------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: May 19, 1995 Issue #176 BURMANET: COMPUTING AND COMMUNICATONS INSIDE BURMA IRRAWADDY: NO HANDOVER, NO CONSTITUTION, NO FREEDOM IRRAWADDY: JOURNALISM TRAINING IN RANGOON IRRAWADDY: TWO WELL-KNOWN MAGAZINES SHUT DOWN IRRAWADDY: INSIDE THOUGHTS ON SANCTIONS IRRAWADDY: THE DAY S1 CAME TO VISIT IRRAWADDY: NO HANDOVER, NO CONSTITUTION, NO FREEDOM THE NATION: HEAT ON THAILAND TO RETHINK CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT BKK POST: BURMESE CRIMES PROMPT POLICE ACTION BKK POST: THAIS REINFORCE BORDER AFTER BURMESE TROOP MOVEMENTS ABSL (INDIA): THE BURMA STUDENTS MOVEMENT IN INDIA ---------------------------------------------------------- o-------------------------------o The BurmaNet News is an | | electronic newspaper | Iti | covering Burma. 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If you have questions on any of the following subjects, please direct email to the following coordinators, who will either answer your question or try to put you in contact with someone who can: Arakan/Rohingya/Burma- [volunteer needed] Bangladesh border Art/archaeology/: [volunteer needed] Campus activism: tlandon@u.washington.edu Boycott campaigns: tlandon@u.washington.edu Buddhism: Buddhist Relief Mission, c/o NBH03114@niftyserve.or.jp Fonts: [volunteer needed] History: [volunteer needed] Kachin history/culture: 74750.1267@compuserve.com Karen history/culture: 102113.2571@Compuserve.com Karen Historical Society Mon history/culture: [volunteer needed] Naga history/culture: [volunteer needed] [Burma-India border] Pali literature: "Palmleaf" c/o burmanet@igc.apc.org Shan history/culture: [volunteer needed] Tourism campaigns: bagp@gn.apc.org "Attn. S. Sutcliffe" World Wide Web: FreeBurma@POBox.com Volunteering: Dr. Christina Fink c/o burmanet@igc.apc.org ---------------------------------------------------------- BURMANET: COMPUTING AND COMMUNICATONS INSIDE BURMA Rangoon May, 1995 Burma is just beginning to experience a revolution in technology and the spread of information. The old ways still persist, but new ways of moving information are emerging. As it has for over three decades, censorship still prevails and access to news of what is happening outside one's immediate surroundings is severely restricted. State TV, newspapers and magazines are the only visible and approved media. They are available at almost every turn, but are almost as widely ignored. At a level somewhere between the state-sanctioned and the illegal, are the short-wave broadcasts which are the main sources of hard news for most people. The Burmese-language service of the BBC is the most often cited source of news, with the Voice of America a somewhat distant second. The Norwegian-based Democratic Voice of Burma has a much smaller listenership, in large part because of a weak signal. Their significance is somewhat greater than a headcount of their listeners would indicate because they count among their audience, a number of the leading opposition figures in the country. No attempt is made to jam the shortwave broadcasts. Within the last two years, a new source of information has arrived. Satellite dishes are visible on an increasing number of roofs and the cables coming off of them are spreading across Rangoon and Mandalay. Most of the dishes are pointed up at Rupert Murdoch's Star TV satellite, which beams down a mix of western movies, international news and Indian, East Asian and western pop music. Because it is Star's southern transponder, the news carried is BBC television rather than the insipid Star news carried on the satellite aimed at China. [Due to pressure from the Chinese government which was unhappy with the BBC for reporting accurately on events inside China, Star dropped the BBC from its northern satellite last year and replaced it with a more docile in-house version]. Satellite dishes are legally restricted in Burma to certain political elites and hotels serving foreign visitors. In practice, they are more widely available. It is also sometimes possible to tap into a neighbors line and so miniature cable networks are spreading out in the major cities. Still, the number of people with access to cable TV is small, both as a proportion of the population and when compared to the number who listen to BBC's shortwave service. News about Burma is also fairly rare on BBC-tv. The viewership is much larger among the educated elites and according to one opposition figure, just seeing the news from Bosnia and other places has an effect. What they see is that in other countries, the people talk about the strengths and weaknesses of their government, while here the TV news is only allowed to talk about the good things. VCRs are easily available but beyond the means of most families. Pirated video tapes are also widely available. Although most individuals cannot afford their own VCRs and TVs, they have access to movies on tape through the countless ad hoc "movie theatres" that consist of no more than a VCR, TV and small room somewhere. Admission is only a few kyat per showing. An interesting test of the efficiency of this network will come when "Beyond Rangoon" is available on tape (preferably dubbed in Burmese). This is just a guess, but it's likely to be the clandestine hit of the Summer. Fax machines are also becoming common and the controls are beginning to slip. The machines are supposed to be registered with the government and fax messages themselves are to be routed through a central number in a government office. There, they are printed out and then delivered to the intended recipient. In practice, it is somewhat different. Machines are increasingly used on lines not routed through the central office. One complaint voiced by businessmen who talked to BurmaNet was that they worried about their messages being intercepted by government officials. The businessmen weren't doing anything political but were concerned over commercial matters. For foreign businessmen to function in Burma, they almost invariably need a liason with someone close to the SLORC leadership. What the businessmen worry about is that the government person doing the message intercepts will be working with one of their competitors in Rangoon and will turn over their business secrets. One businessman told of his plans to avoid this by using the data encyrption program PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) on faxes to his Bangkok head office. PGP is generally used on email messages but there is at least theoretically, a way to use it on fax messages as well. Another change is the advent of IDD (International Direct Dial lines), which are available to businesses, international agencies and foreigners. IDD lines and calls are extraordinarily expensive (more than US$8 per minute to America off-peak, and $5 per minute to Bangkok). The per minute charge can be reduced by using a call-back service, but even so, the lines are rare and priced beyond the reach of all but a few. The qualify of line connections to Internet providers in Singapore and Bangkok is acceptable but use of the lines is so expensive as to make data communications through outbound calls impractical. Connections from inbound calls are less expensive but require coordination with a caller outside the country. The cost differential almost mandates the latter route if used regularly. Fax/modems are not easily available in computer stores but some of them are in use. A fair number of companies use Local Area Networks (LANs) for business purposes and some of these have dial-up access. It is only a matter of time before certain of these local networks are gatewayed to the Internet. Internet e-mail is already available in Burma at one western embassy and through several international agencies. These have their own satellite connections and are not subject to local pricing or control. Computers are becoming widely available and are used in many local businesses. Also, the number of students enrolled in computer training schools is soaring. Watching these computer training classes, one can't help but think that given enough rope, or in this case, computer cable, the regime will hang itself. At present, students in Rangoon seem to have almost no interest in politics. The universities have only recently reopened and students are trying to make up for time lost when the campuses were closed after the 1988-1990 uprisings. The students also seem to recognize that almost the only route to a decent standard of living is to gain a skill marketable to foreign businesses. The boom in computer classes is part of this. Software is generally virtually all pirated and somewhat behind neighboring countries (WordPerfect for DOS, version 5.1 seems to be the standard word processor). More advanced Windows applications are available. Also, Macs have captured a significant share of the market and are intensively advertised Mac's slogan, "It costs less, does more. It's that simple" takes on a new and unfortunate meaning when displayed on billboards next to roads being widened with slave labor. The first real Internet connections to Burma are likely to come this year, or early next. The New Light of Myanmar and the U.S. Information Service library are both planning to put in connections. The USIS connection, if it works out, will not allow for individual mailboxes but search tools like gopher and access to USENET newsgroups would be available. The government is expressing some interest in connecting the universities to the net, but whether they follow through remains to be seen. If the current influx foreign businesses is to continue, the authorities will come under increasing pressure to allow newspaper other than the New Light of Myanmar to circulate. At present, no real newspapers are available although Time and Newsweek are available at premium prices. Some of the most prohibited material in Burma are copies of the English-language papers from "the Other Country". The Bangkok Post and The Nation offer extensive and critical coverage of Burma, and are therefore loathed by the regime. Still, stacks of them come on on scheduled airline flight from Thailand, in diplomatic pouches and by other means. BurmaNet found one magazine stall that carried the Bangkok Post and Nation, but the issues were used and at least a week old. Smuggling small amounts of reading material in is not difficult as the checks at the airport are cursory. Nationals from Burma are subject to more thorough checks than foreigners however. Already, the amount of information leaking into Burma is increasing. The flow will speed up as more people get access to cable TV and as the government is pressed to reduce prices on international telephone calls. To date, the regime has shown little talent for countering unflattering information except by jailing or intimadating those who move it. This is becoming an untenable approach and some de facto relaxation of censorship, however grudging, is likely. ************************THE IRRAWADDY************************* ================ ******************INDEPENDENT NEWS &INFORMATION************** ========================== ********************VOL3, NO16, 15 MAY 1995******************* ======================= PUBLISHED BY BURMA INFORMATION GROUP ************************************************************** IRRAWADDY: NO HANDOVER, NO CONSTITUTION, NO FREEDOM IRRAWADDY: JOURNALISM TRAINING IN RANGOON IRRAWADDY: TWO WELL-KNOWN MAGAZINES SHUT DOWN IRRAWADDY: INSIDE THOUGHTS ON SANCTIONS IRRAWADDY: THE DAY S1 CAME TO VISIT IRRAWADDY: NO HANDOVER, NO CONSTITUTION, NO FREEDOM Five years ago, the first free and fair elections were held in Burma after 26 years of one-man rule, and two years after the nationwide pro-democracy movement was brutally crushed. The May 27, 1990 elections went smoothly despite initial doubts they would be fair. However the ruling junta, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), refused to honour the results or transfer power to the winnersthe National League for Democracy (NLD). The military leaders had promised to hold the general elections after they staged a bloody coup in 1988. Elections will be held as soon as law and order have been restored and the Tatmadaw will then hand over the power to the party that wins, the generals said. Sadly, the Slorc leaders who pledged to hand over government to the election winners are still in power and show no sign of loosening their iron grip anytime soon. Before the elections began many leading politicians and intellectuals including Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo, U Win Tin were rounded up and thrown into jail. As the outcome of the election became clear the Slorc troops stormed NLD offices throughout the country. The party's MPs, who were yet to assume their elected posiitons in the National Assembly, were accused of being in contact with underground groups and armed insurgents groups on the border and arrested. Instead of handing over power to the NLD, Slorc established the National Convention Convening Committee which was comprised mostly of Slorc leaders. Its task was to select candidates to attend a national convention that would be tasked with drawing up the guidelines for drafting a constitutiona consitution tailor-made for Slorc. Prior to the convention, six objectives were formulated, one of which was the underlining of the military's leading role in politics. This is Slorc's clear signal to the oppressed Burmese people: We will continue to rule even if you don't want us. To date, the Slorc still to rules the country without a popular mandate. Soon after taking power in 1988, Slorc invited foreign businessmen to capatilize on the country's resources. Many businessmen flocked to Burma to take advantage of the opportunity to make handsome profits along with the generals. The result of the open-market economy has been to deposit a good deal of the country's new wealth in the hands of a few top military officers and business families. And despite the relative poverty of Burma, more than one-third of the country's annual budget still goes to defence spending. Indeed, Slorc's free-market policy has not made life any easier for most Burmese. Rather, sky-rocketing prices have only made most Burmese lives harder. Yet, Slorc leaders are now excited to promote tourism-- they declared 1996 as Visit Myanmar Year. Towards this effort, people in the countryside are being forced to work on Slorc's tourism projects. As one resident in Shan State told a reporter from the Asian Wall Street Journal, Foreigners don't know what we're going through for this tourism year. Opposition in Burma has been cowed but the people have not completely given up their will to overcome the dictators and to restore democracy, freedom and peace. They are not forgetting what they have been through and they will never forget who they voted for during the general elections in 1990. If they get the chance, they will ask who stole the election and where are their leaders? As Slorc's rule grows old their is no sign that the generals are easing their reign of terror. Only recently Slorc handed down heavy sentences to student activists who went to pay their respects at the funeral of ex-premier U Nu. They laid a wreath and and sang a song. Because of this they were given seven year jail terms. About the same time, Slorc troops crossed the border and attacked Karen refugee camps. Ironically, Slorc leaders are fond of speaking of national reconciliation. Indeed they use it to justify their rule. But in order to regain national reconciliation Burma needs well-respected and able leaders, not medieval military dictators. The Asean Connection In the aftermath of last year's Asean summit in Bangkok it seemed that maybe the advocates of constructive engagement had it right. Years of isolation and vitriolic condemnation had done nothing to change the situation in Burma. The junta that hijacked government after losing the 1990 election was as solidly entrenched in power and it looked like the only thing sanctions had done was to push Burma further in to China's sphere of influence . With the US dissenting, much of the internationally community agreed to put away the stick and try the carrot of economic and political engagement. For a while the Burmese generals played their part, tossing out scraps of conciliation to suggest they had seen the light a meeting with Suu Kyi, more peace talks the ethnic groups. But before long they tired of the facade. They had what they wanted. Singapore, Thai and Malaysian businessmen rushed in with hundreds of millions of dollars in investments. With a finger in every pie the generals were ready to reap the rewards from their conversion to capitalism in a spectacular fashion. If by some accident the economy really took off, they might even gain the biggest prize of all -- international respectability. Asean officials continue to argue that economic engagement can turn Burma around but there is little evidence to indicate it will happen. In fact much of what has occured over the last year would suggest that Slorc is only becoming more tyrannical. Michael Aris has been denied visits to Suu Kyi, Slorc launched a massive offensive against the Karens which included the use of chemical weapons and dissidents continue to be rounded and imprisoned for the most trivial of offences. Indeed, rather than uplifting Burma, what constructive engagement appears to have actually done is to corrupt Asean. Rather than giving the regional grouping leverage, economic engagement has only made Burma's neighbours silent partners in crime. Lamentably, the strings that were supposed to link economic engagement and improvements in political rights were never tied. And now we have this situation of the region's leaders falling back on the tried old refrain that politics and business can't be mixed. So be it. But by dividing the two it also means that Asean's leaders are free to hold up their end of the deal and bring some political pressure to bear on Burma. Unconditional invititions to Asean meetings don't do that.(THE EDITOR) JOURNALISM TRAINING IN RANGOON Is journalism in Burma dead? If not, it must be in a coma. There is a big gap over thirty years. Newspapers were nationalized in 1962 and finally in 1964, said 74-year-old Guardian Sein Win at a training session for journalism in Rangoon recently. About 16 young and energetic Burmese participated, which surprised some foreign visitors considering the lack of press freedom in the country. Freedom of the press ended when Gen Ne Win staged his coup in 1962. All news-papers were taken over and only the government-owned newspapers, Lok-tha-pyi-thu-nei-zin and English language, Working People's Daily were allowed to publish within the accepted limits of the Burmese Way to Socialism. Most Burmese who grew up under Ne Win's socialist regime do not know what freedom of press and expression is. But Sein Win reportedly told the VOA correspondent that press freedom may come in one or two years. I'm teaching them for the new generation, during the free press time, which I am expecting maybe in one or two years. But Sein Win himself informed Slorc authorities about his training before it started. Sein Win also stressed to the VOA correspondent that there is no politics involved in his training. Sein Win is close to ex-army Gen Aung Gyi who was co-founder of the NLD before establish his own party. Since then Sein Win has severely attacked Aung San Suu Kyi. A source close to Sein Win said, Sein Win always has give and take with tatmadaw. Most important of all, he is one of the anti-Suu Kyi men so Slorc let him do it (journalism training). (VOA & Inside sources) THE DAY S1 CAME TO VISIT We found out at 6:00pm that he was coming most people had left the office by then my friend told me, speaking of the visit of S1, Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt to [the school] in April. Daw Khin Thida (the Dept. head, not her real name) was notified at her home, and she rushed back to school to make the preparations, along with any other teachers who were free. They were there until 10:30 that night, cleaning, straightening up putting out the red carpets. The next morning all the teachers in all the departments had to come to school earlyeven though there were no classes to teach. [S1's visit was during the summer holiday.] Then we all had to stay inside the officesunder house arrest my friend laughed, while S1 walked around the corridors. The teachers didn't see him; he didn't go into a classroom or department office. There was a meeting in the principal's office, and they took some pictures in the language laboratory, but not much else. Ridiculous my friend said, and she laughed again. (This letter is sent by a teacher who was one of the victims of the preparations) INSIDE THOUGHTS ON SANCTIONS While it would be interesting to know what will the Burmese think about the international pressure to impose sanctions on the present regime, it is more important to know what ordinary Burmese and NLD members in Burma have been discussing and thinking rather than the dissidents in exile. Last month, a freelance reporter was able to conduct several interviews with former NLD members, intellectuals groups in Rangoon and Mandalay as well as influential writers. As we reproduce some of our interviews we hope to provide a new and inside perspective to Burmese in exile and Burma campaign groups around the world. What do you want from outsiders, particularly from the US, EU and Australia? Our reporter asked this question to intelle-ctuals, professors, writers and former NLD members. They have a completely radical perspective which is: we are poor and we don't care if the country is involved economically, we would rather be poor. Another Burmese intellectual who is also a former NLD member said, Only if the people are poor and hungry will they take to the streets and join us. We believe in economic sanctions. But the reporter found a more moderate perspective from another well-experienced senior NLD member, it was that the country is developing and there are large investments coming in and there is not a lot we can do about the economic sanctions and they are not going to be effective. It is impossible to isolate Burma. The reporter said most former NLD leaders and intellectuals groups in Burma have lost faith in Asean because they see China and Singapore backing Slorc. A well-known NLD member who was jailed for two years and freed last year explained his perspective: It is (the sanctions) not going to be effective, he said, as the US has no direct interest in Burma. The bottom line, however, is that he supports the idea of economic sanctions not because they would be economically effective, but because of the PR. He said, the ordinary people want to get better jobs and they are now excited to see tourists and get a well-paid job in companies. (Contributed by a special correspondent in Rangoon) TWO WELL-KNOWN MAGAZINES SHUT DOWN Slorc appears to be tightening its grip on the dissemination of news. Soon after the April water festival in Burma, Slorc stopped the publication of at least two privately-owned and well-known magazines, Kyi-pwa-yay and Mahethi. Sources in Rangoon said that both would remain shut for at least six months. Many still cannot find a reason for the closure. Some Burmese writers in Rangoon speculated the two were closed down because they published a classified advertisement from Burmese youths and students in Tokyo. The ad went like this: Burmese in Tokyo will celebrate the water festival at the Tokyo Dome or known as the Big Egg from 10:00am to 4:00pm for further information please contact Water Festival Committee in Japan. The closure of Kyi-pwa-yay surprised many writers in Burma as the magazine had been running articles about free-market economy and had also been supporting Slorc's Visit Myanmar Year. The editor, Myat Khine, is close to some powerful Slorc ministers. About the same time, a writer reported, there has been a new censorship system had been introduced by the Press Scrutiny Board (PSB), which regularly blackened out sensitives articles and sentences. But a PSB officer told writers recently, The practice of Inking out words does not speak well for a free market economy. Therefore, the style of censorship has to be changed. Instead of inking over the sentences, the whole article will be torn out. (Inside sources) THE NATION: HEAT ON THAILAND TO RETHINK CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT 19.5.95 Aung Zaw on the diplomatic fallout from the border blowup 19.5.95/The Nation For the past three weeks, the relationship between Bangkok and Rangoon has been strained because of the repeated border incursions by the Burmese army and its ally, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army [DKBA]. It was only after 10 days that the foreign ministers of both countries claimed they had mended their differences . This time the Burmese came to Thailand not to invade and raze Ayutthaya, but to attack and threaten Karen refugees to force them to return to Burma. Rangoon intended to give a lesson to Thailand, which has been accused of assisting the Karen insurgents and activists for years. Because of these recent incidents, critics have asked Thailand to review its controversial constructive engagement policy on Burma. The House committee on foreign affairs has repeatedly requested the government to revoke its invitation to Burma to the upcoming Asean meeting in Brunei Darussalam. Suthin Noppaket of the House committee on foreign affairs said the policy was aimed at reducing the violence committed by Burma against its perceived enemies. But it's obvious that the policy has been unsuccessful. However , Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, Foreign Minister Krasae Chanawongse and other government officials have stood firm on maintaining their present relations with the State Law and Order Restoration Council [SLORC]. They also reiterated that Thailand will not revoke its invitation to Burma to attend the Asean meeting . Observers and diplomats have expressed their frustration over the constructive engagement policy. A diplomat who refused to be named said economic interests have outweighed genuine political will on the part of international community . " Thailand should exert some pressure on Slorc and stop thinking that this will have a negative effect on its present policy . Even though Slorc would be dissatisfied, it will still listen ," he said. In reality , the policy was introduced with the hope that the human rights situation would improve and that democracy would eventually take root in Burma, which has been ruled with an iron fist by Gen Ne Win and his cronies for more than 30 years. Ironically, while Rangoon's troops were rampaging across the border and torching Karen refugee camps on Thai soil ,Slorc's Lt Gen Khin Nyunt was heard saying that there were no major problems between the two countries. He also emphasized that Burma "did not regard any existing misunderstanding with its neighbours as a serious problem." Soon after Khin Nyunt's statement , Thai government officials echoed his comments that nothing serious was happening at the border. Chuan and Krasae stressed there would be no immediate changes with regards to Thailand's policy with Burma. Additionally , Krasae and other border incidents would not be used to tarnish Rangoon's presence at the Asean meeting. But regional analysts say Thailand is seriously thinking if maintaining the status quo was worth it, considering the flak it was getting from other quarters. Several sources confirmed that Thai foreign ministry officials do not really know what to do about the situation in Burma. A source said; " The constructive engagement policy should be reviewed since the situation has been changing very fast." The same source insisted the best way to solve the problem was for Thailand to continue its dialogue with Burma. Observers and Burma watchers said most Thai foreign ministry officials and other high-ranking government officials do not understand the actual situation in Burma. " Most officials receive reports only from the Thai embassy in Rangoon. They do not know what is actually happening and are unaware of the suffering the Burmese encounter daily .There are no intelligence reports," said a source. While Slorc promised Thailand and Asean leaders that they would bring about democracy to foster national reconciliation, and to improve the human rights situation in their country, their troops have trampled upon Thai sovereignty through repeated incursions at the border. The military junta in Rangoon has also recently sentenced nine students to prison and shut down two well- known publications . Moreover ,there are numerous reports coming out of Burma on how the Tatmadaw [armed forces] has been mistreating its own people and how a handful of remaining opponents continue to be harassed. Is it time to change the constructive engagement policy? Or is it time to differentiate between economic interests and genuine political will?. BURMESE CRIMES PROMPT POLICE ACTION 19 May 1995 Police will take drastic action against as Burmese authorities are not sincere in cooperating with Thai counterparts in sup- pressing Burmese criminals fleeing Thailand to Burmese soil, said assistnt police chief Pol Lt-Gen Prasarn Wongyai. During a press conference at the Mae Sot police atation in Tak province yesterday, Pol Lt-Gen Prassarn said policemen would be deployed along the Thai-Burmese border to prevent all ille- gal Burmese immigrants from committing crime, seeking jobs, and even buying goods in Thailand. The police's tough action was ordered by Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart, Pol Lt-Gen Prasarn said. Lt-Gen Prasarn brought six Burmese arrested in Mae Sot District on charges of murdering a 27-year-old Public Health official, Amorn Boonmark on May 7. Then also allegedly robbed Thai villagers and were arrested late Wednesday. Phone Nee, 27, one of those arrested, was quoted as admitting he and the other suspects committeed the murder. Burmese authorities did nothing to help Thai counterparts to supress Burmese criminals, Pol Lt-Gen Prasarn said. "Police will arrest all illegal Burmese immigrants who work in all factories and companies and Thai entrepreneurs will also be prosecuted fpr accommodating illegal immigrants if Burmese workers are involved in any crimes," Pol Lt-Gen Prasarn said. Burmese robbers yesterday fled Mae Sot to Burma and made off with valuables worth over 150,000 baht as well as three motor- cycles. After Thai officials contacted Burmese troops on the border to arrest the suspects, they demanded 18,000 for each motorcycle, Pol Lt-Gen Prasarn said. (BP) THAIS REINFORCE BORDER AFTER BURMESE TROOP MOVEMENTS 19 May 1995 Troops along the border area in Mae Sai District have been reinforced following unusual movements by Burmese soldiers opposite this northern province, according to an intelligence report. Thai soldiers were seen patrolling the border and taking up positions at more than ten locations stretching through Mae Chan, Mae Fa Luang and Mae Sai districts. Three V-150 armoured personal carriers were also sent to sup- port Thai infantry men along the border. The report said that Thai soldiers from Mengrai Maharaj mili- tary camp in Chiang Rai have been deployed at Mae Fah Luang Sub-district where there have been reports of sporadic fight- ing between Burmese troops and minority rebel forces - appar- ently those of opium warlord Khun Sa. The Royal Thai Air Force has also despatched F-5 fighter planes to patrol the border area. Interior Minister Sanan Kachaornprasart said yesterday that the situation along the Thai-Burmese border in Chiang Rai's MAe Sai District was uncertain. There had also been a report of ususual movements by Burmese troops and minority rebels opposite this province. He said Chiang Rai Governor Kamron Booncherd had ordered the closure of the border and checkpoints at Mae Sai, Ban Pang Ha and Ban Muang Daeng to protect people from exposing themselves to danger as a result of the uncertain situation inside Burma. The order, which bans people, goods and vehicles from crossing the border, took effect on Tuesday. Mr Kamron, who issued the order, said a security alert was also in effect for prominent figures, government property and the general community. He has also ordered a ban on foreign tourists travelling to Mae Sai to ensure their safety. Deputy Foreign Minister Surin Patsuwan said the Chiang Rai governor was intending to prevent misunderstanding concerning the confising situation inside Burma. Meanwhile, a report from Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army (MTA) said the Burmese government has sent five battalions of infantrymen and 500 porters from Taunggyi in northern Burma to reinforce its forward command headquarters at Doi Kor. Some of the troops and porters have moved further on to Tormor village on the bank of the Salween river. The source said the battalion is ready to attack the MTA's forward troops positioned at Doi Lan. (BP) ABSL (INDIA): THE BURMA STUDENTS MOVEMENT IN INDIA The Background With the military coup in Burma on 18th September 1988, a new chapter in the history of brutal army repression on the peace-loving, pro-democracy people beg an. Students, youth, monks and other sections of people who had taken to the stree ts demanding a democratic form of government were branded as "insurgents", "communists", "anti- national" and the like and were treated as enemies by the junta. Massive arrests, secret killings and physical as well as mental torture became the order of the day. It was a period of nightmares for the people belonging to all sect ions and groups of Burmese society. The houses of activists as well as non-activists wer e raided by the army personnel at odd hours of the night and thousands were whisked away . Many more were arrested from buses and other places while travelling. Martial l aw, banning the gathering of more than five persons, any kind of procession and ind efinite night curfew, was proclaimed in the entire country by the self-powered militar y junta which named itself as State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). For a moment an atmosphere of total fear and silence seemed to have envel oped the country. The massive military crackdown temporarily silenced the people's outcry for the resignation of the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP)and the estab lishment of the multi-party parliamentary democracy & the restoration of basic human ri ghts and civil liberties. After the September 1988 crackdown even peaceful and non-viol ent demonstrations and processions became impossible. As the army resorted to more and more inhuman killings and torture, we realised that our turn might not be far away though we didn't know how and when. To the jungles As Burma virtually turned into SLORC's killing field, many of us decided to take up armed struggle against the brutal military government and its intellig ence, our sole objective remaining the establishment of a democratic form of government. The merciless killings, brutal torture from all sides increased our faith in armed struggle. Instead of quietly sitting and waiting for our turn to be arrested, tortured a nd/ or killed we decided to go to the jungles, to get military training and overthrow the mi litary government by returning the bullets by bullets. With such a conviction, thousands of students, youth and monks left for th e jungles, the bordering areas of the country. We were so disgusted, depressed a nd pained by the inhuman treatment meted out to innocent people that the only thing in o ur mind was to overthrow the military regime through armed struggle. As we left for th e jungles, the general plan was to get military training with the help of foreig n countries, especially western nations for three months or so and then come back to Burma to fight out the forces of the junta. We left our homes, our parents, near and dear one s for the freedom of our country. When we left we had little pocket money to travel by bus or boat to reach our destinations. Many of us had to travel on foot to the border areas for many days. Thus, having left everything and everyone behind, we left for the j ungles with the singular objective to make our motherland free. Thousands and thousan ds of students left for the Thai-Burma border areas, particularly to those areas whe re about ten ethnic minorities have been carrying on the struggle against the Burmese government. In fact, around 8,000 of students, youth, monks and ex-armymen rea ched the Thai-Burma border areas within a couple of months after the September 1988 crackdown. Of course, on their way, many students were arrested by the Burmese army and intelligence personnel, though their exact numbers and whereabouts are sti ll unknown. Many of them died on their way because of bad weather, epidemics like malaria and due to shortage of food while travelling on the high mountainous a reas. Besides, about hundreds of students, youth and monks arrived at the bordering areas of Burma and Bangladesh where activists from the Arakanese revolutionary groups h ave been carrying on their struggle. To India During the same period, about one thousand pro-democracy activists reache d the border areas of India. These activists, mostly very young students and youth, came from the villages and towns of upper Burma such as Mandalay, Monywa, Sagaing and Ka lay. Those of us who came to the Indo-Burma border areas had high hopes and expecta tions from the government and people of India since they have been consistently ext ending their support to us in our struggle for the restoration of democracy and human rights in Burma. We already had indications and gestures which made us believe that India would extend its wholehearted support to our struggle. For example, during the heat of the nation-wide uprising in 1988 the Indian Embassy in Rangoon had openly supporte d the pro-democracy activists, including financial support to some of the student le aders. When many of these student leaders decided to leave for the jungles, the India n embassy in Burma gave them money. Moreover, in October 1988, at the United Nations Gen eral Assembly, the Prime Minister of India Mr P.V. Narasimha Rao as External Affair s Minister, said, "India had watched with growing concern the trials and tribula tions faced by the people of Burma with whom the people of India are bound by close ties o f history and culture". Thus about one thousand of students and youth marched to the States on t he Indo-Burma border with high hopes and expectations of receiving material and m oral support from the government of India in our struggle for the just cause. Howev er, on reaching the border areas our hopes and expectations were belied by the practi cal situations obtaining there. Those of us who had come with the hope of acquirin g military training, arms and ammunition were utterly frustrated. No arms and ammunition were provided by any governmental or non-governmental organization. Neither the Indian government nor any foreign country was prepared to tender a ny support or assistance even for our survival. We were faced with the totally di fferent situations-- extremely bad living conditions, wide-spread malaria across the fo rests and mountains and acute shortage of food and medicine made our lives miserable. Of course, we note with appreciation that some of the native Nagas and Kukis did their best to help us. There were other serious problems we have had to face on our arrival on t he Indo-Burma border areas. We all belong to different places in Burma, we had di fferent ideological orientations and organizational experiences and no leader to guide us. However, in spite of these difficulties which contributed to some initial personal as well as ideological conflicts among ourselves we resolved to do whatever in our capacity to fulfill our dreams. On 5th November 1988, the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) was formed by the students, youth, monks and other pro-democracy activists scattered along the Thai-Burma border and Bangladesh-B urma border areas. The ABSDF became the umbrella organization for the students to carry on the struggle against the military regime and for the restoration of democra cy and human rights in Burma. Most of us who had come to the Indo-Burma border areas reached the Manipu r and Mizoram States towards the end of 1988. After a few weeks of our arrival i n India, the Government of India announced that it would not turn back the student refu gees from Burma and that it would give them shelter as long as their lives were in danger in Burma. The Government of Manipur on its part set up the "Burmese Refugee Camp" (BRC) at Leikhun in Chandel district. The camp is about 64 Kms a way from the Indo-Burma border. The Government of Mizoram as well established a refugee camp at Champhai which is about 24 Kms from the border. In Manipur, we received enormous sympathetic support from the local peopl e, particularly the "Moreh Merchants Association" and "Sun Rise Youth Club". Unfortunately, the refugee camps established in Manipur and Mizoram were virtu ally concentration camps. For example, the camp in Manipur was situated inside the Eighth Manipur Rifles compound, which was fenced by barbed wire and surrounded by arme d soldiers. None of us was allowed to go out of the camp without the permission of the authorities. The food consisting of a small quantity of rice, potatoes and pe a and the scanty clothing provided by the authorities was really insufficient. No medica l care was provided. As time passed we all felt like prisoners in a concentration camp. Under such conditions, we realised that we could not carry on our activit ies to fulfill our dream of a just and democratic Burma, a dream for which we had lef t our home and hearths. Some of our friend tried to contact fraternal people outside the camp and also fellow friends in the Mizoram camp. However, most of them were arrest ed on their way by the local police personnel. After being illegally kept for some d ays in police custody they were put into the notorious "Manipur Central Jail" under t he Foreigners Act. Many of us spent more than a year in jail without trial. The in tervention of Supreme Court lawyer Ms Nandita Haksar and Naga human rights activists helpe d them in their release from the illegal detention. On to Delhi After getting released from the jail, we approached the United Nations Hig h Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for help. After about two months of our approach, the UNHCR granted refugee status to many of us and each person grant ed such status was given a financial assistance of Rs.830 per month. Even though this amount of financial assistance cannot be considered adequate, still many of us accepted it. Even today there are many students and youth who have not been given refug ee status or provided with financial assistance by the UNHCR office in New Delhi. Beside the financial problems, we had to face other serious problems as w ell. First and foremost we had to face accommodation problems. While many friends, including Members of Parliament, Supreme Court lawyers and students let us liv e in their houses free, many other people, because of the difference in ethnic backg round, refused to rent out their houses to us. We had to face the problems with regar d to food and cultural habits since they are very very different from those of Delhi. We also had to face communication problems since none of us were conversant in either Hind i or English. In fact, some of us were manhandled and beaten up on the streets and buses of Delhi, many a times due to language problems. None of these problems and difficulties could deter us from our main goal since we had been always prepared to give up our education, career and even our live s for our singular dream, that is, the restoration of democracy and human rights in our beloved country. Our main activities in Delhi have been basically non-violent in nature and had been directed towards carrying on a propaganda warfare against the SL ORC. We wanted the people of India and the international to know the reality of Bur ma and to realise the seriousness of the situation, the sufferings of the innocent pe ople under the brutal military junta's repression and we wished to appeal to all democracy-lo ving people in India and the rest of the world to extend their moral and material support to our cause in real terms. We provide below a brief account of the major activiti es and programmes organized at New Delhi during the period 1990 to 1994 in support of our struggle for the restoration of democracy and human rights in Burma. OUR ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMMES Aiming to inform the people of India about our democratic movement and the practical conditions under the military regime in Burma, we have undertaken act ivities like the publication and distribution of News bulletins, pamphlets and books, t he organization of seminars, discussions and art exhibitions highlighting our move ment, staging protest rallies and demonstrations in front of SLORC embassy in New Del hi on every remarkable day in the history of the polity of Burma. Organising our office in New Delhi In the beginning of our arrival in Delhi, as we started trying to do polit ical activities, we didn't have any permanent office. Though we tried to rent a room at a suitable place aiming for the Office, it was not possible for various reasons. Many landlords did not want to rent out their places to us. Even a small number of l andlords who agreed to rent out parts of their houses, objected to our setting up an off ice which obviously would function as the center of the political activities for our move ment in Delhi. Apart from the problem of getting a place for a regular office, we didn' t have the basic facilities such as a typewriter, a xerox machine or telephone, etc. and the furniture. However, we were able to carry on our activities with the help of so me Indian friends who provided their own furniture, stationery and other facilities. Mr G eorge Fernandes, a well-known Indian politician and a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament, extended his unconditional support to our movement by allowing us to set up an Office in his residence compound, i.e. 3, Krishna Menon Marg in New Delhi. Moreover, h e allowed us to use his Office facilities such as telephone, xerox machine, fax machine, stationery and furniture. Although we started functioning with a manual typewri ter, a table and a chair in the beginning, after some time it was equipped with better facilities such as an electric typewriter which was donated by a diplomat from the Sweden Embassy in New Delhi, some new furniture and stationery. Besides these, some of our friends in foreign countries tried to send better equipments for our Office in New Delhi. The friends in Norway sent a computer and we were able to buy a laser printer w ith the money donated collectively by the Burmese democratic forces in Norway, Japan an d USA. Through such a process, our Office in New Delhi has been set up and made functional. Meetings, Discussions and Seminars After setting up the Office in New Delhi, we started trying to organize me etings, discussions and seminars informing the people of India about Burma and our stru ggle for democracy and human rights in our motherland. And we participated in the meet ings and seminars in India and abroad organized by friends, students, and other org anizations which sympathize with our movement. We record some of these below. In June 1993 , two leaders of the Burma Students Movement in India attended the International Socialist Meeting in Nepal, organized by the Nepal Students Union and International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY). In December 1992, we joined the students and youth from other Asian countries attending the annual meeting of Asian Students Association (ASA ) held in New Delhi. We attended the National Conference of the All India Youth League (AIYL) which was held at Ranchi city of Bihar of India from 18 to 20 September 1993. On 24-25 September 1993, we attended the General Council Meeting of the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) held in New Delhi. A delegation of the Bu rma Students Movement in India participated at an International Seminar on human ri ghts situations in the South East Asian countries that was organized by India's Asso ciation for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) in Siliguri on January 27-29, 1994. Besides participating in meetings and seminars organized by fraternal gr oups and organizations, we ourselves organized a number of seminars and discussions on Burma in New Delhi, with the support and solidarity of the people of India. Fro m 1991 till today, we have organized a number of programmes and seminars on Burma such as at India International Center (IIC), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Constit ution Club, Press Club of India, Janak Puri Janta Quarter Colony and of course at our Office itself many a times. Publication of bulletins, pamphlets and posters The publication of news bulletins & pamphlets and distribution among the p eople of the other countries has been one of our main activities in our propaganda wa rfare against the military dictatorship and for democracy in Burma. Since the beginni ng of 1992, we have been publishing the Fist English News bulletin, and the Zar Tee M arn & Flame Burmese bulletins. These bulletins have clearly helped the people of In dia and abroad to realise the sufferings of the people of Burma under the inhuman milit ary regime as well as the activities and movement of the Burmese students and youth in India. We also have kept constant touch with the media and press of India seeki ng their support and solidarity. We have regularly contacted and met reporters, journali sts and correspondents and written articles and news about Burma in the different newsp apers and magazines in India. Through these news bulletins and media, we made many pe ople of India aware of our existence in India and about our democratic struggle. In June 1992, with the help of friends from India, we have been able to le arn the basic knowledge of making screen printing for posters, pamphlets and other desi gns artistically depicting and highlighting our struggle against the military dicta torship and for democracy and human rights. We have been distributing and pasting these pos ters on the walls of Delhi and other parts of India. Moreover, we have been producing postcards and video tapes which are concerned with our democratic movement. In August 1992, with the help of CENDIT video center in New Delhi we made a 32-minutes long documentary on Burma titled "Battle for Peace". This video documentary reveals the political background of Burma, the military's brutal crackdown on the pro-democracy activists and our activiti es and movement in India. We have distributed these tapes throughout India and abroad. The Burma Students Movement in India created greater awareness and attracted more attention from the people of India and abroad after this video tape. In July 19 94, we made another video documentary titled "Far Away From Home," with the facilities provided by CENDIT. This video highlights our living conditions of exiled life as well as the activities in New Delhi. Paintings and Exhibitions The Burmese students and youth in India comprise people from all walks of life such as musicians, lawyers, teachers and artists, etc. One of them, the artist Ko Sitt Nyein Aye, who is from Mandalay of Burma, is currently staying in New Delhi alo ng with the Burmese democratic forces. As a well-known revolutionary artist, he ac tively participated in the 1988 nation-wide uprising against the one party rule and fo r democracy. After the September 1988 military coup, he left for India and arrive d at the border area of Burma and India. After staying there for some months, he moved t o New Delhi to join the Burmese democratic students and youth. With the joining of th e artist, many paintings have been created, which describe and depict the culture & tradi tions of Burma, reflections on the junta's brutal crackdown on the peaceful demonstrator s during the 1988 movement and the people urge for peace, democracy and human rights. Wi th these paintings, we have been able to organize many Art Exhibitions on many occ asions in New Delhi, giving artistic expression to our struggle for a just cause. In commemoration of the fallen martyrs of the 8.8.88 during the nation-wid e uprising in Burma, an "Art Exhibition" entitled "Battle for Peace" was held fro m 6th to 8th August of 1992 at All India Fine Art and Crafts Society (AIFACS) in New Del hi. This programme was jointly organized by the Burmese students and Supreme Court lawyer and human rights activist Ms Nandita Haksar. It exhibited 30 oil paintin gs and attracted a large number of people of Delhi from different walks of life. The "Battle for Peace" (II) "Art Exhibition" was held at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on September 18, 1992 to mark the Fourth Anniversary of the 19 88 military crackdown in Burma. Signature campaigns and demonstrations Amongst our activities in New Delhi, the most visible and important has be en the staging of protest rallies and demonstrations in front of the SLORC Embassy in New Delhi on every remarkable day in the history of the polity of Burma. There are many days in Burma's history which are importantly related to the democratic movemen t in the country. For example, 8th August of 1988 was the day on which the nation-wide people's uprising demanding the abolition of one-party rule and the establishme nt of democratic system broke out in the country. September 18th of 1988 was the day the military brutally shot down the many peaceful demonstrators and took over state power by coup d' tet. On July 20, 1989, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was put under house arre st by the SLORC without formal charges. On December 10th, 1991 Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1991 by the Norwegian Parliament. On these days, we regularly express our anguish and anger against the mili tary rule in Burma in the forms of demonstrations, processions, shouting slogans in front of SLORC Embassy in New Delhi and the like. We also submit Memoranda to the SLORC through the Embassy in Delhi, demanding for the immediate release of Daw Aung S an Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners, for handing over power to the people 's representatives who were elected in 1990 May elections. Our demands were apprec iated and supported by many people and groups in India as is clear from their overwhe lmingly participation in the signature campaigns organized by us. Through these signature and letter campaigns the people of India have dema nded before the Government of India not to have any relationship, diplomatic, econom ic or political with the illegal military regime in Burma and to support the people' s democratic movement in the neighbouring country and to extend moral and materia l support to the Burmese democratic forces in India. Moreover, we have regularly issued press release, writing on the changing political, economic and social situations in Burma and our peaceful, democratic activities and movement. Press conferences were also often organized highlighting our stru ggle for democracy and against human rights abuses in Burma under the SLORC. The Burma Music In late 1992 the Burmese students and youth in New Delhi were able to set up a music band called "The Burma Music" with the aim to organize cultural festiva ls and for recording of our democratic songs. Many among us can sing and play musical instruments very well. For us to be able to set up a music band, one Indian fri end, Ms Kamla Basin from Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), donated money to buy electronic guitars. During the past four years, The Burma Music has participate d in the programmes of the Burma Students Movement in India presenting music and democra tic songs to the people of India. Apart from the Burmese democratic songs, the songs which highlight the ric h culture and traditions of Burma have also been composed and presented. Moreover , in 1993, with the help of the "Friends of Burma" group we have produced an audio c assette of the democratic songs in Burmese at the Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. Th rough the Norway-based radio station, "the Democratic Voice of Burma"(DVB), we were a ble to transmit these songs into Burma. Food Festival Besides creating awareness about our movement among the people of India through music and songs, we often organized the Burmese Food Festivals, selling Burmese dishes prepared by ourselves. These festivals attracted large numbers o f people of India, besides generating funds for our political activities in New Delhi. T he Burmese food has become very popular and it has made our movement for democracy well- known, especially in New Delhi. We also joined in the functions and food melas organized by Indian friends by setting up Burmese food stalls in New Delhi. The Burmese students in Manipur and Mizoram States have established the te a shops and restaurants selling Burmese food in their respective places. Health Care Center It is very difficult for us who are refugees under the mandate of UNHCR to get even simple medical treatment in the hospitals of Delhi. UNHCR office provides the basic medical assistance and some amount of money to buy medicines when we fall sick. However, it is not at all adequate because we are required to go to the UNHCR h ealth care places during the office hours only. Due to the language and financial pro blems, we cannot even go to other hospitals. Therefore, we tried to set up a clinic by ou r efforts in New Delhi. In July 1993, the Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI) pr ovided medicines and facilities for setting up the "Burma Health Care Center" in Janak Puri where many Burmese students and youth are staying. One of us, who is a medical doctor, having graduated from the Rangoon Medical College, is handling the heal th care center with the aid of two young students voluntarily. Though this health care center is meant especially for the Burmese democratic students and youth in New Delhi, it provides free medical treatment to many Indian citizens who were driven out fro m Burma by the Burmese military government in 1962. They have settled down at Jan ta Quarter of Janak Puri in New Delhi. Keeping alive our culture Most of the Burmese democratic forces who left the country after 1988 mili tary coup are the young students and youth like us. Besides being far away from our families, relatives and friends, we are away from the culture, custom and traditions of B urma. However, we try to keep alive our traditions and culture by celebrating the tra ditional festivals and religious occasions while we are staying in exile in New Delhi. F or example, we regularly celebrate the water festival which is the greatest tradit ional festival for the people of Burma and other religious festivals such as lighting festival and Christmas festival in our Burmese society of New Delhi. Moreover, functions displaying our traditional dresses, our cultural and musical instruments and th e books on Burma have been regularly organized by us to let the people of India know about our culture, traditions and custom. Welfare While we have been staying in Delhi as the recognized refugees by UNHCR, w e face a lot of living problems and difficulties.UNHCR's monthly financial assist ance of Rs. 830 per person is obviously inadequate even to cover the expenditure of foo d and shelter in Delhi. Without any residential permit and ration card, our living co st becomes higher. Contributing some amount of money from our UNHCR's allowance for our regular activities in Delhi makes us further poorer and we face a lot of day-to -day living problems. We have passed through periods when even for simple ration like rice, pea, etc...we have not had even a single paisa. We used to face very bad living cond itions without adequate blankets and warm clothes in Delhi's winter season and even wi thout fan and air cooler during the severe hot season of Delhi. In our efforts at solving these problems and difficulties partly, we tried to get rice, clothes and blankets from the individuals and non-governmental organizati ons of India that sympathize with our movement. However, we have not received adequate relief from the groups and organizations in India, but for some helpful individ uals' contribution and support. We note with appreciation that the Oxfam (Trust) Indi a donated rice worth about Rs. 15,000 in 1992 and the CASA provided 300 blankets to us in New Delhi in 1993. Educational Courses: Equipping ourselves for future Most of us, the Burmese students and youth, who left the country after the 1988 military coup were the college and university students. However, we were not ab le to complete our schooling due to the military's closing down of schools and univer sities in Burma after the coup. During our stay in exile, in our effort to be part of the larger struggle against the military dictatorship and for the restoration of democracy in our motherland, we have been trying to acquire knowledge and continue our studies as possible as we can in India. We believe that our education and acquired knowled ge at this time will surely be of benefit for our country when we establish the democ ratic system after overthrowing the military dictatorship. As the future of Burma mai nly relies upon the our generation, we need to equip ourselves with the requisite knowledg e and education. When we left our country, we were not able to bring the educational certif icates and documents along with us. Therefore, we cannot join the colleges and univers ities in India. However, we have joined certain vocational and educational courses such as Computer, Office Management and Air Ticketing in different private institutions in Delhi. We have also attended different courses like Human Rights training, Soci al Analysis, health training and video training in other parts of India. The expen diture for the courses were met by the financial assistance from individual Indian friends as also from UNHCR office in New Delhi, YMCA (New Delhi), VHAI (New Delhi), Indian Social Institute (New Delhi), Indian Social Institute (Bangalore) and ACHAN (Ma dras). Besides these courses, we have also attended both basic and advanced cours es in English language with audio-video facilities. The "Friends of Burma" (India) , the Open Society Fund (USA) and Lady Susan Fenn helped us in organizing the English classes. Raising Funds It is very difficult for us staying in exile to sustain the movement and c arry out various activities with the meagre funds collected from some individual sympath izers in India. We always face shortage of money though we want to launch many programme s and activities related to our movement. Therefore, we have had fund raising dri ve programmes with the help of Indian friends. We have organized Burmese food sell ing, presentation of musical evenings at the hiring of friends from India. We have b een selling paintings by renowned Burmese pro-democracy artist Ko Sitt Nyein Aye at the various Art Exhibitions, producing and selling of T Shirts, postcards, audio an d video cassettes related to our democratic movement to raise funds as well as for draw ing public attention towards the plight of people in Burma under the military regime. Support and Solidarity of the people of India Officially the Government of India has supported our movement and demanded the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners in severa l national and international fora. On 15th March 1993, Mr Dinesh Singh, the Minister of Ex ternal Affairs, Government of India stated in the Lok Sabha that "we have repeatedly c alled upon the Government of Myanmar both on our own and in consonance with other lik e- minded countries, to release immediately and unconditionally the Nobel laureate Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi. The latest instance of our efforts in this direction was the support extended by us by a UN Resolution on the situation in Myanmar in December 1992, calling on that country to restore democracy and release Mrs. Suu Kyi." In spite of such supportive statements by members of the Indian Government , the real attitude has been ambivalent. we have not received any material or financi al support either directly from the Government of India or any other governmental agencies in New Delhi. In sharp contrast to such ambivalent stance of the Government of India, we have received extensive support from the people of India belonging to all walks of l ife, such as, lawyers, musicians, journalists, students, political and human rights activ ists, Members of Parliament, trade union leaders, teachers as well as from several no n- governmental organizations. On 10th November 1991, two Rangoon University students hijacked a plane of Thai International Airway from Bangkok to Calcutta to draw the international at tention to the plight of the Burmese people crying for democracy and human rights in Bu rma. After the nine-hour hijacking drama during and after which the struggle of the people of Burma for peace, democracy and human rights was echoed throughout the world, th e two students gave themselves up to the Indian authorities. They were arrested under the Anti- Hijacking Act and sent to the Dum Dum Central Jail in Calcutta. However, the pe ople of West Bengal extended their unconditional support to the Burmese students and the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), an active human rights organization, provided two High Court Lawyers to fight the cases. Besides providing legal ass istance to the Burmese students, the PUCL extended moral and material support to these young students while they were in the jail. After staying for three months in the jai l, these two Burmese students were released on bail with the support of the people of India many asking for their release. Quite importantly, 38 Members of Parliament signed th e letter requesting the Prime Minister of India to give them political asylum in India. Leaders of the various political parties and statesmen of India expressed their solidarity with our struggle for democracy in Burma at a meeting of the "India- Myanmar Friendship Society" held at New Delhi on 20th June 1990. In his impassioned ina ugural address, Mr P.N Haksar, the eminent statesman and former Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, characterised the Burmese people's struggle in the context of a "century of turbulence and massive awakening to the cause of human liberty." "T ied not only by history but by geography and common aspirations, Indians should rejoice in the fact that the people of Burma are overwhelmingly asserting their desire for lib erty and political democracy," Mr Haksar said. However, he expressed his disappointment over the fact that many Burmese who had crossed over into Mizoram as a result of the recent upheaval had not received the attention they deserved. He also asserted that In dia's support to Burma at this critical juncture was a duty not only to the people of Burma, but to itself. Mr. K.R. Narayanan, a former Ambassador to Burma, and later the Vice- President of India, was then the Convener of the Meeting. In his opening addres s, Mr Narayanan pointed to the close ties between India and Burma in the struggle aga inst British imperialism. With the military still a strong force in Burma, he said, "it was the special task of Indians to extend their support for the democratic processes no w being initiated in that country." Others who spoke at the meeting included Mr Yashwan t Sinha, the General Secretary of the Janata Dal, Mr Indrajit Gupta, General Secretary o f CPI, Mr Saifuddin Chaudhary, MP (CPM), Mr Jaswant Singh of the BJP, Dr Gopal Singh, former Governor of Goa and Nagaland, Dr Malavika Karlekar, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's classmate at Oxford, and Prof. M.S Agwani then Vice-Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University. All expressed their firm support to our struggle f or democracy and vowed to offer their continued support till an independent democr atic government came to power. Our struggle for democracy got a further boost when Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on 10th December 1991 by the Norwegian Parliament. On that day, Norwegian Nobel Committee called her as one of the mos t extraordinary examples of civil courage in Asia. Conferring of the Nobel Peace Prize to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was also greet ed warmly by the people of India. "The news has been greeted with joy and pride throughout India. It is a most timely and an apt recognition of the non-violent struggle launched by the people of Myanmar (Burma) for democracy and respect for human r ights under the able leadership of Ms Suu Kyi," said the Prime Minister of India, Mr P.V. Narasimha Rao, welcoming the award. On 24th February 1992, the Lady Shri Ram College, where Daw Aung San Suu Kyi did her studies in 1960s, felicitated her and lauded her role in the people 's struggle for restoration of human rights in Burma. The Indo-Burma (Myanmar) Friendship Society organised a function to felicitate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in absentia in New Delhi on 6th November 1992. Speaking at the function, former Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr Natwar Singh said that if the Burmese government continued to debar the elected representatives from running the country, the Indian governme nt should recall its Ambassador from Myanmar. He urged the Indian government to snap diplomatic relations with the Burmese government if the latter continued the in carceration of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The gathering adopted a resolution expressing regret o ver the fact that despite acts of barbarism on the Burmese people, the Indian gover nment had been discussing with the Burmese military regime to expand trade and other ties between the two countries. In India, we have been very pleased by the supportive attitude and solidar ity shown by the students of India. After our August Art Exhibition at AIFACS in Ne w Delhi the students from Jawaharlal Nehru University rendered their wholehearte d support to us by offering to sponsor a programme at JNU. Along with the Initia tive for Democracy in Burma (JNU) we were able to hold an Art Exhibition, a Symposium o n Burma, and sale of Burmese food and a cultural programme at JNU on September 1 8, 1992 to mark the Fourth Anniversary of the 1988 military crackdown. The JNU students joined the programme in large numbers and thronged the stall selling Burmese dishes prepared by ourselves in the lush green lawns of the JNU academic compl ex in large numbers, expressing their solidarity with our movement. Apart from the support of the students from Jawaharlal Nehru University we have been able to achieve the unanimous support of other student bodies in In dia. On 30th November 1992, a meeting entitled Indian students in solidarity with the struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma was jointly organized by the various Indian students' organizations : AISF, AISB, CJD, SFI and NUSI at Indi a International Center (IIC) in New Delhi. At the meeting the Indian student organizations adopted a resolution in which they expressed "deep concern" over the continuation of the military rule in Burma and violation of human rights by th e junta. They urged the Burmese military junta to free all political prisoners and dema nded the restoration of democracy. Many well known Members of Parliament from various political parties of India also attended the meeting and delivered speeches. S hri V.C Shukla (Minister of Water Resources I.N.C), Shri Saifuddin Choudhary M.P (CPM) , Shri Sushil Bhattacharya (R.S.P), Shri S. Jaipal Reddy M.P (Janata Dal) and pre sidents and general secretaries of Indian students bodies were among the prominent participants. On the occasion, the following resolutions were moved by the Con vener of the Initiative for Democracy in Burma, JNU, New Delhi. 1. The Government of India should snap all diplomatic relations with SLORC. 2. The Government of India should give diplomatic recognition to the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB). 3. The Government of India must provide moral and material support to the Burmese refugees residing in India. None of the refugees should be deported. 4. The Government of India should take necessary steps to expel SLORC from t he membership of NAM. In the early years of our arrival in India, different groups and organiza tions were set up by us because of personal and ideological differences, and, for t he weaknesses in practising the democratic norms and principles and also due to l ack of experience. However, as times passed, these groups had to come together into a single movement strengthening the understanding and unity among ourselves. As a resu lt, for the first time, all the Burma students organizations in India jointly organize d Save Burma from Civil War programme in Delhi starting from 4th to 9th January 1993 in order to boycott the Sham National Convention convened by the military regime. As part of the programme, all the Burma students' organizations and All Burma You ng Monks'Union (Arakan) jointly organized an exhibition of paintings, photographs and posters at the Press Club of India, New Delhi. The paintings, posters and the photographs very touchingly depicted the heroic struggle for democracy and hum an rights by all sections of people in Burma and also the brutal, atrocious and i nhuman crackdown by the military junta. The exhibition was inaugurated by the eminent and elderly statesman, Mr. P.N. Haksar. We have received help from a specific section of Indian peoples in tackli ng our day to day living problems. Many thousands of Indians who were driven out from Burma by the Burmese military government in 1962 have settled in New Delhi. In 1962, after overthrowing an elected democratic government led by U Nu, the coup lead er U Ne Win and his "Revolutionary Council" according to their "Burmese way to Soci alism" nationalized all industries including the properties owned by the Indians with out compensation. These Indians were sent back to India in and after 1962. Thousands of them have settled down at Janta Quarters of Janak Puri situa ted in West Delhi. These Indian citizens have very high regard for the peoples of Burma. They also understand the customs, cultures and also Burmese language. They tr eat us as their own relatives, sons and daughters and they help us in many effective ways, solving our day to day living problems and difficulties. On 12th February 1993, we, under the banner of Indo-Burma Solidarity Foru m, organized the 4th anniversary of the Union Day of Burma at Janta Quarter of Ja nak Puri where most of the Burmese students and Indian expatriates have been staying. T he function included a public meeting, cultural presentations and sale of Burmese food. Hundreds of Indian expatriates apart from the Burmese democratic forces in Ne w Delhi enthusiastically participated at the public meeting. Speaking at the mee ting, the participants expressed their strong and determined support and solidarity to o ur democratic movement and pledged to extend their humanitarian support to the st udents and youth from Burma during their stay in New Delhi to the best of their capac ity. "The Gong of Burma" programme ,jointly organized by the Manushi, a women's journal and India International Center , was held at IIC Auditorium, N ew Delhi from September 3rd to 5th of 1993. The programme included an exhibition of paintings by Ko Sitt Nyein Aye, a panel discussion on Burma, music presentatio n and Burmese food festival, providing glimpses of the social, cultural and politica l milieu of Burma. Moreover, there was a Slide Show on Burma which was presented by Lady Susan Fenn, who has spent several years in Burma when her husband was posted t here as British High Commissioner. The programme was inaugurated by Ms Maneka Gandh i. The paintings were on sale in raising funds for the activities of the democrat ic movement launched by the Burmese students and youth in Delhi. Half of the pain tings exhibited were sold in two days of the programme. Eminent personalities partic ipated in the panel discussion which was chaired by former diplomat and well-known jou rnalist Mr Kuldip Nayar. The panelists focussed on the political situation in Burma, i ts historical background and the plight of the Burmese people under the barbaric regime of the military junta. The Burmese military government, SLORC, became the focu s of condemnation by all speakers. Prominent among the speakers were former Indian diplomat Mr I.P Singh, Professor Dr. Baladas Ghoshal from JNU, Dr. Malavikar Karlekar from Centre for Women's Development Studies, who is also a classmate of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Sir Nicholas Fenn, a former British High Commissioner to Burma and Ko Soe Myint of Burma Students League. During our various programmes and activities undertaken for the restorati on of democracy and human rights in our motherland, we have strengthened our solidar ity and friendship with other struggling people and groups fighting for freedom and de mocracy in their own countries. The people of Tibet have been struggling for their fre edom from Chinese occupation through non-violent ways for many years. In Delhi, the Tibe tan Youth Congress has been organizing different programmes to inform the people o f the world about the plight of the Tibetan people under Chinese occupation. On December 10, 1993, we, the Burmese students and youth in New Delhi and the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (RTYC) jointly organised a programme to ma rk the World Human Rights Day. The protest rallies both in front of SLORC Embassy and Chinese Embassy in New Delhi, the Candle-light peace procession in honour of t hose who sacrificed their lives for freedom and a cultural get together were part o f the two-day programme. About 150 India-based Burmese students and members of RTYC participated in the programme. Besides organising these different kinds of programmes and activities in Delhi, we have travelled to other States of India. During such visits to other States , we have been meeting local people including students, social workers and leaders of po litical organizations. We also have been organizing press conferences, publicising abo ut our democratic movement in Burma. We have got tremendous support and solidarity fr om the people belonging to all parts of India. During the past three years, we travelled to Calcutta, Madras, Bhopal, Bangalore, Mysore, Siliguri and the North Eastern St ates, setting up solidarity network with the people of India. ------------------------------------------------------------ NEWS SOURCES REGULARLY COVERED/ABBREVIATIONS USED BY BURMANET: ------------------------------------------------------------ ABSDF-DNA: ALL BURMA STUDENT'S DEMOCRATIC FRONT [DR. NAING AUNG] ABSDF-MTZ: ALL BURMA STUDENT'S DEMOCRATIC FRONT [MOE THEE ZUN] 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. B