My apologies for the format. -glen ------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"----------------------------------------------------------The BurmaNet News: December 13, 1995Issue #300Noted in Passing: It is not that I am patting myself on the back, but I am recognized throughout the world as being the strongest and most influential person with the government of Myanmar. - Miriam Marshall Segal in a memorandum to Michael Dobbs-Higginson. (see BURMANET: THE SAGA OF MIRIAM AND MICHAEL OF MYANMAR)HEADINGS:=========BKK POST: DEMOCRACY GROUP SLAMS VOA'S REPORTS ON BURMAINDEPENDENT REPORT: HELP THE VOA INVESTIGATIONBURMANET EDITOR: SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE IN VOA BROADCASTINGBURMANET: THE SAGA OF MIRIAM AND MICHAEL OF MYANMARREUTER: UN PANEL REBUKES BURMA FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSESUS: STATEMENT ON BURMA TO THE UNGAARAKAN LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY ( EXILE ): A CALL TO BOYCOTT SLORCABSDF (MTZ): STATEMENT ON THE FIFTH ASEAN SUMMITABSDF(MTZ):BURMESE PASSPORT HOLDERS ARRESTED IN THAILANDYOMIURI SHIMBUN: JAPAN GOVERNMENT POSTPONES YEN LOANSABSDO (AUSTRALIA): HUMAN RIGHTS FOR BURMA FORUMBKK POST: ASEAN BRINGS HOPE AND CONFUSIONBURMANET: BRIEF NEWS REPORTSANNOUNCEMENT: ASIATRAVEL'S MYANMAR PAGE------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------BKK POST: DEMOCRACY GROUP SLAMS VOA'S REPORTS ON BURMADecember 12, 1995(Note the Bangkok Post also ran Doug Steele's article "Bad News at theVoice of America" on December 12, 1995. This article appeared in BurmaNetIssue #298) Analysis(Bad news at the voice of America)DEMOCRACY advocates in Burma claim the Burmese-language serviceof the Voice of America has been issuing reports sympathetic tothe military government."They report almost nothing about the democracy movement," saidTin Maung Win vice chairman of the Democratic Alliance of Burma,a pro-democracy group.Joe O'Connell, a spokesman for the VOA, said on Sunday that itwas unlikely that any of the 12 members of the Burmese-languageservice, most of whom are based in Washington, was sympathetic tothe Burmese government."We regard the content of our broadcast very seriously," he saidfrom Washington. "We have a reputation around the world forcredibility. It's hard earned."He said all recent reports by the Burmese-language service willbe reviewed. O'Connell said the US government-supported radionetwork is investigating the allegations in response to media queriestwo weeks ago.Myint Zaw Lwin, head of the Burmese-language service in Rangoon,has been recalled to Washington, said O'Connell. He would not elaborate.Democracy advocates who monitor the broadcasts say that whileVOA's English-language service is balanced and accurate, theBurmese-language service reflects the opinion of Burma's dictators.The government controls the media in Burma, prompting someBurmese to turn to foreign shortwave broadcasts for their news.The US government often criticises Burma's military government,even refusing to post an ambassador in Rangoon.The United States cut off aid to Burma after the military government violentlycrushed unarmed pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988.The military government has also refused to honour the results ofa 1990 election won by the party of pro-democracy leader Aung SanSuu Kyi, who was released after six years of house arrest in July.Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch/Asia have accusedthe regime of gross human rights violations.But almost nothing of such criticism is included in reports bytwo Burmese-language VOA correspondents, the advocates allege.The critics cite a VOA report on human rights was an example oftheir claims of bias. They said the report quoted Burma Gen KhinNyunt as saying his government had not committed human rightsviolations. But they said it never mentioned that several groups,including the United Nations, have criticised Burma's humanrights record."Most people who listen to the VOA here believe it ispro-government," said Win Min, a Bangkok-based leader of the AllBurma Students' Democratic Front, a dissident group.They say it's unclear if the reports purposely favour themilitary government or the reporters simply lack the journalisticexpertise to provide balanced reports.**************************************************************INDEPENDENT REPORT: HELP THE VOA INVESTIGATIONDecember 12, 1995From: carol@gol.com (Carol Schlenker)After reading Douglas Steele's editorial, I called VOA and asked what wasthe agency was doing in response to the allegations against Myint Zaw Lwin.I spoke with Mr. Jeffrey Cowan (note: NOT Jesse Cowan, as written in thearticle), Director of VOA. He said that these allegations are now beinginvestigated by USIA and several other agencies (he wouldn't say whichones). He said he did not know about the specific allegations against MyintZaw Lwin (which include national security issues beyond the scope of theUSIA), but he did feel that the accusation that VOA programming in generalhas a pro-SLORC bias was unfair. While he does not deny that some BurmaService employees may be SLORC sympathizers and some questionable pieceshave been aired, Mr. Cowan insists that most of the Burma Service issympathetic to the democracy movement and has produced a good deal of VOAprogramming devoted to, for example, human rights issues.Mr. Cowan says he is carefully reviewing reports broadcast recently, but heasked me to ask listeners to VOA's Burmese broadcasts to submit theirevidence and opinions about this matter. For how many years and how oftendo you listen to VOA? Do you think that VOA programming is pro-SLORC? Ifso, which stories were biased? Do you believe what you hear on VOA? Ifnot, have you stopped listening?Your answers to these questions are important to the current investigation,which Mr. Cowan expects will be concluded in a short time. If you have anopinion or other evidence that would affect this investigation, please faxit to Mr. Jeffrey Cowan at the following number: (202) 401-1327.P.S. Many thanks to Douglas Steele for helping launch the investigation.************************************************BURMANET EDITOR: SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE IN VOA BROADCASTINGDecember 13, 1995The Editor of BurmaNet has heard from various sources in Thailand that theVOA Burmese-language broadcast on the evening of December 12, 1995was a welcome departure from previous broadcasts. For the first time, thebetter part of the program was devoted to pro-democracy issues and viewpoints.Subjects that were covered include the latest UN Resolution which condemnsBurma for continued human rights abuses and Aung San Suu Kyi's views onthe National Convention. Yesterday, the VOA also called a member of theNCGUB for his opinion of the National Convention and of the ASEAN summitwhich is taking place in Bangkok this week.Burmese inside Burma and in exile in Thailand listen to the VOA along with theBBC and the DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) in order to find out what isreally happening in Burma. People also rely on these radio stations for coverageof international events related to Burma (such as the UN Resolutions, the McConnellBill, etc). Because all other sources of news inside Burma are heavily censored bythe military government, these radio stations provide a critical service to the people.DVB is known to provide the most extensive coverage of pro-democracy activitiesand human rights abuses in Burma. The BBC offers fairly even-handed coverage,but the VOA has been disappointing to most pro-democracy activists because ofits generally pro-military slant.The shift in VOA coverage has been gladly welcomed by the Burmese in exile inThailand. Their only question is: how long will it last?****************************************************************BURMANET: THE SAGA OF MIRIAM AND MICHAEL OF MYANMAR.December 12, 1995by Strider As regular BurmaNet readers may be aware, Miriam Marshall Segal isa businesswoman operating in Burma and is well known apologist for theSLORC. Ms. Segal got herself into a bit of legal trouble recently whichis explained in the following document. Michael Dobbs-Higginson, who hasappeared in several recent net articles, shows up in this document as analleged co-conspirator of Ms. Segal's. What follows is the full text of an action taken by a Federal Judgein New York. This case has not gotten to trial and won't for a longtime. This is just one motion by Ms. Segal arguing why the case shouldbe dismissed right away (she lost). To set the stage: It's 1994 and Ms. Segal is doing business inBurma. Her business does so well, that a Hong Kong investment house(Peregrine) joins up with her to form a new company (Peregrine Myanmar)and she become the chief executive. The Hong Kong investors own 80% ofthe company and she owns the other 20%. It appears that Ms. Segal decided to cheat on her partners however.Enter Mr. Dobbs-Higginson and the Japanese company he represents:Mitsui. The scam is a bit complicated but the interesting part is thatMs. Segal's personal assistant (Ms. Duke) accidentally faxes a memo meantfor Dobbs-Higginson to, of all people, the partners in Hong Kong.Mistake. The investors, presumably after getting over their surprise,contact Ms. Duke and ask to help in nailing Ms. Segal. After consultingher own attorney, Ms. Duke agrees and she download the contents of theoffice computer's hard drive for the partners to read and also beginsspying on her boss for them. The representative for the investors, Hector Lwin, comes to Burma tooust Ms. Segal. Ms. Segal rings up Gen. Maung Maung (referred toelsewhere by Ms. Segal as "my general.") Ms. Segal, according to courtdocuments, tells Gen. Maung Maung: "Hector is very active--pin something on him, frame him--anything...I would raid Hector's house!.."In a later fax to her General, she writes: "regarding Hector, why can't his visa revocation be implemented--undesirable citizen, mistreatment of local staff, suspicion of illegal actions, too many lost passports, etc. My job is difficult enough without his undermining everything."Hector is promptly detained and thrown out of Burma for"travelling on an illegal passport." In a fax to Mr.Dobbs-Higgenson, Ms. Segal writes: "I'm am making sure that nothing is achieved by PCM [the investors] in Yangon. They are getting in deeper and deeper, and I think the time will soon come when they will have had enough." The investors had had enough. In July 1995, theyfinally fire Ms. Segal, but she just won't go. Shestill tells people that she owns the company andthrough her influence with the government, thwarts theinvestor's efforts to get rid of her and get theircompany back. The investors file an action in a New York courtin October 1995, alleging that Ms. Segal cheated them,broke her employment contract. This is a civil case,so if Segal loses, she doesn't go to jail--she only pays damages. Ms. Segal asks the court to dismiss the case forthree reasons. The first reason is that it would bemore appropriate (convenient) to try the case in HongKong (doctrine of forum non conveniens). The secondreason she gives for dismissing the case is that theinvestors forgot to name as co-conspirator an essentialparty: the SLORC. Ms. Segal's third reason fordismissing the case is that if it is in the US, itshould be in a state court rather than a Federal court. By US rules, for the case to be in a Federalcourt, the plaintiff (Peregrine) would have to be fromone state and she from another. Segal claims to be aresident of Burma, which is not a state at all. The court looked at Ms. Segal's arguments andsaid: you lose. A couple of observations the courtdidn't make (but which apply) are these: if it is"inconvenient" to try this case in New York, it is onlyinconvenient for the people suing her. Segal lives inNew York. How much more convenient can you get? Thereal issue is that a court in New York is far morelikely to make her pay than one in Hong Kong or Burma. The SLORC probably doesn't employ a lot ofAmerican lawyers, which is to Ms. Segal's advantage. Ifthey knew that she tried to have them named as co-defendants,they might ask her some uncomfortable questions thenext time she's in Burma. To be precise, Segal didn't exactlyask that the SLORC be joined to the suit. What she argued issomething along the lines of this: the Burmese governmentshould have been named along with her in order for it to bevalid, and since they weren't, it has to be dismissed. Anyway, Judge Patterson threw out Ms. Segal'smotion on December 5th and some day this thing shouldget to trial. It could be long time until this gets toa trial, but it will probably be even longer before theinvestors see their money again.- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PEREGRINE MYANMAR LTD. and PEREGRINE CAPITAL MYANMARLTD.,Plaintiffs, -v- MIRIAM MARSHALL SEGAL, Defendant.95 Civ. 8286 (RPP)UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICTOF NEW YORK1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18179December 5, 1995, Dated December 7, 1995, FILEDCOUNSEL: [*1] For PEREGRINE MYANMAR LTD., PEREGRINECAPITAL MYANMAR LTD.,plaintiffs: Russell E. Brooks, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, New York, NY.For MIRIAM MARSHALL SEGAL, defendant: Bruce C. Kramer,Western Dist. of Tennessee, Western Divis.JUDGES: Robert P. Patterson, Jr., U.S.D.J.OPINION BY: Robert P. PattersonOPINION: OPINION AND ORDERROBERT P. PATTERSON, JR., U.S.D.J., Plaintiffs Peregrine Myanmar Ltd. ("PML") and Peregrine Capital Myanmar Ltd.("PCM") have sued Defendant Miriam Marshall Segal seeking damages andinjunctive relief. Plaintiffs contend that Defendant breached her employmentcontract and fiduciary duties, tortiously interfered with their prospectiveeconomic advantage by seeking to undermine their investments in a businessventure in Myanmar, the Southeast Asian nation formerly known as Burma,and has engaged in unfair competition. Defendant has moved, Pursuant to Fed.R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1) and (7) and the doctrine of forum non conveniens to dismissPlaintiffs' claims.EXCERPTS (full text already posted on burmanet-l)On June 21, 1995, in a memorandum to Mr.Dobbs-Higginson, Ms. Segal wrote "itis not that I am patting myself on the back,but I am recognized throughout theworld as being the strongest and mostinfluential person with the government ofMyanmar." (Dukes Aff. Ex. 8) In a June 22,1995 memorandum to Mr.Dobbs-Higginson, Ms. Segal stated: "I ammaking sure that nothing is achieved byPCM in Yangon. They are getting in deeper anddeeper, and I think the time willsoon come when they will have had enough."(Dukes Aff. Ex. 9) On or about July 10, 1995, the Board ofDirectors of PML terminated Ms.Segal's employment contract for cause and herservices as one of its directors.(Mercer Aff. P19) PCM removed Segal as adirector, effective July 11, 1995.(Mercer Aff. P19) Plaintiffs assert that, despite PML's June1994 acquisition of 100% ofMMAFFCL, which owns 50% of MAFCo, and theJuly 1995 removal of Ms. Segal fromher employment and from her positions on theboards of directors of both PML andPCM, Defendant has continued to portrayherself and act as beneficial owner ofMAFCo. (Mercer Aff. P21) Plaintiffs furthercontend that Defendant has used herpersonal influence with the Government [*9]of Myanmar to thwart the effortsof Plaintiffs' new appointees to run MAFCoand to harass Plaintiffs' employees.(Mercer Aff. P21, 20)Defendant contends that the 1990 JointVenture Agreement entered betweenMMAFFCL and the Ministry renders thegovernment of Myanmar an indispensableparty to the current litigation. Thelitigation before this Court concerns Ms.Segal's obligations under the employmentcontract she entered with Peregrinewhen she sold her interest in MMAFFCL. Thislitigation does not concernownership of shares in MAFCo. That ownershiphas remained [*21] the same asit was when the Joint Venture Agreement wasentered. Resolution of Ms. Segal'semployment dispute with Plaintiffs will notaffect the ownership interests ofthe Ministry in MAFCo. The Ministry is not anecessary party to the dispute between Plaintiffsand their former employee, Ms. Segal.In sum, Defendant has failed to satisfy herburden to show that Hong Kong isthe more convenient forum for litigation ofthis action. Conclusion For all of the reasons stated above,Defendant's motion to dismiss pursuantto Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1) and (7) and thedoctrine of forum non conveniens is denied.***************************************************************REUTER: UN PANEL REBUKES BURMA FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSESDecember 11, 1995 By Evelyn Leopold UNITED NATIONS, Dec 11 (Reuter) - A U.N. General Assembly panel on Mondaydeplored human rights abuses in Burma and called on the Rangoon government tobegin a proper political dialogue with Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San SuuKyi. But the United States, represented by Ambassador Madeleine Albright, saidWashington supported but did not sponsor the draft resolution because thelanguage was too weak on the military's human rights violations and otherprovisions. The draft was adopted by consensus by the General Assembly's social,humanitarian and cultural committee without a vote. The committee's decision,which includes all U.N. members, means the full assembly will rubber- stampthe draft. The 20-point resolution ``deplores the continued violation of humanrights'' in Burma, which calls itself Myanmar, and welcomes the release ofAung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. The resolution urged the government to enter at the earliest possibledate into a dialogue with her and other political leaders in an effort torestore democracy. Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won elections in 1990but the military stayed in power. The resolution said the government should stop ``torture, abuse of women,forced labour and forced relocations and to the enforced disappearances andsummary executions.'' It was based on a report from a U.N. human rights rapporteur, Yozo Yokataof Japan, who said Burma may be using forced labour to spruce up landmarksfor foreign tourists in an effort to promote 1996 as ``Visit Myanmar Year''and pointed to summary executions, torture and rape by the army. The document also urged the government to release other prisoners, torestore fundamental freedoms of expression and assembly and to end forcedlabour and to allow Red Cross officials access to the country's jails andprisoners. Burma's representative, U Win Mra, said the draft did not recognise thecountry's positive developments and he rejected allegations of human rightsviolations. ``It has never been the policy of the government to condone theviolations of human rights,'' he said, adding that ``allegations of forcedlabour have no basis of truth.'' ``The true situation in Myanmar is not accurately conveyed in theinternational media,'' he said. In response, Albright said the resolution welcomes cease- fires withethnic groups but failed to note that the Burmese army did not always honourthem. She also said the language on forced labour was not strong enough andthat the resolution was not specific on the withdrawal and subsequentexpulsion from the National constitution convention of delegations from theNLD. ``My government also wants to express its very great concern about recentstatements from Rangoon that brand Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters as'traitors' and speak of 'annihilating' those who criticise the NationalConvention,'' Albright said.************************************************************US: STATEMENT ON BURMA TO THE UNGADecember 12, 1995STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT,UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNITED NATIONSUNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, THIRD COMMITTEE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN BURMADECEMBER 11, 1995Mr Chairman, I appreciate this opportunity to discuss myGovernment's decision to join consensus on the resolutionconcerning the human rights situation in Burma, despite somereservations that prevented us from cosponsoring.The resolution reflects a tremendous effort by the Swedishmission to develop a strong consensus text, and my governmentendorses strongly the purposes and recommendations contained inthat text.We join with the other members of this Assembly in urging theBurmese Government to cease its violations of internationallyrecognized human rights. And we urge the government to begin asubstantive political dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, otherdemocratic leaders and representatives of ethnic groupsconcerning the future of the country. These recommendations areat the heart of the Assembly resolution, and we believe theGovernment of Burma should respond favorably to them.The United States was not able to cosponsor the resolutionbecause of three issues that we believe could have been dealtwith more precisely or urgently.First, we would have tempered the language in paragraph 17, whichwelcomes the cessation of hostilities between the Government ofBurma and various ethnic groups, because the Burmese Army has notfully honored these ceasefires.Second, we believe the resolution should have included languagesimilar to that adopted by the UN Human Rights Commission lastSpring, encouraging the Secretary-General to hold discussionswith the Burmese Government for the purpose of stimulatingprogress towards democratization and national reconciliation.Third, we believe specific mention should have been made of theInternational Labor Organization's decision last June to condemnBurma's continued use of forced labor and forced porterage,especially of members of ethnic minorities, for military andcivilian infrastructure projects. The ILO recommends, and mygovernment strongly agrees, that Burma should bring both its lawsand its practices into compliance with internationally recognizedstandards of workers' rights.Finally, we believe that more specific and urgent attentionshould have been given in the resolution to important events thatoccurred in Rangoon near the end of last month. I refer, ofcourse, to the withdrawal and subsequent expulsion from theNational Convention of delegates from the National League forDemocracy.The Governing State Law and Order Restoration Council, or SLORC,has asked the world to view the Convention as a representativemechanism for drafting a new constitution and facilitating atransition to democracy. Clearly, it is not that if the NationalLeague for Democracy, which received 60 percent of the votes inthe 1990 election, is not free to participate openly, freely andwithout fear of intimidation. We must remember that the SLORChandpicked all the delegates, greatly under-representing thosefrom the democratic movement.Following the release from detention last July of Aung San SuuKyi, there were hopes that the National Convention would, infact, become a meaningful forum for discussion about Burma'sfuture. Instead, the Government has maintained its habit of rigidcontrol, and the few representatives of the democratic movementand of the various ethnic groups have been prohibited fromvoicing dissenting views.The SLORC has said that its goals for Burma include economicprosperity and multiparty democracy. Burma's democratic leadersshare those goals. The General Assembly should continue toexpress strong and unyielding support for actions that wouldclose the great divide that now exists between what the SLORCprofesses to want and what it has thus far been prepared to do.In this connection, my Government also wants to express its verygreat concern about recent statements from Rangoon that brandAung San Suu Kyi and her supporters as "traitors" and speak of"annihilating" those who criticize the National Convention. TheSLORC should have no doubt that it will be held responsible forany actions that result in physical harm or unjust punishmentagainst those who have simply engaged in the peaceful exercise ofinternationally recognized rights.In closing, Mr. President, let me once again congratulate theSwedish mission for its leadership on this resolution. Let mere-state my Government's strong endorsement of its corerecommendations in support of human rights and a substantivepolitical dialogue. And let me re-emphasize my Government'sconcern about recent events and its hope that the Government ofBurma will reconsider its policies and begin now to move down ademocratic path.Thank you.******************************************************ARAKAN LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY ( EXILE ): A CALL TO BOYCOTT SLORC'SPUBLIC RALLIES, REFERENDUMS AND ELECTIONSDecember 12, 1995From: fdhr!chan@unv.ernet.inArakan League for Democracy, the winner of the 1990 General Election inRakhine State, being empowered with due people's mandate and, in turn,cherishing due loyally to the people, call upon all people of Burma to boycottany sort of mass rallies, referendums or elections that may be held or sponsored,now and in future, by the Burmese illegitimate military SLORC government.The SLORC -- Brutally stopped the 1988 nation-wide democracy movement by killing not lessthan 10,000 peaceful demonstrators.- Imprisoned more than 7,000 democracy activists and leaders, includingDaw Aung San Suu Kyi.- Let Burmese people to form political parties and go for the election in 1990 under their supervision.- Treacherously trashed the 1990 General election results and bannedor dissolved the winning political parties and imprisoned the elected Members of Parliament.- Held the so-called National Convention, at gun-point intimidating entire nation including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.- Forced the nation, in this National Convention, at gun-point, to approve a National Constitution which was drafted by themselves to serve their greed of power and military supremacy over people's rights and will.Thus, the Burmese military defacto, but still illegitimate, government SLORCuncannily displayed its mega-dishonesty and showed great disrespect to thepeople of Burma.What can we do??????We are unarmed! But we can encounter the SLORC with our strength of honesty, political rights and political will for freedom and equality.We can boycott all referendums and elections which may be or going to be held under the pretext of this and illegitimate national convention and subsequentnational constitution.Therefore, we, the Arakan League for Democracy ( Exile ) URGE you and all Burmese people:To boycott all SLORC-sponsored Public rallies, Referendums and Elections, what-so-ever form and dimension these may be.To simply vote the unmarked blank ballot if they surround you and drive you to the ballot-boots by force.To prepare to revolt and overthrow the SLORC military illegitimate government once and for ever if the Slorc, just like in 1974 Constitution Referendum, forceyou to vote for " YES ".Get ready now !Central Committee, Arakan League for Democracy ( Exile )December 5, 1995*******************************************************************ABSDF (MTZ): STATEMENT ON THE FIFTH ASEAN SUMMITDecember 12, 1995We, the ABSDF students have learnt that "peace and security willcontinue to be ASEAN's prime concern because they are fundamentalto our development in all fields", said by the Prime MinisterBanharn Silpa-archa interviewing with Bangkok Post on 12 December.General Than Shwe, the Chairman of State Law and OrderRestoration Council will attend the fifth Asean Summit onThursday in Bangkok. At the same time, the Slorc military regimeis, after all, the most brutal in Southeast Asia with a record ofhuman rights abuses.We would like to say that we are very surprised of the invitationto the Slorc military regime by the Royal Government of Thailandto attend the fifth Asean Summit as a guest. Because, RoyalGovernment of Thailand was democratically elected by the entirepeople of Thailand.We firmly believe that to achieve peace and security in SoutheastAsia, which mainly depends on the stability of politicalsituation, and like Burma being ruled by the military regime cannot bring genuine peace and benefit not only for the whole regionbut also even for its own people.Respectfully, we appeal to the all members of Asean Nations tomake use of every contact it has with the Slorc to urge themilitary junta to:1. Unconditionally release Student leader Min Ko Naing and allpolitical prisoners;2. Cancel all unjust laws;3. Abolish the sham National Convention, and4. Open dialogue with democratic forces led by Daw Aung San SuuKyi and leaders of ethnic nationalities in order to bringnational reconciliation, democracy and peace to Burma.Central Leading CommitteeABSDFHeadquarters, 8888 Camp**************************************************ABSDF(MTZ):BURMESE PASSPORT HOLDERS ARRESTED IN THAILANDDecember 12, 1995From: lurie@mozart.inet.co.thAbout noon of yesterday(11.12.95), 25, real and valid passport holderswere rounded up by Thai immigration officers at Oscar Apartmentin Petchburi Soi 39 and they were brought up to IDC but not inthe cells there. Among them 9 were released because it foundafter interrogation that their ships have been anchoring inThailand at present. The remaining ones have been kept up to lateevening although they testified their valid visas and documents.Immigration officers threatened that they must whether be sentback to Burma or be forced to leave the country unless theycomply to pay 3000 Baht for each. Among those 16, two were women.But all of them defied not to pay the ransom and they all didn'trealized why they were being asked for. May be they were firstvictims of ASEAN summit here.At late evening, they all were released without giving complaint whythey were being detained for. Moreover they couldn't get any sympathyand assistance from Burmese Embassy in Bangkok. How to do BurmeseEmbassy staffs take care of their own people?VOICE OF THE PEACOCKABSDF, 8888 CAMP*****************************************************YOMIURI SHIMBUN: JAPAN GOVERNMENT POSTPONES YEN LOANSTO MYANMAR TIL NEXT YEARDecember 12, 1995From: tk2552@cet.co.jp The government has decided to postpone scheduled yen loans to Myanmaruntil 1996 because of stalled efforts to democratize the country, a governmentsource said Monday. However, a grant to expand a nursing college in Yangon willstill be provide because a contract for the work was already singed, the sourcesaid. Moreover, additional official development assistance( ODA )grants thatdirectly affect the daily lives of the Myanmarese will not be frozen, he said. According to the source, the Japanese government was preparing to resumeyen loans for eight projects that it suddenly pulled out of in 1988 when Myanmarunderwent a military coup. The eight projects include a 4.87 billion yen, planto up grade electrical supply to infrastructure in Yangon. The yen loans havebeen called off a second time because it has become unclear when the militaryjunta ruling Myanmar will hold direct talks with the country's top dissident,pro- democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi's political group, the National League for Democracy, boycotteda national convention late last month, saying the event was to be strictlycontrolled by Myanmar's military leaders. Because the boycott has cast doubt onthe future of democratic reform in Myanmar, the Japanese government has decidednot to resume yen loans within this year, the source said.( Information Committee )Burma Youth Volunteer Association- Japan.*****************************************************ABSDO (AUSTRALIA): HUMAN RIGHTS FOR BURMA FORUMDecember 12, 1995From: Nyan Lynn Shwe <073326@edna.cc.swin.edu.au>On 9th December 1995, the All Burma Students' Democratic Organization(Australia) organized a forum for "Human Rights for Burma" in Melbourne.The forum was to mark the International Human Rights Day on 10th Decemberand discussed the current political situations of Burma. About 70people including the guest speakers from Amnesty International, CommunityAid Abroad and an academic from the Melbourne University attended theforum. ABSDO called to the Australia government for economic sanction,arms embargo and boycott "Visit Myanmar Year 1996" and urged the Burmeseand Australian community in Australia to be ready for an urgent actionagainst SLORC if there is people uprising occurred again in Burma. TheABSDO also called to the Burma's military regime for immediate release ofover 3,000 political prisoners including student leader Min Ko Naing, toabolish the sham National Convention and hand over the power to the electedpeople representatives.******************************************BKK POST: ASEAN BRINGS HOPE AND CONFUSIONDecember 12, 1995Report: Supamas Kasem and Nussara SawatsawangAsean remains a remote, if not alien, "something" forordinary people in Burma, Cambodia, Laos and even Vietnamwhich became part of the seven-member club four months ago.Inside Indochina combed the region to hear the views ofthose supposed to benefit from Asen's professed goal ofcommon prosperity."Is Asean one of the groups in the eastern part of theregion? Does it comprise India, China and Pakistan? I don'tknow how many countries there are. Is Brunei included?" KhinSan Yi, 33, fired these questions off the top of his head."I know the government wants to join Asean next year. I readabout it last month. The government wants to improveeconomic ties with Asean as well as strengthen relationswith neighbours like Thailand," said the Burmese, who workswith the Rangoon representative office of the Thai Farmers Bank.Burma's economy would grow and the country would receiveadvanced technology. "I agree that Myanmar should joinAsean, and some superpowers like China and India, andThailand, which is our closest neighbour, support that bid," she said.San Yi's views are typical of those from the business sectorin Rangoon, which associates Asean with a more advancedlevel of development that their country should strive to join.Cherry, 28, an assistant manager of a trading company inRangoon said: "I am not very interested in politics, but Iknow that Myanmar is going to be a member of Asean; thegovernment media said so. Honestly, I cannot guess when thatis going to happen, but as quick as possible I would hope."****************************************************BURMANET: BRIEF NEWS REPORTScompiled and edited from information provided by mbeer@capaccess.orgKHIN NYUNT RECEIVES KACHIN AND SHAN LEADERS Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, chairman of the Working Committee for the Development ofBorder Areas and National Races and Secretary-1 of the State Law and OrderRestoration Council SLORC , received U Za Hkun Ting Ring, a national leader fromSpecial Region 1 in Kachin State; U Pauk Yu Chan, a national leader from SpecialRegion 2 in Northern Shan State; and U Sai Lin, a national leader from SpecialRegion 4 in Eastern Shan State, at the Defence Services Guest House on Inya Roadin Yangon Rangoon on the 9th of December ... At the meeting, they held talks onregional development programmes.JAPAN TO GIVE MEDICINE TO BURMAThe Japanese government will grant 34,000 US dollars worth of medicines toMyanmar's Maternal and Child Welfare Association (MMCWA), said the officialnewspaper "the New Light of Myanmar" today. According to an agreement signedhere on Friday, the Japanese grant will be made under the grassroots grantassistance program. The MMCWA was formed in 1991 one year after the SLORCpromulgated the MMCWA law, and has worked together with women at the grass-rootslevel. According to the 1993-94 census, the life span of Burma women is 64.7 years. Thematernal mortality rate for Burma women is one per thousand births in 1993, while infantmortality is 47.4 per thousand births in urban areas and 94 per thousand birthsfor rural areas.*************************************************************************ANNOU NCEMENT: ASIATRAVEL'S MYANMAR PAGEDecember 12, 1995From: "Moe K. T." AsiaTravel's new Home page on Myanmar has WWW postcard service with scenesfrom Myanmar. Check this URL: http://asiatravel.com/myanmar.htmlThey too have page of new The Central Floating Hotel, YANGONhttp://asiatravel.com/centralfloating/hotel.html---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------BURMANET SUBJECT-MATTER RESOURCE LISTBurmaNet regularly receives enquiries on a number of differenttopics related to Burma. 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S.Sutcliffe"World Wide Web: FreeBurma@POBox.comVolunteering: christin@ksc.net.th[Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage]------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. For a free subscription to the BurmaNet News, sendan 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***************************************************************