Subject: BurmaNet News February 5, 1997 Date: Wed, 05 Feb 1997 06:44:53 -0800 (PST) From: strider@igc.apc.org Reply-To: Conference "reg.burma" To: Recipients of burmanet-l ------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: February 5, 1997 Issue #629 HEADLINES: ========== DASSK: LETTER FROM BURMA (NO. 2) AP: TWO ESCAPE BURMESE DRAGNET THE NATION: RANGOON RESPONDS TO PRESSURE OVER CEMETERY THE NATION: GOVT CALLS ON BURMA TO END RAIDS BKK POST: KAREN AND JUNTA TROOPS REPULSED THE NATION: NSC PROPOSES MERGER OF KAREN REFUGEE CAMPS SLORC: INFORMATION SHEET NO. A-0016 BKK POST: PTT ACQUIRES STAKE IN SECOND BURMA PROJECT BKK POST: RANGOON TECHNOLOGY FAIR THE NATION: LIFESTYLE IS INDICATOR OF REAL MONKS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DASSK: LETTER FROM BURMA (NO. 2) February 3, 1997 Manichi Daily News: Letter from Burma (No. 2) By Aung San Suu Kyi Regime denying right to celebrate independence >From Independence to Union Independence Day should be a time for celebrating the liberation of a nation from bondage. To restrict the observance of such an occasion is a denial of the basic concept that the independence of a nation should be linked to the freedom of its people. It is the policy of the National League for Democracy (NLD) that our offices throughout the country should commemorate independence day in fitting manner. The authorities on the other hand, seemed determined to prevent us from observing the occasion of our independence. In many townships the local Law and Order Restoration Council officially forbade the NLD from holding an Independence Day ceremony. Perhaps it was because they thought that officialdom alone had the monopoly on independence; perhaps they disapproved of the practice of political parties demonstrating their commitment to freedom; or perhaps the very idea of independence was repugnant to them. The road to my house had been blocked by the authorities since the beginning of December and as Jan. 4, Independence Day, approached, it became a matter of some speculation whether anybody would be let through to participate in our commemoration ceremony. However, we went ahead with our plans to observe that most important day in the political calendar of our country: In doing so we would simply be carrying out our duty and if the authorities tried to put obstacles in our way—well, that would be their business. It was fairly obvious that they were not eager to allow us to observe the day of our national freedom in too marked a manner, that they wanted to limit the scale of our celebrations. We, on the other hand, believed in the right of our people to express fully, at least once a year, their views of what independence meant to them. Negotiations had to be conducted over the numbers who were to be let through to my house for our Independence Day ceremony. A rather uncertain compromise was reached and on Jan. 4, our guests found they had to wend their way through serious ranks of barricades and security forces. Neither inanimate nor animate barriers deterred our supporters but some guests, including Asian diplomats, who arrived a little late were denied access to my house. This was more of an exhibition of pettiness than of punctuality and sad reflection of the small mindedness that has cast such a blight on our country and detracted from the full flavor of independence. For our celebrations, we had a singing competition, which provided us with an opportunity for an airing of songs, both old and new, intended to raise courage and commitment to the cause of freedom in the hearts of listeners. Next there was a performance by a dancer and four comedians in traditional mode and we were all reminded of Daw Hnin Pa Pa, U Par Par Lay and U Lu Zaw, who had entertained us so gallantly last year and who are all now prisoners of conscience. There was lastly a one act play based on the peasant uprising of 1930. There were striking similarities which the audience were quick to seize upon with humorous appreciation. As soon as Independence Day had passed, it was time to look forward to Union Day. Another circle of political events was here on us again. Fifty years ago, a conference had been held at a small town in the Shan State, a conference which had been crucial in deciding the shape of the future Union of Burma. In the half century that has passed since then, the quest for a nation that is indeed a true home for all our peoples has not yet ended. The vision of a union based on mutual trust and goodwill has eluded successive generations. As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Panglong Agreement [an accord between all nationalities in the former British colony of Burma to form, with some stipulations, one Union of Burma, it is time to assess how far we have come along the road to unity. In the opinion of 15 ethnic nationality organizations which held a seminar at the beginning of the year, we have not come very far. In the statement brought out by the seminar it is said that "since the time of independence in 1948, successive regimes in power have violated the right to 'equality of all citizens irrespective of race,' as provided for in the Panglong Agreement. Armed subjugation by successive regimes, practicing racial chauvinism, for the last 49 years, has been a disastrous experience of suffering, unprecedented in history, for the ethnic nationalities. Brutal suppression of the ethnic nationalities by armed might is still continuing." The behavior of those who impose their will over defenseless peoples has done much to make the ethnic nationalities question whether they could ever receive justice under a government dominated by the majority Burmese. A few weeks ago, the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) complained to the chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) that one of their members had been forced to resign from the party by an army officer. The day after an altercation with a couple of soldiers, the party member concerned and two others were taken away to a military camp without any explanation. The next day they were subjected to a tirade by an officer: Did they belong to the Burmese Communist Party? Did they belong to the All Burma Students Democratic Front? Were they hardcore supporters of insurgents? Did they know they could all be killed as there was no law in the army? The member of the SNLD was further asked if he was one of those clinging to the skirts of Aung San Suu Kyi, accused of beating a soldier and of preaching politics for half an hour, and asked if he were trying to defy the army. When he tried to explain what had happened, the officer threatened to kill him and, after showing him a copy of the penal code, to charge him under several sections of the law. When he replied that he had not committed any crime and that he was an official delegate to the National Convention, the officer retorted that the National Convention was quite meaningless, full of prostitutes, drug abusers and drug runners. The hapless convention delegate was beaten and, later that day, made to send off letters of resignation to his party and to the National Convention in exchange for his freedom. (This National Convention was begun in January 1993, ostensibly to lay down the basic principles for a state constitution, and has been dragging on ever since in between long recesses. Nobody quite knows what it is really meant to achieve and when it will be concluded. The NLD was expelled by the National Convention Convening Committee in November 1995. "How fortunate that we are no longer part of it," was the comment of one NLD member after he read the army officer's opinion of convention delegates.) The treatment meted out to that one member of the SNLD was not so much a sign of racial discrimination as a reflection of the basic lack of justice within the country. Such treatment, and worse, is daily fare for members and supporters of the NLD: many of our organizers and elected members of Parliament have been forced to resign through systematic persecution. The realization that we are all suffering from the same lack of basic human rights is a basis from which we could create bonds of friendship and understanding that could lead to a true Union. Friendship between the majority Burmese and the other ethnic nationalities is essential to the welfare of our nation. Friendship and love cannot be left to chance. We have to work to foster a state of understanding and sympathy especially when there has been such a long history of suspicion and bitterness. The NLD holds that we all have a duty and a right to try to promote goodwill between all the peoples of Burma. In December 1995, the NLD brought out a statement on the occasion of the Karen New Year. It was a simple message stating the need for sincerity, unity, equality, mutual respect and basic human rights and emphasizing the importance of promoting the languages, customs and traditions of the ethnic nationalities. We urged the Karen and other ethnic peoples to join together to work for national reconciliation. Such an innocuous message aimed at the solidarity of the Union, should not have offended anybody who has an interest in promoting the national good. However, the authorities reacted to it as though it was an incitement to unrest. The joint secretary of the Myaungmya NLD was placed under arrest for reading out the message at a Karen New Year gathering. Within six months he was dead in Myaungmya jail, still awaiting sentencing. To penalize a man so heavily for an act aimed at promoting national unity is the extreme of viciousness and demonstrates an alarming lack of vision. This year the Karen New Year came a few days after Independence Day. We brought out another New Year message and commemorated the occasion with Karen colleagues by raising the Karen flag in our garden. The flag consists of horizontal red, white and blue bars and a red and blue rising sun at one comer with a drum superimposed on it. The words of a Karen song: There's nothing quite so lovely as our flag. The white signifies purity The red, boldness. The blue is for loyalty, And there are nine rays of sunlight And a golden Karen drum. The drum is an important symbol for the Karen people. It is usually referred to by the Burmese as a frog drum because it has small frogs on its face and elephants lumbering down the flank. It is said that the frogs signify the unity of purpose that will lead the Karen people to victory over even the biggest enemy. Such drums are to be found in many parts of Southeast Asia. The only ornament in the room where I receive guests is one of these drums, dark with age, which has been in my home for many years. As the Karen New Year is traditionally held after the harvest, it is usual to serve steamed glutinous rice on this occasion. In Burma there is a deep purple, almost black, glutinous rice as well as the more common, white variety. Large dishes of steaming black and white mounds of rice sprinkled with crushed sesame seeds, accompanied by cups of boiling green tea is a fine display of hospitality very much in keeping with the spirit of rural Burma. It evokes images of villages wrapped in early morning mist and villagers wrapped in rough cotton blankets sitting down to their first meal of the day as the sun appears hazily through jungle fronds. The simplicity of our Karen New Year feast, shared with Karen and non-Karen colleagues dressed in bright red, traditional tunics, was enormously satisfactory. During World War II, there were many bloody conflicts between the Burmese and Karen communities of the Irrawaddy delta. The resolution of the conflict brought together leaders of the Karen community with the leaders of the Burmese independence movement. It could be said that this was the prelude to the Union that was agreed upon at the Panglong Agreement and as soon as the independence of Burma was declared in January 1948 Karens who did not believe they would receive fair treatment under a Burmese government rose up in rebellion. Thus the Karen insurgency movement constitutes the longest-standing armed conflict within the country and much remains to be done to establish the understanding and goodwill between the Burmese and the Karens. Then there are the Chins and the Arakanese in the west, the Kachins in the north, the Shans and the Karennis in the east, the Mons in the southeast and the many other peoples who make up the rich diversity of our country. In Panglong fifty years ago the first step taken towards turning this diversity into strength. But not enough has been done to keep the spirit of Panglong alive. Our ethnic nationalists still harbor a deep feeling of mistrust of the majority Burmese, a mistrust natural to those who have not been accorded justice and fair play. In trying to build up a strong union, our greatest challenge will be to win the confidence of those who have only known repression and discrimination. The road that some countries have to travel from statehood to nationhood is a long and difficult one. All too often one recalls to mind the words "such a long journey ahead -- not a question of imagination but of faith." To travel a long rough road, with no companion other than faith is at times a wearisome task. But for some of us it is an unavoidable trial, a trial of strength and endurance. It was with bright hopes of a better, happier future that the generation of those who came to maturity between the two world wars trod the path to independence. It was the dream of our fathers that a free nation should be a fit home for a free people. It is the tragedy of Burma that independence has not meant the realization of the hopes and dreams of those who lived and died for the ideal of freedom, that it has not resulted in the true flowering of the spirit of Panglong. It is out of human suffering that new societies are built. The price of justice and freedom have never been small, nothing of lasting value ever came cheap. We must decide for ourselves whether we are prepared to pay the price demanded of us. For some, the price may be too high, so high it seems beyond the paying capacity of normal human beings. Yet there have been many who have paid without stint or reservation for a strong, just, democratic Union of Burma. On the 50th anniversary of Union Day, let us hope that we may be able to do full honor to such noble generosity. ******************************************************* AP: TWO ESCAPE BURMESE DRAGNET February 4, 1997 By JIRAPORN WONGPAITHOON TEAKAPLAW, Burma (AP) -- Two men Burma's military rulers accuse of fomenting student unrest have slipped a government dragnet and made their way to a guerrilla base in the jungle. Than Nyunt Oo and Thet Hmu, both 26, appeared disheveled but relieved last week at the headquarters of the Karen National Union, an insurgent group that has fought the government for nearly a half century. Their escape from Rangoon followed a crackdown on protests by university students in December -- the most important unrest since a 1988 uprising ended in bloodshed. Gen. Khin Nyunt, head of military intelligence for the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council -- or SLORC -- has named the two men as suspected agitators of the student unrest. Thirty-four others were given seven-year prison terms for fomenting unrest following secret trials. ``I don't care if the SLORC comes after me or not,'' Thar Nyunt Oo said at the guerrilla base near Burma's border with Thailand. ``I will continue the struggle, because ... the SLORC will try to annihilate the opposition.'' They said other suspects were also on their way to the border using underground networks. Both men spent several years in jail in connection with the 1988 uprising against military rule, suppressed when the army gunned down thousands of demonstrators. Thar Nyunt Oo enrolled in medical school after his release in 1994. In December, students at his institute staged days of sit-ins. On Dec. 10, security forces surrounded his home to arrest him, and he fled. Thet Hmu, also a medical student, had been free just seven months when the university protests began in Rangoon. The demonstrators, angered by police who beat students after a dispute with the owner of a food stall, had demanded an independent union for students and more civil liberties. ``I was personally involved in the demonstrations,'' Thet Hmu said. ``Younger students always respect senior students and take their advice.'' Returning to prison would be a nightmare, they said. Thet Hmu said prisoners are kept five or six to a tiny cell and often chained to iron posts for breaking prison rules. Beatings, months in solitary confinement, and AIDS spread by heroin use are common. Though surrounded at the jungle camp by armed guerrillas -- who are struggling to hold territory against the Burmese army -- the students espoused the non-violence that won fellow democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. ``The December movement was part of a larger concern for democracy,'' Thet Hmu said. ``It came from a lack of democracy.'' ************************************************************** THE NATION: RANGOON RESPONDS TO PRESSURE OVER CEMETERY February 4, 1997 Associated Press RESPONDING to pleas from Jews in Israel other countries, Rangoon's city govnerment has decided not to relocate the city's only Jewish cemetery, the Israel ambassador to Burma said yesterday. The city govnerment had wanted to develop the land in northwestern Rangoon shared by adjoining Jewsih, Persian, Christian and Chinese cemeteries, and planned to build homes and a shopping centre. "The have changed their plans, and we are very pleased about that," ambassador Gad Nathan said in telephone interview. Almost 700 Jewish tombs are located in the palm tree-lined cemetery, the oldest dating form 1876, and the most recent to 1985. Many are crumbling as Moses Sammules, the trustee of the only synagogue in Burma, struggles with limited funds to maintain the tombs against the harsh tropical climate. Only eight Jewish families remain in Burma. At it peak, the community totaled about 3,000, mostly of Persian, Indian and British origin, including members of the Sassoons, a prominent merchant family. A recent report in a Thai newspaper that the cemetery was being demolished was incorrect. Nathan said. "We reached an agreement with, Ko Lay, the mayor of Rangoon almost three weeks ago, and he put it in writing," Nathan said. (TN) ****************************************************** THE NATION: GOVT CALLS ON BURMA TO END RAIDS February 4, 1997 Ministry to question ambassador THE Foreign Ministry will today summon Burmese Ambassador U Hla Maung and lodge a strong diplomatic protest against recent attacks on three refugee camps in Thailand by pro-Rangoon guerillas, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), while Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh tried to play down the incident. Deputy Government spokeswoman Kanala Kanthaphrab said Chavalit and Hla Maung did not discuss the current border conflict resulting from skirmishes between rival Karen groups during a courtesy call by the envoy yesterday. ''Nothing was said, not even half a word about the situation. They talked only about golf," she said, adding that the discussion focused on the future construction of the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge. Foreign Ministry spokesman Surapong Jayanama said Thailand will present an aide memoire to Burma's envoy to protest against the intrusions, which violated international law and soured neighbourly relations. He said the aide memoire will remind the Burmese government about various incidents that occurred last year, but would emphasis the most recent events. Speaking to reporters after a meeting between the Foreign Ministry and the House committee on the situation in Burma, Surapong said Thailand was concerned about humanitarian issues and wanted the Burmese ruling junta to take action against and control the pro-Rangoon forces to prevent any recurrences. ''Although the State Law and Order Restoration Council [Slorc] is not involved in the attacks and intrusion onto Thai soil, it must take responsibility for the DKBA's actions," he said. He said this was not the first time that such an incident had taken place, as similar attacks have been staged by ethnic Burmese soldiers over the past three decades. ''We have various levels of approach to deal with such situations, where we can seek cooperation and prevent further escalation that could affect bilateral relations," he said. In a separate press conference, Chavalit told reporters that he discussed the DKBA attacks on refugee camps along the Thai-Burmese border with the Burmese envoy. ''We [Thailand and Burma] are old friends and need to settle this problem," he said without elaborating. Asked by reporters about the border situation, the envoy claimed that the Thai government understood Burma's position. ''The [Thai] government is not expressing concern. It is the media's concern," he said. Last Tuesday the DKBA burned and looted three refugee camps in Thailand ­ Wangka and Don Pa Kiang, just north of Mae Sot in Tak province, which left about 10,000 refugees homeless, and Mae La which houses more than 25,000 refugees. Despite earlier warnings to the DKBA forces that they would face counter-offensive measures if they crossed the Thai-Burmese border again, the DKBA and Thai paramilitary forces exchanged mortar fire on Sunday when about 100 guerillas attempted to cross the Moei River to attack more refugee camps, a source from the Thai border patrol police said. Casualty figures were not available but the situation is expected to intensify as the guerrillas haev threatened to keep attacking the refugee camps, the police source said. "The situation is very tense because the DKBA are poised to cross the river to attack the refugees camps from many points," a border patrol police source said. Refguee camp officials said troops from Burma's 99 Light Infantry Division were based at Manerplaw, the former headquarters of the Karen National Union, and were now preparing to cross river into Thailand to attack the Ma Ra Ma Luang refugee camp. (TN) ****************************************************** BKK POST: KAREN AND JUNTA TROOPS REPULSED February, 4, 1996 Security units clash with raiding party from Burmese camp Mae Hong Son Karen renegades and Burmese soldiers were pushed back across the Salween River from Sop Moei district after a clash with a military- police task force yesterday. About 50 armed members of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army and Burmese soldiers were about to disembark from 10 boats in tambon Mae Sam Laeb when they were spotted. After the brief exchange of fire, the renegades and Rangoon troops retreated across the river to a Burmese military camp opposite Ban Sop Moei. No casualties were reported. The combined force of the 7th Infantry Regiment, 337th Border Patrol Police Company and 36th Ranger Company had expected more attacks on refugee camps on Thai soil. Security forces stepped up patrolsafter last Tuesday's renegade attacks on Huay Kaloke and Huay Bong refugee camps which left about 10,000 Karen National Union refugees homeless. Mae Hong Son province has beefed up security at 10 refugee camps in Muang, Khun Yuam, Mae Sariang and Sob Moei districts against possible attacks. Border officials had been instructed to be more aware about the possibility of refugees fleeing the camps for fear of future attacks. About 13,000 KNU refugees lived in camps in Mae Sariang and Sob Moei while camps in Muang and Khun Yuam districts housed 5,000 refugees. Two helicopter gunships and three armoured cars have been deployed in Mae Sariang and Sop Moei districts for possible border incursions. Army Commander Gen Chettha Thanajaro yesterday held an urgent meeting with officers of the Third Army Region and ordered deputy commander Maj-Gen Sommai Vichavorn to get tough with intruders who might renew their attack on Karen refugees. Gen Chetta arrived in Mae Sot at 2.00 p.m and was briefed about the army's preparedness to deal with future intrusions by Fourth Infantry Regiment comander Col Suvit Maenmuen whose forces are tasked with maintaining order in the sensitive border area. Gen Chettha later told reporters the army would not hesitate to use force to repulse intruders. "We won't allow foreigners to interfere in our internal affairs, especially creating difficulties for refugees residing in Thailand," said the 58-year-old army chief. Gen Chettha said the army was considering a proposal to be submitted soon to the National Security Council calling for moving the refugees camps deeper to make them less vulnerable to cross border raids. The army yesterday also ordered new reinforcements into the area. According to Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, the raids were the work of "third hand" elements trying to sour ties with Burma. To avoid misunderstandings or mistrust, the two countries must talk face-to-face, said Gen Chavalit after talks with Hla Maung, the Burmese ambassador, at Government House. Asked to expand on his remark about mistrust, Gen Chavalit said that as far as Thailand was concerned, there was no more minority problem in Burma and Bangkok did not support any minority groups. Gen Chavalit said he reminded the envoy of the close relationship between Thailand and Burma and suggested both sides meet to settle border problems, if any. He said the latest flare-up had also affected Thai villagers living along the border. The Foreign Ministry is to summon the envoy to lodge a protest note over last week's raids on refugees camps. The decision coincided with a consultation with the House Committee on foreign affairs led by Bhichai Rattakul, a former foreign minister. Issues relating to Laos and Burma dominated the meeting chaired by Prachuab Chaiysasarn, the Foreign Minister, who assigned Suvidhya Simaskul, director-general of the East Asian Affairs Department, to collect evidence of incidents along the borders which took place since 1996. Mr Suvudhya was told to pay particular attention to Tuesday's attack by the pro-Rangoon renegades on which 10,000 refugees were driven from their camps in Tak. "As the DKBA launched their offensive from Burmese soil, the Burmese authorities should take responsibility," he said. "We want them to make sure such incidents do not happen again." The protest will be delivered in aide-memoirs, the first to have been made to Burma since this administration took office in December. After his talks with the premier, Hla Maung denied responsibility for the attacks. "It's about two groups that are fighting - not concerned with our country," he said. "It's only your media that is concerned with the incidents. The Thai Government does not worry about that because it knows everything." Hla Maung said the talks did not touch on the raids but a source quoted Gen Chavalit as telling the envoy Thailand wished to resolve problems with Burma. On Saturday, he said it was pointless to speculate on the Rangoon junta's backing for the renegades. ******************************************************* THE NATION: NSC PROPOSES MERGER OF KAREN REFUGEE CAMPS February 4, 1997 IN A BID to provide better security for an estimated 70,000 Karen refugees living in northern Thailand, the armed forces yesterday recommended that the National Security Council (NSC) consolidate the sprawling refugee camps into two major positions. The initiative follows raids last week on three camps in northern Tak province by armed Karen civilians, believed to be members of the pro-Rangoon Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA). Army commander-in-chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro said the proposal was raised during an urgent meeting called yesterday by the NSC, which supervises the camps. ''It is necessary for us to regulate the refugee camps. I asked my officers who attended the meeting to propose merging the camps into two locations, one in upper Tak and another in the province's south," Chettha told reporters during an inspection of the border trouble spot yesterday. The army's proposal coincides with a US recommendation forwarded to the NSC last week. The United States expressed concern for the safety of Karen refugees who are at risk from cross-border raids by Karen rebels and suggested that Thailand relocate them to a new site away from the Thai-Burmese border, said an informed source. The source said the message was conveyed in a Jan 31 letter US Ambassador to Thailand William Itoh sent to NSC chief Gen Boonsak Khamhaengrittirong. Itoh was quoted as saying that the attacks on unarmed Karen civilians in Tak on Jan 28 and 29 demonstrated that the Karen fugitives, located in 12 camps in the province, live under threat of attack and are in urgent need of protection. He also urged Thailand to consider allowing international organisations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide assistance in the future. According to the source, Itoh pledged continued US support of Thailand's humanitarian policy and said Washington will continue to give financial assistance to agencies concerned with refugee affairs. It is not known if Boonsak replied to Itoh's letter, nor whether the NSC will take into consideration Washington's request for the refugees to be relocated. ***************************************************** SLORC: INFORMATION SHEET NO. A-0016 Dated 4-2-97 From: OKKAR66127@aol.com (1) Mrs. Aris and U Kyi Maung ( Central Executive Committee member of the National League for Democracy) had lunch at the residence of the French Ambassador Mr. B. Pottier in the afternoon of 31st Jan. 1997. (2) In the afternoon of the 3rd of Feb. Mrs. Aris held a press conference at her University Avenue residence. This event was attended by local, foreign correspondents and some embassy officials. (3) On the 4th of Feb. the (2) elected MPs of the National League for Democracy who were expelled from the party on the 6th of Jan. 1997 held a press conference together this morning. The (2) MPs who were expelled were U Than Tun (Dedaye Township) and U Thein Kyi (Taung Twin Gyi Township) and the meeting was held at U Than Tun's residence in Yangon. This event was attended by local and foreign correspondents. Source: Myanmar Authority Concerned. ******************************************************* BKK POST: PTT ACQUIRES STAKE IN SECOND BURMA PROJECT February 4, 1997 by Boonsong Kositchotethana Yetagun deal likely to fuel criticism by opponents of junta Against the backdrop of rising calls for foreign firms to cease business dealings with Slorc, a prospecting unit of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) has deepened its investment portfolio there by buying into Burma's second largest gas field. PTT Exploration & Production Plc (PTTEP) last Friday finalised a contract to acquire a 14.1667% stake in the billion-dollar development of the Yetagun offshore field and the associated pipeline that will transport gas to Thailand. The "farm-in" agreement is so called because parent company PTT had stipulated an option for PTTEP to acquire a stake in the field if PTT agreed to buy the gas. PTT expects to sign the 30-year agreement early next month to purchase Yetagun gas with the field's developers led by US-based Texaco, PTTEP president Prajya Phinyawat said yesterday. Conclusion of the Yetagun deal and the gas sale accord are expected to give more ammunition to critics of foreign companies that are dealing with the Rangoon junta. Western companies with interests in Burma, particularly the US energy firm Unocal and the French oil company Total, have been targets of groups opposing the Slorc's human-rights record and crackdown on democracy campaigns. There are growing calls, especially in the US, to boycott American companies doing business in Burma. The conclusion of the Yetagun deal is likely to bring Texaco, which has given Yetagun a very low profile, into the critics' spotlight. Anti-Rangoon elements have spread rumours of Texaco pulling out of Burma for fear of boycotts against its downstream oil businesses in the United States. The inclusion of a Thai partner in the Yetagun production sharing group is similar to the arrangement made in the Yadana offshore gas field operated by Total. The idea is to create a sense of joint ownership for the gas buyer, in this case PTT. PTTEP already had a 25.5% share in the $1-billion Yadana project, which is being developed in the Gulf of Martaban mainly for exporting gas to Thailand. The Yetagun group also includes Britain's Premier Oil, Nippon Oil of Japan and Myanma Oil & Gas Enterprise, the Burmese state oil company. They are to reduce their existing stakes proportionately to accommodate PTTEP's farm-in. The Texaco group has reportedly spent $100 million in proving 1.4 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas reserves in the Yetagun structure, 240 kilometres south of Rangoon in the Gulf Martaban. PTTEP is required to pay an amount equivalent to 14.1667% of the initial sunk cost to complete its acquisition. The base price of Yetagun gas, including pipeline costs, at Thailand's western border in Kanchanaburi, is reported to be some US$3 per one million BTU (British thermal unit), comparable to Yadana's. Delivery of the gas to PTT will start in 1999 at an initial rate of 200 million cubic feet per day. The Yetagun gas will be transported from the field to Kanchanaburi via a pipeline, 30 inches in diameter and 170 km in length - slightly over 100 km offshore and nearly 70 km onshore. PTT's Yetagun gas purchase is estimated to generate some $200 million in annual revenue to be shared by Rangoon and the Yetagun developing consortium. That will add to about $400 million a year PTT will pay to Burma for the purchase of Yadana gas. ******************************************************* UWA UNIVIEW MAGAZINE: ANOTHER YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY February 1997 From: Cherry Jackson The heavily-armed military presence that once greeted travellers at Rangoon airport has been relocated for The Year of the Tourist, but UWA lecturer Dr Ron Shapiro felt the presence of Burma's military regime soon after arriving in the capital. His visit was prompted by the interest of Burmese writers in contributing to a UWA anthology of Southeast Asian writing. When UWA Lecturer Dr Ron Shapiro of the English Department arrived in Burma, he attempted to contact a University of Rangoon academic who has written to him expressing interest in contributing to a proposed UWA anthology of SEAsian literature. 'I was told that the University of Rangoon was totally out of bounds to foreigners, because during the period of pro-democracy demonstrations and student protests, it was considered a hotbed of dissent by "The Generals". My contacts told me that the only way I could arrange an interview with the academic would be through the dreaded SLORC. As many of the writers I was meetining had already been imprisoned, I did not feel I wanted to expose the academic to possible repercussions,' said Dr Shapiro. Later, through one of his contacts, Dr Shapiro met a group of writers including a writer of children's books who had faced imprisonment for three years for writing a story that could be read as an allegory for political dissent. 'Writers in Burma are forced to adopt stratagems', said Dr Shapiro. 'A story about a caged bird becomes an allegory for political repression, another about a rigged football match might allude to the fact that ASSK's NLD was cheated of its chance to govern when election results were repudiated by the Burmese military. However, SLORC has become aware of these stratagems, so it is more and more difficult for writers -- but is perhaps educational for The Generals.' What do Burmese writers hope to gain from submitting works for the UWA anthology? According to Dr Shapiro they are determined to be heard, even if they incur risks in doing so. 'They believe they have a mission, that their writing is absolutely essential in bringing about change, and it is because of this very brave conviction that they are willing to have their material published overseas,' said Dr Shapiro. 'They also fear that the world might forget the plight of the Burmese people. They believe that while economic sanctions might have a limited impact given Burma's close economic ties with China, even this largely symbolic gesture would at least let The Generals know that their methods are not accepted by the rest of the world.' In other countries where repressive regimes exist, academics and dissidents often seek refuge in other countries -- but in Burma the resolve of the Nobel Peace Prize winner ASSK seems to have strengthened the will of her followers. 'She is so highly admired -- it is the overwhelming sense you get in Burma,' enthused Dr Shapiro. 'The people admire her becuase she is there and is unbowed by threats against her, and becuase her personal coomitment to democracy is so genuine.' Dr Shapiro and A/Prof Dennis Haskell are currently working on compiling an anthology which will include works from writers and academics across the SEAsian region. The project has received funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC), and the anthology should be ready for publication later this year. 'A fascinating aspect of the project has been my confirmation of the very different literary traditions that exist in the region,' says Dr Shapiro. 'For instance, Burma has a religious rather than a secular literary tradition, however during the colonial era, English was the lingua franca of educational institutions -- so a whole generation of Burmese became conversant with western literature. The impact of colonialism was important in establishing a secular literary tradition,' explains Dr Shapiro. ************************************************************** BKK POST: RANGOON TECHNOLOGY FAIR February 4, 1997 Banking on the fact that business opportunities in Burma will increase if the country is allowed to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Messe Munich International has organised the Technology Myanmar Fair. The Myanmar Industrial Development Committee, the inter-ministerial agency responsible for industrial development, is the co-organiser of the October 27-31 fair in Rangoon. Foreign companies from the agricultural, construction, mining, energy, forestry and light industries have been invited. Thai companies and foreign companies operating in Thailand have been particularly targeted. ******************************************************* THE NATION: LIFESTYLE IS INDICATOR OF REAL MONKS February 4, 1997 Letter to the editor As a person who has been "making merit" at Wat Prok for the past seven years, I would like to assure the public that any suggestion by Thai authorities that some of the monks may not actually have been ordained is mere wishful thinking on their part. I chose to make merit at Wat Prok because I have been so impressed with the dedication of these monks at following the Buddhist precepts and for leading a simple lifestyle. I should like to remind the Thai authorities, that no matter how fashionable it may be here in Thailand, the Lord Buddha was not a card-carrying monk. It is, after all, not the card that makes the monk, but the adherence to the precepts, just as it is not the gun but respect for the law that makes for a good policeman. Such a thought seems to lie well beyond the intellectual abilities of the present Thai prime minister. Murial Dinkler, BANGKOK *****************************************************