BURMA'S release of Aung San Suu Kyi is an important first step for the military regime, but analysts say that meaningful political dialogue has yet to begin. The charismatic dissident, released after nearly six years of house arrest, spoke almost immediately of the need for national reconciliation and dialogue between the junta and all democratic forces. The junta said nothing. "The question now is whether the military will carry through," a Rangoon-based diplomat said by telephone. "She says she'll talk, but it takes two to tango." Skeptics suggested the release was a public relations exercise intended to gain greater international acceptance for the junta both politically and economically. With this (release), they can avoid more criticism and can attract some of the foreign investment they need, an Asian diplomat commented. They don't need to do much more at this time, as (the release of) Aung San Suu Kyi was the crucial benchmark for many countries in gauging the junta's progress toward a more democratic regime, the diplomat said. But other Burma-watchers felt the international community would not be satisfied with stagnation, and that Rangoon realised it would have to give further signs of movement. "It won't be fast, and it won't be smooth, but it will happen," said another regional deplomat based in the Burmese capital. Arguing in favour of genuine dialogue, he held, was Burma's desire to gain status in the dynamic southeast Asian region, and its related desire to attract foreign investment to replace an antiquated and in adequate infrastructure. With lucrative oil contracts pending, Rangoon also wanted to avoid a threatened US ban on bilateral business links, analysts said. ===== item ===== ~SUU KYI TELLS INVESTORS DON'T RUSH Rangoon Reuters BURMA'S opposition leader Aung San suu Kyi yesterday urged foreign businessmen queuing up to invest in her resource-rich country to study the situation carefully before deciding whether the time was right. Of course, in the long run I think we would need international investment but I don't think we should rush into this, she told the British Broadcasting Corporation in an interview. It is the word rush I object to, I think you've got to study the situation much more carefully, she said. Burma's military government on Monday revoked an order which has confined the 50-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner to the compound of her Rangoon home for the past six years. Her release has been welcomed cautiously around the world by political leaders and the business community, many members of which, particularly in neighbouring southeast Asian countries, see attractive profits in long-isolated Burma's resources and its fledgling tourist industry. I want to study the situation much more carefully before I say whether I truly believed that this is the right time for investments in Burma, Suu Kyi said. Exiled Burmese dissidents around the world have been lobbying for years against investment in Burma, arguing that it would only bolster the position of the military government. Total foreign investment in Burma was $2.752 billion as of March this year, and was expected to increase to $4 billion by the end of 1995, Burma's Minister for National Planning and Economic Development, David Abel, said last month. Most foreign investment in Burma is in oil and gas, hotels and tourism, fisheries, mining and forestry. The biggest investors include Britain, France, the United States, Singapore and Thailand. Suu Kyi, daughter of Burma's revered independence hero General Aung San also appealed yesterday to her supporters to be patient but asssured them that democracy was on its way. Standing on a chair behind her front gate and speaking through a megaphone, Suu Kyi thanked about 200 supporters waiting outside, saying she was grateful for their support an encouragement. The crowd cheered: Long live Aung San Suu Kyi several times after her brief impromptu speech. The crowd, which grew steadily throughout the day, quietly dispersed after Suu Kyi's speech when she urged them to leave and clear the road for traffic as a good omen for our cause. Earlier in the day, Suu Kyi held her second news conference since her release inside her ramshackle lakeside home near Rangoon University. "I'd like to take this opportunity to warn everybody not to expect too much too quickly," she said. ===== item ===== ~3 BURMESE DIE IN MORTAR ATTACK Tak THREE Burmese workers were killed and two seriously wounded in a mortar attack, believed to be the work of Karen National Union rebels, on Myawaddy town opposite Mae Sot District yesterday, a border source said. The incident occur around 1:00 a.m when five 81 mm mortar shells landed on the new market in Myawaddy's northern suburbs. Three workers were killed instantly. Two were seriously wounded and admitted to Myawaddy hospital. Burmese authorities believe the rounds were fired by KNU rebels from Huay Nam Rom, about eight kilometers north of Myawaddy hospital, opposite Ban Wang Ta Khien in Mae Sot District. ===== item ===== ~IMMIGRATION POLICE ACCUSED OF FORCING BURMESE GIRLS TO STRIP TAK Two committees have been set up to investigate a Burmese woman's complaint that she and sic other women were forced to strip naked for a "body search" in front of immigration police when they had no money to pay a repatriation fee. Khin Than Thein, 21, filed the complaint with Tak Chamber of Commerce president Niyom Wairatpanih with the help of Mahn Bala Sheir, chairman of the Huay Kaloke Karen refugee camp, on Tuesday. She said that about two weeks ago she was among 20 Burmese who were found guilty of illegal entry. They were sent to the Tak immigration office for repatriation. The immigration police asked the seven women whether they had 200 baht to pay the repatriation fee. When they said they had no money, the police took them to one room and order them to take off their clothes in front of many male detainees who make laughing and making dirty comments about their bodies. Some police molested some of the women, Khin Than Thein said. She said she was married and had three children, She crossed the border from Hlaing Bwe in the central part of Karen State to Thailand in May to seek a job in Mae Sot where she was arrested. Provincial immigration police chief Lt-Col Chinapat Tansrikul said the incident occurred while he was in Bangkok on an official trip. The incident was reported to the higher command and two committees were set up to investigate. If the police were found guilty they would face disciplinary and legal action. The police alleged to have taken part in the incident would be brought before the complainant for identification today. Earlier this week, a Burmese Muslim displaced person accused the immigration police in Tak of illegally detaining him and taking away his jewellery worth about 190,000 baht. ===== item ===== ~RANGOON QUIET ON 'PRIVATE MATTER' OF SUU KYI RELEASE Rangoon, Reuters TWO days after freeing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma military government yesterday still refused to tell the nation, apparently trying to play down its importance. The country's official media has made no mention of her surprise release on Monday despite the 50-year-old Nobel Peace laureate's public appearance before the world's press at her home on Tuesday. "We have no announcement," a senior information ministry official said yesterday. "it is of no concern to us. That is a private affairs so we do not plan to cover it." Diplomats speculated the tight-lipped attitude of the military government was an attempt to belittle the charismatic leader's importance. This was despite the government request to her that she help toward the achieving peace and stability across the country in Monday's official notification to her that it was lifting nearly six years of house arrest. The attitude seems to echo a message from powerful intelligence chief Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt last Friday. In a speech setting out the military government's long-term goals, he said the tights of 45 millions people were more important than those of "any single person." The Front page of yesterday state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper seemed to confirm that line. In a quarter page box the government again outlined its political, economic and social objectives. It called for stability of the state, peace and tranquility, national reconciliation and the building of a modern nation in accordance with a new constitution. Sections already agreed by a government-appointed body drawing up the new charter rule out Suu Kyi ever becoming Burma's leader because she is married to a foreigner, and guarantee the military a "leading role" in politics. Diplomats also said the black out might be an attempt to stave off any possible reaction by jubilant pro-democracy supporters. "You can speculate it is to keep interest dampened and not make of widespread," one diplomat said. "But news travels fast here , by now it's all over Rangoon." He said it was ironic that international newscast_ some of which are beamed into Burma via satellite_ had Suu Kyi as the top story while official Burmese radio and television reported on a Buddhist holiday and a new agriculture project. One Rangoon resident, who heard the news on a BBC broadcast on Monday, said the government efforts to suppress the news was futile. "They want to close every body's eyes and ears. They want to control every body," he said. "But we know. We love Aung San Suu Kyi. Although Suu Kyi, who was put under house arrest on July 20, 1989, held an hour-long mews conference at her lakeside home on Tuesday, she has not left her compound to talk with the hordes of supporters outside. Suu Kyi clearly wanted to show her appreciation to her many supporter, but was hesitant to outside her gates probably because her appearance might lead to a demonstration or uprising, diplomats said. Instead she made a brief speech from inside her gates, peering over the walls of the compound that had been her prison for the past six years. She told the applauding crowd she was still a member of the National League for Democracy which she help found, and promised she had she had not betrayed them in return for her release. Most of the hundreds of people who had gone to her house heard the news of her release either by word of mouth of through BBC radio and television programmes broadcast here. Crowd has dwindled in front of her house yesterday, partly because it was a regular workday. Tuesday had been a Buddhist holiday. There were about four uniformed policemen guarding the gates. ===== item ===== ~SUU KYI REMEMBERED AS SHY GIRL New Delhi, Reuters An Indian schoolmate of Aung San Suu Kyi says she watched the Burmese the Burmese dissident grow from a shy girl onto a confident woman in the years they spent together in New Delhi. "One saw Suu change from a shy, self-effacing schoolgirl to person with confidence and definite views," Malvika Karlekar, who has known Suu Kyi since 1959 when they went to high school together in New Delhi, told Reuters in New Delhi, told Reuters by telephone late on Tuesday. "She was a person of tremendous discipline_ it was evident from the way she sat, conducted herself, spoke and studied," said Karlekar, who later studied with Suu Kyi in New Delhi's Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College and England's Oxford University. "It was at Oxford that she became a person with distinct political views," Karlekar said. "I mean, in school, we were all callow teenagers trying to find a place for ourselves." "Suu used to wear a traditional lungyi to LSR, but at Oxford she had switched to jeans," said Karlekar. Karlekar said Suu Kyi, daughter of Burma's independence hero and whose mother was once Burmese ambassador to India, had never expressed overtly political views while at college. ===== item ===== ~REBEL GROUP: SLORC DOESN'T DESERVE PRAISE 14.7.95/Bangkok Post The Democratic Alliance of Burma yesterday said the time is not yet appropriate to praise the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council for its latest move to ease the mounting pressure applied by the international community to restore democracy to Burma. In a statement received yesterday the DAB said, "This is not an occasion to show any sign of appreciation to the illegal ruling military junta in Rangoon for doing something which is way overdue and damaging for the country. They were compelled to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi." It added that the SLORC had suffered an ignominious political defeat at the hands of the ever-growing strength of pro-democracy supporters inside and outside Burma. DAB attributed this defeat to the "overwhelming support" received from the international community and the "courage and perseverance shown by the Burmese people in the struggle for democracy." Meanwhile the Burmese Muslim Liberation Organization [MLO] yesterday expressed its " profound happiness" for Suu Kyi. " We are deeply grateful for her strong conviction and courage in spite of all the difficulties and obstacles she had faced during her detention," it said. The MLO statement pointed out the Rangoon regime has realised at last that the problems of the country cannot be overcome with military might. "We therefore urge SLORC to seriously consider holding a tripartite dialogue with the democratic forces led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the ethnic resistance groups in the country." ===== item ===== ~THAILAND, BURMA TO HOLD TALKS ON BORDER DIFFERENCES 14.7.95/Bangkok Post Mae Sot, Tak Thailand and Burma will meet today to discuss their differences on border issues, Thai military sources said yesterday. Among issues for discussion is Burma's claim that Thailand has encroached onto the Moei River on the Thai side by allowing stalls and shophouses to be built over the water, according to the sources. Assistant Army Commander Gen Chettha Thanajaro will lead a Thai delegation in talks with Burmese led by Construction Minister Maj-Gen Saw Tun and Southeastern Force Commander Maj-Gen Ket Sein. Early last month Burma told Thailand to suspend construction of the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge over the river, which links Mae Sot and Myawaddy, because of the encroachment . Rangoon demanded all buildings on the river be removed before talks could be held to resume construction of the bridge. The dispute could not be left unresolved and the meeting was aimed at clearing up misunderstanding so construction could resume, Gen Chettha said. Yesterday, he led 50 military officers and officials from the Foreign Affairs Ministry to inspect the bridge site and nearby areas after meeting officials from the Local Administration and Highway departments as well as businessmen at the Task Force 34 headquarters. ===== item ===== ~THAILAND HOPES FOR TALKS AMONG BURMESE GROUPS THAILAND yesterday expressed hope that Burmese military leaders, democratic forces and ethnic minorities can start talks to settle problems in the country following the release of dissident leader Aung San Suu Kyi earlier this week. Foreign Ministry spokesman Suvidhya Simaskul issued an official statement to welcome Suu Kyi's release after nearly six years under house arrest, but warned there were still many problems to be tackled to bring about peace and prosperity to Burma. "Her house arrest was a rather new problem for the Burmese Government, compared with other problems which have existed for a long time," he said. He said many important steps needed to be taken toward full democracy and economic development which would eventually bring about peace and stability in the country. "Thailand gives high priority to peace and stability in its neighbouring country." He called on the international community to support dialogue and cooperation among Burmese military leaders, Suu Kyi and ethnic minorities in resolving these problems which have kept Burma one of the poorest countries. Suu Kyi's release was a positive development, but political dialogue had yet to begin, he said. "If leaders from all groups in Burma can reach an agreement through peaceful means, it will also contribute to peace and stability in the region, as a whole. Thailand, as a neighbour, will benefit from peaceful cohabitation." ===== item ===== ~OVER 400 KARENNI REFUGEES CROSS BORDER TO FLEE FIGHTING Mae Hong Son MORE than 400 Karenni refugees have crossed into Thailand to escape fighting between the Karenni National Progressive Party and Burmese forces. They entered through Ban Pang Yone border pass in Tambon Mok Jampae, Muang District, according to Governor Somjet Wiriyadamrong. He said he had told officials of the provincial Public Health Office to provide medical treatment for refugees to prevent disease from spreading. Non-governmental organisations would be responsible for providing food and other necessities. About 3,000 members of the KNPP have been sheltering on the Burmese border opposite Ban Pang Yone since fighting between the two sides broke out last month. Border sources said KNPP ambushes had caused considerable problems for Burmese government soldiers. They said Thai loggers, who had earlier done business with the KNPP, had turned to negotiate with the 429th Battalion, a Burmese infantry unit with an operational base on the bands of the Pai River opposite Ban Nam Phieng Din border pass in Tambon Pha Pong, Muang District. The loggers want to shift their logs out of the combat zone. ===== item ===== ~EXILED BURMESE STUDENTS LIKELY TO STEP UP DEMANDS BURMESE students in Thailand are likely to further their political aims after the release of Aung San Suu Kyi by the military junta, Special Branch Police Commissioner Veera Visuthakul said yesterday. Pol Lt-Gen Veera said the students were expected to raise other demands, especially for a new constitution to enable a general election in Burma as soon as possible. Should they stir up unrest in front of the Burmese Embassy or other places, Thai authorities would issue a warning and take legal action against them if they broke the law, he said. John Aung, a Burmese student leader, said it was a great pleasure that the State Law and Order Restoration Council unconditionally released Suu Kyi after six years under house arrest. But more than 1,000 Burmese students in Thailand would push harder with other demands, said Mr John Aung, reasoning the Junta complied with only that relating to Suu Kyi. He said students would soon call on the SLORC to promulgate a constitution urgently and call a general election. ===== item ===== ~SHAN CONGRESS ISSUES CALL FOR RECONCILIATION THE Shan State National Congress has called for national reconciliation in Burma after the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest on Monday. The congress is the political wing of opium warlord Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army. In its statement released yesterday, the congress urged the State Law and Order Restoration Council to urgently return freedom to the public. "Though the Union constitution was torn apart by the Burmese military, we sincerely hope that like her father Suu Kyi shall be successful in upholding her great father's promise which shall lead to peace, progress and prosperity not only for our people but also for the region and the rest of the world." ===== item ===== ~BURMA SEEKS FIRST STEP TOWARD ROLE IN ASEAN by Anuraj Manibhandu Rangoon BURMA has officially told Brunei that it wishes to accede the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, a first step toward full membership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. According to Burmese Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw, Burma has accepted Brunei's invitation to join, as "guest of host country" in the annual meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers. Brunei extended the formal invitation only last week, Mr Ohn Gyaw told the Bangkok Post yesterday, in what was the first interview with a foreign journalist since the July 10 release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The Burmese minister refused to be drawn into any linkage with Mrs Suu Kyi's release and the ASEAN meeting. On July 29, in Brunei, Mr Ohn Gyaw will be appearing among ASEAN foreign ministers for the second time. In July last year he did so in Bangkok as "guest of host country". Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand will take on Vietnam as their seventh ASEAN colleague at the Brunei meeting. ASEAN capitals were quick to claim Mrs Suu Kyi's unexpected release a triumph for the group's much criticised "constructive engagement" with the ruling military junta. Asian and Western analysts here have questioned this interpretation, subscribing more to a mixture of contributing factors. "It reflects a confidence on the part of the military leadership in their ability to control the internal situation, as well as their need for development," said one Asian analyst. "European states could claim the same triumph for their critical dialogue, the United States could for their hard line. It was more likely a combination of all three," said a Western analyst. Burma, which in 1987 applied for Least developed Country status with the United Nations, suffered badly from the withdrawal of international aid from donors who were horrified with the suppression of pro-democracy demonstrators in 1988. The US, by virtue of being a leading contributor to the International Monetary Fund and the World Band, effectively holds veto power on lending by the two bodies to Burma. Mr Ohn Gyaw, in a comment seen to include reference to the US, slammed "certain countries" for "imposing constraints on developing countries". "The very idea of IMF and the World Bank is to promote economic development," he said. "But if there are two standards, then the very idea of developmental assistance has no meaning". Mr Ohn Gyaw said Burma enjoyed identical views with ASEAN on most international issues. Economically, he said Burma was "not in a hurry" to join the ASEAN Free Trade Area planned for the year 2003. "The tempo and process would be in accordance with what we could do and could give," he said. ===== item ===== ~SUU KYI URGES THAILAND TO FOCUS ON HER PEOPLE'S NEEDS Bkk Post/ 15.7.95 by Anuraj Manibhandu Rangoon Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday urged the Thai government to think of the needs the ordinary people of Burma, and questioned what constructive engagement had achieved. "Thai people are sympathetic," she told the Bangkok Post in a select-group interview. "But I would like the Thai government to look at the interests of the ordinary people of Burma, to try to see how things are with the ordinary, not just to look on the surface," she added. If Thailand is really interested in helping the people of Burma, the focus should be on what the people want," she said. "The people are more important than the government", she stressed. "The Burmese people need to allowed to develop their talent more