------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: November 27, 1995 Issue #287 HEADLINES: ========== THE NATION: SLORC MAY BE SHOWING STRAIN AS NLD MEMBERS JAILED THE NATION: ADVISERS WANT ROW WITH BURMA TO END THE NATION: SUU KYI RAISES THE STAKES IN WAR OF WILLS WITH SLORC THE NATION: OPEN FOR BUSINESS THE NATION: 'MARKET ECONOMICS WILL BE GOOD FOR EVERYONE' BKK POST: NCGUB BACKS SUU KYI STANCE BKK POST: THAILAND TO TRAIN NEIGHBOURS' OFFICIALS FOR JOINING BKK POST: GOVT FIRM ON HELPING FIGHT CHILD SEX TRADE BKK POST: KHUN SA WANTS TO RESIDE IN THAILAND FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW:BURMA A TURN FOR THE WORSE FEER: RETURN VISIT *************** THE NATION: SLORC MAY BE SHOWING STRAIN AS THREE NLD MEMBERS JAILED FOR TWO YEARS November 24, 1995 By, Yindee Lertcharoenchok The Burmese junta on Monday sentenced three members of the youth wing of the National League for Democracy, the main opposition party, to two year's imprisonment on charges of disrupting civil order and assaulting police officers, an informed source in Rangoon said. The source said the Burmese media did not publicise the arrests or the sentences handed to the three NLD members, identified as Toe Aung, Maung Aye and Myo Zaw. According to the source, four NLD youth members were arrested last Saturday when they tried to negotiate with police who were erecting a barbed-wire barricade in an attempt to stop people gathering to hear NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi's weekend speech. One was released the same day while the rest were charged with disrupting civil order. The source said on Monday the three were charged with assaulting police officers and subsequently sentenced to two-years jail terms. Since her release in July after nearly six years of house arrest, Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, has made an appearance every weekend in front of her house on University Avenue to give a speech. The Burmese junta known, as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) has so far tolerated her behaviour and even allowed the foreign media and diplomats to visit her home. The road blockade last Saturday was the first sign that Slorc's is becoming less tolerant toward Suu Kyi's weekly appearances, during which she often calls on citizens to be patient in their long wait for political freedom. It was also the first time Slorc arrested members of the public or NLD attempting to listen to Suu Kyi's speeches. The source said despite the Slorc's attempt to bar the public, about 500 people turned up on Saturday at Suu Kyi's house. The source added that the barricade was not removed after the speech and that Slorc has increased the number of secret police and troops around University Avenue. Suu Kyi has become more vocal recently as Slorc shows no interest in opening talks with her. (TN) *************** THE NATION: ADVISERS WANT ROW WITH BURMA TO END November 24, 1995 The chairman of the House committee on foreign affairs yesterday urged Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa to help resolve Thai- Burmese conflicts which have soured bilateral ties since early this year. Suwat Liptapanlop said members of Thailand's private sector agree that a meeting between Banharn and Burmese junta leader Gen Than Shwe would help improve relations. He quoted Thai Foreign Minister MR Kasem S Kasemsri as telling a committee hearing yesterday that the ministry has tried to mend the strained relations and clear up misunderstandings with the Burmese side. Kasem was also quoted as saying that the ministry is working out a schedule of meetings between Thai and Burmese leaders. Suwat said committee members recently travelled to the coastal province of Ranong and found that trade there has been badly affected. (TN) *************** THE NATION: SUU KYI RAISES THE STAKES IN WAR OF WILLS WITH SLORC November 24, 1995 Aung Zaw on NLD's repudiation of the National Convention. The honeymoon is over and the battle may be about to begin. Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi announced Wednesday that her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), has a legitimate right to rule the country. Furthermore, she criticised the military-sponsored National Convention, which will resume on Nov 28, as being undemocratic. She declined to say whether the NLD will boycott it. "The NLD, as the political party that received the people's mandate, has a duty to point out that its expectations with regard to the National Convention have not been realised," she told reporters at her lakeside home in Rangoon. The National Convention, which has held been on and off for the past two years, has been branded as a "sham" by Suu Kyi and other opponents of the military government. Most delegates to the convention were hand-picked by the junta, which has demanded that the Tatmadaw (Armed Forces) play a leading role in politics. The junta which call itself the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) has also introduced measures that would effectively bar Suu Kyi from becoming head of state. "The work procedures of the convention are not democratic and the basic principles for the proposed constitution include some which do not coincide with that of a truly democratic state," Suu Kyi said. Nevertheless, she said the party has not yet decided to whether it will participate or not. At this moment, 89 of the remaining 106 delegates who have been attending the convention are from the NLD. While Suu Kyi and other party leaders were under detention, the remaining NLD members were pressed to attend the Convention. In addition, the NLD was pressured by the junta to expel Suu Kyi, Tin Oo and Kyi Maung and other party leaders. Despite the detention of its leaders, the NLD won a landslide victory in the 1990 general elections. The junta, however, refused to honour the outcome and instead convened the National Convention in January 1993. During an interview with the BBC World Service on Wednesday night Suu Kyi urged dialogue and serious discussion with the ruling military leaders. She stressed that changes were needed at the National Convention. Suu Kyi declined to elaborate on what sort of changes were, saying "...because of this we are asking them [Slorc officials] to meet and talk with us." Suu Kyi criticised the lack of free speech at the National Convention. Delegates have been asked to read out documents given to them by the military and instructed to submit them to the group chairmen, which exclude NLD representatives. The delegates are also prohibited from discussing issues among themselves. Suu Kyi said the junta failed to abide by democratic principles. She also warned that the NLD would not attend the convention if it does not benefit all the Burmese population. The NLD leader also concluded in her statement that if the National Convention continues to be convened this way, the country will not achieve national reconciliation and genuine democratisation, and that a constitution supported by the public will never be adopted. On Oct 5, the junta announced that it was postponing the National Convention, which was supposed to have resumed in that last week of that month. Soon after that, Suu Kyi was re- appointed to her previous position as secretary general of the NLD. Former leaders Kyi Maung and Tin Oo were re-appointed vice chairmen, while Aung Shwe retained the position of chairman. It is believed that if the NLD pulls out, other relatively small parties might follow them. If that happens, the National Convention will amount to nothing. The NLD itself is not without rifts. Since 1989, the NLD camp has been divided into two. One group that is believed to be led by Aung Shwe prefers to go about its work quietly and not take a hard-line stance. But the other group led by Kyi Maung, Win Tin and Suu Kyi wants to press Slorc to make genuine changes. Because of this another important question is how will NLD chairman Aung Shwe react? Will he dare to march with Suu Kyi? This is not a new dilemma the NLD is facing. The party, however, has shown a semblance of unity since Suu Kyi's release, said a member of the NLD. "We are united, we are not taking any confrontational stances. We are asking Slorc leaders to sit down with us," said a senior NLD member in Rangoon. If the NLD is united and receives public support, Slorc will have no choice but to deal with the party for the sake of the country. (TN) *************** THE NATION: OPEN FOR BUSINESS November 24, 1995 Burma's minority states Crescent Press Agency Donald Wilson and David Henley on the 'make money, not war' policy that is being used end ethnic insurgencies. During the six years since Burma's military rulers, the Slorc, brutally crushed their country's pro-democracy movement and imprisoned opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, they have managed not just to stay in power, but to strengthen their position through a judicious application of "carrot and stick" policies. The stick has been obvious for all to see. Opposition of all kinds is ruthlessly expunged, be it in the streets and tea houses of the main cities, or in distant border regions. Powerful ethnic minority rebels like the Kachin and the Wa have been "bought off" with in situ cease fires coupled with promises of trade and aid. Weaker ethnic rebels like the Mon, or more intransigent group like the Karen, have been dealt crushing military blows culminating in the recent capture of Mannerplaw, the Karen rebel capital, after 21 years of defiance. The region currently experiencing Slorc's "iron fist" policy is eastern Shan State, were a mix of ethnic rebels variously owing allegiance to Khun Sa and his Mong Tai Army (MTA), or to the allied Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) and its military wing, the Shan State Army (SSA), still hold out against Rangoon. Less visible, at least until the recent release from house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, was the Slorc carrot. In brief, this consists of opening Burma's ramshackle, ruinous socialist economy to the outside world, and establishing a free market from which everyone will benefit. Nobody doubts, of course, that the Slorc, the Burmese armed forces or Tatmadaw, and the regime's cronies in Rangoon and Mandalay will reap the lion's share of the profits; but the much-maligned "trickle down" effect does mean that, gradually, ordinary people too will benefit. Indeed, the argument runs, the former "Burmese Path to Socialism" was so completely ruinous to the economy of a once-prosperous land that almost any change could only be for the better. And so it has proved. Market reforms are leading to the first real growth in thirty years, and foreign investment, spear- headed by Asian companies less squeamish about doing business with Slorc, is rising. Trade is flourishing, especially with China, Singapore and Thailand, and a consensus appears to be emerging _ at least within Asean _ that the Slorc is on the road to reform. In support of this viewpoint, Thailand actively promotes a policy of "constructive engagement" with Burma, while Japan has recently restored humanitarian aid to the country, a decision backed by Takashi Tajima, Japan's ambassador in Rangoon, who has commented that the military leadership "are definitely moving in the right direction". For the present, those benefiting most are the urban traders of Rangoon, Mandalay, and a few other large cities like Moulmein. Still, cross-border trading with Bangladesh, India and Chin has been legitimised, while commerce with Thailand _ which once sustained the Burmese black market almost by itself _ is booming. Traders in Thai-Burmese border towns like Tachilek and Myawaddy intend to take full advantage of the situation, turning the flow of business from a trickle to a flood. This is good news for Burma as a whole, but bad news for ethnic minority rebels still at war with Rangoon. Thailand's traditional sympathies for the Mon for centuries as a shield against Burmese expansion have been quietly set aside in favour of lucrative gas and oil deals. In a still more revealing sign of the times, Thailand has sealed its border with those control, and loosened traditional ties with Shan separatist organisations such as the Shan State Progress Party and Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army. The Burmese border town of Tachilek, opposite Mae Sa, is in eastern Shan State. When this dies down, however, Rangoon clearly intends to promote Tachilek_ which it has dubbed "City of the Golden Triangle"_ as a main gateway to Shan State. Thailand's proximity to the Shans is more than just geographical. The majority inhabitants of the region, the Shan or Tai Yai, are a Tai people, speaking a language which is closely related to central Thai. They regard themselves, and are regarded by the Thais, as part of the same family. In spiritual and emotional terms, they are the last ethnic opponents of the Slorc Thailand would wish to abandon_ and yet the writing is now on the wall. Thailand wishes the Shan well, no doubt, but the message from Bangkok to Shan rebel leaders appears to be: "make money, not war". As the Burmese armed forces close in on Ho Mong, the Shan rebel capital, it is a message which seems to be getting through. (TN) *************** THE NATION: 'MARKET ECONOMICS WILL BE GOOD FOR EVERYONE' November 24, 1995 Crescent Press Agency Donald Wilson and David Henley talk to Perng Fa, a Central Committee Member of the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), about Slorc's policies and the opening of Shan state to tourism and economic development. Perng Fa is an ethnic Shan from the Namtu/Bawdwin area of northern Shan State. The interview was conducted in Burmese with aid of an interpreter. Give the SSPP's opposition to the Slorc and advocacy for Shan self-determination, what is your opinion of Rangoon's current move towards a market economy? Perng Fa: We approve of a free market economy which takes account of environmental questions and is not purely exploitative. The opening of the market should offer everyone in Shan State a chance to improve their standard of living. It should not be just for the rich few. What about the "Burmese Path to Socialism"? It failed. It did nothing beneficial for the Shans. It just made profits for the Burmese military authorities at the expense of ordinary Shan_and Burman_people. So what is the SSPP alternative? A free economy, an open door. The Shan people have to learn to handle a free market economy if they are to benefit thereby. We desire free and equal trade with our neighbours, Burma, China, Laos and Thailand. This will be for the good of everyone. What resources does Shan State have? Shan State is rich in timber and in minerals like silver, jade, and uranium. Our rivers offer a potential source of untapped hydroelectric power. And we have great tourist potential. But any exploration of Shan State's natural resources must be carried out in a proper way, with full regard for the protection of the environment. We intend to extract natural resources on a fair basis and with full professional advice. Slorc has recently thrown open Burma to international tourism and designated 1996 "Visit Myanmar year". What is your attitude to this? We feel it is very good for Shan State and very good for the Shan people. Opening to tourism offers opportunities for Shans both to make contacts with the outside world and to do business with foreigners. If there are tourists in Shan State it will become much harder for Slorc to persecute Shans or to follow oppressive policies against ethnic minorities. Yes, we welcome tourism. Maybe the Slorc will get the lion's share of profits at first, but ordinary people will see some benefit too. If Shan people are to profit, they must show initiative and talent. Are there any negative sides to an "open door" tourist policy? Well, we must ensure that national parks are set up and properly administered to protect out national heritage. Also, we wish to avoid sex tourism and the associated problems. Again, if tourism is to prosper, we must improve our information technology and transport facilities. What do you envisage? A major programme of hotel building and renovation. The construction and upgrading of airports, and the establishment of at least one major international airport in Shan State. At present the roads are in terrible condition. It takes three days to travel from Taunggyi, the Shan State capital, to Kengtung. In British times it was a half-day journey. Now you have to make two night stops. The best way to travel is by reinforced, double-sprung jeeps. We call them "Godzilla Jeeps". Tourists won't be able to visit Shan State in serious numbers unless the transport facilities are improved. What about international communications by land? There are plans to extend the railway from Lashio, in northern Shan State, to Yunnan. Similarly, China and Thailand intend to construct an all-weather road across eastern Shan State from Mae Sai to Jinghong in Sipsongpanna. In fact we need a new road network throughout Shan State, as well as good telecommunications. At present the telecommunications service is rudimentary. Only two or three big towns, like Taunggyi and Lashio, have a telephone service. The hotels, too, are pretty terrible. We will have to start again from scratch! So the opening of Shan State to tourism and international trade will be beneficial? Yes, but not entirely. Of course, this opening is inevitable and desirable. The Shan people will benefit materially. And yet such an opening may also be detrimental to the character and traditional values of the Shans. Still, there is no alternative. We will have to try to maximise the profits, while minimising the damages. Will Shan State be looking for international aid? We want to establish close links with neighbouring countries, especially Thailand. But as for aid... We would certainly accept and expect some aid from the British, whom we respect as our friends, but who still bear responsibility for Shan State's unwilling union with Burma after independence. (TN) *************** BKK POST: NCGUB BACKS SUU KYI STANCE November 24, 1995 The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) yesterday issued a statement in support of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's rejection of the National Convention and call for dialogue with the Rangoon junta. The NCGUB said dialogue aimed at national reconciliation would lead to a situation in which everyone, including the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), wins. (BP) *************** BKK POST: THAILAND TO TRAIN NEIGHBOURS' OFFICIALS FOR JOINING ASEAN November 24, 1995 Thailand has designed English-language and personnel training programmes for officials from Burma, Cambodia and Laos to prepare for Association of Southeast Asian Nations membership. Foreign Ministry spokesman Suvidhya Simaskul said yesterday Thailand had already proposed to help Laos and was ready to offer the same programme to Burma and Cambodia. Foreign Minister Kasem S Kasemsri made the offer when he went to Vientiane this month for the Joint Commission meeting. The Asean Secretariat also will extend a package of assistance to the three countries for the same purposes, Mr Suvidhya added. Cambodia and Laos plan to apply for membership of the grouping in the next two years. Leaders of the three countries will meet their Asean counterparts for the first time at the Asean summit in Bangkok on December 14-15. Cambodian Co-Prime Ministers Norodom Ranariddh and Hun Sen had confirmed they would attend the meeting while Gen Than Shwe, chairman of Burma's State Law and Order Restoration Council and Laotian Prime Minister Khamtay Siphandone had not responded, he said. The Foreign Ministry will hold a seminar on the theme of Asean towards one Southeast Asia on December 1 to get input on the grouping's future from speakers from various careers. Asean groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, which joined in July. (BP) *************** BKK POST: GOVT FIRM ON HELPING FIGHT CHILD SEX TRADE November 24, 1995 Thailand remains firm in its determination to work with other countries to crack down on child prostitution, Foreign Ministry spokesman Suvidhya Simaskul said yesterday. Getting rid of child prostitution is the government's top priority and the country is willing to cooperate with Australia and other western countries to end the problem, Mr Suvidhya told a press conference. Thailand has worked effectively with Belgium, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States to solve the child sex abuse problem. It has also supported efforts by these countries to punish any of their citizens who travel to the kingdom as tourists to indulge in child sex, he added. His comments came in response to a report by the Australian parliament which blamed the Thai police for being reluctant to catch nationals from that country who go on child sex tours here. The report by an Australian parliamentary committee on relations with Thailand also urged that country's government to review cooperation between Australian and Southeast Asian police in cracking down on child sex rackets. "This (the report's findings) are not the official position of the Australian government," the Foreign Ministry spokesman clarified, adding "we want to see other nations demonstrate to Thailand their seriousness in working with us to tackle the problem, instead of just putting the blame on someone else because they have failed to resolve it themselves." The report also suggested that Thailand use its close relationship with Burma to encourage Rangoon to develop democracy in the country. But Mr Suvidhya said Thailand would never do such a thing as it has to live alongside Burma. Bangkok will not impose sanctions on Burma unless the United Nations decides to do so, he added. "The call for Thailand to push Burma to develop into a democracy has come from a country located far from here, but which tries to play a role in Southeast Asia," he said. Thailand has made it clear that we will not interfere in any issues relating to Burma's internal affairs. Australia, where the report originated, has established business ties with Burma. Up until July this year, Australia invested US$ 3 million in three projects in Burma, according to a report by the Burmese Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development. (BP) *************** BKK POST: KHUN SA WANTS TO RESIDE IN THAILAND November 24, 1995 By Subin Kheunkaew and Nussara Sawatsawang Khun Sa, who relinquished command of the Shan liberation movement on Wednesday, wants to spend his final days in Thailand. On the eve of the official announcement of his retirement at Ho Mong headquarters in Burma's Shan State, the drug kingpin said: "If the Thai Government allows, I prefer living in Thailand." During a ceremony to inaugurate a pagoda on Wednesday, Khun Sa announced he was stepping down as head of the movement to establish Shan autonomy. He also announced his giving up all power to the Shan people and Buddhist monks. Khun Sa, 61, admitted his decision followed the defection this year of young turk Gun Yod with significant part of his Mong Tai Army, amid criticism that being half-Chinese, he could not be a full Shan. The outgoing Khun Sa, who tops a United States' list of most wanted international criminals, said he wanted to spend his life in privacy, simplicity and peace but was uncertain he could stay in Ho Mong. His strong preference was Thailand. "Thai and Shan people are of the same blood," he said. "We share the same religion and speak the same language." If his narcotics connections would compel the Government to refuse his wish to retire in Thailand, he said, without elaborating, that there would be another safe place. Heroin from areas controlled by Khun Sa is said to account for 70-80 percent of the market in the US, which wants to put him on trial. Khun Sa said insisted he had no direct dealings in the heroin trade but only collected taxes from drug caravans passing through his area. With or without him, he said, drug-trafficking would probably increase with the Shan state liberation movement splitting into small factions, all looking to make money to survive. Citing the Wa faction, he said the drug business seemed to be growing, not only in terms of heroin, but also the lucrative amphetamines trade. (BP) *************** FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW:BURMA A TURN FOR THE WORSE November 23, 1995 Government and opposition grow further apart By Bertil Lintner in Bangkok Aung San Suu Kyi doesn't like taking no for an answer, but she may have to get used to it. Since her release in July from six years of house arrest, Burma's most prominent opposition leader has sought some sort of dialogue with the military government that imprisoned her. The government has steadfastly refused, even while tolerating Sun Kyi's renewed high profile. Alas, the generals seem to have tired of this delicate minuet, and appear to be reverting to unbridled hostility. The clearest sign of their change in mood came on October 19 and 20, when the New Light of Myanmar, a government mouthpiece, published two harsh attacks on Suu Kyi and the movement she is trying to revive after years of repression. One of the two pieces - both published under the pseudonymous by - line U Phyo - lashed out at Rangoon groups who "are cracking cheap jokes at will to satisfy the average level of people, thereby engaging in destructive acts ... If I. U Phyo, were a police officer . . . I would certainly have taken action against these people for obstructing traffic." So much for reconciliation? Many are starting to question seriously whether there can be any accommodation between Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy and the ruling junta, officially known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council, or Slorc. What's more, some think, ifthe opposition doesn't soon produce something more tangible than mere words, Sun Kyi, despite all the talk about her being "Asia's Mandela," could find herself discredited and marginalized. Whether government and opposition are indeed moving farther apart should become clearer on November 16, when Burma celebrates its national day. The two camps are already planning separate ceremonies, so the event may mark a parting of ways after the awkward truce of the last four months. Even Suu Kyi herself won't say whether a dialogue is becoming more or less likely. Speaking by telephone, she told the REVIEW: "I don't want to be evasive, but you have to wait for an official statement from the NLD." One problem is that it remains unclear what a dialogue would be about. So far, the two sides seems to be talking past each other. While Suu Kyi and the NLD call for "national reconciliation" implying talks leading to some compromise the junta advocates "national reconsolidation," suggesting a reinforcement of military rule. "The problem is that they aren't even speaking the same language," says a Bangkok - based Burma watcher. Since her release, Suu Kyi has delivered weekend speeches from the gate of her compound on Rangoon's University Avenue, attracting hundreds of people. But she's in no position to do much else. Some fear the longer she and the NLD go without some substantive accomplishment, the more their credibility fades. Even Suu Kyi herself states publicly that "I've been released, that's all ... the situation hasn't changed." Optimists in Rangoon believe negotiations are likely on November 28, when the National Convention reconvenes to consider a constitution that has been under discussion for almost three years. "They will talk," says a Rangoon - based diplomat. "It's in the interest of both parties to sort out their differences." Others aren't so sure. The military has picked most of the 700 delegates to the convention, which opponents dismiss as a sham affair meant to legitimize Slorc's grip on power. They suspect the military hopes simply to string Suu Kyi along until the public, with its high expectations of her, inevitably becomes disenchanted. "By making vague promises of talks sometime in the future, but doing nothing to facilitate such talks, the junta is playing a clever waiting game which can only hurt Suu Kyi's chances of achieving her political aims," says a Western businessman with years of experience in Burma. "To bring about a change, Suu Kyi would have to up the ante," says a worker for a non - government organization in Thailand who follows events in Burma. "She just can't continue calling for national reconciliation and a dialogue which doesn't seem to materialize." Raising the ante, however, requires confronting not only the military rulers but also a powerful new lobby of foreign businessmen who have poured millions of dollars into Burma and have no interest in rocking the boat. Indeed, money may be the only reason Suu Kyi is walking free: By releasing her the military has opened the door to foreign aid hitherto withheld. In October, Japan resumed grants- in - aid to Burma with a first allotment of 1.6 billion yen ($16 million). Tokyo says it's willing to deliver more aid to Burma on "a case - by - case basis." As the Burma-watcher in Bangkok notes, "even the IMF and the ADB have said that they are prepared to wait for a political settlement, but not indefinitely." Edgardo Boeninger, a member of America's National Democratic Institute who went to Burma in early November, argues that unless Suu Kyi can prove that she is good for business and the present government is not, there will be no incentive to change the regime. And if there isn't, Suu Kyi risks irrelevance. "A year from now, she could even be forgotten," says a Burmese source. "In a way, she was more dangerous when she, was under house arrest than she is today, as a 'free' person who has to obey the same severe restrictions as all other citizens, which makes any overt political activity virtually impossible. Most probably Slorc will continue ignoring appeals for a dialogue until all parties, domestic and foreign, accept the government on its own terms. That, after all, has been the regime's goal since it seized power seven years ago.(FEER) *************** FEER: RETURN VISIT 23 November 1995 The No.3 man in Burmas ruling junta, Gen. Maung Aye, met two powerful United States congressman in Washington on October 25, following a visit to the United Nations in New York. The congressmen were Bill Archer, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Bob Livinston, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Aides described the meetings as courtesy calls to repay visits made by the Americans to Burma. Archer was in Rangoon for a second time in August 1994 and Livinston in the same month the following year. Archers Ways and Means Committee has jurisdiction over trade. Although no legislation is pending on Burma, he is one of the strongest supporters in Congress of a policy of economic engagement with Rangoon. Some of the biggest U.S oil and chemical companies are based in his congressional district of Houston, Texas.(FEER) **************************************************************** FOR REFERENCE: 1994-5 PUBLICATIONS ON BURMA November, 1995 From: "Moe K. T." 1994 PUBLICATIONS ON BURMA TITLE A Burmese appeal to the UN and US AUTHOR Win, Kanbawza. PUBLISHER Bangkok : CPDSK Publication, [1994?] 59 p. SUBJECT United Nations--Burma., Burma--Politics and government. Burma--Economic conditions. TITLE A Report on the location of Burmese artifacts in museums AUTHOR Blackburn, Terence R. PUBLISHER Gartmore, Stirlingshire, Scotland : Kiscadale, 1994., 79 p. SUBJECT Art objects--Burma., Burma--Antiquities--Catalogs. TITLE Australia's relations with Colonial Burma : 1886-1947 AUTHOR Selth, Andrew. PUBLISHER Clayton, Victoria : Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash University,1994. iii, 22 p SUBJECT Australia--Foreign relations--Burma., Burma--History--1824-1948. TITLE Burma debate. CORPORATE Open Society Institute. Burma Project. PUBLISHER Washington, D.C. : Open Society Institute, 1994-v. SUBJECT Burma--Periodicals. TITLE Burma : encountering the land of the Buddhas. AUTHOR Everarda, Ellis. PUBLISHER Stirling, Scotland : Kiscadale, 1994., 114 p. : ill. SUBJECT Burma--Description and travel--Pictorial works. TITLE Burma in revolt : opium and insurgency since 1948 AUTHOR Lintner, Bertil. PUBLISHER Boulder : Westview Press, 1994., xv, 514 p. SUBJECT Minorities--Burma., Opium trade--Burma.,Politics and government--1948-Burma--History--Autonomy and independence movements., Ethnic relations. TITLE Burmese crafts : past and present / Sylvia Fraser-Lu. AUTHOR Fraser-Lu, Sylvia. PUBLISHER Kuala Lumpur ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1994. SUBJECT Art objects--Burma., Art objects, Buddhist--Burma. TITLE Comparative study of the two military juntas: Thailand and Burma : a Burmese perspective. - 2nd ed. AUTHOR Kanbawza Win. PUBLISHER Bangkok : C.P.D.S.K. Publications, 1994. 74 p. : ill. SUBJECT Military government--Burma., Thailand. TITLE Culture shock! : Burma AUTHOR Saw Myat Yin. PUBLISHER Singapore : Times Books International, c1994. 207 p. : ill. ; SUBJECT Etiquette, Description and travel, Social life, customs in Burma TITLE Hard travel to sacred places AUTHOR Wurlitzer, Rudolph. PUBLISHER Boston : Shambhala, 1994. v, 161 p. ; 20 cm. SUBJECT Wurlitzer, Rudolph--Journeys--Cambodia, Thailand, Burma. Buddhism--Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Description and travel. TITLE Inked over, ripped out : Burmese storytellers and the censors AUTHOR Allott, Anna J. PUBLISHER Chiang Mai : Silkworm Books, 1994.,124 p. ; 19 cm. SUBJECT Burmese fiction--20th century--History and criticism. Authors, Burmese--20th century--Political and social views. Burmese fiction--Authorship--Political aspects,Psychology in literature, Censorship, Burmese fiction--20th century--Translations into English.,m Burma--Politics and government--1988- TITLE Mandalay : travels from the Golden City. AUTHOR Strachan, Paul. PUBLISHER Gartmore, Striling : Kiscadale Publications, 1994., xii, 226 p. SUBJECT Burma--Description and travel. TITLE Mawchi : mining, war and insurgency in Burma AUTHOR Crozier, L. A. CORPORATE Griffith University. Centre for the Study of Australia-Asia Relations. PUBLISHER Queensland : Centre for the Study of Australia-Asia Relations, Faculty ofAsian and International Studies, Griffith University, 1994., 113 p. SUBJECT Crozier, L. A., Australians--Burma., Insurgency--Burma--Mawchi-- History. Mawchi (Burma)--History., Burma--Politics and government--1824-1948. Burma--Politics and government--1948- TITLE Mountbatten : the private story AUTHOR Hoey, Brian. PUBLISHER London : Sidgwick and Jackson, 1994., x, 272 p. SUBJECT Mountbatten of Burma, Louis Mountbatten, Earl, 1900-1979. Admirals--Great Britain--Biography., Viceroys--India--Biography. TITLE Return via Rangoon : a young chindit survives the jungle and Japanese captivity. AUTHOR Stibbe, Philip. PUBLISHER London : Leo Cooper, 1994. xv, 232 p. SUBJECT World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Burma. World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons, Japanese., World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, English. TITLE Thailand and Burma handbook. PUBLISHER Bath, England : Trade and Travel Publications, 1994-v. SUBJECT Thailand, Burma--Description and travel--Guide-books. TITLE Twilight over Burma : my life as a Shan princess, foreword by Bertil Lintner. AUTHOR Sargent, Inge. PUBLISHER Honolulu : University of Hawai Press, 1994. xxiv, 216 p. : SUBJECT Kya Seng, Sao, Sargent, Inge., Shans (Asian people)--Kings and rulers--Biography. Shan State (Burma)--Politics and governemnt. 1995 PUBLICATIONS ON BURMA TITLE Burma the golden AUTHOR Klein, Wilhelm., Pfannmuller, Gunter. PUBLISHER [Bangkok] : Insight Topics, 1995. 168 p. : col. ill. SUBJECT Buddhism, Description and travel--Pictorial works. Religious life and customs--Pictorial works. TITLE Constructive engagement in the Burmese context AUTHOR Kanbawza Win. PUBLISHER Bangkok : CPDSK, 1995., j, 210 p. SUBJECT Burma. SLORC, Democracy--Burma., Politics and government--1988- TITLE Cultural sites of Burma, Thailand, and Cambodia AUTHOR Dumarcay, Jacques. Smithies, Michael, 1932- PUBLISHER Kuala Lumpur ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1995. xi, SUBJECT Monuments, Antiquities, Civilization--Burma.Thailand.Cambodia. TITLE Freedom from fear : and other writings foreword by Desmond Tutu ; edited with an introduction by Michael Aris. - AUTHOR Aung San Suu Kyi. Aris, Michael. PUBLISHER London : Penguin Books, 1995., xxxi, 374 p. SUBJECT Aung San suu Kyi, Burma--Politics and government. TITLE Norman Lewis omnibus AUTHOR Lewis, Norman. PUBLISHER London : Picador, 1995. 834 p. SUBJECT Lewis, Norman--Journeys--Asia. Indochina--Description and travel. Burma--Description and travel, India--Description and travel. -------------------------------------------------------------- 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 wire services and the Internet as well as original material are published. The BurmaNet News is e-mailed directly to subscribers and is also distributed via the soc.culture.burma and seasia-l mailing lists. 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