------------------------- BurmaNet --------------------------- "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" -------------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: 9th May Issue #168 -------------------------------------------------------------- Contents: THE NATION: SLORC ARMY THREATENS INTRUSIONS THE NATION; WIMOL GIVES GOVT SOME SOUND ADVICE THE NATION: FROM APPEASEMENT TO ENCOURAGEMENT THE NATION: THAI STAKE IN HOTEL AT HISTORICAL BAGAN BKK POST: BANGKOK AND RANGOON DOWNPLAY TENSION ALONG BORDER BKK POST: SANAN'S CHOPPER IN EMERGENCY LANDING IN MAE SOT BKK POST: DOUBTS OVER DKBA ROLE IN KILLING BRC: SIX YEARS ON THE RUN DAILY YOMIURI: RESIDENTS CAUGHT IN MYANMAR'S REMODELING PLAN THE NATION: BURMESE REBELS PLEDGE TO CEASE CROSS- BORDER RAIDS THE NATION: OPPOSITION PUSHES FOR URGENT DEBATE ON KAREN INCURSIONS MMR: HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH/ASIA CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON BURMESE REFUGEES -------------------------------------------------------------- o-------------------------------o 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. -------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- ===== item ===== SLORC ARMY THREATENS INTRUSIONS 8 May 1995 General vows to pursue Khun Sa over Thai border The Army continued to reinforce its troops on the tense Thai- Burmese border yesterday following intelligence reports that pro-Rangoon Karen forces were set to launch fresh attacks on a refugee camp, and Burma's threat to send troops across the border in pursuit of Khun Sa's guerrillas. Groups of Burmese and Karen troops were also seen moving three heavy guns and munitions to an area opposite Tak's Tha Song Yang district, where the Shoklo refugee camp is located, said a Thai military source. An additional 300-500 well-armed Burmese and Karen have rein forced three locations there. The Thai Army moved more reinforcements to Tha Song Yang yes terday after intelligence reports that the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) planned to attack Shoklo overnight, the military source said. "It's quite certain that they will attack either tonight [last night] or tomorrow [today]," the source said. Yesterday evening, there was brief exchange of gunfire between Thai volunteers in Tha Song Yang district and DKBA forces, adding to rapidly rising tension following Friday's cross-bor der Thai air raid on a DKBA Salween River camp. The Thai Army's blitz was in response to repeated DKBA incursions and attacks on Christian Karen refugees on Thai soil. Military movements on the Burmese side of the border have alarmed Thai officials. On Friday, a radio broadcast in Burmese which jammed the police radio network in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, said regular Burmese army troops intended to raze the town's border market, which adjoins the Burmese town of Tachilek. Burmese helicopters also patrolled the border. Over the weekend, a military commander of the Burmese junta (the State Law and Order Restoration Council, or Slorc) threatend to send his troops into Thailand if drug warlord Khun Sa's guerrillas continue cross-border attacks into Burma. The Burmese have accused Thailand of allowing Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army to use its territory for troop movement s and as a staging ground for raids into Burma. Khun Sa's headquarters is in the Burmese town of Homong, but Burmese military authorities said he has an "office" in Mae Sai. Burmese military authorities said a contingent Khun Sa's forces forded the Mae Sai stream on March 20 and fought their way several hundred metres into the Burmese border town of Tachilek before retreating into Thailand. "Next time I will let my force cross the river and chase them inside Thailand," said regional commander Brig Gen Kyaw Win. "I will be punished by my higher authorities in Rangoon, but I don't care. I am very angry about this," he said while addressing a contingent of reporters, United Nations officials and foreign military attaches in Tachilek. He showed reporters a cache of arms - M-16 and Chinese-made AK-47 automatic rifles, rocket launchers, machine guns and grenades - and angrily pointed out a box of ammunition with a Bangkok, Thailand, manufacturer's address. "You can see where it comes from yourself," Kyaw Win said. He added that although the Thai leadership opposes Khun Sa, lowlevel officers are helping the opium warlord. "Cooperation from Thailand is the main factor" in Khun Sa's ability to maintain his operations, Kyaw Win said. "When the [Khun Sa's forces] crossed back into Thailand, there were cars waiting for them, and the Thai people placed garlands on them. They treated them like heroes." Reports in Thailand said Thai authorities disarmed the Khun Sa guerrillas who fled into Thailand. The Thai Army, meanwhile, said the border situation was now under control. Third Army Region Chief Staff Maj Gen Prasit Mongkoltham said after meeting in Phitsanulok province yesterday that any military action by the security forces would be "drastic, swift and effective", as ordered by Army chief Gen Wimol Wongwanich. "We've controlled the situation along the Thai-Burmese border in Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces since Saturday," Prasit said. He said there were about 3,000 DKBA troops along the border patrol police troops stationed along the frontier in Mae Hong Son province react promptly to any attack. Maj Gen Sanan and about 30 government officials, accompanied by reporters, yesterday observed the border situation from helicopters in Mae Hong Son and Tak provinces. A thunderstorm forced the helicopter carrying Sanan to make an emergency landing on farmland about 10 kilometres from Tha Song Yang as he was returning to Tak's Muang district. On Friday, four Thai Army helicopter gunships operating from Thai airspace sprayed rebel positions just across the Salween and Moei rivers in Burma with machine gun fire and rockets, inflicting heavy damage. There was no official casualty toll, but unconfirmed reports said as many as 100 Karen guerrillas were killed. The chairman of the House committee on foreign affairs yesterday objected to the use of force to settle disputes along the Thai-Burmese border. "The government should change its policy to make it constructive," said Sutin Noppaket (PDP_Bangkok) in Mae Hong Son's Sop Moei sub-district. "The issue should be negotiated by national, not local, representatives from both countries. I disagree with the use of force because that won't lead to a settlement of the problem." Sutin said the House committee would recommend a possible solution to the Foreign Ministry for consideration. (TN) ===== item ===== WIMOL GIVES GOVT SOME SOUND ADVICE 8 May 1995 "Don't think to much" was the Army's unambiguous message to the government ahead of this month's censure debate. Although the Army has repeatedly declared its neutrality in politics, it did not stop Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Wimol Wongwanich from picking the most pressing political issue at the moment as the topic for a discussion among the top officials of the Thai Life Insurance company. "I don't know which route the government will take. But it shouldn't be afraid of the consequences of dissolving the House. Don't think too much and the people will get the chance to choose their MPs," he said. He also advised the opposition when it goes into the noconfidence debate to "play by the rules". The opposition should not attack the government for the sole reason of wanting to bring down the coalition and take over the reins of power. "There must be some rules in politics," he said. While not afraid to speak his mind on the censure debate, Wimol did appear decidedly touchy when other political issues were raised by reporters. He confirmed he would not enter politics after his mandatory retirement, only four months and three weeks away. Wimol said he was not afraid of transferring anyone in the Army because after all he was not seeking to build a political power base in the Army. "I can transfer anyone I want to. I have transferred a lot of officers but each transfer was based on the principle of suitability for the job," he said. The Army chief then swiftly turned on reporters, asking them why they enjoyed dragging him into politics. He aid he knew reporters would love to ask him about the problems along the Thai-Burmese border but he obliged them only with a joke. "All the soldiers have had their lives insured with the company, so don't worry about the border conflict. We will fight," he said. However, he quickly retracted the quip, fearing he may be misinterpreted. "I'm just kidding. Thai soldiers are smart. You reporters, it's only a joke. Don't say I will let my men die," he said. (TN) ===== item ===== FROM APPEASEMENT TO ENCOURAGEMENT 8 May 1995 Amid the hail of machine-gun and rocket fire that came raining down from Thai gunships on DKBA and Burma's other warring ethnic groups: Welcome to the new world order and watch your backs. Barely had the guns cooled from Thailand's most serious military action since the 1988 Bann Rom Klao war with Laos, and Thai and Burmese leaders were referring to the cross-border assault as if it had never happened. "There are no problems at all between our countries," Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart told reporters yesterday as he inspected the battlescarred frontier. The minister's comments came just hours after Burmese newspaper hit the streets with quotes from junta leader Khin Nyunt saying Burma had no "major problems" with its neighbours. the about face was stunning. Within 48 hours, the leaders of both country's had gone from sabre rattling to back slapping. The Thai operation, which followed a green light from Rangoon, and was reported to have killed as many as 100 guerrillas, should have finally woken the DKBA up to the fact they were never more than pawns in a deadly Slorc game to wipe out ethnic resistance to its rule. Nurtured, armed and prodded into confrontation with Thai border troops, the breakaway Karen group was abandoned the moment it become a publicly unacceptable impediment to the greater goal of Bangkok and Rangoon - the building of a flourishing economic relationship. Economic prospects Decades of suspicion have been cast away as the two governments eye the prospects of economic gain - although it is for slightly different reasons. Having failed on every legitimize its hold on power, Slorc is hoping it can deflect and embittered population's passions from politics to making money. Thailand's interests are nearly as cynical. In a world were trade and economics now set the agenda, it doesn't want to lose the comparative advantages of its front line position to its Asean allies as they make the jump on Burma. There is also the additional Thai fear of allowing Burma to be sucked in by the China's creeping "sphere of influence". Sweeting packaging This policy, known as constructive engagement, originally came packaged with pledges to try to improve human rights conditions in our woebegone neighbour. Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai and his ministers made it clear on Saturday, however, that they are losing interest in the pretence of trying to draw any kind of concessions from their counterparts in Rangoon. "The national policy on Burma will continue and nothing will change it," Chuan said Saturday, apparently referring to an ongoing crackdown on dissidents in Rangoon and the armed assaults on Thailand's integrity. The government's line has become the cowardly Asean refrain of not meddling in the internal affairs of a neighbour. "They have their own system of government and it is not our position to interfere." The stand is shameless. Not only is it an abdication of Thailand's international responsibilities to work for the improvement of human rights in Burma but even more distressingly, it is a signal to Rangoon that it now has the unspoken support of Thailand for the disgraceful way it rules. Thailand's policy is no longer just appeasement of one of the region's most worrisome sources of unrest but outright encouragement. And all this in a week Rangoon-backed guerrillas rampaged through Thailand provoking Thailand to launch air strikes on its neighbour. Moral outrage it seems, is no match for bare-faced economic interest. (TN) ===== item ===== THAI STAKE IN HOTEL AT HISTORICAL BAGAN 8 May 1995 Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Burmese Ministry of Hotels and Tourism to invest in and manage a US$23 million luxury hotel planned for development at the historical site of Bagan. Mandarin Oriental intends to have a 25 per cent stake in the property and the and The Oriental Hotel (Thailand) Plc will have a further 50 per cent. The third partner will be Italian- Thai Development Plc (ITD). The single-storey property will have 100 suites spreading throughout 35 acres of landscaped gardens, and will feature types of services and amenities provided by the Mandarin Oriental. The group says it intends to develop the hotel to take into account the cultural and environmental sensitivities of the region. Bagan, lying on the eastern bank of the Ayarwaddy River, is one of the richest archaeological sites in Asia. Once the country's capital city, today the ruins of Bagan cover an area of 16 square miles and contain over 2,000 well-preserved religious monuments with a rich architectural heritage. At the announcement, Robert E Riley, managing director of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, claimed, "We are both proud and excited to have the opportunity to be involved in the development of this unique project and also to expand our group of deluxe hotels into Myanmar. We look forward to working with the Ministry of Tourism on creating an extraordinary hotel that will be in keeping with this important area of Myanmar's heritage." The agreement is dependent on finalization of the terms and the hotel is scheduled to open mid-1997. Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is the owner and operator of city properties in Bangkok, Hong Kong, London, Jakarta, Macau, Manila, San Francisco and Singapore. Two resort properties are also managed by the Group in Koh Samui and Phuket in Thailand; under development are hotels in Hawaii, Kuala Lumpur, Mexico City and Surabaya. (TN) ===== item ===== BANGKOK AND RANGOON DOWNPLAY TENSION ALONG BORDER 8 May 1995 Recent murderous attacks on both sides of the Thai-Burma border have triggered a surprisingly mild response from Bangkok and Rangoon who seem intent on promoting bilateral ties despite tensions. Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai over the weekend dismissed the multiple raids from Burma in the past few weeks, targetting Karen refugee camps for arson, abduction and murder, as something that could be settled at the local level. "The border battles are specific incidents. We should not let them undermine the main policy. We must stand firm and not be shaken by the problem," he said. A day earlier, the powerful first secretary of Burma's ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), Lt Gen Khin Nyunt, said Rangoon did not regard any "existing misunderstanding" as a serious problem. Deaths on both sides - as many as 100 Karen rebels killed in a Thai air raid on their base in Burma, and an unknown number of casualties, including three Thai border policemen, in raids from Burma - have not so far caused a break in ties. Business interests are the key to relations between the two neighbours, with Burma courting much-needed Thai investment, and Thailand eager to gain a solid foothold before the Burmese market is thrown wide open, regional analysts say. "It's business first, business second and business again," a western diplomat commented. "Burma and Thailand agree on their priorities." Bilateral business interests include a lucrative pipeline deal that will transport gas from offshore field in Burma to Thailand. The situation at the Thai- Burma border contrasts with that at the Thai-Cambodian border where spillovers in the fighting between Phnom Phen forces and Khmer Rouge guerrillas bring immediate, heated protests. "Thailand-and Asean as a whole - believes Burma shows real promise. It's a big country with a supply of both natural and human resources and will some day be an important player in Southeast Asia," a regional diplomat said. But the regional diplomat denied suggesstions that Asean's "constructive engagement" policy in Burma - as opposed to US calls for the diplomatic isolation of Rangoon - was solely aimed at making money. "This policy will make a difference," he held. "With exposure to other systems and other style of government, the Slorc will change. (BP) ===== item ===== SANAN'S CHOPPER IN EMERGENCY LANDING IN MAE SOT 8 MAY 1995 FOUR helicopters carrying a delegation led by Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart to inspect the border with Burma had to make an emergency landing in Mae Ramat District when they ran into a rain storm yesterday evening. Accompanying the minister were Deputy Interior Minster Udorn Tanti sunthorn, Interior Permanent Secretary Aree Wong-sraya, Police Chief Pote Boonyachinda, Local Administration Department Chief Chuwong Chayabtur and border Patrol Police commander Kowit Wattana. "That was an exciting trip, thought we weren't going to make it," Maj-Gen Sanan said of the emergency landing. Maj-Gen Sanan has earlier been scheduled to inspect the Kamaw Lay Kho refugee camp in Tha Song Yang District which had been attacked by the DKBO on the April 26. Inspection of that camp had to be cancelled because of weather conditions. Mr Udon said the government would soon set up a temporary shelters to house Karen refugees. They are looking at 3,000 rai along the Mae Ramat-Ban Tak Road to accommodate all 33,000 refugee. Tak provincial authority is proposing use of 2,000 rai of deteriorated forest at Ban Mae Hla and 1000 rai at Sho Klo in Tha Song Yang for two separate refugee shelters. (BP) ===== item ===== DOUBTS OVER DKBA ROLE IN KILLING 8 MAY 1995 THE DKBA might not have been responsible for the killing of three Thai policemen at Ban Sop Moei in this northern province last week, Third Army Region Deputy Commander Maj-Gen Saimitr Klaiyanamatir said yesterday. Maj-Gen Saimitr said the case not yet been finalised, but he did not believe that the DKBA's forces were responsible for the attack on a police outpost at Sop Moei's Ban Mae Nga and the killing of three border police officers posted there. The police outpost was located about 31 kilometres from the border on the Thai side and it was unlikely the DKBA would launch an assault that far inside Thailand. The Deputy Commander said it was possible that the attack on the outpost might have been carried out by "interest group" which bases in the country. He would not elaborate any further. Earlier, DKBA commander Lt-Gen Toe Hlaing totally denied the allegation that DKBA forces had attacked the outpost and killed the three officers. He said it was not the DKBA's policy to attack Thai security forces. He suggested that the killing of the policemen was the result of personal conflicts between Karen people and local police. Maj-Gen Saimitr said last Friday's assault on DKBA forces operating along the border had inflicted substantial military damage on them. Thai army reinforcements will now stabilise the situation in the area. He said the army would swiftly respond and conduct hot pursuits into Burma if the DKBA continued its cross-border raids on Karen refugee camps located inside Thailand. Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprassart yesterday made an inspection trip to the police outpost in Sop Moei's Ban Mae Nga where the three policemen were killed. The minister said the border situation was nothing to be concerned over, nothing that security forces could still maintain order and safety in the area. Maj-Gen Sanan, a former cavalry officer, said he was confident that the security situation would gradually improve following the army's tough measures against foreign forces encroaching on Thai territory. Meanwhile, in Tak's Mae Sot District, a local health official, Amorn Boonmark, was killed yesterday by six armed Karens who crossed the border rob Thai villagers at Ban Nong Bua, 3 kilometres from the district police station. Mr Amorn, a health official of Phop Phra District, was killed as he was walking in the area while armed Karens were robbing villagers in Ban Nong Bua. A police report said the armed Karens took two gold necklaces from villagers and four motorcycles which they used to flee the scene. (BP) ===== item ===== SIX YEARS ON THE RUN (From Burmese Relief Centre April 1995 Newsletter) "Yes, it's difficult. But it's difficult for everyone. Every time they attack us, I feel stronger It makes me realize there is no way to five in a country ruled by this kind of dictatorship". San San Myint is a member of the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) and lives along the Thai-Burma border. She is also a medic, a wife and the mother of two 14-month-old girls. "When I first arrived in 1988, 1 thought I would be here for about one year and then go back home. But we students can't go back. To go back to Burma would mean imprisonment or worse". San San Myint is the daughter of a Burmese government official from a small town in Karen State. She remembers even as a young girl how corruption saturated every part of Burmese society, even her home town. "Because of my father's position, our family used to get access to better food and merchandise. Of course, the army personnel got much more. I remember thinking there is something very wrong in this country". In 1988, San San Myint was 18 years old and was preparing to enter university when the nationwide anti-military demonstrations spread to Karen State. "I became one of the central committee members who were organising the demonstrations. After the massacre in September, all the committee members were forced to flee. We decided to go to the border and spent 9 days walking through the jungle to reach the Salween river. We joined up with the thousands of other students already there" Soon after arriving, San San Myint found herself in a KNU medic training program near the village of U Tha Hta. After graduating, she began working at the local hospital. A year later in 1990, SLORC troops attacked the village and burned down the hospital. San San Myint then fled to another camp on the Salween river called Mae Baw Mu Hta. "At that time I was very sick. I had chronic malaria with attacks every 6 or 7 days. I was too ill to work. It took me a year to recover." Still weak, San San Myint was transferred to fighter duty at the ABSDF information office at the KNU headquarters of Manerplaw. It was there she met her future husband, Tin Aung, another ABSDF student working in the office. After regaining most of her strength, San San Myint was more determined than ever to continue her struggle against the SLORC. "I was angry. First the SLORC chased us from our homes and families. Then they followed us into the jungle and attacked our camps. They burned down our hospitals and our schools. I realized that for those of us who are pushing for democracy, nowhere in Burma is safe". In order to improve her medical skills, San San Myint next attended a 6-month training course by the Burma Medical Association. Her exam results placed her 5th out of the group of 50 multi-ethnic students attending the training. After the course she began working at the new hospital at the ABSDF headquarters of Dawn Gwin. Three months after arriving at Dawn Gwin, she married Tin Aung and a year later her twins were born. Caring for her children then became San San Myint's full time job. Both of her children have had malaria at least 7 times as well as dysentery and numerous chest infections. San San Myint feels she has no option, however, but to bring up her children in the jungle. "I know it would be easier to bring them up at home m Burma since my mother or sister could help, but if I go back now, SLORC will be waiting for me. I don't want my children to grow up without a mother". Since the beginning of this year, San San Myint and her family have already moved house 4 times. As the SLORC military machine relentlessly swallows up more and more border territory, all of Burma's border based opposition groups are constantly having to find new homes. The student headquarters of Dawn Gwin is now in ashes and the ABSDF are in the process of setting up yet another headquarters along the Thai-Burma border. According to San San Myint, the Burmese people must rid the country of the military dictatorship by themselves, but she also admits that those groups along the border need outside help. "I would like to tell those people living in foreign countries, at least those who support democracy, not to forget about us and help pressure the SLORC to hand over power to the Burmese people. I'll stay here and continue to do what I can." ===== item ===== RESIDENTS CAUGHT IN MYANMAR'S REMODELING PLAN (The Daily Yomiuri, May 5, 1995) By Toshio Toma Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent YANGON-Myanmar's military regime is turning its attention to "remodeling" the capital into an attractive sightseeing spot for foreign tourists. Designating 1996 as "the year of sightseeing," the Myanmar government is ordering Yangon residents to demolish old houses and build new ones. It has also told residents to stop chewing betel leaves, which turns saliva and teeth red and is regarded as offensive to tourists. The government is also mandating a new dress code for singers who perform in the capital. However, many of Yangon's 4.8 million residents are becoming increasingly frustrated over the plan, largely viewing the government's redevelopment project as self-serving and high-handed. Last June, residents of Yangon's Dalla district, located across the Yangon River from downtown, were caught off guard when they were ordered to demolish "obsolete and dangerous buildings" and build a "beautiful" neighborhood by 1996. The order was issued by the Yangon City Development Committee, a pro-government capital redevelopment committee headed by Yangon Mayor U Ko Lay. The Dalla district is congested with one-story wooden houses-the average residential dwelling seen in Yangon. The residents claim their homes are not "dirty" or "dangerous" as the committee claims. But orders from the military regime, which interprets the law at its own discretion, are absolute. In line with the directive, residents began demolishing their "obsolete" homes last year. At the same time, the committee is trying to redraw residential blocks and make improvements to streets. The committee is allowing residents to build new two-story houses and choose prime building sites along main streets, provided they have enough money to pay for the houses. Those who can afford only one-story houses are given the remaining building sites while those with no financial ability are being relocated to other local areas. Moe Moe Aung, a 28-year-old middle school teacher, says her eight-member family-her parents, sister and her children-scratched together 30 0,000 kyat (Yen 300,000) from savings and loans needed to build a new one-story house. With her 1,200 kyat monthly salary, she has a hard enough just making ends meet. The added monthly loan payment for the house is putting even more strain on the family budget. "We are much better off than people who were relocated," she said. "It would be impossible to commute to work from the relocation site and there would be no job available there." About 50 percent of the Dalla residents were ordered to move out, she said. The committee is also pushing the redevelopment project in at least four other districts in the city. Downtown Yangon, which is lined with classical brick buildings from its colonial period, is no exception. Since last May, the committee ha ordered an average of 10 building per month in the downtown area to be rebuilt, claiming they are in danger of collapsing. Dissatisfaction is also simmering because many people suspect that the military and construction companies are conspiring to evict owners of buildings in exclusive areas so that hotels and other buildings can be built with foreign capital. In its remodeling plan, the military regime is also tampering with the traditional practices and customs of ordinary citizens. One of these practices is the use of kon, spices wrapped in a betel piper leaf that Myanmar people have been chewing since around the 11th century. The government banned its use in the downtown area on April 1. The military government says it is not suitable for "an international city" to have globs of red saliva on the street. One portion of kon cost 5 kyat to 10 kyat. More than 70 percent of male adults habitually chew kon. "Kon is good for stopping palpitation and killing pinworms," said Zaw Mingt, a friend of Moe Moe Aung. "There are many poor people out there who try to relieve hunger with kon." Furthermore, the government, as part of its program to lure more international travelers, has established dress and behavior codes for singers to keep indigenous Myanmar culture intact. Lt. Gen. Myo Nyunt, commander of the Yangon Command, recently announced a strict 10-point code for singers. According to the code, female singers are encouraged to wear longyi, a traditional wrap-around Myanmar costume. They are prohibited from wearing skirts with deep slits, tight jeans and revealing dresses. "These moves destroy the much freer atmosphere generated by economic revitalization," a diplomatic source said. "They will only serve to fan antimilitary sentiments' ===== item ===== BURMESE REBELS PLEDGE TO CEASE CROSS- BORDER RAIDS 9.5.95 The Nation MAE TA WAW, Burma- Renegade rebels from Burma who have been attacking Karen refugee camps in Thailand said yesterday they were not ready for war with Thailand and would cease their cross-border raids. A commander of a rebel faction which broke away from Burma's anti-Rangoon Karen guerrilla army and joined Burmese government forces in December said their religion leader, a Buddhist monk, had ordered them to cease the attacks. "U Thuzana has ordered us to cease all operations for the time being and wait to see the Thai reaction on the refugee issue," Thai Maj Toe Hlaing, a local commander of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army[DKBA]. "Our leader said we are not ready to declare war with Thailand but we can defend ourselves if necessary," he said in the forest on the Burmese bank of the Moei River, which forms the border with Thailand. Toe Hlaing admitted his group was responsible for raiding several refugee camps in Thailand last week and burning down hundreds of bamboo and thatch refugee dwellings. The raids angered Thailand and prompted an official complaint to Burma's ruling military body, Thailand also moved in more than 1,000 reinforcements and a formidable array of military hardware to reinforce the frontier. Thai Army helicopter gunships, firing machine guns and rockets, attacked a group of DKBA guerrillas dug in on a northwestern Thai border mountain on Saturday. Thai helicopters also attacked a DKBA camp in Burma late last week, firing salvos of rockets into the rebel position at the confluence of the Salween and Moei rivers. The DKBA was formed in December by hundreds of Karen guerrillas who mutinied against their leader in the Christian -led anti Rangoon Karen National Union [KNU]. The DKBA says its raids on the refugee camps in Thailand were aimed at forcing the 70,000 Karen refugees, many of whom are KNU supporters, back to the Government's zone of control in Burma. Toe Hlaing said he did not object to a Thai plan to move the refugees away from the border to safer locations deeper in Thailand, but he wanted Thai authorities to ensure that no KNU guerrillas were among them. He said his faction would demand that Thailand hand over any KNU members found on Thai soil. Meanwhile, a Burmese colonel told Thai reporters on the Burmese side of the border that Rangoon troops on alert at the frontier were instructed to shoot down any Thai military aircraft that violated Burma's air space. "The order from the Slorc [State Law and Order Restoration Council] is clear, that we must shoot down aircraft trespassing our air space without having to wait for a shooting order," the colonel said. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart said he believes the border situation is under control and no further violence is expected. Sanan, just returned from a border inspection, said the Army and combined security forces are on full alert and well prepared to deter further raids by armed groups from Burma. "They are prepared and ready to respond to whatever the Burmese government intends to do, " Sanan said. He said it has not yet been determined who killed three Thai border police last week, but investigators should be able to find out by examining the bullets. "If the bullets are proven not to be from the Thai Army, a conclusion could easily be reached as to which side fired them," Sanan said. Defence Minister Vijit Sookmak said the border situation is now stabilized and he expects the current military operation against the raiders will not hurt Thai-Burmese relations. Vijit backed the proposal to relocate refugee camps to Burma but said there is need to get Burma's agreement. ===== item ===== OPPOSITION PUSHES FOR URGENT DEBATE ON KAREN INCURSIONS, VIJIT COOL TO HOLDING OPEN HOUSE DISCUSSION OF 'SENSITIVE MATTERS' The Nation 9.5.95 The opposition yesterday filed an urgent motion calling for a House debate on the violent border incursion by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. In a letter submitted to House speaker Marut Bunnag yesterday, the opposition said the debate is urgently needed and called on the government to talk swift action to prevent repetition of the incursions, which have terrorized Thai villagers along the border. The letter also called on the House Committee on local administration to investigate the incidents. The guerrillas have burned Karen refugee camps, abducted their leaders and robbed Thai villagers. The murder of three Thai police last Wednesday prompted the Thai Army to retaliate by attacking a DKBA base opposite Mae Hong Son's Sob Mei District. "The problems need to be resolved quickly by authorities to restore security and protect villagers' lives and properties. In addition, these are sensitive matters concerning peace and order as well as national sovereignty," the letter said. The letter was signed by opposition MPs from the Chat Thai, Chat Patana and New Aspiration parties. Local MP Panya Jinakham (Chat Thai- Mae Hong Son) was also a signatory. Since March, the border raids have disturbed the lives of villagers from Sob Mei, Mae Sarieng, Mae Sa Riang, Mae La Noi and Khun Yuam District in Mae Hong Son Province. however, their request for security to be stepped-up along the border has not been met simply because the security forces have insufficient manpower, the letter said. The House Committee already begun its own investigation into the border incidents at the request of Panya. CPP leader Gen Chatichai Choonhavan last week criticized the government and the Army for their failure to use existing channels to stem the violent incursions by the DKBA. Rangoon has denied any responsibility for the killings, claiming it does not support the DKBA, which is said is out of control. The DKBA itself blamed its former ally, the Karen National Union for the slayings. It was unclear whether the debate could take place during this week's two-day House session but Defence Minister Vijit Sookmark said government officials will testify on the government's reaction to the border violence and the coordination among all relevant agencies. However, Vijit was guarded about open debate on the issue, contending that national security matters could not be made public. Meanwhile, the exiled Burmese government has called on the international community, especially the Thai government, to take tough action against Rangoon's brutal crackdown on Karen refugees, or face riskier consequences. The democratically- elected National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, in a letter dated May 5, lambasted Rangoon for its attacks on Karen refugee camps in Thailand. It said the State Law and Order Restoration Council [Slorc] had shown no restraint and little regard for human lives despite protests by Thailand and the international community. "The International community should not be surprised that beneath its mask Slorc has bared its fangs," the statement said. "For Thailand, already much has been lost and there is much more at stake. It should start to act now and show Slorc that these brutalities will have to end." ===== item ===== HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH/ASIA CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON BURMESE REFUGEES MMR: Human Rights Watch/Asia 27.04.95 Human Rights Watch/Asia today condemned three attacks on Burmese refugees in Thailand since April 23 by Burmese government troops and their allies, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), and called for Thailand to increase the protection of refugees in all camps. In the course of the attacks, the combined Burmese and DKBA forces burned refugee camps, forced scores of refugees to return to Burma against their will and may have been responsible for the deaths of two refugees. Human Rights Watch/Asia calls on the Burmese and Thai governments to allow an international monitoring presence along their border in the area where the raids took place and on the Thai government to allow full access to the refugee camps by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other humanitarian agencies, with whatever security protection may be necessary. Since the fall of the Karen National Union (KNU) bases at Manerplaw and Kawmoora in January and February 1995, over 10,000 Karen have sought refuge in Thailand, joining the 70,000 already in camps along the Thai-Burma border. The DKBA, a breakaway group of Buddhist Karen who left the Christian-led Karen National Union in December 1994, alleging religious discrimination and human rights abuses by Karen officers, had assisted in the Burmese government's offensive against the KNU. Following the defeat of the KNU, the DKBA began raiding refugee camps, kidnapping Buddhist Karen leaders and killing others in what are thought to have been acts of revenge. The most recent attacks are the most serious yet, and appear to be linked to leaflets distributed by the DKBA in early April warning all refugees to return to Burma by April 19. On April 23, around 200 government and DKBA troops crossed the river Moei which marks the border with Thailand and entered Klay They Loo refugee camp, close to the river in Thailand's Mae Sam Leb district. Fighting broke out between them and Karen camp guards. Unconfirmed reports suggest that at least two refugees were killed in the crossfire, and nine people were taken by the DKBA. The fighting spread to a nearby Thai Karen village, resulting in all the residents of that village fleeing, and the village was reported to have been razed to the ground. The following day, April 24, further intrusions were made into Klay The Loo camp and more refugees were abducted. On April 25, a separate group of around 200 Burmese and DKBA troops crossed into Thailand from the north, and were reported to have attacked Mae Ra Ma Luang camp, north of Klay They Loo. Unlike the other camps, this is a new camp established five and half kilometers inside Thailand after earlier attacks on camps close to the border. There were over 4,500 refugees in the camp at the time of the attack. The details of the attack are unclear, but it reports suggest that sections one and three of the camp were razed. It is not known how many people were injured in the attack, nor how many people were abducted. Representatives of French and German aid organizations are attempting to reach the camp today, but there has been no confirmation as to whether they have succeeded. Without protection from Thailand, the area remains very dangerous for both refugees and those groups seeking to provide them with food and shelter. At midnight on April 25, a further attack took place in Kamaw Lay Kho camp,which is south of Mae Ma Ra Luang, between the river and the Mae Sot - Mae Sariang highway. Press reports quoted a Thai army officer as saying that some 100 troops were involved in this attack, in which 300 houses were razed and an unknown number of refugees and Thai villagers were abducted. Since the attack 3,000 residents of the camp have been forced to live in the forest. A representative of the Burma Border Consortium, the main provider of aid to the refugees, told Human Rights Watch/Asia that these attacks have dramatically increased the tension in the camps, with the fear that now any camp could be attacked at any time. It is unclear how the Thai military in the area responded to the attacks, but the Thai Third Army Region Commander, Gen. Surachet Dechatiwong, is reported to have traveled to the area to investigate the incident. He had met with his Burmese counterpart, Gen Khet Sein, at a Thai-Burma Regional Border Committee meeting on April 25, where he was reported to have raised the issue of incursions into Thai territory and was told that the SLORC could not control the DKBA forces "who are like children staying under their roof." While Human Rights Watch/Asia has no details of the current relationship between the government and the DKBO, it is known that they regularly meet and that the government has provided financial and military assistance to the DKBA. Moreover, as a paramilitary group operating from inside Burma (and the headquarters of the DKBA is just across base), the Burmese government remains responsible for their actions. Human Rights Watch/Asia calls on the Thai government to protect civilians taking refuge in their country. In cases where refugees are abducted and taken to Burma against their will, the Thai government is responsible for permitting refoulement, a violation of international law. It also calls on the government to step up its protection of the camp, rather than forcing the refugees to provide for their own protection with armed guards,as this could lead to the camps being considered legitimate military targets. Human Rights Watch/Asia (formerly Asia Watch)Human Rights Watch is a nongovernmental organization established in 1978 to monitor and promote the observance of internationally recognized human rights in Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and among the signatories of the Helsinki accords. Kenneth Roth is the executive director; Cynthia Brown is the program director; Holly J. Burkhalter is the advocacy director; Gara LaMarche is the associate director; Juan E. Mendez is general counsel; and Susan Osnos is the communications director. Robert L. Bernstein is the chair of the executive committee and Adrian W. DeWind is vice chair. Its Asia division was established in 1985 to monitor and promote the observance of internationally recognized human rights in Asia. Sidney Jones is the executive director; Mike Jendrzejczyk is the Washington director; Robin Munro is the Hong Kong director; Zunetta Liddell, Dinah PoKempner, Patricia Gossman and Jeannine Guthrie are research associates; Mark Girouard and Shu-Ju Ada Cheng are Luce fellows; Diana Tai- Feng Cheng and Jennifer Hyman are associates; Mickey Spiegel is a research consultant. -------------------------------------------------------------- BURMANET SUBJECT-MATTER RESOURCE LIST BurmaNet regularly receives enquiries on a number of different topics related to Burma. The scope of the subjects involved is simply too broad for any one person to cover. BurmaNet is therefore organizing a number of volunteer coordinators to field questions on various subjects. 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