backs Army Commander Gen Wimol Wongwanich's proposal to move Karen refugee camps deep inside Thai territory. The relocation would help resolve security problems posed by the influx of Karen refugees camping along the border, Maj-Gen Sanan said yesterday. If Karen refugee camps were moved deep inside Thailand it would make it difficult for foreign forces to cross the border and threaten the refugees. I agree with the idea and will discuss with the military where the camps should be relocated, he said. Gen Wimol earlier said if Karen refugees were left to camp along the border it would pose a security threat and cause problems for the army in safeguarding the area. Third Army commander said there were so many Karen camps near the border they created a problem for the Third Army to keep the situation in check. Burma denied it had anything to do with the attacks, he said. It claimed the Burmese army could not control Karen Buddhists as these people did not belong to the Burmese armed forces. The commander said he was not certain whether Burmese soldiers were also involved in the assaults as it was hard to clearly identify them. Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said Karen Buddhist forces might have been coordinating their actions with Burmese troops during the latest assault on Karen refugees in Tak's Tha Song Yang district. Chiang Mai Governor Khamron Buncherd is placing emphasis on preventing Burmese migrants from illegally entering Thailand across the Thai-Burmese border during clashes between Burmese troops and minority rebel forces. The preventive measures were taken to avoid allegations that Thailand backs Burmese minority groups in assembling their forces on Thai soil. Governor Khamron, after returning from a meeting of the Joint Thai-Burma Committee in Phitsanulok Province, disclosed that the main issue raised was the adverse impact of fighting between Burmese troops and Khun Sa's minority forces which has been affecting national security along the border. The fighting in Burma, said the governor at the meeting, had caused a number of local Thai villagers to be injured by stray bullets landing on Thai soil and Burmese migrants to flee deeper into Thai territory. Thailand also raised the issue of Thais being robbed and arrested by Burmese, said Mr Khamron, and requested that the Burmese representative bring it up before the central government to seek solutions. He said Burma's Chiang Tung Governor, Gen Jorwin, a member of the Burma Committee, had mentioned that he was unhappy about a report on the death of a Thai villager, Mr Thawee Khamtankaew, who was shot dead by Burmese troops in Tachilek District earlier this month. Gen Jorwin was quoted as saying the Thai victim had slipped into Burma during heavy attacks, adding that the man had run away when Burmese soldiers asked to search him, leading them to misunderstand and think he was one of Khun Sa's men. Because it is only a representative of the Burmese government, the Burma Committee could not make any decision on the Thai villager's death. We therefore decided to directly send a letter to the Burmese government asking it to take responsibility for the incident, said Governor Khamron. In an effort to avoid allegations that Thailand was supporting Burmese minority rebel forces, the governor said barriers such as gates and barbed-wire fences had been ordered put along critical border points to bar any migrants from illegally entering Thailand. Meanwhile, a senior commander of Burma's Karen National Union (KNU) rebels said peace overtures to the country's military government had failed and set a May 5 deadline for a resumption of offensive operations. The KNU, one of the world's oldest rebel groups, declared a unilateral suspension of attacks on March 24 and said it was ready to begin peace talks with the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc). But Slorc responded by making approaches through intermediaries to individual zone commanders, not to the KNU leadership, in what the guerrillas said was a clear attempt to split the organisation. The KNU has set May 5 as the deadline to resume fighting if the Slorc fails to contact us by then, senior guerrilla commander Maj-Gen Thaw Hla told Reuters in an interview late on Thursday. The peace overture seems to have failed since the Slorc chooses to use a divide and rule policy towards us, he said on the border south of the northwest Thai town of Mae Sot. (BP) GOVT PROTESTS AS KAREN UNITS LAUNCH ANOTHER BORDER ATTACK 29 April 1995 Thailand has told Burma it will no longer tolerate border incursions in the North. The Foreign Ministry yesterday protested to the Burmese government about the incidents, said ministry spokesman Suvidhya Simaskul. The diplomatic action came as the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army launched a further cross-border raid into Thailand yesterday, setting fire to another refugee camp and a police checkpoint before retreating with some weapons and one Thai soldier as a hostage. One Karen refugee was burned alive in the bunker under her shelter. Seven others were injured. Thai Ambassador in Rangoon Poksak Nilubol handed over the protest note, referring to five incidents in the past 10 days which involved groups of armed Burmese military personnel intruding into Thailand. Such activities are unacceptable and deplorable. They were crimes against innocent people seeking safety as a result of fighting across the border, Mr Suvidhya said. The first intrusion occurred on April 19 when a group of 30 armed men crossed the border from Burma and seized 10 Karen seeking temporary refuge in Tha Song Yang district of Tak. The group also took Karen belongings and set ablaze their dwellings before retreating. The latest two raids by 300 Burmese soldiers took place last Tuesday as two Burmese refugee camps in Tak and Mae Hong Song provinces were razed, causing more than 1,000 refugees to flee deeper inland. All of these incidents violated Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the spokesman said. In view of the increasing number of violations of Thailand's sovereignty in various forms during the past four months, the Thai Government would no longer tolerate any such infringment and would take appropriate retaliatory action in the strongest terms to safeguard the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said. The protest note was originally to be handed over directly to Burmese Ambassador to Thailand Tin Win. But U Tin Win accompanied Burmese Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw to a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Bandung, Indonesia, and returned to Bangkok only last night. Police chief Pote Boonyachinda said Border Patrol Police were sent in armoured personnel carriers to the Tak border in Tha Song Yang district yesterday morning following the morning raid by the DKBA on a Karen refugee camp at Huay Manoke. About 300 DKBA armed with rocket-propelled grenade-launchers and 81mm mortars crossed into Thailand around 8 a.m. before attacking a Thai border security unit at a police checkpoint on Tha Song Yang-Mae Sariang highway. One Thai soldier, Sgt Tawatchai Wanond, was injured during the ensuing 20-minute clash and was captured as his unit, outnumbered by the DKBA force, retreated to safety. The Buddhist Karen then raided a Karen refugee camp at Ban Huay Manoke, setting fire to 800 shelters and a field hospital along with the police checkpoint before retreating with some weapons and radio equipment. Task Force Commander Direk Yaem-ngarmriab said the intruding Karen withdrew after Thai reinforcements of light aircraft and armoured vehicles arrived at the scene. One V-150 armoured personnel carrier was slightly damaged when it was hit by shrapnel from an RPG fired by the withdrawing Karen. Border Patrol Police who combed the fire-ravaged refugee camp found a Karen woman, identified later as Ka Moo Phaw, 18, had died from a fire inside a bunker under her shelter. Seven other refugees were injured. Sgt Tawatchai, who was abducted by the Karen, was released about seven hours after the fighting following talks between the BPP unit and the Burmese military authority at Mae Ta Wah camp on the opposite side of the border. Sgt Tawatchai said he had been taken to the Burmese military camp by the Karen force following the attack. The Karen refugee camp at Ban Huay Manoke housed 6,400 refugees, 4,000 of whom were homeless following the attack. The refugees claimed the DKBA had told them it would burn all the refugee camps along the border in Tak to force them to return to Burma. (BP)