------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: August 28, 1995 HEADLINES: ========== THE NATION: SUU KYI TURNS HOME CHATS INTO PUBLIC FAN MAIL FORUM THE NATION: BURMA LAUNCHES ITS FIRST DIRECT FIGHTS TO CHING MAI THE NATION: BURMA ASKS THAILAND TO CUT OFF IT SUPPORT FOR KHUN SA BKK POST: ILLEGAL BURMESE WORKERS GET DEADLINE ON PERMITS BKK POST: INDIA REVIEWS ITS TRADE POLICY TOWARDS BURMA ---------------------------------------------------------- Produced with the support of the Burma Information Group (B.I.G). The BurmaNet News is an electronic newspaper covering Burma. Articles from newspapers, magazines, newsletters, the wire services and the Internet as well as original material are published. 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Sutcliffe" World Wide Web: FreeBurma@POBox.com Volunteering: Dr. Christina Fink c/o burmanet@igc.apc.org [Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage] ---------------------------------------------------------- ===== item ===== SUU KYI TURNS HOME CHATS INTO PUBLIC FAN MAIL FORUM 28 August 1995, The Nation BURMESE pro-democracy activist Suu Kyi has moved past ex- temporaneous speeches at her twice-weekly meetings with the populace and has turned the gathering into a kind of public forum, reading some of the mail sent to her by supporters. Suu Kyi met a crowd of some 500 people at her west Rangoon lakeside home on Saturday evening, armed with a handful of mail. The first letter asked her to make prepared speeches, rather than off-the-cuff remarks. "My public appearances are meant for you people to see and hear me and for me to see and hear you in an not regular meeting requiring prepared speeches," she said. "Moreover, preparation of speeches takes time and at the moment I simply do not have the time". Another missive from a Buddhist priest sought remedies to inflation in the nation's economy. "Has inflation even reached the Buddhist clergy?" she asked. drawing laughs from her audience. She offer no specific solution but only said the problem should be tackled by a political system that could find effective solution to problems in a thinly veiled dig at Rangoon's military leadership. Another letter urged her to be careful about her personal safety. "Thankyou," she reply, "but I am more concerned with the struggle for democracy than my personal safety." Finally, one writer asked for advice on how to master the English language. "I am afraid I cannot give you any hard-and-fast ruler on this subject because I am not a teacher, but I would advise you to read as many English books as you can, as it would be of great help in improving your skill in the use of this language." (TN) ===== item ===== BURMA LAUNCHES ITS FIRST DIRECT FIGHTS TO CHING MAI 28 August 1995, The Nation Air Mandalay launched the first direct commercial flight between Rangoon and Chiang Mai yesterday and will begin regular bi-weekly service between the two cities in September, company official said. Air Mandalay officials said at a press conference at Rangoon Airport that they also intend to start regular flight to Chiang Rai and Phuket in the near future. Air Mandalay, a joint-venture between state-owned Myanmar Airways and Mandalay Holdings of Singapore, began domestic service in November 1994 with two new French-made 66-seater ATR 72-210s. (TN) ===== item ===== BURMA ASKS THAILAND TO CUT OFF IT SUPPORT FOR KHUN SA 28 August 1995, Bangkok Post SLORC id closing in on Shan Opium warlord Khun Sa in the Golden Triangle, but Thailand must cut off border support for the trafficker if he is to be finally crushed, a senior from the Thai side. "It seems we are alone in the fight against narcotics and Khun Sa. We told the Thais and the United States to get him from the Thai side." "If they are seriously interested in eradicating the problem, they must help us finish hi," Col Kyaw Win, deputy director of the Directorate of Defence Service Intelligence," said. "Our number one enemy Khun Sa will fall quickly only if the Thais cut off logistic lines helping him along their border," he added. "We believe the Thai government it sincere in wanting to get rid of the problem, but in the remote border area where it has little influence there are corrupt civil and military officials who are helping Khun Sa." Burmese military officers claim Khun Sa's rebels injured in battles with their troops have been given access to medical attention in Thai border hospitals despite Thai military checkpoints. "Most of Khun Sa's ammunition, logistics and food comes from the other side of our border. While his supporters can get medical attention our troops die on the way to our far away hospitals after fighting," Kyaw Win said. The embattled Khun Sa, 61, is the most prominent drug trafficker in the Golden Triangle, where the borders of Burma, Laos and Thailand meet. He is wanted by Burma, the US and Thailand on drug charges. "The Shan breakaway group from Khun Sa and ethnic Wa fighters will also join Burmese troops in their assault on him and Khun Sa's future does not look bright," Kyaw Win said. Khun Sa has said he wants to lay down weapons, retire and hand over areas under his control to an international organization . But Burmese officials have rejected his proposal. "How can he talk about handing over Burmese sovereign territory to international organization? Kyaw Win said. Burmese has launched income-substitution programmes to rehabilitate poppy growers in parts of the remote Golden Triangle, but it efforts have been short-circuited by a lack of funds, its officials said. "We have limited funds to carry out these programmes since the international community cut off assistance to Burma in 1988. It is very difficult for us," Kyaw Win added. (TN) ===== item ===== ILLEGAL BURMESE WORKERS GET DEADLINE ON PERMITS 28 August 1995, Bangkok Post Burmese aliens working illegally in this border province have until the end of this month to apply for a temporary work permit or they will be deported. The Local Administration Department in June announced it would allow foreign workers in Tak to remain in the country provided they apply for a temporary employment permit from their local authority and that their Thai employers pay certain fees. The department had said the workers must lodge the application before August 21. However, when the deadline expired last week only 30 Burmese workers, out of almost 30,000 believed to be in the province, had reported to the local employment office to request work permits. This prompted the LAD to postpone the deadline until the end of this month in the hope encouraging more Burmese workers to apply for permits. According to Tak Employment Office official Sanan Prangthong, the Burmese workers need an official document from the immigration office verifying their status. The workers' employers are then required to submit the document and pay a 5,000 baht guarantee and a 1,000 baht annual fee per worker to the national treasury. Mr Sanan conceded there are not many aliens seeking employment permits. The Burmese workers were mostly recruited to undertake heavy duty jobs in labour-intensive businesses. After the extended deadline expires, the police will begin cracking down on alien workers. The workers will face stern legal action for illegally entering and residing in the country before being deported. Tak Chamber of Commerce president Niyom Vaiyaratchapanich has sent letters warning business owners in the province to quickly obtain the work permit for their alien workforce. He said most business owners continued to turn a deaf ear to the warning, as only four companies have gone to the employment office to apply for the permit for their Burmese employees. Mr Niyon explained that many companies are afraid the guarantee money would be not be refunded if the worker runs away to work for other companies. The expansion of local industries in recent years has punished up the demand for Burmese workers. The chamber of commerce proposed that the Interior Ministry and the Labour and Social Welfare Ministry lower the amount of guarantee money from 5,000 to 1,000 baht and permit the business to employ Karen refugees from the border camps.(BP) ===== item ===== INDIA REVIEWS ITS TRADE POLICY TOWARDS BURMA 28 August 1995, Bangkok Post By Prakash Chandra INDIA is out regain its status as a major trading partner of resource-rich Burma following the release of Burmese opposition leader Suu Kyi. Indian officials are now studying a policy to expand trade relations with Burma and establish a stronger presence in its market, which has been traditionally dominated by China, Thailand and Japan. Two Indian business delegations will visit Burma to pressure the prospect of expanding trade and investment at government and private levels. The official delegation is from the Union Commerce Ministry while the other unofficial delegation was assigned by the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce, based in Calcutta. A big flow of investment to Burma from the World Bank and other multilateral funding agencies, which have been held up, are likely to continue with Suu Kyi's release. Analysts say India has been keeping a distance from the military- ruled country because of international opinion. But diplomatic and other contacts have been maintained with Burma. An Indian ambassador has kept New Delhi informed of economic developments there. Critics of the Indian government's attitude towards the military regime say India has been influenced mainly by the West. The West, particularly the united States, has tried to isolate Burma, but the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)has gone against it and has invested there heavily. Apparently. the Chinese, Thais and Singaporeans particularly have cashed in on Burma's enormous investment opportunities pumping in more than $20 billion to rebuild infrastructure and put up factories. The Chinese have been especially keen, according to analysts. They have rebuilt bridges, roads and even built a monumental stadium as showpieces of Chinese assistance. India itself, after two years of negotiations, has signed an aviation agreement with Burma that will permit direct flights between New Delhi and Rangoon. As one senior official says: "This was the direct intervention by Prime Minister Narasimha Rao. We have drastically changed our policies towards Burma." The Burmese Embassy in New Delhi claims that Burma has already exported one million tons of rice. The Burma Ambassador, Win Lwin, said in a recent interview that the release of Suu Kyi was due more to internal initiatives in political reform than to outside pressure. He said: "We are a proud race. We have never wilted under pressure." Win Lwin reported that the rate of economic growth in Burma stood at 7.2 per cent. Trade between the two countries is heavily in favour of Burma. It has shown remarkable improvement during the past five years though. Against just about 893 million rupees ($28.8milliom) in 1989-90, the two-way trade rose to 4430 million rupees in 1993-94. While India's exported rose from 13 million rupees in 1989-90 to 650 million rupees in 1993-94 and 246 million rupees from April-Sep 1994, imports rose from 880 million rupees in 1989-90 to 3,780 million rupees in 1993-94. Sources say items covered under the border trade agreement, now limited to mustard seed, rape seed, pulses and beans, fruits, vegetables, garlic, minor forest products excluding teak and betel nuts, have great possibilities. According to Bengal Chamber of Commerce sources, it would work for an expansion for the list so that Callcutta could become an important trading point. Calcutta is strategic in meeting the demand for main Burmese imports of consumer products, industrial machinery and spares, chemicals and transport equipment. Traditionally, Rangoon has been as close to Calcutta as Madras or Bombay. Thousands of Indian families fled from Burma after the take over by the Burmese regime. They left large business, houses and even personal possessions. But some-how relations between New Delhi and Rangoon were never cut. India continued to import Burmese rice, timber and other products heavily. According to a study by the US based Centre for Global Trade Development, India is the most important source of investment and technology to Burma. In turn, India can make use of the vast resources of oil, natural gas and many supplementary minerals like silver, tin, copper, zinc. lead and tungsten in that country. (BP)