----------------------------------BurmaNet----------------------------- "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: October 13, 1996 Issue #540 Noted in Passing: If a long pole were to be stuck straight into the earth from Myanmar town of Katha it will reach an American town in Texas State. - NLM: "MEMORIES OF GOOD TRADITIONS" HEADLINES: ========== NATION: PROBLEMS DOWN ON THE BORDER LA TIMES: LOCALITIES TARGETING FIRMS WITH LINKS TO MYANMAR U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT: THE VERY LONG ARM OF THE LAW THE CAPITAL TIMES: PRESSURE UW TO DIVEST CORNELL DAILY SUN: STUDENTS PROTEST PROPOSED C-TOWN TACO BELL S.H.A.N : PRESS RELEASE BY THE SHAN UNITED REVOLUTIONARY ARMY REUTER: EU STILL CONSIDERING SUSPENDING TRADE BENEFITS TO BURMA REUTERS: GERMAN TOURISTS URGED TO BOYCOTT BURMA BKK POST: JUNTA LEADER TO PAY VISIT NEXT WEEK NLM: "MEMORIES OF GOOD TRADITIONS" NLM: SLORC'S TIN U MEETS LEADERS OF SHAN STATE NATIONAL ARMY XINHUA: CRIME REDUCTION WORK COMMITTEE FORMED IN MYANMAR XINHUA: MYANMAR STRESSES COOPERATION IN BORDER AREAS BURMANET: BRIEF BUSINESS NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT: CNN SEGMENT ON SELECTIVE PURCHASING ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NATION: PROBLEMS DOWN ON THE BORDER October 11, 1996 Aung Zaw The war office in Rangoon received a troubling message from the Burma-India border recently. It was a report of a largescale defection of Burmese soldiers who are believed to have taken refuge with Chin rebels. Since August, between 300 to 400 soldiers deserted their units and fled to the India-Burma border," said a Burmese dissident based in New Delhi. Even though details remain sketchy several sources including Calcutta-based journalists and Indian intelligence officers on the border confirmed the defection. "At least 100 soldiers are there," a dissident source said, adding that the soldiers have joined up and established the Patriotic Burma Army (PBA) or Myanma Myo Chit Tatmadaw. More people are likely to join in the next couple of days," one Indian journalist said. "They are very much inside Burma. These soldiers are going to stay on the Burmese side of the border being sheltered by the Chin National Front and local rebel groups," the source said. The news of the new army presents a fresh headache for the Burmese generals who have governed under the motto: "No matter who tries to divide us, we will always remain united." What they cannot deny is in every form of human society there can be disagreement and different opinions, and obviously there is a crack [in the armed forces]" said an analyst in India. According to sources in India, the defectors are predominantly ethnic Chins. This is significant as the Chins have traditionally provided a reliable source of recruits to the Burmese army and been active in anti-guerrilla warfare. The previous Ne Win regime was fond of deploying Chin soldiers. The reason: most Chin soldiers don't speak or understand Burmese very well. In the 1970s, Burma's special Chin regiments were brought into Rangoon to suppress student uprisings. But according to sources, a number of the junior commissioned officers are Burmans. They named Major Aung Kyaw along with Cpl Aye Lwin and Tin Win as the leaders of the breakaway PBA. The reason for the defection? Says Subir Bhaumik, a correspondent for the BBC world service in eastern India: "The soldiers are very upset with the [government's] treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi - they are influenced by mainstream Burmese political issues." They have also brought weapons and radio equipment. The Chin rebel group is also giving them assistance such as food and other support, he said. A former member of the National League for Democracy who is still active in New Delhi claimed: "These soldiers voted for the NLD in the 1990 elections and they want to see national reconciliation." The NLD won a landslide victory in that election but the junta did not honour the result. The government in New Delhi, which was previously a staunch supporter of the Burmese pro-democracy movement, has not made any official comment about the defection. Indian officials are tight-lipped about the development and observers in New Delhi predicted the government would push them back if they came across the border. "This is something that Burmese dessidents now realise, that India is not a welcoming home shelter but is actually trying to soothe its relations with Slorc," said Subir Bhaumik, a Calcutta-based journalist with years of experience reporting on the Burma-India border. Bhaumik said that New Delhi is counting on support from the Burmese army for its own counter-insurgency operations in northeast India because many of the anti Delhi rebels, such as the Naga, and Manipur, have their bases inside Burma. The Burmese army has never exercised much control over these areas. "It is important to get the support of the Burmese army to attack the other side of the border when various rebel groups in northeast India try to flee back across the border," he said. In 1980, New Delhi and Rangoon agreed to some limited military cooperation. But ties deteriorated after New Delhi backed the 1988 pro-democracy movement in Burma, which was crushed by the army. Many Burmese democracy activists fled to the India-Burma border. India offered moral assistance to democracy activists and turned a blind eye to anti-Rangoon rebels staying on Indian soil. In the years after 1988 the relationship between New Delhi and Rangoon became strained and official All India Radio was highly critical of the junta's human rights violations and political persecution. However, in the l990s there was a new player - China. Beijing began to develop a special relationship with Burma and became a major arms supplier to the Slorc. That raised eye-brows in the region, especially in India. Analysts said New Delhi's strong support for the democracy movement pushed the junta into the hands of the Chinese and it urged New Delhi to initiate a dialogue with the generals. Slowly but surely New Delhi reversed its policies. Indo-Burmese ties improved after India's then foreign secretary JN Dixit paid a low-key visit to Burma in March, 1993 and the two countries exchanged occasional delegations. New Delhi subsequently has sent more business missions to Rangoon. The outcome is the two are back in business. In 1995, India's northeast local commanders came to an understanding with their Burmese counterparts and the Indian army launched the "Golden Bird" operation against the rebels. The Indian army encircled a group of 200 rebels in northeast Mizoram state and the guerrillas suffered heavy casualties when fighting broke out. "It was the most successful military operation against anti-India rebels." said Bhaumik. About 40 rebels were killed and 180 of them were captured and injured. The success of the operation was due in part to to cooperation from the Burmese. But there was a tinge of irony. Right in the middle of the military campaign the Indian government announced it was giving the country's most prestigious prize, the Jawaharlal Nehru Award, to Suu Kyi who was then under house arrest. Needless to say, that upset the generals in Rangoon. The Burmese pulled out of the operations and the remaining rebels managed to escape. The Indian army blamed the government for acting stupidly. "[Burma's pull-out] created enormous problem," said Bhaumik. Since then the Indian army and intelligence agencies have been in regular contact with local Slorc officials in an attempt to restore their counterparts' trust. As a result, the Mizoram-based Chin rebels fighting against Rangoon have come under increased pressure from the local authorities. In the last three months, Mizoran police and Indian military forces have regularly attacked the Chin guerrillas. "The Indians are trying to tell the Burmese, 'We will not protect your rebels and we will thrown them out if you do the same for us'," said the BBC correspondent. It worked and the Burmese army has stepped up pressure on Naga rebels inside Burma. It now remains to be seen how the defection affects Indo-Burmese ties. "The government of India certainly did not want to disturb the present level of relations with the Slorc which were slightly improving," said the analyst. A few months ago, a group of former Burmese soldiers who defected in 1995 managed to travel to New Delhi and applied for refugee status. But they were pushed back to the border. Since then no one has heard of them. Moreover, unlike the recent past, passage to India is now quite risky. The Indian army has launched an antiguerrilla campaign and anyone attempting to cross the border runs the risk of being caught and returned. Border sources said that since the defection the intelligence officials of both India and Burma have been in touch everyday. Rangoon has made no reaction to news of the defection. ***************************************************************** LA TIMES: LOCALITIES TARGETING FIRMS WITH LINKS TO MYANMAR October 5, 1996 David Wolfberg Trade: 'Selective purchasing laws' pose tough decisions for a roster of international companies. by Evelyn Iritani, Times Staff Writer Motorola Inc., Swedish giant LM Ericsson and Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries share one thing that has put them on a collision course with a tough new law passed by the city of San Francisco. They're accused of doing business in a troubled Southeast Asian nation called Myanmar, which could jeopardize their bids for a $40-million emergency radio communications system and a $140-million light rail system for San Francisco International Airport. Commercially speaking, Myanmar is not exactly South Africa. But human rights abuses in the country formerly known as Burma have spawned a potentially costly web of selective purchasing laws at the local and state levels that recall the effective anti-apartheid boycott of South Africa--and they are posing tough economic decisions for an international roster of companies. While Clinton administration officials debate whether to levy tougher economic sanctions against Myanmar's military rulers, multinational companies are already running afoul of so-called selective purchasing laws passed by seven U.S. cities and states in the last two years. Thus Apple Computer Inc. just pulled out of Myanmar to keep its name off a prohibited list being drawn up by Massachusetts, which last month became the first state to pass a similar law banning business with companies that have investments or employees in Myanmar. And Unocal Corp., the largest U.S. investor in Myanmar, faced a review this summer of its contract to provide bus fuel for Santa Monica. The City Council eventually agreed to continue the contract after determining that a suitable replacement could not be found. While El Segundo-based Unocal has held firm, others, including Levi Strauss & Co., Eddie Bauer, European brewers Heineken and Carlsberg and financier George Soros, have already pulled money or employees out of the country. There is also evidence that the campaign to undermine Myanmar's repressive military government has picked up steam since last weekend's arrest of up to 800 members and supporters of the opposition party headed by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The United States issued a ban on visits by members of Myanmar's ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), which responded Friday by banning U.S. visitors. Now New York, Tacoma Park, Md., and California's Alameda County are considering selective purchasing laws. And the European Union is debating whether to cut off trade privileges to Myanmar. The selective purchasing strategy is being pursued by other human rights groups. The city of Oakland has targeted Nigeria's military government along with Myanmar. And 22 states and 33 cities and counties have provisions barring them from investing in companies that practice employment discrimination in Northern Ireland. This acceleration of unilateral economic sanctions is viewed with alarm by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Foreign Trade Council and other business organizations. John Howard, the chamber's chief international strategist, argues that such measures don't achieve their goals because they simply penalize U.S. firms while freeing up the targeted markets for foreign competitors. "It remains to be seen if Burma compares to South Africa in the interest it generates," he said. "But collectively, [these sanctions] add up to a big problem." Even foreign comapnies are beginning to voice concerns, albeit much more quitely, because some of these measures are nationality-blind. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), one of the Congress' most outspoken human rights proponents, said these laws send a powerful message to giant Japanese firms such as Mitsubishi and Mitsui that have played a key role in Myanmar's economy. "There are many Asian investors who are looking to do business in the United States," she said. "If they do business with the SLORC, then they have less opportunity here." The Washington-based Investor Responsibility Research Center said it has experienced a jump in calls from executives worried about appearing on its widely disseminated list of companies doing business in Myanmar. Ken Bertsch, director of the center's social issues program, said his group gets lobbied by companies wanting to be taken off the list. But he said his group simply collects information, which it always attempts to verify before passing it on. "Looking back at the campaign against apartheid in South Africa, the selective purchasing laws had the most impact because it hit companies where it hurt," said Simon Billenness, a senior analyst at Boston-based Franklin Research & Development Corp., a firm promoting socially responsible investing. Over the last two decades, globalization has given these laws more bite, because U.S. companies are increasingly dependent on overseas markets and foreign companies have a larger stake in this country. In its effort to grab a larger share of the global telecommunications explosion, Schaumburg, Ill-based Motorola frequently finds itself in countries where the political and economic stability fluctuates from day to day. Larry Barton, Motorola's director of international operations, said his firm follows the federal government's lead on doing business abroad and does not believe city or state governments should venture into this complex arena. Motorola, which does business in 45 countries, has had "very small sales" in Myanmar and has one employee there evaluating the market, according to Barton. The company's immediate stakes are much higher in San Francisco, where it is bidding against Ericsson Inc. for a $40-million emergency radio system. Ericsson's parent company, LM Erocsson of Sweden, also does business in Myanmar. San Francisco is reviewing both bids in light of their ties to Myanmar. The Myanmar selective purchasing law can be waived if its imposition would cause major financial harm to the city or if there are no other qualified bidders. The city also is reviewing Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of America's bid for a $140-million airport light rail contract. ************************************************************ U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT: THE VERY LONG ARM OF THE LAW October 14, 1996 (slightly abridged) from zni@students.wisc.edu by Kevin Whitelaw Is the world ready for 7,284 secretaries of State? The City Council of Madison, Wis., makes the whole world its business. A pioneer in the campaign against apartheid in South Africa, the city council has most recently taken on human rights abuses in Myanmar (Burma). In the past, the council has taken positions on issues in places like El Salvador and Haiti; it even came close to a resolution urging local police not to help track down deserters from the armed forces during the gulf war. "The city isn't a city unto itself," declares former City Alderperson Bert Zipperer, who says the resolutions represent the "collective conscience" of the town. "We deserve a say in how we will deal with other parts of the world." What began as an exercise in self-righteousness in small, liberal college towns like Madison has blossomed into a major cottage industry for activists of all stripes. From Oakland, Calif., to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, local and state governments are increasingly intruding into an area once reserved for the State Department, targeting everything from labor practices in Northern Ireland to military repression in Myanmar. Last week California got into the act with a law banning state contracts with companies that have purchased or used goods made with slave labor. Inspired by Chinese human rights activist Harry Wu, the law is aimed primarily at products made in Chinese prisons. Trying to monitor the foreign policy of 50 states and 7,284 municipalities is, to put it simply, a nightmare for companies and national governments alike. "There's no way we can keep track of all the individual actions," admits one State Department official. To be sure, many of the actions are nonbinding resolutions with no effect beyond assuaging the earnest consciences of activists who have taken to heart the maxim of thinking globally and acting locally. (At least one chamber of 42 state legislatures has declared support for U.N. representation for Taiwan, for example). Other measures have arguably created more consternation at home than behavior modification abroad: San Francisco is currently attempting to upgrade its 911 system system, and the only two bidders with technological wherewithal to handle the $40 million project, Motorola and Ericksson, both run afoul of the city's Myanmar-or-us law banning contracts with companies that deal with that country's military regime. Yet such "selective purchasing" laws have had a bite. They create a serious "hassle factor" for companies, says Suzanne Harvey, director of Prudential Securities' Social Investment Research Service. "If you are a large state, you can have a profound effect." Last week, Apple announced it would stop selling computers in Myanmar as a result of Massachusetts's selective purchase law; Amoco and Eddie Bauer have also pulled out under pressure. Besides Massachusetts, seven cities including San Francisco have passed similar laws. All are modeled on bills adopted in the mid-1980s that targeted South Africa's apartheid government. *********************************************************** THE CAPITAL TIMES: PRESSURE UW TO DIVEST October 10, 1996 (Madison, WI paper) by John Nichols In an increasingly cynical and disengaged political environment, it is easy to imagine that there are no clear truths, no absolute battles for justice left. But on the other side of the planet, in the southern Asian nation of Burma, the struggle for truth and justice is playing out with a clarity and urgency that makes each day's events a vital challenge to the rest of the world. This week, a group of University of Wisconsin students and local elected officials met that challenge. And now it rests with all of us to make the issues they raised a part of the national dialogue in this election year. The peaceful struggle to free the people of Burma from an oppressive and violent military regime has been going on for more than a decade now. It seemed to have met with a measure of success in 1990, when an election gave the National League for Democracy, led by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi, 82 percent f the parliamentary seats. But six years after that election, Burma's dictatorial State Law and Order Restoration Council continues to refuse to acknowledge the will of the people. And in recent months it has launched a campaign of repression that has threatened Aung San Suu Kyi and the arrest of more than 800 supporters of the movement for democracy and social justice. This repression comes with a U.S. trademark. A merican corporations, such as PepsiCo and the oil companies Unocal, Texaco and Arco, which do business in Burma, provide a vital underpinning for the murderous regime. Aung San Suu Kyi said last month,"Companies such as Unocal and Pepsi, Arco, and Texaco only serves to prolong the agony of my country by encouraging the present military regime to persevere in its intransigence." The struggle for a Free Burma is indeed the 1990s equivalent of the struggle for a free South Africa in the 1980s, the struggle for a free India in the 1940s and the struggle for a free United States in the 1770s. But it will only succeed if Americans send a powerful message to the corporate sponsors of Burmese repression. That's what happened this week when several several dozen UW-Madison students joined students from more than 50 colleges across the U.S. in a two-day international fast to alert the world to the current wave of repression in Burma. In Madison, the fast wasjoined by State Rep. Tammy Baldwin and Madison City Council members Mike Verveer, Brent Sieling and Barbara Vedder. The high level of involvement in Madison is a result of the determined work of Zarni, a 33-year-old UW doctoral candidate who fled Burma during a wave of repression in 1988. Zarni, who like many Burmese uses one name, says, "The situation is getting worse in Burma. People are jailed for the 'crime' of possessing a fax modem because the SLORC does not want the truth to get out." Well, the truth is out. We know the crimes of the Burmese dictators; they have been well documented by Amnesty International. And that knowledge requires us to act. In Madison, we can begin by pressuring the University of Wisconsin to divest itself of investments in firms that do business in Burma. On Nov. 7, Zarni will meet with the Business and Finance Committee of the UW Board of Regents to press his case. He should be welcomed by the regents as a man who offers the university an opportunity to cleanse itself of involvement with corporations, that by their actions in Burma, soil their own reputations and that of any institution that holds stock in them. The UW must choose between morality and greed. It is a simple choice between right and wrong, and we in Madison are blessed to have been reminded of it this week by Zarni and his comrades. ******************************************************* CORNELL DAILY SUN: STUDENTS PROTEST PROPOSED C-TOWN TACO BELL October 10, 1996 (Ithaca, NY) (abridged) >From hag2@cornell.edu Protesting PepsiCo's economic involvement with the ruling faction in Burma, approximately 15 people from various enviromental and social justice organizations assembled in front of the proposed Taco Bell restaurant on Dryden Road in Collegetown yesterday afternoon. According to Htun Aung Gyaw, a former political prisoner and student leader in the Burmese pro-democracy movement, PepsiCo helps support martial law by maintaining economic ties with the Burmese Government. "All the money that Pepsi pays to the country is eventually used by the oppressive government to buy more ammunition and more arms to kill their own people," he said. Gyaw added that the Burmese have no rights under the present regime. They can be captured at any time and used for forced labor without pay and without food. 'Socially Inept Practices' "PepsiCo needs to know that citizens will not stand for their enviromentally and socially inept practices any longer," said Kristin Rutether '99, as prostesters waved posters and chanted "Free Burma Now"" in the background. The local protest, organized by the Free Burma Coalition and the Cornell Greens, was part of a lager nationwide effort led by the Student Enviromental Action Coalition (SEAC). Following opening remarks, ten members of the local group-who had fasted for 48 hours-broke bread together. "This was a nationwide effort. People all over the country broke the fast at 12:15 pm to show solidarity with the people in Burma," said Jonathan Mawdsley grad, a member of Free Burma Coalition and organizer of the event. The purpose of the demonstration was to inform the public and increase awareness, according to its organizers. Participants distributed fact sheets to passers by and answered questions. "As consumers, we don't always exmine what we buy, where the products come from and what the companies which we are helping are supporting. Consumers need to know what PepsiCo is doing," said Joseph Buttafuoco'99. ********************************************************** S.H.A.N : PRESS RELEASE BY THE SHAN UNITED REVOLUTIONARY ARMY October 10, 1996 From: "SHAN This is the gist of events that have occured during the last month. As the SLORC offensive against the Shan United Revolutionary Army and the people in Central Shan States continued, our leader, Col. Yawtsuk went to Hseng Keo, the Headquarters of the Shan State Army that had ceasefire agreement with SLORC since 1989 to talk with both the SSA and SSNA ( Shan State National Army ) there. On 13 Sep, it was unanimously resolved by the three sides to combine their military forces into one single armed force --the Shan State Army and its political wing, the State State National Organization. The decision was also taken to re-offer peace to SLORC in order to facilitate the process of ending of our people's immense sufferings under SLORC's four cuts campaigns and to facilitate negotiations that shall lead to the resolution of problems both in Burma and the Shan States. Accordingly, the SSNO leaders delegations headed by President Sai Nawng and Vice President Kaifa travelled to Rangoon to negotiate with SLORC leaders. Though the details of the meetings are still unclear at present, the SLORC's general response to this latest development in the Shan States is clear : Stay split and disunited if the Shans want SLORC to stop its inhuman campaign. Meanwhile the four cuts campaign and the divide and rule policy continued, resulting in the surrender of 300 of the SSNA's Brigade 275 and Brigade 8. As for SURA, faced with imminent annihilation, it was forced to defend itself. On 28 September, a SLORC convoy was intercepted by a unit from Brigade 758 at Nam-oi on the Kunhing- Namzarng road. During the brief but fierce engagement, the Shans killed 6 SLORC soldiers -- a captain among them, wounded 7-8 of them and destroyed two SLORC vehicles. As for the SURA liaison group, until further instructions from the authorities in the Shan States, it shall continue to use the same designation, and report the developments as they come. Notes : The Shan State Army ---leader-Sai Nawng, official ceasefire group. The Shan State National Army --- leader- Karnyord, unofficial ceasefire group. The Shan United Revolutionary Army --- leader - Yawtsuk, the group still on armed struggle. ******************************************************** REUTER: EU STILL CONSIDERING SUSPENDING TRADE BENEFITS TO BURMA October 11, 1996 DUBLIN, Ireland (Reuter) - The European Union is considering suspending trade benefits accorded to Burma because of human rights abuses in the Southeast Asian country, according to the EU's Irish presidency. ``The European Union is giving active consideration to further possible restrictions in relation to Burma,'' Irish Foreign Minister Dick Spring said in a statement released late Thursday. He said the EU Commission was completing an inquiry into possible future suspension of trade benefits available to Burma under the generalized system of preferences. Spring said he deplored ``the practice of torture, summary and arbitrary executions, forced labor, abuse of women, political arrests, forced displacements of the population and restrictions on the fundamental rights of freedom, of speech, movement and assembly which have been reported in the recent past.'' The EU recently adopted a declaration deploring wide-scale detentions of supporters of Burma's National League for Democracy and the blockading of access to the residence of its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. ``The European Union called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those who have been detained and to allow for the resumption of normal activties by the National League for Democracy,'' Spring said. ******************************************************* REUTERS: GERMAN TOURISTS URGED TO BOYCOTT BURMA October 9, 1996 A human rights group on Wednesday urged globe-trotting Germans to boycott Burma, saying tourist money spent there would go to help stabilise the country's military government. "Wait a bit with your visit, supporting the policies of the military government now is wrong," The Society for Threatened Peoples appealed to Germans now booking exotic winter holidays. "With its hard currency from tourism, the Burmese military junta will buy new weapons to strengthen army rule." Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has urged foreign tourists to boycott the "Visit Myanmar (Burma) Year" campaign Rangoon plans to run between November 1996 and April 1997 to lure more visitors to the long-isolated country. Rangoon's tourism minister said in June the bad image the country had in the world press had hurt the tourism industry just before "Visit Myanmar Year" was to begin. Ulrich Delius, Asia analyst for the group, told journalists in Bonn that Burma had used over two million forced labourers in the past four years to renovate tourist sights such as the wall and moat of the former Royal Palace in Mandalay. Several thousand died annually in the drive to build or improve roads, train lines and airports, he said. Travel agents said big tour companies were promoting Burma this year as a new winter tourist destination with attractive offers of eight or 12-day package tours. Burma, one of the world's poorest countries, hopes its campaign will attract up to 300,000 rich visitors this year after only 150,000 in 1995. *********************************************************** BKK POST: JUNTA LEADER TO PAY VISIT NEXT WEEK October 11, 1996 Bangkok Post, Agencies, Phnom Penh Cambodia and Burma will sign a tourism cooperation pact and an accord making the historic sites of Angkor Wat and Pagan sister cities when the head of Rangoon's military junta visits Phnom Penh next week. Senior General Than Shwe, who is Burma's prime minister and chairman of the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), will pay a four-day official visit to Cambodia from October 16, the Cambodian foreign ministry said yesterday. The Burmese leader is due to meet co-Premiers Prince Norodom Ranariddh and Hun Sen, National Assembly President Chea Sim, and be granted an audience by King Norodom Sihanouk during the visit. The agreement making Angkor Wat and Pagan sister cities will be signed when the Burmese delegation, which includes Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw, tours the 12th century temple complex in Cambodia's northwestern province of Siem Reap. Cambodia and Burma re-established diplomatic relations in August 1994. The Burmese leader previously visited and Laos and Vietnam, and in August was Malaysia's guest. But he has yet to pay an official visit to Thailand, although he took part in an informal summit in Bangkok in December 1995 of 10 Southeast Asian leaders. ***************************************************************** NLM: "MEMORIES OF GOOD TRADITIONS" October 7, 1996 (excerpts) by Pe Kan Kaung: [BurmaNet Editor's Note: It is ironic that the New Light would use the example of Adoniram Judson, an American missionary to Burma in the early 1800s, as symbolizing good American-Burman relations. Judson was not treated warmly by Burmese officials at the time, particularly during his imprisonment. Achieving no successes prosyletizing among Burman Buddhists, he turned to animist Karens, who converted in large numbers. Missionaries after Judson wrote frequently of Burmese officials arresting and torturing Karen villagers who had become Christians. Even today, Christians face persecution and in the Chin hills, Burmese authorities have tried to forcibly convert Christians to Buddhism. In one recent instance, after a Christian converted a Buddhist monk to Christianity both were arrested and thrown in jail.] ------------------------------------------------------------- It can be said that Myanmar and the United States are the farthest and at the same time the nearest countries. For the United States, Myanmar is the most distant country in the world. Either from the east or west course from the US, one has to travel 6,000 miles to reach Myanmar. They can also be described as the nearest countries. It is because one is situated on one side and another on the other side of the globe; they are touching back to back though they are facing opposite directions. If a long pole, for instance, were to be stuck straight into the earth from Myanmar town of Katha it will reach an American town in Texas State. Moreover, a clear evidence is that almost all the rich resources and minerals exploited in the US are found in the earth here in Myanmar. The peoples of the US and Myanmar have been of one mind maintaining friendly ties. If we recall the history of Myanmar-American friendship there is evidence that the two nations have maintained friendly relations since the founding of the US. After setting themselves free from the Spanish, French and British rule the Americans established the United States of America. In the process, they made efforts concentrating on their religious belief. Americans were intelligent and they served the interests of the human race. They performed religious duties and then laid the foundation for Myanmar- American friendship. An ocean- going ship, Georgiana, arrived in Yangon River during the night of 12 July 1813. A 25-year-old American youth got off from the ship. He was Mr A Judson who was later well known among Myanmar people as Saya Yudathan (Teacher Judson). He first laid the foundation of Myanmar-American cultural exchange programme for promoting friendship between the two nations. After securing a place to live, the first thing they [Judson and his wife] did was learning to speak Myanmar language. Realizing that only speaking was not enough, Judson also tried to learn Myanmar written language. After three years he had been able to compile a Myanmar grammar. He also noted down English words of Myanmar definitions. As a result, he compiled the Myanmar-English Dictionary which is still in use. The first English-Myanmar war broke out in May 1824 and English forces annexed Yangon. Due to the war, foreigners in the kingdom had to be detained and Saya Judson was among the English detainees. He was in custody for 11 months. While carrying out missionary work, he compiled translations. Saya Judson who had lived in Myanmar for 37 years, from 1813 to 1850, left a colossal, secure legacy for Myanmar literature and Christianity. The New Testament translated by Saya Judson was first printed at the Thathana Printing Press in Mawlamyine in December 1832. The Old Testament was printed in 1835. The two Testaments still remain as the manuals of the Christian faithful in Myanmar and will also remain so in future. So, Myanmar still honours and lauds Judson, in fond memories up to this day, Judson College, Judson Church and Judson pillar still exist in his honour. ********************************************************* NLM: SLORC'S TIN U MEETS LEADERS OF SHAN STATE NATIONAL ARMY October 9, 1996 (New Light of Myanmar) Secretary-2 Lt-Gen Tin U of the State Law and Order Restoration Council met leaders of Shan State National Army, SSNA, U Kanna, U Phumar and U Aik La and party at Myanma Science and Technology Research Department of the Ministry of Science and Technology at 0730 today. Members of the SSNA returned to the legal fold on 27 September in Manphu Village in Mongkai Township. They cordially discussed regional unity, stability and development. Minister at the Office of the Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Acting Minister for Industry-2 Lt-Gen Min Thein, Minister for Science and Technology U Thaung and officials of the Office of the State Law and Order Restoration Council were also present. ********************************************************* XINHUA: CRIME REDUCTION WORK COMMITTEE FORMED IN MYANMAR October 11, 1996 A work committee has been set up in Myanmar in an effort to reduce crime and carry out education in this aspect. According to today's official paper "The New Light of Myanmar," the committee, headed by a deputy minister for Home Affairs, will begin operation on October 15. Tin Oo, second secretary of the Myanmar State Law and Order Restoration Council, Thursday called for effective prevention of crimes and exposure of criminals for the stability of the state and peace and tranquillity of the community and for bringing down criminal offenses. "At present, crimes threatening community peace and breaking of law have emerged due to instigation and influences by local and foreign political interferences," he noted at a meeting to coordinate the work of crime reduction here. "Authorities have exposed some of the crimes and taken action against the criminals," he added. He stressed the necessity to adopt new means to reduce the crime rate and win public trust. ********************************************************** XINHUA: MYANMAR STRESSES COOPERATION IN BORDER AREAS October 7, 1996 Myanmar leader Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt stressed cooperation among regional authorities in implementing projects for the development of remote border regions. Khin Nyunt, who is first secretary of the Myanmar State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), made the remarks here Sunday at a meeting of the work committee for the development of border areas and national races. Khin Nyunt, who is also chairman of the work committee, disclosed that Myanmar has spent over 4.31billion kyats (718 million US dollars according to the official exchange rate) for border area development since 1988 when the SLORC took over power. He said that special priority is being given to transport, education, health and agricultural works in the development of the border regions. Second secretary of the SLORC Lieutenant General Tin Oo, who is vice-chairman of the work committee, disclosed at the meeting that funds allocated for border area development in 1996-97 fiscal year amount to 942.4 million kyats (157 million us dollars). Previously, some Myanmar border areas were dominated by internal anti-government armed groups. Now 15 of the 16 armed groups as well as drug king Khun Sa and his Mong Tai Army have returned to the legal fold. [BurmaNet Editor's Note: The unofficial exchange rate has gradually gone from about 100 kyat/dollar to 170 kyat/dollar over the past few years. Calculated at the 170 kyat rate, this amounts to just $3.1 million per year for border area development. Border area development plans for 1996-7 at the current exchange rate of $170kyat/$1 amounts to $5.54 million. Also, there are more than 16 armed groups in Burma. The Chin and the Nagas, for instance, are not included in the 16, and armed Shan groups are continuing to operate in Northern Burma.] *********************************************************** BURMANET: BRIEF BUSINESS NEWS October 3-12, 1996 SOUTH KOREAN BUSINESSES RATE BURMA POORLY AS INVESTMENT SITE A poll, conducted by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), followed trips by 37 South Korean government and business experts to the five nations -- Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The survey found that 27 percent of those questioned selected Vietnam as the most promising investment site. Laos and Cambodia won 23 percent each, while 23 percent picked Thailand. Only six percent favored Burma. AIR MANDALAY INAUGURATES FLIGHT TO PHUKET, THAILAND Air Mandalay, a Burma-Singapore joint venture, is now operating a twice- weekly flight between Rangoon and Phuket. Air Mandalay began operating in November, 1994, first flying domestically between Rangoon and Mandalay, and then expanding to Chiang Mai, Thailand in August, 1995. BURMA PLANS TO INCREASE RICE PRODUCTION Burma plans to produce 20 million tons and export 1 million tons of rice this year, said Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Myint Aung. He called for higher rice production not only to realize domestic sufficiency but also to earn income for the country. He stated that monsoon rice had been cultivated on 4.98 million hectares of land by the end of September against the target of 4.86 million hectares. According to official statistics, in the 1995-96 fiscal year, Burma's rice output was more than 19 million tons, of which 353,100 tons were exported. The country's other agricultural products are beans and pulses, cotton, sugarcane, rubber and jute. The minister stressed the need to change rice species for boosting yields. He also said that arrangements have been made to enable cultivation of three crops a year. The annual growth rate of Burma's agriculture in the past four fiscal years from 1992-93 to 1995-96 stood at 8.8 percent and it is targeted at 5.4 percent annually in the next five fiscal years. JOINT VENTURES TO PRODUCE WOOD ITEMS The state-run Myanmar Shipyards under the Ministry of Transportation and a local private company, the Standard Myanmar Co Ltd., have entered into a contract to manufacture and sell finished wooden products. The products will be sold in Burma and abroad. In March, the government established a furniture zone in Dagon Myothit, a new town under development in the suburbs of Rangoon, to produce value-added goods. Local industrialists are invited to invest and set up factories in the zone. Myanmar has also set up joint-venture furniture factories in recent years with some foreign companies including the Santi Forestry Co. Ltd. of Thailand, the Yangon Wood Industries Ltd. of France and the KOL industries Sdn Bhd of Malaysia. JAPANESE FIRM TO SET UP FINANCING UNIT IN SINGAPORE Next month, Japan's Nissho Iwai Corporation will set up a financing unit in Singapore to invest in bonds and equities trading on Asian markets. The firm, whose investment portfolio is estimated at 5 billion dollars, will focus on the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and Burma, according to company officials. ************************************************************ ANNOUNCEMENT: CNN SEGMENT ON SELECTIVE PURCHASING from simon_billenness@cybercom.net CNN is producing a short segment on Burma selective purchasing laws. The segment will likely appear on CNN, CNN Financial News and, probably, also CNN Headline News. It will not start to appear before 5pm EST on Sunday, October 13. Interviewees will likely include Jane Jerome of Amnesty International and the Bay Area Burma Roundtable and Miloanne Hecathorn of the Office of Budget & Finance of the City of Oakland. CNN International also did a story on the current situation in Burma last week featuring Maureen Aung-Thwin, OSI's Burma Project Director.