Subject: The BurmaNet News February 26, 1997 Date: Wed, 26 Feb 1997 05:03:48 -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 26, 1997 Issue #650 HEADLINES: ========== BURMANET:FORCED RELOCATION AND REPATRIATION NCUB: PRESS RELEASE No 5 NCUB: PRESS RELEASE NO [6] THE NATION: CHETTHA PINS HOPE ON BORDER TALKS BKK POST: KAREN VILLAGERS GIVEN ULTIMATUM KYODO: MYANMAR ARMY CHIEF VISITS AREAS CAPTURED OBSERVER: GENERALS WAR OF RAPE AND MUTILATION BKK POST: ENVOY MEET SUU KYI AND SHAN LEADER THAILAND TIMES:MON LEADER UNDER PRESSURE BKK POST: NEW MON STATE LAUDS GAS PIPELINE THAILAND TIMES: RELOCATION OF BURMESE BRIDGE TALKS BEIJING XINHUA:LEADER EXPRESSES SORROW OVER DENG THE NATION: WEST WARNED ON RANGOON'S ENTRY TO ASEAN XINHUA NEWS AGENCY:MYANMAR TO HOST RCA MEETING ------------------------------------------------------------------ BURMANET:FORCED RELOCATION AND REPATRIATION OF KAREN REFUGEES IN WESTERN THAILAND February 26, 1997 Karen villagers from the KNU 4th brigade area, Minthamee area in Tenasserim Division (Mae Sa Mee) started to flee the fighting and the human rights abuses from the Burma Army offensive against the KNU on February 22. Refugees fled to two sites and numbers were estimated on Feb. 25 to be: Bong Tee approximately 1,500 refugees Pu Nam Rawn approximately 2,000 refugees At Pu Nam Rawn, only females and children were allowed to enter Thailand. Approximately 500 men from Htee Kee who tried to enter Pu Nam Rawn refugee camp were not allowed to stay and were sent back to Burma. On February 25th, the soldiers at the Thai Army checkpoint near Pu Nam Rawn refused to allow US embassy officials access to visit the refugees. The US embassy officials were also denied access to Ban Bong Tee, in Amphur Sai Yoke, Kanjanaburi. On the afternoon of Feb 25, the Commander of the 9th Division of the Thai Army came to Bong Tee and Pu Nam Rawn by helicopter and ordered that the refugees could only stay in Thailand 3 days and then must all go back. The division commander ordered that the men be separated from the women and children - and that the men be forcibly ‘pushed’ back ‘to fight’. The women and children were ordered to be sent through a ‘safe corridor’ into Burma opposite Amphur Suan Pung, Ratchaburi Province. In Bong Tee the refugees were reportedly separated and an unknown number of men were sent back across the border into the war zone. During the night of Feb 25, the women and children were loaded onto two large trucks, reportedly owned by a Thai logging company and organized by the Thai Army, and sent to Ratchaburi Province. As of February 26th, all the people in Bong Tee have been moved. It appears that the women and children have been forced back into Burma at Paw Mah Pwe village opposite Amphur Suan Pung. The Burma Army is presently advancing up the Tenasserim River and is only 10-12 hours walk from this borderpoint. The Burma Army has taken Htee Hta, Amoe (17 km north of Htee Htah and opposite Bong Lee refugee camp) and Amla village (10 km south of Htee Htah). These villages are only between 3-6 hours walk from Htee Kee (Minthamee Kee) which is the KNU 4th Brigade headquarters. The Burma Army is presently advancing on Htee Kee. The reports say that the Thai Army forced the men back to Htee Kee and the remaining women and children will be loaded into trucks, reportedly belonging to a Thai logging company, and forcibly relocated and repatriated back at Paw Mah Pwe village (the tin mines) opposite Amphur Suan Pung, Ratchaburi. This is expected to happen tonight. On the evening of February 25, the Ninth Division Commander was interviewed on Thai Channel 5 TV. He stated that the men should all go back and fight the Burma Army on the Burma side of the border and the women and children would be sent back to Burma through a “safe corridor”. He also stated that all the refugees would be pushed back within 2-3 days, and they will not have a refugee situation along that area of the border. It should be noted that this is against international law and internationally-accepted humanitarian standards. The refugees reportedly say that they will not allow themselves to be separated from their families and that ‘if the men go back to the war zone in Minthamee area, then they will all go and die together.’ So far there has been no information available about the fate of the 1000 refugees in Thaw Ka, which is located south of Ban Ee Tong, the point along the borderline where the pipeline will cross into Thailand. The refugees are trapped between the Thai Border Patrol Police and the SLORC army. Relief NGOs are not being allowed access to this area. ****************************** NCUB: PRESS RELEASE No 5 February 23, 1997 From: "All Burma Students' Democratic Front" NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE UNION OF BURMA THE SLORC OFFENSIVE IN KNU BRIGADE 4 AREA SLORC troops have been launching their offensive against KNU Brigade 4 area using a three-pronged military attack from two positions since February 10th, 1997. >From the north of Brigade 4 area, SLORC Battalion Nos. 25, 431, 104, 224 and 17, which are organised under Operational Command No.1, based in Tavoy township. These battalions arrived at a location in between Sinpyudaing and Ai Waing villages, which is si tuated on the Tenasserim river, through Taung Thone Lone and Myitta villages, despite KNLA guerrilla resistance. >From the southern direction, battalions from Light Infantry Division No. 66, under Operational Command No. 2, sent from Nan Thila mine, marched to the east . Another SLORC troops with 200 army-men from Infantry Battalion 17 and 101 arrived at Ka Wutt Hta and captured porters from there. The whole village population now fled. Today, there have been a series of heavy clashes between Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) troops and SLORC troops. Recent reports from the area state that SLORC troops are attempting to proceed to Htee-Kee (aka Minthamee ) area, Headquarters of the KNU 4th Brigade. SLORC has forcibly recruited civilians, along the roads and in villages between Tavoy and Palaw townships, as porters for the front-line area to carry military supplies, and as human mine-sweepers. SLORC have forced these porters to walk in front of the troops, in order to make it difficult for KNLA troops to launch guerrilla attacks on the SLORC columns, as the KNLA soldiers do not want to injure these civilians. More than 1,000 civilians were recruited from Tavoy township to and were ordered to Perform forced labour doing road construction, on the roads leading to Htee-Kee (Minthamee). Five bull-dozers are also being utilised to push this road through. On another road leading to this area, another five bulldozers are being used near Nan Thila village, along with over 1000 forced labourers, to complete a road into the KNU 4th Brigade HQ area. Due to the recent massive recruitment of porters and forced labourers from Tenasserim Division and Mon State, many villagers have become internally displaced and are trying to flee to the Thai border, in order to avoid continual recruitment as porters and forced labourers, and the accompanying ill-treatment and human rights abuses perpetrated by the SLORC. The following are the details of the clashes between SLORC and KNLA troops near Taung Thone Lon, Myitta and Ban Chaung villages in KNU 4th Brigade area, before February the 22nd, 1997: (1) On February 8, 1997, approximately 2000 SLORC troops attacked Battalion 10 of KNLA Brigade 4. There was a small clash and no casualties were reported on either side. (2) On February 8, 1997, KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Myitta (Mu Hta) village. There have been no casualties reported on either side. (3) On February 9, 1997, there was a clash between KNLA and SLORC troops at Maw Pel Kho(Mae Plu Khlo) village. Fighting lasted for the whole days and nine SLORC soldiers including a Major were killed and 15 seriously wounded. No casualties from KNU side. (4) On February 10, 1997 KNLA troops launch guerrilla attacked against the SLORC troops at Ka Lel Kee (Kleh Gyu) village. One SLORC killed and two injured. (5) On February 11, 1997, KNLA troops ambushed SLORC troops at Taung Thone Lone village. No casualties have been confirmed yet. On the same day there was a clash lasting three hours, between SLORC and KNLA troops following this ambush, when SLORC troops e ntered Maw Ko Ka Nel Pho Phel (Pho Se camp near Maw Lo Kheh) village. The SLORC fired 20 rounds of heavy artillery shells at KNLA troops, but no causalities have been confirmed. (6) At 7:30 AM, on February 13, 1997, KNLA troops ambushed SLORC troops at Pho Lay (Yo Lay) and Mae Maw Kay Klaw villages. The clash lasted the whole day. The casualty report stated that 18 soldiers were injured, and some killed. On the same day three SLORC soldiers fled the fighting along with seven porters. There as a series of clashes reported as SLORC troops pursued the run-away soldiers and porters. Three SLORC soldiers who chased the fleeing soldiers and porters were killed. The run-away soldi ers and porters were finally captured by SLORC troops and were arbitrarily executed. (7) At 6:15 AM on February 15, 1997, KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops who were being enplaned at Ai Waing (Kwee Waw Wah) village but no casualties have been reported yet. At 11:15 AM on the same day there was a another clash between the troops at this village. 20 SLORC soldiers, including a Captain were reported to have been killed and wounded. One KNLA soldier sacrificed and 5 were injured in this battle. (8) On February 16, 1997 KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Nyar Plur Thu village and Ai Waing (Kwee Waw Wah) villages, but no casualties have been reported yet. (9) On February 17, 1997, KNLA troops captured a SLORC boat carrying supplies and food, and one SLORC soldier. This soldier was killed as he attempted to fire at the Karen troops and flee. 10 rice sacks, some sugar sacks and condensed milk were confiscated by KNLA troops. On the same day KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Maw Ma Pru mountain, but no casualties were reported. (10) At 9:00 AM, on February 18, 1997, there was a heavy clash between KNLA troops and SLORC troops at Maw Ma Pru mountain. The fighting listed for the whole day. Over 20 SLORC soldiers were wounded or killed. On the same day KNLA troops captured 10 SLORC boats carrying supplies and food for the SLORC troops. At the same time KNLA troops attacked the SLORC troops at Ta Nah P'Gaw Htah village and there were 20 SLORC soldiers wounded or killed. (11) On February 19, there was a clash between KNLA and SLORC troops at Ka Htaw Nee area. More than 30 SLORC soldiers were wounded or killed in the incident. Sporadic fighting is still going on in different parts of KNU 4th Brigade area between KNLA and SLORC troops. The NCUB Information Department will continue to report on the situation in the area as details become available. Information Committee,NCUB For further information please contact 055 - 561 040. ************************** NCUB: PRESS RELEASE NO [6] February 25, 1997 From: "All Burma Students' Democratic Front" NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE UNION OF BURMA THE SLORC OFFENSIVE IN KNU BRIGADE 4 AREA Over 4, 000 SLORC troops launched a new offensive against the KNU Brigade 4 area on January 7, 1997 called operation "Thu Ra." Strategic command is in Tavoy township where the HQ of the newly formed Coastal Command led by the notorious Maj. Gen. Thi Ha Thu Ra Sit Maung is located. Col. Thura Maung Nie is the Deputy-Chief Strategic Commander, and Lt. Col. Thein Win, Lt. Col Saw Hla Min and another unknown Lt. Col are the field commanders of the three operations commands. A final report on February 24 said one column of operations troops marched from the north towards KNU HQ at Htee Kee (Minthamee) and today arrived at Ah-mo village passing through Myitta, Ai Waing and Sin Pyu Daing villages despite a series of defensive guerrilla attacks by the KNLA and ABSDF troops. A series of further clashes have been occurring up until this time. Another SLORC operations column with 1000 troops marched from Ban Chaung area and is proceeding eastward towards the Thai border. It has now arrived at Naw Ti mountain near Sar War stream . Several clashes have occurred between SLORC troops and KNLA troops operating together with ABSDF troops. There have been various kinds of human rights abuses committed by the SLORC troops against villagers on their march to KNU Headquarters at Htee Kee (Minthamee). These abuses include the burning of villages, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrest, forced labour, portering, and the looting of villager's possessions. Villagers have been fleeing from the fighting and human rights abuses of the SLORC and crossed the Thai-Burma border yesterday. Over 3500 displaced villagers sought refuge at Phu Nam Laung and another 1500 in the Bong Ti area. SLORC offensive troops have been suffering more casualties than the defensive Karen guerrilla troops. No detailed casualty reports are available yet. The fighting has become fierce and further information on the situation will be released when it becomes available. Information Committee National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB) Tel/Fax: 055 561 040 **************************************** THE NATION: CHETTHA PINS HOPE ON BORDER TALKS February 25, 1997 YINDEE LERTCHAROENCHOK, The Nation ARMY Chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro is hopeful that his talks today with his Burmese counterpart Gen Maung Aye, the first between the current army commanders of the two countries, will help resolve a number of border problems and pave the way for an official visit to Burma by Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh. Right from his days as deputy Army commander to his promotion to the top-most position last October, Chettha has never hidden his desire to be an architect of peace and stability along the 2,500 km Thai-Burmese frontier. He has also sought to play a key role in improving, if not restoring, bilateral Thai-Burmese relations, which have suffered due to a long history of mutual distrust and suspicion over the sensitive issue of the ethnic Burmese insurgency. Over the last few years, the Thai general has embarked on several tough missions, including endless negotiations with the ruling Burmese State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) for the re-opening of three existing crossings with Burma, which were shut one after another by Rangoon, following a series of border incidents in 1995 and early 1996. Although the junta gradually re-opened the checkpoints last year, it is not yet clear whether this was done because of Chettha, the previous Banharn government, or simply because Thailand met Burma's financial and other demands. As tension along the common frontier is still running high due to the ongoing Burmese army's major offensive against Karen rebels, Chettha will certainly express his concern about the impact of the fighting on Thailand, particularly the influx of Burmese refugees and their repatriation when fighting inside Burma stops. Apart from urging Maung Aye to help control the Slorc-backed renegade Karen forces who intruded into Thailand to violently attack three Karen refugee camps last month, Chettha will assure Rangoon of Thailand's neutrality in the latest military operation to capture territory controlled by the Karen National Union. He will also urge the armed forces of both countries to exercise restraint to avoid military clashes and to resort to a dialogue in resolving border conflicts and territorial disputes. But the main item on Chettha's agenda today is to convince Maung Aye to agree to the resumption of the construction of Thai-Burmese bridge across the Moei River, which the Burmese leader put on hold after his inspection tour of the site in April 1995. Although the Burmese general was satisfied with the progress of the bridge construction ­ over 90 per cent was completed in about six months ­ he was extremely upset about the reclaiming of land by the local Thais' and encroachment on the Moei River bank. The Thai government eventually gave in to all of the Burmese demands, including the removal of all structures on the reclaimed land, the removal of the filled soil, and the restoration of an island and the waterway to its original state. But the Slorc still refused to continue work on the bridge, the construction cost of which is fully borne by the Thai government. Thailand hopes that the bridge linking the Burmese town of Myawaddy with northern Thai district of Mae Sot, when completed, will serve as a symbol of friendship and cooperation and facilitate communication and transportation, similar to the Thai-Lao friendship bridge across the Mekong River. Chavalit himself wants to see tangible progress related to construction of the bridge before he travels to Burma. Today's meeting will give Chettha an opportunity to acquaint himself with Maung Aye, also the Slorc vice chairman who is tipped to succeed Chairman Gen Than Shwe. After repeated requests from Chettha over the past several months, Maung Aye agreed to meet the Thai general but in Tachilek, a booming Burmese border town in northeastern Shan State where he used to be stationed as a regional commander. (TN) ****************************************************** BKK POST: KAREN VILLAGERS GIVEN ULTIMATUM February 25, 1997 Refugees told to come home or camps burn The Rangoon-backed Democratic Karen Buddhist Army has threatened to burn two refugee camps in Mae Sarong district of Mae Hong Son unless members of the Karen National Union living there return to Burma by Thursday. A source in the area said the KNU border committee yesterday asked the Mae Sarong district chief to ensure safety for the 4,835 Karen refugees at Ban Mae Kong Khan and Ban Sa Cherub camps in Tampon Mae Yam by evacuating them to other places. According to the committee, the DKBA recently sent letters to both camps threatening to send 500 guerrillas to burn their homes if Karens living there did not return by the deadline. In response, the 4th Infantry regiment Task Force reportedly sent troops from the 337th Border Patrol Police Unit, the 336th Ranger Unit and the 7th Task Force to all border areas in the northern province, especially those with refugee camps. The chief of Ban Mae Kong Kha camp, identified only as Peter, said he had told staff to guard the camp round the clock to ensure security for 2,030 refugees, mostly women and children, who were living in fear. Earlier yesterday, about 3,000 ethnic Karen villagers evacuated a major rebel headquarters in southern Burma admit reports that junta forces were torching villages and raping women, a Karen National Union official claimed. With junta forces poised to attack from the north and the west, Karen civilians, mostly women and children, headed for the Thai border. Speaking by telephone from the KNU's Fourth Brigade base at Minthamee, four kilometres from Thailand, district chairman Kwe Htoo Win said that by mid-afternoon most of the refugees had crossed into the Thai province of Kanchanaburi. Senior Thai and Burmese army officials are scheduled to meet today to try to resolve the refugee crisis. Thai Army commander in Chief general Chettha Thanajaro said in Bangkok he would meet Burmese Deputy Commander in Chief of Defence Services General Maung Aye at Tachilek in northeastern Burma. "We will discuss the overall situation, including refugees," Gen Chettha said. "If Burma is willing to take them back we will extend our full cooperation and help them screen out guerrillas from the civilians in the camps." Military analysts said they expected Burma to ask Thailand to be more aggressive in its efforts to halt the border skirmishes. (BP) ****************************************************** KYODO: MYANMAR ARMY CHIEF VISITS AREAS CAPTURED FROM REBELS February 25, 1997 YANGON, Feb. 25 Kyodo - Myanmar's army chief recently inspected border areas captured by government troops from rebels of the Karen ethnic minority group, state-run media reported Tuesday. Gen. Maung Aye, commander-in-chief of the army and deputy chairman of the ruling military junta, the State Law and Order Restoration Council, visited Kyeik village in Kya-In-Seikkyi township, 260 kilometers southeast of Yangon near the Thai border on Monday. The village is among the areas seized earlier this month from the Karen National Union (KNU), which has for decades been fighting for autonomy from the central government Maung Aye, accompanied by navy and air force chiefs, is said to have met in Kyeik with Saw Thamu Hei, commander of the KNU's 16th battalion, who along with 495 other rebels is reported to have defected to the government following the rupture of peace talks between the two sides. ******************************** OBSERVER: BURMA'S GENERALS WAGE WAR OF RAPE AND MUTILATION February 23, 1997 Nick Daniel Nick Daniel travels with the Karen guerrilla army which, 47 years on, is still fighting for democracy THE HANDFUL of rebel soldiers crouched around the short-wave radio jeered as they heard the government broadcast. 'Our objective,' said the voice on Burma's state-controlled station, 'is to oppose all internal enemies who areintent on destroying the nation.' To these guerrillas fighting to restore democracy to Burma it was a skewed vision of what may be the last violent days of this 47-year civil war. We were kneeling behind a barricade in the main street of Ah Son, a rebel-held town in Karen state, minutes before government troops attacked. The street was littered with belongings dropped in the frantic rush to escape the gunfire. A hundred metres beyond, 30 ill-equipped snipers waited in an ambush for 2,500 troops. As the broadcast ended, the first mortar shells exploded over the town. Hours earlier the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), Burma's military junta which took power in 1988, had launched an attack on six fronts against three Karen National Union bases along the Thai border. It was the first day of an offensive in what could be called Burma's secret war. Fought in dense jungle along the eastern frontier, its heavy human cost is hidden by its remoteness. The Slorc's bullets are aimed as much at the Karen people, Burma's largest ethnic group of five million, as at the Karen National Union's depleted rebel army. Hours before the offensive, a KNU officer, intercepting a Slorc radio message, said government soldiers had been ordered to shoot civilians on sight. I had entered Karen territory escorted by three KNU village militiamen. But with a rusting AK-47, a defunct grenade and a field radio, our chances were slim against a battalion. 'If he has to run,' the KNU's Brigadier Mutu had ordered them, 'then let him run like the rest of us.' We left Ah Son in flames. First the church, then the hospital and a handful of houses were hit by mortar shells. A mile outside the town we joined a stream of evacuees, on foot and in bullock carts, beginning a four-day trek to refugee camps in Thailand. Many who had crossed the front line to escape government-held villages had already been military targets. Thao Rain, 30, a teacher, lay on the back of a bullock cart, his arms and chest heavily bandaged. Slorc officers had accused him of helping a defector cross KNU lines. As punishment they doused him in petrol and set him alight. One woman of 48 said she and her daughter had been raped by six Slorc soldiers. Afterwards they cut her daughter's throat and threw the body in a well. Another woman said she had watched as Slorc soldiers maimed three men in her village by cutting off their ears, noses and toes with machetes. All were suspected of collaborating with the KNU. As we travelled south, we were to hear many such stories, demonstrating a long -held Slorc policy of eroding civilian support for the rebels. One village leader, fleeing government-held territory, said his 2,000 villagers were relocated at gunpoint to sites near Slorc military camps. 'They are trying to control us,' he said, 'but they are mad if they think the Karen will bend to such violence.' For many it is a time of sheer courage. In Kwingale, 20 miles from the Thai border, I met Rao Mein, a 28-year-old leader of the Karen Women's Organisation. Risking arrest, possibly execution, she had returned from the front line after stealing through Slorc checkpoints to counsel raped women in government-held villages. Too late to reach Thailand ahead of government troops, she was leading 400 villagers into the jungle east of Kwingale. 'If I am found I will probably be shot,' she said. The route south bears countless scars of this bitter war. The landscape is pockmarked with foxholes, bunkers and trenches. On a hill above the Huangtharawa river a pagoda lies in ashes. In jungle clearings are the ghostly remains of entire towns. Closely followed by the rattle of gunfire, we passed through some 30 villages abandoned by the Karen. Not a single villager remained. With years of practice at fleeing government troops, many had concealed rice, wheat and money in jungle hideouts. But in the rush to evacuate 80,000 people it was inevitable that some would lose contact with husbands, children and wives. My interpreter, Neh Sen, was one of them. We arrived at his village 30 minutes ahead of the troops. His wife had already fled with their seven-month-old son but nobody knew where she had gone. One villager reported having seen her on the back of a bullock cart two days before. Neh Sen chose to continue to the border. He is still looking for her among the scattered refugee camps a few miles inside Thailand. We reached the border with Slorc troops four miles behind. By then the KNU's three rebel bases had fallen. Some 3,000 refugees had already arrived, camping in sites hacked out of the jungle. They were hoping to join 90,000 Mon, Shan and Karen refugees already living in Thailand. For them and the thousands unable to escape Burma this may be only the start of a far longer ordeal. Three weeks ago four refugee camps were burned to the ground by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, a small force of KNU defectors believed to be controlled by the Slorc. Their aim was to force refugees back into Burma but the effort proved futile. Across this remote border, there is a strong chance they will attack again. ************************** BKK POST: ENVOY MEET SUU KYI AND SHAN LEADER February 25, 1997 Reuters, Rangoon UN's Vendrell sees role as mediator A United Nations envoy visiting Burma last week met pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi and Shan opposition leader Hkun Htun Oo as well as Burmese junta officials. Hkun Htun Oo said yesterday that Francesc Vendrell, director of the East Asia desk in the UN's political affairs department, had called on him at his office on Friday for first-hand information on the Shan opposition. A source close to Mrs Suu Kyi confirmed she had met the UN representative but gave no details. Mr Vendrell met several government figures, including junta member Lieutenant-General Maung Thint, the minister for development of border areas and national races, and Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw. He was reportedly unsuccessful, however, in attempts to see senior junta figure Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, the head of military intelligence. The UN envoy, who left Burma at the weekend, said in Phnom Penh yesterday that his discussion with officials was "a fresh and honest exchange of views on the current situation, and it was valuable". He declined further comment. It was the first visit to Rangoon by a senior UN representative since the late 1995 trip of deputy secretary-general Alvaro de Soto. Last year the junta, officially known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council, and the United Nations were unable to agree on the terms of an official mission to Burma. Hkun Htun Oo said Mr Vendrell had also met leaders of the Nationalities Unity Party and the pro-junta United Solidarity Development Associations. Mr Vendrell was quoted as saying his mission was to act as "mediator" between the Slorc and the United Nations and between the Slorc and pro-democracy forces. Hkun Htun Oo heads the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, which still holds 23 seats in the ongoing national constitutional framing convention. (BP) ****************************************************** THAILAND TIMES: MON LEADER "UNDER PRESSURE" TO STEP DOWN February 25, 1997 by Benchamas Chumworathayee and Seri Klinchan YE, Mon State: Dissatisfaction with the leader of the New Mon State Party (NMSP) over his acquiescence to the demands of the Burmese junta has led to calls for him to step down, according to an informed Thai security source. The NMSP currently controls a vital stretch of land through which an oil pipeline linking Thailand and Burma is to be built, and Burma's ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) is anxious to reap the financial benefits. During the negotiations with the Slorc, NMSP leader Shwe Kyin made a number of concessions to the military regime, much to the displeasure of party members, the source said. In 1995, a number of them defected from the party, while several of the remaining members are currently attempting to oust their leader. The Petroleum Authority of Thailand's (PTT) 16.5 billion baht gas pipeline will be laid from the western border town of Ban I Tong in Kanchanaburi province, connecting the oil fields Yadana and Yetagun to a power station in the Thai province of Ratchaburi. Shwe Kyin, speaking to reporters in the Burmese town of Ye on the occasion of the 50th Mon National day on Sunday, seemed prepared to bow to his party's pressure. "I am now 85 years old and in the near future I will have to make way for the new generation so that the party does not fall behind developments in the rapidly changing world," he said. He added that the Mon people have no intention of breaking away from Burma altogether, but simply want autonomy in their own territory. NMSP Secretary General Gen Rodsa said his party is still wary of the Slorc, despite a cease-fire agreement signed two years ago. He predicted that the Mon people will be next in line once the SLORC has eradicated other ethnic groups, and said the NMSP is accumulating weapons in preparation. Calling on the Thai government to put pressure on the Slorc to end Burma's decades long civil war, he urged Thailand to give shelter to his people seeking refuge on Thai soil. Celebrations to mark Mon National Day were also held by the Slorc at Three Pagodas Pass, Moulmein, and Rangoon. ************************************************************ BKK POST: NEW MON STATE LAUDS GAS PIPELINE February 25, 1997 Onnucha Hutasingh Group vows not to impede construction The New Mon State Party (NMSP) marked its 50th anniversary on Sunday, declaring that it would not hold up the Burma-Thailand gas pipeline, parts of which will pass through its areas of influence. The announcement was made by party secretary-general Ros Sa who said during celebrations in Moulmein on Sunday the gas pipeline would benefit all Burmese people, insisting that project was not meant to procure arms to fight minority groups, and Mons would not get in the way. The pipeline from Yadana and Yetagun gas fields in Burma's Gulf of Martabun will run through the border village of I-Tong in Thong Phaphume district of Kanchanaburi, Thailand. NMSP leader Gen Nai Shwe Kyin also attended the celebrations. It was the first time he was seen in party-controlled areas since his trip to Rangoon last year to hold truce talks with the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council. A number of Mon fighters, not happy with the concessions he made to the Burmese junta, have broken ranks with him. They were particularly not happy with Gen Shwe Kyin's decision to give away some key areas under their control. Under the terms of ceasefire NMSP is allowed to have armed personnel at 12 outposts, not accessible to Burmese troops pending prior approval from NMSP. There was no progress on the political front because the 15 minority groups have not been able to reach consensus on key issues. Mr Ros Sa said he disagreed with Thailand's constructive engagement policy towards Burma, contending that the policy would not be beneficial to minority groups. He urged the world community to put pressure on the Burmese regime to bring democracy in the country, adding that Burma was not ready to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (Asean) unless all the internal problems were solved.(BP) ****************************************************** THAILAND TIMES:LAST MINUTE RELOCATION OF BURMESE BRIDGE TALKS February 25, 1997 BANGKOK : Burmese authorities, fearing an attack from a nearby rebel faction, said negotiations over the Thai-Burmese friendship bridge should be relocated to a site further away from rebel activity, a border official said yesterday. Burma's fear of retaliation appear to stem from their recent offensive against the Karen National Union. The KNU's last stronghold opposite Tak's Umphang district has reportedly fallen. Earlier plans had situated discussions at a site close to the proposed location of the bridge in Tak's Mae Sot district. High level Burmese officials have called for talks to resume in Burma's Thachilek township, opposite Chiang Rai in Mae Sai district, the official said. Army Commander in Chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro, appointed by Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to join the talks, was scheduled to meet today with several top military officials form Burma including Army Commander in Chief Maung Ae and Slorc's Secretary General Gen Khint Nyunt. The same border official said Chettha was scheduled to officially ask Burmese authorities to resume construction on the bridge which spans the Moei River. The bridge, though approximately 95 percent complete, has endured a series of delays and complications since the project began in 1994. *********************************** BEIJING XINHUA:BURMESE LEADER EXPRESSES `PROFOUND SORROW' OVER DENG'S DEATH February 20, 1997 Yangon, February 20 (XINHUA) - Chairman of the Myanmar [Burma] State Law and Order Restoration Council Senior General Than Shwe today expressed profound sorrow over Deng Xiaoping's death on Wednesday night. "In profound sorrow we learnt the news of the passing of His Excellency Deng Xiaoping at the age of 93," Than Shwe said in his message of condolence to Chinese President Jiang Zemin. "Greatness of man does not lie only in accomplishment during his life time, but also in the spirit with which he has guided the future generations," he stated. "With his passing, China has lost the paramount leader and we have lost a truly great friend," he said. "At this moment of irreplaceable loss to the People's Republic of China", he expressed, on behalf of the Myanmar government and people and on his own, "heartfelt condolences and compassion" to the Chinese government and people. He also expressed conviction that "the continued progress and development of China in line with the vision of the late great statesman will be further consolidated in the years ahead." ************************ THE NATION: WEST WARNED ON RANGOON'S ENTRY TO ASEAN February 25, 1997 AFP KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia yesterday called on Western countries not to politicise the admission of Burma into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). "Certainly Asean neighbours have some way to go," admitted international trade and industry minister Rafidah Aziz. "As long as they are prepared to abide by the Asean objectives, that is good enough. We shouldn't politicise the admission of our neighbours into Asean,"she said after opening an Asean meeting on foreign investment. Asean, whose members are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, has agreed to incorporate Cambodia, Laos and Burma by the end of the century. But some member countries have been reported to have reservations over the timing of Burma's entry as Western nations threaten to impose sanctions against Burma's military government, the State Law and Order Restoration Council. Malaysia, chairman of the group this year and host of key ministerial meetings for the group in Kuala Lumpur in July, has endorsed Burma's entry. Rafidah said Malaysia had already emphasised to its friends outside Asean that they should not impose their will on the group. "We don't want anybody to tell us [Asean] who we should group with and who not to," she said, adding that the European Union (EU) should not interfere in their affairs. (TN) ***************************************************** XINHUA NEWS AGENCY: MYANMAR TO HOST RCA MEETING ON NUCLEAR SCIENCE February 22, 1997 Myanmar will host the 19th working group meeting of the Regional Cooperative Agreement (rca) in yangon from march 10 to 15, the official New Light of Myanmar newspaper said today. It will be the first international meeting to be held in Myanmar on nuclear science. The meeting is to be attended by representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and 17 RCAmember states --Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The meeting, which will also mark the silver jubilee of the rca, will discuss developments in nuclear science and future programs with an additional tripartite meeting of RCA/IAEA/UNDP (United Nations Development Program) scheduled, the report said. the Myanmar Atomic Energy Committee, the organizer of the meeting, is working to promote nuclear technology applications in the country, it said, adding that eight ministries now have the applications for research programs, all of which have substantial support from the RCA and the IAEA with 15 specialized RCA nuclear science projects involved. Myanmar became an RCA member in 1994. ****************************