------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: March 14, 1997 Issue #666 HEADLINES: ========== KNU REPORT: HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS UPDATE THE NATION: CHETTA GETS WARM WELCOME AT BRIDGE SITE BKK POST: KARENS FIND NO SANCTUARY IN WATERSHED ROME L'UNITA:AUNG SAN SUU KYI CALLS FOR US SANCTIONS AP-DOW JONES: FRANCE BACKS TOTAL'S PROJECTS ASIATIMES: UK ON ITS OWN OVER MYANMAR STANCE KYODO: CONSORTIUM SIGNS MYANMAR GAS SALE ACCORD KYODO:CHINESE FIRM EXTENDS 50 MIL. DLR LOAN SLORC:INFORMATION SHEET NO. A-0028 AP:CONGRESSIONAL TRIP-TAX-EXEMPT FACT-FINDING? THE FINANCIAL TIMES: BURMA GROWTH LIKELY TO SLOW SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: TRAVELLERS LOOK ELSEWHERE BKK POST: THAIS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS WITH NEIGHBOURS ASIA TIMES: SHAN PARTNERS DROVE HIM INSEIN THAILAND TIMES:CAPTAIN OF SEIZED WEAPONS SHIP AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL:REFOULEMENT UPDATE ANNOUNCEMENT: FACE-OFF WITH THE NAM ON CAPITOL HILL SYCB:STATMENT ON BURMA'S HUMAN RIGHTS DAY, MARCH 13 ANNOUNCEMENT:NETHERLANDS BURMA ROUND TABLE ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW AUNG SAN SUU KYI BOOK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KNU REPORT: HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS UPDATE March 12,1997 From: So_Nou@sala.icn.net (So Nou) KNU No. 3 Brigade Naung Lin Bin District On February 22,1997 at 9 am, SLORC Light Infantry Battalion 350 ntered Shwegyin township, Meh Yeh Hta village, captured an old villager, Saw Ta Lay, age 80 and took him away with them. On the way, when this old villager could no longer walk, they stoned him to death. KNU No. 7 Brigade Area Paan District The SLORC troops in the area issued an order that all the villages at the foot of Dawna Mountain must be relocated to a designated place. If the villagers were still seen in the villages or seen hiding in the jungle after the dead line of 6th March, they would be shot to death. There is not sufficient water for the villagers at the designated place let alone food. Now these villagers are living under the trees exposed to the elements. Their cattle, pigs and poultry are all appropriated by the SLORC soldiers. The young girls are violated and then killed . These villagers are in great fear and misery. Their situation is totally veiled from the outside world. When some KNU soldiers met a group of elderly women fleeing from the SLORC soldiers, they wailed and related their sad experiences, " Isn't there anyone to deliver us from our miserable life? It would be better for us to die than go on living this kind of existence." The KNU soldiers could accomplish very little for the security of these villagers because they are greatly outnumbered. KNU Information Center ************************** THE NATION: CHETTA GETS WARM WELCOME AT BRIDGE SITE March 13, 1997 MAE SOT, Tak ­ Thai Army Chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro received a hero's welcome from locals yesterday after he negotiated the resumption of the Thai-Burmese bridge's construction with Burma's ruling junta ­ the State Law and Order Restoration Council. With the work now continuing, top Thai Army leaders believe Thailand's dream of establishing transportation links with South Asia will become a reality via a new 400-kilometre Myawaddy-Rangoon highway to be constructed in the future. About 1,000 people from Tak province, including local merchants and businessmen, turned up to present flowers to Chettha and thank him for his efforts. However, a number of locals questioned how much Thailand gave in exchange for Burma agreeing to resume construction of the bridge. The people also thanked Burmese junta leader and Army Chief Gen Maung Aye, who ordered that the construction be halted shortly after he visited the site in early 1995. Chettha and Maung Aye made an official appointment to meet on the bridge yesterday and warmly embraced on arrival. Maung Aye was accompanied by a number of top Burmese leaders and generals ­ including Lt Gen Khin Nyunt, Lt Gen Maung Thit, minister in charge of border development, and Maj Gen Khet Sein, commander of the Burmese army's southern command. Upon arrival in Mae Sot, Chettha and his high-level Army delegation were briefed on the progress made in the dredging of the Moei River's water channel near the bridge. The Burmese side had accused Thailand of claiming land by expanding the Moei River bank on its side. Burma demanded that Thailand dismantle its work and return the river to its original course before it would agree to resume the construction. After the greeting on the bridge, Chettha and Thai delegates crossed over to the Burmese town of Myawaddy to discuss outstanding issues including the repatriation of ethnic refugees from Burma and the construction of a 400-km road from Myawaddy to Rangoon. Chettha later told reporters that the Thai and Burmese leaders wanted the bridge to be completed as early as possible, probably within two months. Once the bridge is finished, a 300-400 metre road from the bridge into Myawaddy will be constructed to facilitate communication and transportation. Thai officials said Chettha and Maung Aye shared a common view that the bridge will help improve the countries' economies and the standard of living of people residing on both sides of the river. The leaders also believed that Mae Sot and Myawaddy will become more prosperous than the two other border crossings at Tachilek-Mae Sai and Kawthaung-Ranong, the officials said. They said the two army chiefs also discussed the construction of a 400-km highway from Myawaddy to the Burmese capital ­ a road which would make it possible to transport goods from Thailand to Bangladesh via the Moei River bridge. According to Chettha, Maung Aye reiterated Burma's readiness to welcome home the refugees who have been taking shelter in over a dozen camps along the Thai-Burmese border. However, the Burmese general insisted that the returnees must be of Burmese nationality with identifiable residence in Burma and asked Thailand to help screen them. Chettha said the Interior Ministry will register and screen all the refugees, but that the start of any major repatriation would need his permission. He added that the returnees could always flee back to Thailand in case of fighting in Burma. The decision to send back over 100,000 Karen and Karenni refugees was reached during a meeting on Tuesday of the National Security Council chaired by Prime Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and attended by top military and government leaders. (TN) ******************************************************* BKK POST: KARENS FIND NO SANCTUARY IN WATERSHED March 13, 1997 Mae Sot, Tak Eleven thousand Karen refugees moved to a camp in Ban Nu Pho in Umphang will have to be moved again after the government objected to them living in a wildlife sanctuary. Tak Governor Pongphayom Wasaphuti yesterday said that a meeting on Tuesday of various agencies had decided that a camp should not be established there in order to protect the area, which is first-class watershed. The meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, was attended by representatives from the Interior and Defence ministries, the National Security Council, and Tak provincial authorities. The provincial authorities want to reduce the number of refugee camps in the border districts of Tha Song Yang, Mae Sot, Phop Phra, and Umphang from eight to four. This would mean moving refugees from Mae La, Huay Kalok, Mawkier and Ban Nu Pho camps. Last Sunday, the Tak authorities and the 3rd Army Region moved 10,964 refugees from No Ka Thaw Wah and No Pado camps to the new site in Ban Nu Pho, which is 13 km from the border. They will now have to be moved to a new site. (BP) ******************************************************* ROME L'UNITA:AUNG SAN SUU KYI CALLS FOR US SANCTIONS AGAINST BURMA (translated from Italian, abridged) March 8, 1997 Interview with Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi by Gabriel Bertinetto in Rangoon Rangoon -- [passage omitted] [Bertinetto] What is your assessment of the way in which the governments of other countries handle their relations with the military junta in power in Rangoon? [Suu Kyi] I think that many countries could do more. It is not sufficient to vote in favor of the UN General Assembly's resolutions calling for dialogue between the sides or for a swift return to democracy unless that vote is followed up with action to ensure that those resolutions are implemented. Europe as a whole is less active than it could be. I am referring in particular to countries like France which, with its Total company busy building a gas pipeline commissioned by SLORC [State Law and Order Restoration Council], neglects initiatives that could be useful for the democratic process in Burma. Also, the United States has a law which allows its President to enforce sanctions whenever he feels that the right moment has come to do so. We are waiting to see when he feels that that moment has come. **************************** AP-DOW JONES: FRANCE BACKS TOTAL'S PROJECTS March 13, 1997 RANGOON (AP-Dow Jones)--Paris has provided investment guarantees for French oil giant Total SA's (F.ITL) projects in Burma, reports the Far Eastern Economic Review in its latest edition published Thursday. The move was prompted by the threat of U.S. and European Union sanctions against Rangoon. Total operates a billion-dollar natural gas project in Burma, including exploration in the Gulf of Martaban and a pipeline to Thailand. The French company owns 31.24% of the project, while U.S.-based Unocal has 28.26%, the Petroleum Authority of Thailand 25.5% and Burma's state-owned Myanmar Oil & Gas Enterprise 15%. Investors expect to earn $400 million a year from the project, which is scheduled to go into operation by mid-1998. Some 50% of the revenue would go to Rangoon and 50% to the foreign partners. But strong lobbies in the U.S. and the E.U. are pressing corporations to withdraw from Burma to protest against human-rights abuses in that country. The recent French move indicates that such sanctions may be imminent. ********************************** ASIATIMES: UK ON ITS OWN OVER MYANMAR STANCE March 13 1997 Britain, which swears blind that it is tough on Myanmar's ruling generals, is likely to be the only country to abstain when the European Union votes later this month to suspend trade privileges for Myanmar. (AT) ******************************************************* KYODO: CONSORTIUM SIGNS MYANMAR GAS SALE ACCORD WITH THAILAND March 13, 1997 YANGON, March 13 Kyodo - An international consortium of oil and gas developers signed an agreement Thursday with the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) for the sale of gas to PTT from the Yetagun offshore gas field in the Gulf of Martaban. The Yetagun gas field is being developed by the consortium comprising Texaco Inc. of the United States, Premier Oil of Britain, Nippon Oil Co. of Japan, and the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE). Petroleum Authority of Thailand Exploration and Production PLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of PTT, also joined the developers, taking a 14.17 percent stake on the day the agreement was inked in Yangon. The 30-year agreement was signed by representatives of the companies concerned in the presence of Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister Korn Dabbaransi, Myanmar Energy Minister Khin Maung Thein and Lt. Gen. Tin Oo, a secretary of the ruling junta. The developers will transmit 200 million cubic meters of gas per day through a pipeline to power generators in Kanchanaburi in Thailand, starting in late 1999. ***************************** KYODO:CHINESE FIRM EXTENDS 50 MIL. DLR LOAN TO MYANMAR RAIL March 12, 1997 YANGON, March 12 Kyodo - A Chinese company has signed an agreement to extend a 50 million dollar loan to the state-owned Myanmar Railways, state-run newspapers reported Wednesday. The agreement was signed in Yangon by Lin Zou You, president of Yunnan Machinery and Equipment Export-Import Corp. of China, and Thaung Lwin, managing director of Myanmar Railways, in the presence of Rail Transport Minister Win Sein and Chinese Ambassador Chan Bao Lieu. The loan will be used to purchase railway engines, rails and coaches from China, the reports said. ************************** SLORC:INFORMATION SHEET NO. A-0028 March 13, 1997 From: Ok Kar (1) (67) KNU troopers led by Company Commander, Phar Kha (a) Sein Hlaing of the 6th Brigade of the Kayin National Union insurgent organization traded arms for peace today. (2) The U.S Opium Yield Survey Team arrived in Myanmar on the 8th of March 1997 and is jointly conducting yield survey with Myanmar counterparts. There has been (2) surveys conducted jointly by the U.S and Myanmar in Feb 1993 and Feb 1995. The joint survey teams have conducted yield surveys in various parts of the Shan State it is learnt. ************ AP:CONGRESSIONAL TRIP TO BURMA -- TAX-EXEMPT FACT-FINDING OR LOBBYING? March 13, 1997 WASHINGTON (AP) -- When four senior House Republicans landed in Burma three months ago as guests of the country's military dictators, their official mission was to inspect drug interdiction efforts. But that was not the only agenda. During part of the trip, Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and an aide flew by helicopter over the remote area where a U.S. oil company, Unocal, and its French partner, Total, are building a natural gas pipeline. That $1.2 billion project, Burma's largest foreign investment deal, could be in jeopardy because of possible U.S. sanctions against the southeast Asian country. The trip by Hastert, House Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas, New York Rep. Bill Paxon and Ohio Rep. Deborah Pryce was paid for by the Asia Pacific Exchange foundation, a tax-exempt organization in Washington. The group's president, Richard G. Quick, declines to say where its money comes from. But Unocal acknowledged it is among the foundation's sponsors. By donating to Quick's foundation, Unocal could claim a tax deduction for underwriting a congressional fact-finding trip to its pipeline, in effect using a taxpayer subsidy to lobby against U.S. government policy. Congressional aides who went on other trips the foundation sponsored last year said they included meetings with Chinese automakers and a tour of an aircraft plant that is a joint venture between China and Boeing. Ford Motor Co. and Boeing both are sponsors of the foundation. In an interview Quick denied his group, which has the tax status of a charity, is a lobbying arm for its corporate donors. Itineraries for trips are set to meet the interests of the lawmakers and their aides, he said. "If that coincides with the interests of one of the contributors, so be it,'' he said. Frances Hill, a University of Miami law professor who specializes in tax-exempt groups, said it appeared that the foundation was used to "put some distance'' between lawmakers and the corporate sponsors of a lobbying trip. "What this reveals is that there are a lot of ways to lobby,'' she said. The Clinton administration is considering whether to cut off investments in Burma, where generals canceled the democratically elected government in 1990 and put its leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest. A law Congress passed last year permits sanctions if repression worsens. Unocal spokesman Barry Lane declined to say how much the company has paid to Quick's foundation. The donations make business sense because "part of their charter is to improve relations, and we're very heavily involved in Asia,'' Lane said. Unocal has put much of its energy into expanding business ties in Burma, and would be the most affected by any ban on U.S. investment. The pipeline would move natural gas from offshore wells across a mountain range to Thailand. In addition, the company announced three weeks ago it had signed a deal with Burma's rulers to greatly expand its offshore gas development, paying them several million dollars as a signing bonus. The State Department and human rights groups say Burma's military rulers are guilty of widespread repression and human rights violations, including use of forced labor to build the pipeline. The oil companies deny the charge. At the sites he was shown, Hastert said, he saw no evidence of human rights abuses. Instead, there were well-paid villagers operating heavy equipment. "It was a good insight for me,'' he said. Founded in 1987, Quick's foundation has become known on Capitol Hill for its Asia trips. It raised $576,000, the bulk from corporate sponsors, in 1995, the most recent year for which figures are available. Last year, the group sent at least 30 lawmakers and aides on trips to China, Japan, Hong Kong and other Asian destinations, at a cost of $162,000, making it one of the most active sponsors of private congressional travel. Quick is a former congressional aide, a businessman, and a brigadier general in the Army Reserve who carefully guards his privacy. His phone number is unlisted, and his group's name is missing from the building directory where he rents office space. The Burma trip was front-page news in the state-controlled newspaper. A photo showed the delegation meeting with top generals. The government sponsored a dinner for the group, which included the spouses of DeLay and Pryce and two aides, and they stayed at a government-owned hotel. The State Department was given no advance notice of the trip, which came at a tense time of student unrest. The department had issued a travel warning on Dec. 9 because of the potential for street violence. The group made no effort to meet with opposition leaders, Quick said, because the lawmakers expressed no interest. Another lawmaker, Rep. John Porter, R-Ill., was denied a visa when he sought a visit at about the same time to explore human rights issues. Once there, the group did invite a U.S. Embassy official to go along on its pipeline and drug interdiction forays, Quick said. ***************** THE FINANCIAL TIMES-LONDON: BURMA GROWTH LIKELY TO SLOW March 13, 1997 Ted Bardacke Economic growth in Burma is slowing and the economic situation is likely to worsen over the next several years, according to a confidential report prepared by the International Monetary Fund. The growth rate in the fiscal year 1996-97 was 6.1 per cent, down from an average of 8.25 per cent in the four previous years. Continued reliance on an overvalued official exchange rate and large fiscal deficits has caused the economic situation to take "a marked turn for the worse since April 1996", the report says. Foreign exchange reserves have fallen to $213m (L130.6m), the lowest since the 1988 military coup, while debt service arrears accumulation left over $ 1.5bn outstanding at the end of the fiscal year. Without a one-off devaluation of the currency by more than 2,500 per cent, coupled with structural reforms, growth would fall to 4 per cent by 2000, the current account deficit would increase by 14 per cent and foreign exchange reserves would cover just over one month of imports, the IMF predicts. Ted Bardacke, Bangkok **************************** SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: TRAVELLERS LOOK ELSEWHERE March 12, 1997 William Barnes Only about a fifth of the number of tourists expected by the military regime will visit Burma this year, predicts a travel expert. Instead of the 500,000 visitors the generals expected would want to see a country only recently released from three decades of self-imposed isolation, the reality will be about 100,000. The State Law and Order Restoration Council, as the junta is called, stretched the start of "Visit Myanmar 1996" to last November to cover up a disappointing launch. Although the generals expected a welcome injection of hard currency from tourists, their stepped up harassment of charismatic opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and mass student protests told against them. Even though Burma tourist officials lowered their visitor target to between 200,000 and 300,000 last year, this was still too optimistic, travel industry observer Robin Dannhorn admitted yesterday. "But, whether the West likes it or not, I do think that Burma's membership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this summer will improve matters by giving the place more respectability," he said.(SCMP) ******************************** BKK POST: THAIS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS WITH NEIGHBOURS March 13, 1997 The Foreign Ministry will invite the ambassadors of Laos, Burma, Vietnam and Cambodia to discuss problems which may hamper their relations with Thailand on March 26. This was agreed at yesterday's meeting of security-related agencies chaired by Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh. Also present were Supreme Commander Mongkol Ampornpisit and the three armed forces chiefs, Interior Minister Sanoh Thienthong, Foreign Minister Prachuab Chaiyasarn and Police Director-General Pracha Promnok. Mr Prachuab said after the meeting information given by the ambassadors would be reported to the security meeting. (BP) ****************************** ASIA TIMES: SHAN PARTNERS DROVE HIM INSEIN March 13, 1997 Supalak Ganjanakhundee, Indochina Information Center, Bangkok, Thai business tycoon Karin Tongpatchote is no stranger to fishing in troubled waters, but he would never have imagined that a bunch of former guerrillas in Myanmar could put him behind bars. Karin, who owns a construction company and other businesses in Thailand, has been "counting the days" for almost six months in Yangon's Insein Prison. Arrested in September last year on charges of breach of trust and fraud filed against him by a business front of the Shan State Army, Karin's case is unique in the saga of Thai investment in Myanmar. Along with Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States, Thailand is one of the largest investors in the slowly liberalizing Myanmar economy. Karin's woes began in early 1995 when he formed a joint venture with Myanmar's Fishery Department. The launch party for the company boded well for its future. It was attended by several Cabinet members, including Deputy Prime Minister Maung Maung Khin and Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw. But in August 1995, following the murder of two Myanmar crew members aboard a Thai trawler, the Myanmar government closed territorial waters to all Thai-Myanmar ventures and the US$400 million fishery project failed to materialize. Undaunted, Karin's California-based company Bangkokman Import & Export had within four months entered into a fishing venture with the Shan State Development General Trading Company. Shan State Development General Trading is a business outfit launched by the Shan State Army, one of Myanmar's many ethnic forces, after it signed a ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar government on June 26, 1995. The company's activities include gem mining, logging, fishing and agriculture. Under the agreement, signed on December 2, 1995, the Shan company would receive 20 percent of the venture's revenue. In return, it would obtain necessary permits and clearances and acquire fishing vessels from the Myanmar government, provide manpower and be responsible for fishing activities. Karin's company would provide financial support. The venture soon ran aground and Shan State Army chairman Sao Sai Naung blamed Karin for his company's failure to pay rental fees for the fishing vessels as well as for the theft of one of the company's five boats. Karin has rejected the charges and has said his Thai partner Thanu Yamsri and Sao Sai Naung conspired to take over his business by having him imprisoned. Questioned by Myanmar police officials, Karin accused his Thai partner of stealing company property and funds. "I've learned that a sum of 50 million kyat [US$300,000 at unofficial rates] has already been paid as rental fees for five trawlers, but the owners of vessels have received only half the amount. Sao Sai Naung and Thanu have taken the rest," Karin said. He said that under the agreement, the Shan State Army was responsible for providing security during fishing operations. "They are not able to protect the property and blame me instead. "They want to put me in jail and take over the business." Speaking in Yangon, the Shan company's managing director, Ashley Hla, said it was Karin who had cheated his Thai partners. The matter is in court now, and Karin awaits judgment in jail. His request for bail from the Hlaing Township Court has been denied. Due to the involvement of the former guerrillas in the case, Karin's connections with Myanmar military leaders have been of no help. According to an official at the Thai Foreign Ministry's Office for the Protection of Thai Nationals Abroad, Thai authorities would not intervene in Myanmar's justice process. "The Royal Thai Embassy in Yangon sent an official to talk with Mr Karin to ask him whether he needed a lawyer. That's all what we can do," he said. Although Karin is the only well-known Thai businessman in a Myanmar jail, another 200 Thai prisoners in Insein Prison were crew members of fishing boats caught trespassing in Myanmar waters. The Indochina Information Center collects information for the Manager Media Group, an Asia Times sister company. (AT) **************************** THAILAND TIMES:CAPTAIN OF SEIZED WEAPONS SHIP LINKED TO BURMESE PIRATES March 13, 1997 RANONG : The captain of the ship captured on Tuesday along with a massive consignment of arms apparently bound for Sri Lanka had links to a group of Burmese pirates who regularly rob foreign vessels in the Andaman Sea, a local police officer said yesterday. Po Lt Col Paisan Panchinda, Ranong's deputy investigative superintendent, said captain Mo Bin Sigr, a Burmese soldier, used to advise the notorious Moyaza pirates who pillage foreign fishing vessels in the waters between Thailand and Burma. Allegations abound that Burma's ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) is linked to the Moyaza group, and demand protection money from foreign vessels so that the pirates leave them alone. On Tuesday Mo Bin Sigr was one of the 10 men arrested after the Thai Navy seized a large number of weapons, reportedly destined for the SriLankan separatist Tamil Tigers, just off the coast of Ko Chang. Paisan said more weapons including two anti-tank rocket launchers, four RPG guns, and a large number of hand grenades have now been retrieved from the seabed where the arrested men had hurriedly dropped them. Mo Bin Sigr, an expert n explosive devices, was stationed with a military unit in Burma's southern town of Tavoy. Thailand has not yet been contacted by Burmese authorities regarding the matter. ******************************* AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL:REFOULEMENT UPDATE March 12, 1997 From: David Arnott Further information on EXTRA 26/97 (ASA 03/02/97, 26 February 1997) - Fear for safety / Fear of refoulement Amnesty International is gravely concerned that the Royal Thai Government has continued to forcibly return Karen refugees back to Myanmar, in spite of widespread international protests. The organization fears that the Thai authorities may repatriate all Karen refugees once fighting between the Karen National Union (KNU, the last major ethnic minority armed insurgency group) and the Burmese army has stopped. If such a Thai Government policy change is implemented, some 100,000 Karen refugees would be pushed across the border to face serious human rights violations at the hands of the Burmese army. For the last nine years Amnesty International has documented a clear and persistent pattern of torture, ill-treatment, and extrajudicial killings of Karen civilians by the Burmese military. In the past the Thai Government has allowed refugees from Myanmar to seek asylum inside Thai territory; however, recent reports indicate that there may be a shift in official Thai policy. Amnesty International appeals to the Royal Thai Government to allow all refugees to remain in Thailand until such time as they will no longer be at risk of human rights violations in Myanmar. A halt in armed conflict does not in any way guarantee that the Burmese army will stop ill-treating or killing Karen civilians. In ceasefire areas the army continues to seize civilians for forced portering and other labour duties and to forcibly relocate them under threat of death. On 25/6 February around 900 mostly women and children Karen refugees who had sought refuge at Ban Pu Nam Rawn were forcibly repatriated to an area around Htaw Ma Pyo and Paw Ma Pwu villages five kilometres inside Myanmar. The repatriation was widely criticized by human rights and refugee organizations, as well as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United States Government. In response to this widespread criticism, General Chetta Thanajaro, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, ordered an immediate halt to All movements of Karen refugees. At the same time, some Thai military sources are reported to have denied that any refugees had been involuntarily repatriated. On 9 and 10 March, some 3,300 recently-arrived Karen refugees in Kanchanaburi province, Thailand, were returned to Myanmar by the Thai army. It is unclear whether this repatriation was voluntary, and Amnesty International is seeking further information about it. While the current situation on the Thai-Myanmar border remains unclear, reports indicate that thousands of displaced Karen civilians are still gathering at unsafe locations inside Myanmar close to areas of armed conflict between the KNU and the Burmese army. Amnesty International is also concerned that those refugees who remain in Thailand are at risk of cross-border attacks by the Burmese army and by a breakaway Karen armed group, the Democratic Kayin Buddhist Army (DKBA). On 28 January DKBA troops crossed into Thailand and burned down Wangka and Don Ma Piang, two refugee camps, leaving some 10,000 people homeless. Since that time the DKBA has threatened to attack other camps unless refugees agree to return to Myanmar. On 11 March refugees from Don Pa Kiang Camp were relocated to join other homeless refugees at the site of Wangka Camp, where they are clearly still at risk of further attacks. In light of this development, Amnesty International urges the Thai authorities to provide adequate protection and security for these refugees and others seeking safety along the Thai-Myanmar border. FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/ telexes/ faxes/express/ airmail letters in English or in your own language: - noting that the Royal Thai Government is bound by the internationally-recognized principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits states from returning refugees against their will to countries where they risk serious human rights violations; - noting that the Thai authorities have already provided safety and protection to tens of thousands of Burmese refugees fleeing conflict and human rights violations; - asking the Thai authorities to provide safe and secure locations to all refugees from Myanmar, and to allow such refugees to remain in Thailand until they are no longer at risk of human rights violations when they return. Noting that a halt in the current fighting in Myanmar will not in any way mean that this risk will be diminished. APPEALS TO: 1. General Chaowalit Yongchaiyut Prime Minister Office of the Prime Minister Government House Nakhorn Pathom Road Bangkok 10300, Thailand Telegrams: Prime Minister, Bangkok, Thailand Faxes: + 66 2 280 1443; 282 5131; 281 2536 Salutation: Dear Prime Minister 2. Sanoh Thienthong Minister of Interior Ministry of Interior Asdang Road Bangkok, Thailand Telegrams: Interior Minister, Bangkok, Thailand Faxes: + 66 2 223 8851 Salutation: Dear Minister 3. General Chetta Thanajaro, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army Army Headquarters Thanon Sanam Chai Bangkok 10200, Thailand Telegrams: Commander-in-Chief, Royal Thai Army, Bangkok Salutation: Dear General COPIES TO: diplomatic representatives of Thailand accredited to your country. PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 15 April 1997. ******************** ANNOUNCEMENT: FACE-OFF WITH THE NAM ON CAPITOL HILL ON MARCH 19 March 13, 1997 From: Reaproy@aol.com Greetings all, Please spread this message to our friends and encourage them to attend. This is a good opportunity to see who NAM is using on their WTO offensive and to support our side of the argument. The event is:"Trade, Human Rights, and U.S. Foreign Policy" on Wednesday, March 19, 1997 at Room 215, Dirksen Senate Office Building featuring Mario Marcich National Association of Manufacturers Mike Jendrzejczyk Human Rights Watch/Asia Stuart Anderson Cato Institute to register (its free), call Heather Anttila at (202) 789-5229, or fax her (202) 842-3490 or email to hantilla@cato.org ***************************** SYCB:STATMENT ON BURMA'S HUMAN RIGHTS DAY, MARCH 13 March 13, 1997 From: Kyaw Kyaw Htut March 13th is the Human Rights Day of Burma. On that date in 1988, then Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) Government suppressed the peaceful student demonstration in protest of police brutality and atrocity against them by violent means. Security forces surrounded Rangoon Institute of Technology (R.I.T) campus stealthily and dispersed the students with water cannon and tear gas canisters without prior warning. When the students fled away from the scene they fired the students arbitrarily from the back. In this incident, Ko Phone Maw, fifth year civil engineering student died instantly and another student Ko Soe Naing, third year metallurgy student died in hospital next day. Outraged by this unlawful atrocities and excessive use of force, the fellow students from almost all universities and colleges in Rangoon took part in this peaceful demonstration. And again in 16th March 1988, the security forces blocked the student procession along the Prome Road near the Rangoon University campus and made pincer attack from both ends. The security forces cornered the students on the embankment of beautiful and scenic Inya Lake and beat the students on their heads in ruthless manner. Many young female students were beaten and their jewellery and personal belongings were looted. And then their unconscious bodies were thrown away in the lake and drowned. Many were arrested and herded into the police vans and were gang-raped by the security forces in concentration camps and jails later. The terrace of the Inya Lake popularly known as white bridge was stained with blood, sweat and tears of the students and turned it to the "Red Bridge". From the 1988 democratic struggle onwards, 13th of March has been honoured and observed as the Burma's Human Rights Day. These two incidents sparked the glorious nationwide uprising and toppled the BSPP Government popularly known as 8.8.88 uprising. But the present military regime took power by coup de'tat on 18th September 1988. The students are sons and daughters of the people. We always stand steadfastly with the oppressed people of Burma and maintain the fine tradition of fighting along with the people against all the reactionary Governments and colonial rulers. The University Students Union is the symbol of this struggle. Many veteran politicians and statesman including our independence hero General Aung San, the father of Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Nu, the first Prime Minister of independent Burma emerged from this glorious Students Union and same Alma Mater, the Rangoon University. The military junta led by General Ne Win took power by coup d'etat from the duly elected civilian Government led by U Nu on 2nd March 1962. The University Students Union staged a series of protest against the military regime. The military clique crushed the student demonstration by shooting them with automatic assault rifle and dynamited the national and historical heritage of students Union building along with wounded students took refuge in it on 7th July and the early morning of the 8th July of 1962. Since then, the Student Unions have been banned and outlawed. Like our brothers and sisters, we shall stay forefront in our democratic struggle along with all democratic forces at home and abroad. We shall fight the military regime by all means to restore democracy and human rights in Burma. We shall never betray our fallen martyrs and carry on their unfinished struggle until their aspirations of Human Rights, democracy, national reconciliation and peace are fulfilled. We entreat the international community to show sympathy and support to our democratic struggle and condemn the present military regime for its gross violation of Human Rights in Burma including holding power against the will of the people which was clearly shown in 1990 May 27th general election. The National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won landslide victory with over 80% of seats in this election and the military regime still refuses to transfer power to the duly elected civilian Government. Down with the military dictatorship. Restore democracy, Human Rights and peace in Burma. Student Youth Congress of Burma. (New Delhi) ************** ANNOUNCEMENT:NETHERLANDS BURMA ROUND TABLE March 11, 1997 From: bcn@xs4all.nl In the Netherlands a Burma Round Table has been formed in early January 1997. The meetings will take place on a Saturday once in every two months (for dates see below) , and are open to everyone. Goal-The goal of the meetings is to update those organisations and individuals present on current events and activities on Burma. Meeting dates 1997: 25-01 22-03 24-05 26-07 27-09 22-11 Time:14:00-16:00 hrs Venue: BCN Paulus Potterstraat 20 1071 DA AMSTERDAM 020-6716952 (tel) 020-7613513 (fax) BCN Paulus Potterstraat 20 1071 DA AMSTERDAM THE NETHERLANDS (31)20-6716952 (tel) (31)20-6713513 (fax) BURMA WEB RESOURCES-Just remember one website: http://FreeBurma.org This single page serves only as an easy to remember URL and departure point to resources promoting the establishment of democracy in Burma. ********************************** ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW AUNG SAN SUU KYI BOOK March 11, 1997 From: KunzeDolma@aol.com Aung San Suu Kyi: Fearless Voice of Burma 128 pages, color and black & white photos, hardbound, retails for $17.95 in bookstores. ISBN: 0-8225-4931-X Order through any book store or call Lerner Publications directly at 800-328-4929 or 612-332-3344, fax 612-332-7615 Whitney Stewart author *************************