My apologies for the format. -glen ------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"----------------------------------------------------------The BurmaNet News: November 11, 1995Issue #275Noted in Passing: If they really want drug imports into the United States to go down, the answer is simple : Stop SLORC from fighting us and put more pressure on it to apply tighter measures in its own controlled areas instead. - Mong Tai Army customs official (quoted in: S.H.A.N. : SLORC CONTROLS DRUGS BUT US IS STILL OUT FOR KHUN SA'S SCALP)HEADLINES:==========ABSDF-MTZ: NEWS FROM INSIDE BURMAABSDF-MTZ: HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN KAREN TERRITORYISBDA: JAPAN'S RULING PARTY SEEKS FRIENDSHIP WITH THE NLDS.H.A.N. : SLORC CONTROLS DRUGS BUT US IS STILL OUT FOR K.S.BKK POST: UN REPORT ON BURMA ABUSES NEEDS ACTING ONBKK POST: AUNG SAN SUU KYI TALKS POSSIBLE IN FUTUREABSDF-MTZ: STATEMENT ON THE 7TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ABSDFINDEPENDENT APPEAL: TOTAL ACTION ALERT------------------- ---------------------------------------Produced with the support of the Burma Information Group (B.I.G)and the Research Department of the ABSDF {MTZ}The BurmaNet News is an electronic newspaper covering Burma.Articles from newspapers, magazines, newsletters, the wireservices and the Internet as well as original material are published.The BurmaNet News is e-mailed directly to subscribers and isalso distributed via the soc.culture.burma and seasia-lmailing lists and is also available via the reg.burmaconference on the APC networks. For a free subscription tothe BurmaNet News, send an e-mail message to: majordomo@igc.apc.orgIn the body of the message, type "subscribe burmanet-l"(without quotation marks) Letters to the editor, comments orcontributions of articles should be sent to the editor at: strider@igc.apc.org-------------------------------------------------------------INFORMATION ABOUT BURMA VIA THE WEB AND GOPHER:Information about Burma is available via the WorldWideWeb at:FreeBurmaWWW http://sunsite.unc.edu/freeburma/freeburma.html[including back issues of the BurmaNet News as .txt files]BurmaWeb: http://www.uio.no/tormodlBurma fonts: http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~lka/burmese-fonts/moe.htmlEthnologue Database(Myanmar):http://www- ala.doc.ic.ac.uk/~rap/Ethnologue/eth.cgi/MyanmarTO ACCESS INFORMATION ABOUT BURMA VIA GOPHER: gopher csf.colorado.edu.Look under the International Political Economy section, thenselect Geographic Archive, then Asia, then Burma.---------------------------------------------------------- BURMANET SUBJECT-MATTER RESOURCE LISTBurmaNet regularly receives enquiries on a number of differenttopics related to Burma. If you have questions on any of thefollowing subjects, please direct email to the following volunteercoordinators, who will either answer your question or try to put youin contact with someone who can:Arakan/Rohingya/Burma volunteer neededBangladesh BorderCampus activism: zni@students.wisc.eduBoycott campaigns: [Pepsi] wcsbeau@superior.ccs.carleton.caBuddhism: Buddhist Relief Mission: brelief@gol.comChin history/culture: plilian@asc.corp.mot.comFonts: tom@cs.colgate.eduHistory of Burma: zni@students.wisc.eduKachin history/culture: 74750.1267@compuserve.comKaren history/culture: Karen Historical Society: 102113.2571@Compuserve.comMon history/culture: [volunteer needed]Naga history/culture: Wungram Shishak: z954001@oats.farm.niu.eduBurma-India border [volunteer needed]Pali literature: "Palmleaf": c/o burmanet@igc.apc.orgShan history/culture: [volunteer needed]Shareholder activism: simon_billenness@mail.cybercom.netTourism campaigns: bagp@gn.apc.org "Attn. S.Sutcliffe"World Wide Web: FreeBurma@POBox.comVolunteering: christin@ksc.net.th[Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage]***********************ABSDF- MTZ: NEWS FROM INSIDE BURMANovember 6, 1995From: Caroline Lurie Detained student put in solitary confinement------------------------------------------ --A Burmese student, Maung Myat San, a member of Three Color Flaggroup (former personal bodyguard group of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi)and NLD youth member, who has been serving his 7 years prisonterm in Insein (Rangoon) jail wrote a letter to Daw AungSan Suu Kyi after her release in July this year.Unfortunately, that letter was seized by the prison authoritiesat the gate of the main jail and the warder who took out thatletter was discharged and sentenced to 5 years in prison withhard labour. Maung Myat San was put in tiny cell for solitaryconfinement for 5 months.*******************************Maj. Nay Soe gives warning to students------------------------ --------------Col Than Htun directed Maj. Nay Soe to give a warning Daw AungSan Suu Kyi, saying students inside her home are planning aposter and pamphlet campaign against the Slorc. Maj. Nay Soe isthe head of the MI security guards at the gate in front of DawAung San Suu Kyi's residence.Voice of the PeacockABSDF************************************************ABSDF-MTZ: HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN NORTHERN KARENTERRITORY November 6, 1995From: Caroline Lurie Human Rights violations in Northern Karen Territory------------ ---------------------------------------In the southern part of Papun township, Kler La, Kaw Thaway Do,Klay Sho Koh, Ler Joot, Wah Tho Koh, Ku Ler Doy, Maung Koh Do,Pae Kaw Doh and Maung Sho Koh villages, each household has to pay200 Kyat every month for ammunition basket fees. If anybody froma family tries to run away, his or her family will be fineddouble fees each month. These villagers have been forced to carryexcessive loads of ammunition and arms without being given anyfood.On October 18, 1995, Slorc battalion No. 26, commanded by MajorMyat Aung, went to Saw Wah Do area and started shooting thevillagers while they were harvesting rice in the fields. Theykilled a girl and 7 men and injured 5 others. Seven huts, 27paddy stores and also rice paddy fields were burnt down by theSlorc troops. After that they went into Saw Wah Do village andseized everything which belong to villagers. They killed 5 cowson that day for their army rations. The Slorc soldiers wereordered to destroy every rice field which was planted by Karenvillagers.On October 22, 1995, Slorc regiment No. 233 led by MajorWin Tin Oo, under the direct command of Lt. Col. Aung NaingHtun, a strategic commander of strategy No. 2, opened fireon Karen villagers in the paddy fields called Mu Khee near KhawMu Dae village. That area is located in Taungu district of Pegudivision. A village man named Saw Bar Balu was shot dead and allthe paddy fields were burnt down by Slorc troops. On October 23,1995, all paddy fields and belongings of Khaw Bu Htowvillagers were destroyed by Slorc regiment No. 26 led byMajor Aye Kyaw.On October 23, 1995, nearly 100 Karen students from Kha Layar andKaw Thae Dae Guin villages were arrested by Slorc troopscommanded by Lt. Col Aung Naing Htun, for porterage, sweepingland mines and building new roads. The same day, three bulldozerswere sent to Kaw Thae Dae village to build a new road from KawThae Dae to Bu Sar Khee village. On October 25, 1995, BrigadierGen. Kyi Aung, commander of Southern command, ordered Major AungNaing Htun, a strategic commander of strategy No. 2 to forciblyrelocate all the villages between the area of Dae Lo and Ray KhatGuin to a new location 13 miles away at Than Daung township inTaungu district. At the moment, all the village leaders who wereforced to relocate are being forced to join basic militarytraining there on the orders of Brigadier Gen. Kyi Aung.On October 25, 1995, Major Aung Naing Htun summoned the Baw TaliGyi village headman Khaw Thaba Phawt (50) and an old woman toserve him as his personal servants and later the village head manwas killed, but the villagers found his dead body in thejungle. The same day, the Kha Laela village headman's house wasdismantled by Slorc soldiers on the orders of Major Aung NaingHtun. At the same time, all the houses from Wabo Kho, Kalay SoKhee and Ka Pudae villages were dismantled and moved to Kha Laelavillage.[Sources from Chairman of KNU Taungu district/ Translated by theABSDF]*********************************************ISBDA: JAPAN'S RULING PARTY SEEKS FRIENDSHIP WITH THE NLDNovember 8, 1995From: kyawtint@hatelecom.or.jpJapan's ruling party New Party Sakigake has sent a delegation to Burma toestablish political partnership with the National League for Democracy(NLD), Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun reported.Representative Mr. Noboru Usami and Mr. Muneharu Wada of Sakigake'sHeadquarters have visited Rangoon from November 3 to 5 and they met DawAung San Suu Kyi and other NLD leaders to discuss underlying issues in theprocess towards democratization and the securing of basic human rights inBurma. Both parties have achieved certain agreements on closer andeffective collaborations in the future.At the press conference held at the Sakigake Tokyo Headquarters yesterday,Party Secretary General Mr. Yukio Hatoyama said that his request for visato visit Myanmar was denied by giving a reason that the situation in Burmais quite delicate and tense. It was unveiled that, in the letter to his NLDcounterpart, Mr. Hatoyama suggested to initiate collaborative programswith an ultimate aim of human rights improvement in the Asia region. Healso commented that it is quite unrealistic at this moment to regard Burmaas a country with significant progress towards democracy and human rights.*****************************S.H.A.N. : SLORC CONTROLS DRUGS BUT US IS STILL OUT FORKHUN SA'S SCALP5 November , 1995Shans are shocked by reports about American approval of SLORC's militarycampaigns against Shans despite growing evidence that the bulk of opium andheroin convoys are passing through SLORC controlled territories.One customs official of Mong Tai Army, whose name is withheld here byrequest, says : Since communist affiliated organisations went over tothe SLORC's side six years ago, less and less drugs are coming intoMTA-controlled areas . Accordingly we are getting less and less revenue,in sharp contrast to our increase in troop strength. Drug operations arecheaper, easier, faster, and more profitable in SLORC's areas. So whyshould the traders, except for a few, want to come through us? And yetthe Americans are still enlisting SLORC and its allies help to destroyus. I cannot understand why they are doing this. If they really wantdrug imports into the United States to go down, the answer is simple :Stop SLORC from fighting us and put more pressure on it to apply tightermeasures in its own controlled areas instead.He adds drily : If it weren't for assistance from some of our oldfriends, the Shans cause would be as good as finished.S.H.A.N. asked the opinion of Khwanmong, Secretary General of the ShanState Restoration Council's Central Executive Committee, who denied thatthe situation was that bad. " We are taking steps to open peace talkswith the SLORC which, if sucessful, will allow us the opportunity tomake more revenue. I hope Thailand will exercise a little more patiencewith us ", referring to reports that Thais are preparing for more severesanctions against the Shans.**************************************BKK POST: UN REPORT ON BURMA ABUSES NEEDS ACTING ONNovember 9, 1995The report on Burma by the special United Nations human rightsinvestigator Yozo Yokota is the most shocking on Southeast Asiasince the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The chargesof abuses and cover-ups by the Rangoon junta deserve carefulstudy by both governments and citizens in this part of theworld.Charges if killings, torture and arbitrary arrests are not newagainst Burmese authorities. Mr Yokota's report demands studyand action because of its detail. It is a serious report by oneof the most respected and objective observers of Burma.Mr Yokota is a Japanese academic with an expertise in humanrights. He was engaged by the United Nations' office of thesecretary- general several years ago for one task: to investigateand to report on human rights in Burma.He took the job seriously. He has travelled to Rangoon and theprovinces, talked with government officials and other sources.Despite roadblocks tossed in his way by Burma's ruling State Lawand Order Restoration Council (Slorc), he worked carefully athis report.It takes a strong stomach to read the report with the care andattention it deserves. The Burmese army is reportedkilling_wanton, sadistic and random by turn civilians. Thereasons range from a slave-labourer asking for a drink of waterto suspicion of rebellion.The shaming, raping and gang-raping of women and femalelabourers are detailed. A disturbing description of the death ofa 56-year-old man suspected by soldiers of collaboration withrebel forces: "His ears were cut off, nails were driven throughhis hands and legs and his tongue was cut out. The victim diedwhen nails were driven through the crown of his head."The expert released several interim reports before his explicitand disturbing final summary from the United Nations on Tuesday.Each reported general and specific human rights abuses againstRangoon. None was taken seriously or acted upon by the junta.Throughout the investigation, Mr Yokota has acted in ascrupulously diplomatic manner. The last public report beforethis week gave guarded praise to Burma for talks it held withopposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in short, Mr Yokota has fromthe beginning bent over backwards to be fair to a governmentmany view as simply vicious.Slorc was given opportunity to view Mr Yokota's final reportbefore it was released. Sadly if predictably, Rangoon went intodeep denial. According to the regime, none of the eventsgraphically pictured in Mr Yokota's report happened. All Burmesesoldiers treat women with respect. All female labourers are paid(no mention at all of forced porterage of men by Slorc).Burma will not investigate any specific or general charge madein Mr Yokota's sickening summary unless victims bring thempersonally to Rangoon police notice. The junta asks, "How cananyone from this society commit such outrageous crimes..?" Thisis an important question.The world should, and must, demand an answer. The UN report sayssuch crimes took place. Eye-witnesses who do not know each otherlend their own recollections. Other reports, un-connected in anymanner with Mr Yokota's tight and gruesome study, jibe with theUN representative's conclusion.Our own government should try to find out how such crimes canoccur in Burma and should also determine a course of actionbased on the answer. No civilised government would tolerate suchacts. Why the Burmese regime refuses to investigate Mr Yokota'sreports is a serious question demanding equally serious study.The repression in Burma since 1962 is well-known to Burma'sneighbours.Mr Yokota's report focuses, properly, on the human rights abusesin Burma but makes no sweeping recommendations. This, however,should not stop governments and citizens. The horrific violencewhich has taken place in Burma and which continues must stop.The Burmese government cannot assume a place with othergovernments in a civilised world. The atrocities reported by MrYokota should demand the attention of Slorc. The junta must bemade aware it has no credibility and will earn none simply bydenying the many horrifying details in the Yokota report.Slorc must talk with its opposition, particularly with Ms SuuKyi, for there can be no reconciliation in Burma. It must alsodeal seriously with the subject of human rights abuses. The UNreport is a warning to Rangoon of a serious diplomatic problem,as well as notice to the world of terrible events still takingplace in Burma. If Slorc fails to heed this dual warning, itwill reap severe consequences. (BP)***************BKK POST: AUNG SAN SUU KYI TALKS POSSIBLE IN FUTURE, SAYSSLORC MINISTER November 9, 1995Tokyo, AFPVisiting Burmese Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw yesterday said theruling military junta would consider talking with pro-democracyleader Aung San Suu Kyi in the future.According to Jiji Press Ohn Gyaw told his Japanese counterpartYohei Konoat: "I will consider it at an appropriate time in thefuture," if Aung San Suu Kyi pledges to make a "constructivecontribution" to the country.The Burmese foreign minister said "the process to enact a newconstitution now stands at a sensitive stage." And he added:"The Burmese government places top priority on national reconciliation."Konoat was quoted as telling Ohn Gyaw that Japan wanted Burma"to attach importance to democratic views and procedures" whendrafting a new constitution. A national convention is to be heldby Burma's military junta, the State Law and Order RestorationCouncil (Slorc), later this month to draft a constitution.Meanwhile, Ohn Gyaw said Burma would send "a highest-leveldelegation" to a summit in Bangkok of the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (Asean) in December.Burma has been invited, along with Cambodia and Laos, to thesummit of top leaders from Asean's seven member nations Brunei,Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand andVietnam.Japan last month resumed its grant-in-aid to Burma with a firstaid of 1.6 billion yen_ US$16 million following Aung San Suu Kyi's release on July 10 after six years of house arrest.Tokyo also announced its willingness to resume economic aid toBurma on a case-by-case basis based on democratisation moves bythe Burmese military junta. But Burmese dissidents have calledon Japan to hold back its aid to pressure Rangoon's junta.Japan virtually halted its aid after the junta's take-over in1988. General Maung Aye, vice chairman of the Slorc, came toJapan earlier this month but his visit remained low-key. TheBurmese foreign minister arrived in Tokyo on Sunday for a five-day visit. (BP)*****************************************ABSDF-MTZ: STATEMENT ON THE SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY OFTHE FOUNDING OF THE ABSDFNovember 5, 1995From: Caroline Lurie STATEMENT ON THE SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING --------------------------------------------------- OF THE ABSDF ------------ Date: November 5, 1995November 5, 1995, is the seventh anniversary of the founding of the ABSDF(All Burma Students' Democratic Front). Throughout the history of Burma, sincethe period of British colonial rule, students have been taking a leading rolein national independence movements and anti-military dictatorship struggles.Given the current situation in Burma, we have reached what could be a criticalturning point in the struggle to topple the military dictatorship and torestore democracy and human rights to all the people of Burma. We, the ABSDFstudents, together with the ethnic resistance groups and all democraticforces, are in readiness for the coming struggle to reach a politicalsettlement in our country.We the ABSDF firmly believe that the best chance for the implementation ofdemocracy in Burma and the establishment of federal union lies in themaintenance of strength and unity and a clear resolute determination by allethnic resistance groups and Burmese democratic organizations; we must allgrasp the cause of freedom in unison.On the auspicious occasion of the seventh anniversary of the ABSDF, we wouldlike to appeal to the people of Burma and the international community to joinhand in hand with us to demand from the Slorc military regime:1. The unconditional release of student leader Min Ko Naing and all politicalprisoners;2. The cancellation of all Slorc's unjust laws;3. The abolition of the Slorc's sham National Convention;4. The opening of dialogue with the democratic forces led by Daw Aung San SuuKyi and the ethnic national leaders so that national reconciliation andinternal peace may be achieved.Central Leading CommitteeABSDFHeadquarters88 Camp*******************************************INDEPENDENT APPEAL: TOTAL ACTION ALERTNovember 6 1995original from: Pamela Wellner this corrected version was posted by David ArnottACTION ALERT ACTION ALERT(David Arnott's Re-Working of the French Text)The following is a letter that has been translated for ProjectMaje by Info Birmanie, a French Burma activist organization. Itshould be sent to the following members of Total's Board ofDirectors. Please excuse the French version, accents were lostin the email transmission, if you know French please add them, orsend without.Total's address:Board Member c/o Total S.A.-- Conseil d'Administration, TourTotal, 24, Cours Michelet Cedex 47, 92069, Paris, La Defense,FranceBoard Members (Membres du Conseil d'Administration):Monsieur Thierry Desmarest, Monsieur Francois-Xavier Ortoli,Monsieur Guy Arlette (French government representative), MonsieurBernard Esambert, Monsieur Michel Francois- Poncet, Monsieur JeanSyrota, Monsieur Antoine Jeancourt-Galignani, Monsieur JeanPeyrelevade, Monsieur Jerome Monod, Monsieur Jean-Claude Preval(French government representative)French versionCher Monsieur________Je vous ecris pour protester fermement contre le projet deconstruction d'un gazoduc au sud de la Birmanie de la societeTotal.La region traversee est une zone de guerre avec guerrilla, et desemployes de Total y ont deja perdu leur vie. Tous les contratsont ete faits sous la loi de l'Etat birman et avec le Conseil derestauration de l'ordre, une junte violente. Les peuplesindigenes dont la terre est traversee par le gazoduc ne sont niconsultes ni dedommages. Beaucoup d'entre eux sont expulses deleur terres et de leurs villages par la force quand le regimeassure la securite de la route du gazoduc.Le gazoduc met en danger les especes rares et la forettropicale, et la Birmanie n'a aucune loi de protection del'environnement. Les mesures de securite prises par l'armeebirmane ont ete violentes et on a eu recours a l'esclavage pourla construction de routes et des bases militaires dans la regiondu gazoduc.La route du gazoduc traverse une region seismique jonchee demines. Ce projet ne va apporter benefice pratique ni financier aTotal. Au contraire, cela a noirci l'image publique de lasociete Total, qui se trouve identifiee aux violations des droitsde 'homme en Birmanie. Etant donne que Total est aujourdhui leprincipal investisseur etranger en birmanie, cette societe estpercue comme le soutien d'une junte condamnee par les NationsUnies et par l'Union europeenne. Apres six ans de detention, leprix nobel de la paix Aung San Suu Kyi a reclame la pursuite descampagnes contre la junte.Nous vous prions d'exercer votre meilleure influence aupres de lasociete Total, pour mettre un terme a ces odieux investissementsen Birmanie.--------- --------------------------------------------- EnglishTranslationDear Mr. _____________,I am writing to strongly object to the construction of a gaspipeline in the south of Burma by Total. The region crossed bythe pipeline is a guerrilla war zone, and employees of Total havealready lost their lives there. All of the contracts have beenmade under Burmese government law, with the State Law and OrderRestoration Council, a brutal junta. The indigenous people whoseland is crossed by the pipeline have not been consulted, norcompensated. Many have been forced from their lands and villagesas the regime secures the route for the pipeline.The pipeline endangers rare species and tropical forest, andBurma does not have any environmental protection laws. Securitymeasures by the Burmese Army have been violent, and are usingslave labor for the construction of roads, and military bases inthe pipeline region. Additionally, the route of the pipelinecrosses an earthquake zone full of land mines.This project will not bring any practical benefit or financialprofit to Total. On the contrary, it has brought about an imageproblem, as Total has been identified with violations of humanrights in Burma. Because Total is currently the prime foreigninvestor with the Burmese regime, the company is perceived to beinvolved with a junta condemned by the United Nations and theEuropean Union. After six years of detention, the Nobel PeacePrize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has appealed for thecontinuation of campaigns against the junta.We request that you use your best influence with Total to put anend to this odious investment in Burma.Sincerely yours,