------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" -------------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: July 8, 1995 Issue #196 NOTED IN PASSING: Contents: BKK POST:BURMESE GROUP MARK UPRISING, CONDEMN JUNTA BKK POST:CHINESE DEFENCE MINISTER VISIT TO BURMA BKK POST:OFFICIALS TO PROBE 'MOEI VIOLATION' ASIA WEEK:NUTTY QUESTIONS THE NATION; BURMA OFFERS AN INTRIGUING TOURIST ALTERNATIVE - THE POLICE STATE IRRAWADDY: BIG SOURCE: THE GOVERNMENT OF BURMA IRRAWADDY: ARTICLE: RESHUFFLE STRANGTHENS SLORC'S GRIP IRRAWADDY: INSIDE SOURCES: WILL 8888 REPEAT IN THE FUTURE? IRRAWADDY: KYI PWAYAY: ADVENTUROUS TOURIST HARASSED BY POLICE IRRAWADDY: BIG SOURCE: AUNG SAN SUU KYI IS FORGOTTEN? BBC: HELL IN RANONG ---------------------------------------------------------- o-------------------------------o The BurmaNet News is an | | electronic newspaper | Iti | covering Burma. 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Sutcliffe" World Wide Web: FreeBurma@POBox.com Volunteering: Dr. Christina Fink christin@comnet4.ksc.co.th [Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage] ---------------------------------------------------------- BURMESE GROUP MARK UPRISING, CONDEMN JUNTA 7 JULY 1995 Two Burmese activist groups yesterday marked the 33rd anniversary of the crushing of a student uprising in Rangoon with calls for the release of dissident Aung San Suu Kyi and for continued opposition to the country's military junta. The All Burma Students' Democratic Front and the 8888 Group made the calls in statements sent to news agencies in Bangkok from their headquarters in the Burmese border town of Manerplaw. The noted that on July 7, 1962, Burmese soldiers crushed student protests at Rangoon University against the military coup four months earlier. Hundreds of students were killed, and soldiers then blew up the student union building, " a historic symbol since the period of the anti- colonial movement." The dissidents urged Burmese to "celebrate the spirit of July 7th" and fight for the release of 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest in Rangoon for six years. Also, they urged opposition to the "false ceasefires" the military government has negotiated with ethnic rebel groups, and to the "sham" national convention that is drafting a new Burmese constitution. The 8888 Group takes its name from the August 8, 1988 start of student- led, pro-democracy demonstrations in Burma that also were brutally suppressed. Meanwhile, in Canberra, Australia, more that 30 students today will begin an indefinite hunger strike to demand the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners kept in detention by the military dictatorship. The students, including Burmese and community groups, are to rally outside the Burmese embassy. Speakers will include students recently released from prison in Bangkok who will describe the situation in Burma and the struggle for democracy. A Burmese student from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology said, "We will continue the hunger strike until Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is released and the Australia government changes their soft approach to the junta. "The policy of Gareth Evans' and his government is only acting to strengthen the grip of the brutal dictatorship on the Burmese people," the student group said. (BP) CHINESE DEFENCE MINISTER VISIT TO BURMA 7 JULY 1995 Chinese Defence Minister Chi Haotian has arrived in Burma on a goodwill visit, a Chinese embassy official said in Rangoon yesterday. Chi, leading a nine-member delegation, was expected to meet Burma's armed forces commanders and leaders of its military government. In a brief speech on arrival at Rangoon airport on Wednesday, Chi said the purpose of his visit was "to promote understanding, friendship and cooperation between the two countries, the two armed forces and the two peoples". China and Burma have forged close ties since the late 1980s. Last December Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng visited Rangoon, three months after Khin Nyunt visited Beijing. China is Burma's most important trade partner and its main supplier of arms. (BP) OFFICIALS TO PROBE 'MOEI VIOLATION' 7 JULY 1995 Interior Ministry officials will inspect the Moei River bordering Thailand and Burma to probe the latter's allegation that Thai nationals have encroached on the river, a ministry source said. According to earlier reports, Burma last month told Thailand's Highways Department to suspend the construction of the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge linking Thailand's Mae Sot District with Burma's Myawaddy. The Burmese authorities cited an alleged encroachment on the river near the bridge on the Thai side for the suspension of construction, it was reported. To handle the case, an Interior Ministry working group was set up and held its first meeting at the ministry yesterday to look into the problem. According to the source, the working group chaired by Interior inspector-general Yont Sarathoonthat acknowledged a report that the encroachment had taken place prior to 1992. The working group will conduct a field survey on the alleged encroachment in Tak Province on July 21, 1995, before reaching a conclusion and submitting it to the Thai-Burmese Joint Border Committee, the source said. (BP) NUTTY QUESTIONS Is There More Than Meets the Eye to Myanmar's Ban on Betel? For farmers of areca palm trees in Myanmar, a joyless harvest lies ahead. reason? The government has banned the sale of betel nuts, the precious fruit of the trees, in much of Yangon, the national capital. A victory for anti-vice crusader? After all, the betel nut has been used for nearly two millennia as a mild stimulant, producing an uplift not unlike the high from alcohol. Or perhaps the prohibition was a nod to better public hygiene. Chewers of betel nut, of course, spit often, spreading all manner of germs including those that cause a particularly nasty strain of tuberculosis. Maybe the authorities wanted to help citizens improve their personal appearance. The juice of the nut stains the user's mouth and gums, and many longtime enthusiasts lose teeth. No, the motive for the ban is more mundane. As preparations intensify for "Visit Myanmar Year" in 1996, the country's ruling junta hopes to rid Yangon of a defining eyesore. Explains an official: "Betel chewers are tarnishing the beauty of the capital by spitting on roads, overpasses and other places." Well, maybe that's not an entirely bad thing. The proscription,at least, demonstrates that the generals are not totally indifferent, as their behaviour often suggests, to outsiders' perceptions. In a way, they may resemble an adolescent boy who, having discovered girls, begins quite suddenly to take an intense interest in his own appearance. If this attitude takes root in Myanmar, there may even be hope for positive change in other areas of endeavour such as economic development, political rights and civil liberties. Signs have sprung up in Yangon with a red circle around a silhouetted figure spittinf betel. As slash across the ring drives home the message. The ban naturally prompted an outcry from devotees. Hundreds of vendors were suddenly out of business, their salad-bar-like stands consigned to dark alleys. One man led a visitor through a labyrinth of narrow streets and dim doorways to a hawker. "Here is the betel," he said, pointing to a bag containing slices from the reddish-brown, acron-sized nuts. "It is illegal and very precious." For the moment at least, only selling it in certain central districts of Yangon is illegal. Using betel apparently is still lawful. "I am sorry that foreigners do not like to see the red stains in the street," says a 34-year-old factory worker in the capital. "But this is a habit I learned as a boy, just as my father did, and his father." A foreign diplomat in Yangon shares the bewilderment of many citizens over the ban: "It's crazy. People have few enough pleasures in a country like this. You'd think the generals would understand that it's in their best interests to keep the people slightly anaesthetized." In fact, betel usage is widespread throughout South Asia as well as parts of Southeast Asia, China and Africa. Though sophisticated Asian urbanites tend to frown on nut-chewing as a messy, archaic practice, as much as tenth of the world's population is thought to chew betel nuts. Farmers in southern India grow them as a plantation crop. In addition to the basic ingredients of the betel "chaw," which is usually placed in the mouth like a wad of chewing tobacco, aficionados often add spices such as cardamom or clove to improve the flavour. A practice that began in ancient times and continues in some countries today involves giving as gifts elaborate silver or lacquered betel boxes. In Myanmar, of course, betel nuts are an integral part of the culture. One proverb uses as a symbol of good fortune a betel lover "being sent to Toungoo," a town where betel-bearing palms are ubiquitous. A large part of the upper-crust aversion to nut-chewing has to do with the very concern Myanmar authorities are trying to address: the ugliness of it all. To the uninitiated, few non-violent sights are as disturbing as the blood-red remains of a betel nut, which look for all the world like the consequence of some life-and-death struggle. But even if one ceases to associate blood with the stains, which are found in public places from temples to hospitals, they are still indisputably unsightly and unhygienic. The country would surely be better off without such habits, despite their time-honoured status. But Yangon's proscription simply to please tourists is more an affront to national dignity than anything else. In some way, Myanmar's ban recalls a similar prohibition in Singapore against chewing gum. Indeed, the two countries have become quite chummy of late. But spotless Singapore has already put in three decades of efforts to eradicate public spitting. Beside, Yangon's move against the betel nut somehow seems more surprising in its self-consciousness than Singapore's gum restriction, which may be a bit stringent but isn't really out of character. In the end, of course, the ban on betel is far more a matter of style than substance. That in itself is not surprising. Myanmar's rulers, for example, periodically enforce dress codes with particular attention to stemming outside influences. The real tragedy would be if they convinced themselves that such cosmetic change would somehow mitigate the need for true reform. If the generals really wanted to improve their image, they could do something truly substantive:release Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi from her six years of house arrest. (Asiaweek) BURMA OFFERS AN INTRIGUING TOURIST ALTERNATIVE - THE POLICE STATE 7 July 1995 "Visit Myanmar Year" makes for an interesting study in contractions between Rangoon's eagerness for tourism dollars and its traditional suspicion of foreigners, AUNG ZAW WRITES. On 9 January a curious crowd gathered at the Moe Hnyinn railway station in Kachin state. They all stared at a bicycle. The bike tied up with chain. "The bike was arrested," said one onlooker. Then they all looked at inside the office of Moe Hnyinn railway station where a foreigner was sitting. He is the owner of the bike. He was taken to the office of local law and order restoration council while he was sitting at a tea shop. Local police and immigration officials received instruction from senior officials to interrogate and deport "the strange tourist" to Rangoon. Because foreigners are not allowed to visit to Kachin land but only those who have special permission. Mittamaya Rudolf, 40, from Austria arrived to Rangoon on December 29 last year and had been travelling around the country by bicycle.. The business magazine, Kyi-pwa-yay reported about Rudolf and his extensive trip in its latest issue. The article was written by Pauk Kyaing. Pauk Kyaing himself met Rudolf and talked to Rudolf on the train. Pauk Kyaing later went to see Burmese officials to investigate the matter. The article said that Rudolf bought his in Rangoon and then proceeded to Pegu, Tha Se, Sagaing, In Le, Mandalay, Shwe Nyaung and Pin Ta Ya. But Burmese officials said in Rudolf's passport they did not see any signature or seal written by concerned officials from each provinces or towns he had passed through. In Burma, if tourists travel from one place to another, they are required to inform officials who are stationed at province or town or villages. Oddly, the officials said they did not even find an entry visa in his passport. So, how did he come to Burma? Pauk Kyaing asked in his article. "....By sea, by flight or on foot?" Rudolf also told officials that he bought the bike in Bangkok. In any case, the authorities suspected that Rudolf had a hidden agenda. Although they were bewildered by Rudolf's presence inKachin state, they eventually decided to send him back to Rangoon. Spokesman from the Austrian embassy in Bangkok said Rudolf did go to Thailand before he went to Burma, although they never heard from him again. "Did all doors open for Rudolf?" asked Pauk Kyaing. Pauk Kyaing also mentioned that Rudolf has no train ticket while he was taking a train coming to Kachin state. Whatever the case, the article wrote by Pauk Kyaing was very suspicious about Rudolf. At the end of the article the writer asked: If officials at Moe Hnyinn did not notice about this, no one would know how and where would Rudolf sneak out of Burma and from where? The writer also recalled "ugly incident" that took place in Burma 10 years ago. He did not specify what is was, But he was believed to be referring to the bombing incident in Rangoon where four visiting South Korean ministers were killed by a bomb planted by three North Korean commandos who able to sneak into Burma. Pauk Kyaing also asked: "Did Mr Rudolf come to Myanmar to see how the Burmese people would react? Or was he planning something else? Pauk Kyaing did not elaborate, but went on to ask:"What was he up to when he visited these towns?" The article itself was as strange as Rudolf presence. It described Rudolf as either a spy or terrorist. But from the look of it, Rudolf is neither. While Rangoon hope to see more tourists next year, the article seems to be totally opposed to Burma's " Visit Myanmar Year 1996." Tourism minister Lt Gen Kyaw Ba, who was a former military commander, said Burma expects 500,000 tourists in nest year. Tourist agents, however, said this was "highly ambitious." "Nobody knows what a half million means" said Insight Myanmar Tourism Managing Director Armin Schoch. He added that the total number of inbound seats available into the country didn't even amount to 500,000 annually. Schoch also explained difficulties of travelling around the country, particularly when it comes to obtaining permission or the necessary documents from the authorities. A diplomat pointed out that Burma's hospital lack adequate medical facilities. " "If there was emergency case up-country like in the Irrawaddy division or Arakan State, no one would be able to do anything," he noted. The transportation system is another thing. "If you go to Mandalay by train, it will take 18 hours, although it should normally take only 12 to 13 hours. The trains are terribly late," he said. "If you want to visit up-country, Don't fly as Burma has only cowboy pilots." he added. Although Burma has been making extensive preparation for 1996.There are still many areas where travel is restricted. At the same time, exiled activists and Burma support groups campaigning against "Visit Myanmar Year 1996" by telling tourism not to visit Burma. They say tourism revenue will only line the pocket of the Slorc generals and that this will only lead to more repression. Moreover, some groups in Thailand and the US are preparing to publish a map showing alternative tourist destinations for sightseeing. Among the highlights are the house where opposition leader AUNG San Suu Kyi is being detained; Rangoon University where hundreds of students were shot and the union building, which has been demolished; Rangoon general hospital where nurses were killed during the upheaval, and Insein prison where hundreds of political prisoners, including students, are incarcerated. "The are also many places to visit in Rangoon alone," said activist Win Htun. The tourists should see forced labour of men and forced relocation of families in Mandalay, Kachin, Karen, Shan and Mon states, he added. "We cannot stop them (tourists) from going to Burma so we must tell them the truth," he stressed. An Australian tourism who visited Burma in December last year recalled what he saw: " In the delta region, the situation is very bad. Slorc is planning to construct a tourist resort near the town of Chaung Tha in Irrawaddy division. Last month, troops moved in and took over large areas of land that will be occupied by the resort. (TN) ******************************************************************** -------------------------GOVERNMENT OF BURMA------------------------ "THE USUAL SUSPECTS" -------------------------------------------------------------------- Prime Minister and Defence Senior Gen Than Shwe Deputy Prime Minister V Adm Maung Maung Khin Deputy Prime Minister Lt Gen Tin Tun Prime Minister's Office Brig Lum Maung, Col Pe Thein, U Than Shwe Foreign U Ohn Gyaw (Civilian) Home Lt Gen Mya Thin Finance and Revenue Brig Gen Win Tin Trade Lt Gen Tun Kyi Planning and Economic Planning Brig David Abel Industry - 1 Lt Gen Sein Aung Industry - 2 Maj Gen Kyaw Than Forestry Lt Gen Chit Shwe Livestock and Fisheries Brig Gen Maung Maung Culture Lt Gen Aung Ye Kyaw Religious Affairs Lt Gen Myo Nyunt Hotel and Tourism Lt Gen Kyaw Ba Border Areas Development Lt Gen Maung Thint Mines Lt Gen Kyaw Min Labour Maj Gen Aye Thoung Agriculture Lt Gen Myint Aung Health V Adm Than Nyunt Transport Lt Gen Thein Win Social Welfare and resettlement Maj Gen Soe Myint Information Maj Gen Aye Kyaw Education U Pang Aung Rail Transport U Win Sein (ex-Col) Energy U Khin Maing Thein (ex-Col) Communication,Post and Telegraph U Soe Tha (Civilian) Construction Maj Gen Saw Tun Co-operatives Than Aung (Civilian) Immigration and Population Lt Gen Maung Hla Light Industry Maj Gen Kyaw Than Office of the Chairman of Slorc Lt Gen Min Thein Deputy Minister (Foreign) U Nyunt Swe (ex-Col) Deputy Minister (Tourism) Brig-Gen Tin Aye Deputy Minister (Home) Col Tin Hlaing Deputy Minister (Trade) Col Aung Thaung Deputy Minister (Industry - 1) U Than Nyunt Deputy Minister (Industry - 2) U Saw Tun Deputy Minister (Forestry) U Aung Phone Deputy Minister (Livestock U Aung Thein and Fisheries) Deputy Minister (Culture) U Soe Nyunt Deputy Minister (Religious) U Aung Khin Deputy Minister (Border Areas U Kyaw Tint Development) Deputy Minister (Mines - 1) Lt Col Hlaing Win Deputy Minister (Mines - 2) U Myint Thein Deputy Minister (Agriculture) U Tin Hlaing Deputy Minister (Health) Col Thant Zin Deputy Minister (Transport) U San Wai Deputy Minister (Social Welfare Brig Gen Maung Kyi and Resettlement) Deputy Minister (Information) U Thein Sein Deputy Minister (Education) Col Kyi Maung, Dr Than Nyunt Deputy Minister (Energy) U Tin Tun Deputy Minister (Construction) U Aung San Deputy Minister (Labour) Kyaw Aye (civilian) Deputy Minister (Finance & Revenve) U Win Naing IRRAWADDY: RESHUFFLE STRANGTHENS SLORC'S GRIP Pro-democracy forces in Rangoon have long believed that a power struggle among the top generals in the Burmese armed forces held one of their best hopes for change. However, a cabinet reshuffle on June 15 suggests that the ruling junta is moving to rid itself of any cliques that might threaten its grip on power. This is the first reshuffle since September 1992 when at least six powerful army commanders were appointed as cabinet ministers. The latest members of the cabinet are six senior army commanders. One of them is army operations commander Lt-Gen Maung Hla, who will head the newly-formed Immigration and Population Ministry. This is seen as a promotion for Maung Hla, who led the military operations against the ethnic Karen insurgents. Central region commander Maj-Gen Kyaw Than has assumed the post of light industry minister, while northeast commander Brig-Gen Aye Kyaw, has taken over as information minister. It is believed that his predecessor, Lt-Gen Myo Thant was transferred to the prime minister's office. Southern commander, Maj-Gen Soe Myint is the new social welfare, relief and resettlement minister while eastern commander Maj-Gen Saw Tun assumes the post of construction minister. Army quartermaster Lt-Gen Min Thein has been appointed minister in the office of the Slorc chairman. Others appointments not announced in public include the designation of Col Khin Maung Than as Rangoon commander and Lt Gen Myo Nyunt as religious minister. Some ex-army officers believe that the reshuffle signals a subtle transfer of power since Slorc chairman Gen Than Shwe and other top military officers are believed to be contemplating retirement. Whatever the case, no one can deny that Slorc has gained more confidence and is obviously preparing to stay in power for several more years. A former army officer, who is now based in Thailand, suggested that the tatmadaw is even stronger than before. They are cohesive unit. "Tatmadaw is built on orders and command. Burmese soldiers obey orders," said Khin Maung Nyunt. Former army captain Khin Maung Nyunt, who joined the U Nu's resistance group in the 1970s stressed that Secretary One Lt Gen Khin Nyunt is the one who calls the shots. "This is similar to Ne Win's system. Ne Win always relied on the intelligence service," he noted. "Khin Nyunt's duty is to report what is happening to the country and to implement the senior officers' decisions," he said. Nevertheless, he hastened to add that Slorc s current system has one slight difference from that of Ne Win. He suggested that current regime may be practicing "collective leadership system." Obviously the top leaders do not want regional commanders to stay in their respective areas of responsibility too long as they might be able to build a power base. This is totally different from Ne Win's system, although Khin Maung Nyunt said regional commanders are more powerful than ministers. "Slorc leaders are wary of regional commanders. They don' t want them to form their own spheres of influences as this could lead to divisions," he said. A correspondent contributed this article to the Irrawaddy. WILL 8888 REPEAT IN THE FUTURE? Rangoon's powerful commander Lt Gen Myo Nyunt said recently: foreign broadcasting stations are carrying out instigations, and some party members inside the country are engaged in publication activities, holding secret meetings on the Shwedagon Pagoda platform, and using social occasions to hold meetings. Then Myo Nyunt said: "We have learned that these activities have a certain time frame." A headline in the Myanmar Ahlin read: "Some party members hold literature meetings in Mandalay_at Shwe-dagon Chedi there were secret meetings aimed at a certain time frame." Recently, hundreds of writers, poets and artists went to Mandalay to celebrate the birthdays of Ludu Daw Amar and Yan Aung Maung Maung. In fact, these birthday celebrations were regular gathering for artists in Burma. Ludu Daw Amar is a well-respected Burmese writer. Her son Nyi Pu Lay, a famous writer was arrested a few years ago as he was actively involved in the anti-Slorc movement. It is known that Ludu Daw Amar is a supporter of Aung San Suu Kyi. In fact, many writers and artists supported Aung San Suu Kyi in 1988 and 1989. They later became members of the National League for Democracy. One of the members Maung Thaw Ka died in prison as a result of torture. Some observers and Burmese speculate that in July and August there might be unrest in major cities in Burma. Our reporter asked some Burmese opposition figures in Thailand what were their plans if unrest erupted. "We cannot tell but we have a plan to handle the situation." One former NLD member recalled: "During the 1988 political uprising there was very little support from ethnic insurgents groups." Aung Saw Oo of NLD (LA) said: "We know revolution is inside Burma. We cannot hit the button to make revolution from Thailand or Washington." (Inside Sources) ADVENTUROUS TOURIST HARASSED BY POLICE Mittamaya Rudolf from Austria arrived in Rangoon on December 29. Since then he travelled throughout the country riding his bike. The business journal, Kyi-pwa-yay reported about Rudolf in its latest issue. The article was written by Pauk Kyaing. On January 9 Rudolf was taken to Moe Nyinn local law and order restoration council office for interrogation. His bicycle was also tied up with a chain and "arrested". According to the article, Rudolf brought his bike in Rangoon then proceeded to Pegu, Tha Se, Sagaing, In Le, Mandalay, Shwe Nyaung, Pin Ta Ya, but according to Pauk Kyaing who went to see Burmese officials in Moe Hyinn said officials, they did not see any signature or seal written by towns and provinces. In Burma, if a tourist travels from one place to another they are required to inform officials who are stationed in the province or town or village. Moe Nyinn is part of Kachin state and of course Burmese authorities do not allow tourists to visit there_in order to visit there they must obtain a special permission from officials. This is one of the reasons Rudolf was arrested. Moreover, authorities suspected he was travelling alone by his bike. The article itself was very suspicious on Rudolf. At the end of the article the writer asked: If officials at Moe Nyinn did not notice it, how and where will Rudolf sneak out of Burma? The writer also referred to an "ugly incident" that occurred in Burma 10 years ago but he did not say what. It is believed that he was reminding readers of the bombing incident in Rangoon where visiting South Korean ministers were killed by North Korean commandos who sneaked into Burma. Pauk Kyaing also asked: Mr Rudolf came here in order to test the nature of the Burmese people? Or was it a precursor of the "future plan"? Pauk Kyaing did not specify what plan? Then he went on to ask: "What kind of plan has he implemented or planted in places where he travelled or visited?" 1996 is visit Myanmar year. But the above-mentioned article was full of suspiciuous and scepticism about foreign tourists. Rangoon's tourism minister Lt Gen Kyaw Ba said Burma is expecting 500,000 tourists to come in 1996. However, some tourist agencies said it is "highly ambitious." (Kyi Pwa Yay Magazine) AUNG SAN SUU KYI IS FORGOTTEN? ON 19 June one of our reporters phoned Rangoon and talked to a veteran journalist who is a known Slorc supporter. Our reporter asked him what is happening in Rangoon and were there any ceremonies to mark Suu Kyi's birthday. The answer was: "Oh! no one noticed this I just came back from downtown. I just know because of your call." His voice was shaking and angry our reporter said. (Note: this journalist is known as one of the anti-Suu Kyi fellows.) So our man gave up and hanged up the phone. He called another number and again he asked about Suu Kyi but the phone was hanged up. It was from JiJi press also known for his support of Slorc. Finally, our reporter gave up trying to call Burmese reporters in town as he realized he wouldn't get any independent views or news. He called up someone who opened a book shop in Rangoon. When he asked same question. The answer was: "Of course we want to do something to celebrate but how could we do that." Then he sarcastically laughed in the phone. (BIG) HELL IN RANONG IT was life for Burmese in Thailand is not easy. Particularly for the women who come to Thailand illegally. Min Thura from Ranong sent the letter to the BBC World Service (Burmese Section) recently: "Since 1988 there are many more Burmese girls coming into Thailand and working at Ranong brothels. In 1993 some women went back to Burma as a result of the closure of brothels. Some remained in Ranong. However, as they have no ID cards they often were harassed and arrested. There are some families which were apprehended and if they have pretty daughters, they were separated from their families and put in another cell. At night time they were raped in custody." (BBC World Service) /END BURMANET NEWS/