------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: April 8, 1997 Issue #688 Noted in Passing: "Political resistance has become so very much a part of our everyday existence that on summer nights while I lie awake waiting, for the cool breeze to come up from the lake, I sometimes wonder what it would be like for members of the NLD once there is no longer a need to exercise the spirit of resistance with a grinding perseverance." - Aung San Suu Kyi (see MAINICHI DAILY NEWS: LETTER FROM BURMA-1997 (3) ) HEADLINES: ========== MAINICHI DAILY NEWS: LETTER FROM BURMA-1997 (3) AFP:KAREN REBELS CLAIM SLORC TORCHED 30 VILLAGES AFP: SENIOR JUNTA OFFICIAL'S DAUGHTER KILLED IN BLAST ABSDF: PRESS RELEASE ON THE RECENT BOMB BLAST AFP: COMMUNIST PARTY MEMBERS SURRENDER IN BURMA WASHINGTON TIMES: NO SANCTIONS FOR BURMA REUTER: BURMA APPROVES $2.81 BLN FOREIGN INVESTMENT THE NIKKEI WEEKLY: UNCERTAIN FUTURE IN MYANMAR DOW JONES BUSINESS NEWS: HYUNDAI TO SHIP UREA THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: NEWS BRIEFS ***************************************************** MAINICHI DAILY NEWS: LETTER FROM BURMA-1997 (3) April 7, 1997 By Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Summer in Burma is the months of March and April, when the temperature creeps up steadily, sapping strength and snapping tempers. The air is redolent with the scent of jasmines and mango trees begin to put forth tiny green fruit, hard and sour, best eaten with a dip of salty fish sauce and hot powdered chillies. Summer is also the time when we start preparing for our New Year which takes place in mid-April and those who believe in astrology, which is to say the majority of the Burmese people, study predictions for the coming 12 months. Last year, I wrote of the way in which the authorities took steps to prevent the National League for Democracy (NLD) from carrying out Buddhist ceremonies in accordance with our New Year traditions. The result was that a ceremony for paying respect to elders planned by members of our party had to take place in the middle of the street near a cross-roads. Writing of this episode I concluded that "it seemed an omen that the NLD would not lack public attention during the coming year." Looking back, this remark seems remarkably prophetic, a prediction that would do any astrologer credit. Over the past year we have received an inordinate amount of attention from the authorities as well as from the media and the public. Hardly a day goes by without an article or two in the state-controled newspapers vilifying me or other leaders of the NLD or the supposed activities of the party. Every time there is a sign of public unrest or opposition to the military government, or a controversial incident, or an undesirable situation of any kind, it is promptly attributed by the authorities to the NLD. Rising prices, student demonstrations, a bomb going off in the inner sanctum of a sacred relic, communal conflict, even an attack on NLD leaders by hooligans obviously operating in collaboration with official security forces, the authorities do no hesitate to point an insinuating finger at our party. The government either has an extremely high regard for our abilities or has ceased to be concerned with the truth in its obsessive desire to attack the democratic opposition. Summer in Burma is not a gentle season of balmy breezes and soft sunshine. It is a harsh season when the heat beats down on a drained and desiccated land. It is also a season for riots and revolutions, perhaps because people's tolerance wears thin when the temperature starts to soar. And this makes it the season for focusing on the NLD. The most significant events this summer so far have taken place in Mandalay, Burma is a land of rumor. A country where there is no freedom of expression becomes a land of rumor, a society where the merest wisp of what appears to be news of national importance is grasped with desperation by a people starved of information. Sometimes there is little substance to the whispered stories and the tea shop talk that spread around town as quickly as one acquaintance can catch the eye and capture the ear of another. But sometimes there is solid fact behind what at first appears to be just a piece of frothy gossip. The first intimation that something was amiss in the last bastion of the Burmese monarchy came when rumors of strange happenings at the Mahamyatmuni Shrine began to trickle down to Rangoon. It was said that the breast of the sacred image had been riven in two. While people were still debating on such a possibility and the implications of so distressing an omen, word came out that the monks of Mandalay were making an enquiry into a large crack -- some said a gaping hole -- that had appeared in the thick gold with which devotees had encrusted the image over the centuries. Fast on the heels of the news about the enquiry we heard that monks in Mandalay had ransacked mosques because a Buddhist girl was assaulted by a Muslim man. Traditionally, Buddhist and Muslims in Mandalay have maintained harmonious relations and this sudden eruption of hostilities was a surprise to many. But it was no surprise when we heard there had been attempts by the authorities to place the communal tensions at the door of the NLD. According to an official Information Sheet, "it is very much regretful to learn that some elements who are bent on creating unrest in the country exploited the situation and managed to agitate some of the Buddhist religious communities in Mandalay to attack Muslim communities and some mosques. On the surface, it seems like a religious clash but it is actually very much politically motivated." I quite agree that the communal conflicts were probably orchestrated by those with political motives of some kind but I can say with absolute confidence and a clean conscience that the NLD has nothing to do with dirty politics of that ilk. Although generally referred to as "the opposition," the NLD is the party that has received the mandate of the people of Burma through free and fair elections, and we have a status to uphold as well as a responsibility to resist injustice and tyranny and all moves aimed at obstructing a strong united democratic movement. Summer is a season when the spirit of resistance seems to revive in the full glare of the sun. Resistance ... a term evocative of grit and determination, risk and sacrifice. Every society which has felt the rough yoke of injustice will understand the need to cultivate that part of human nature that refuses to accept meekly whatever oppressors and fate might decide to dole out. 27 March 1945 was the day when Burma rose up in resistance against fascist military rule. This year once again we celebrated the spirit of justified resistance by recalling the events of more than half a century ago when the people of our country decided unitedly that it was time to put an end of a cruel, unjust system. Among the members of the NLD today, there are veterans of the independence movement, people who entered politics as young students demonstrating against colonial rule and who went on to fight for freedom enter on the civilian front or as soldiers in the Burma Independence Army, the Burma Defense Army of the Patriotic Burmese Forces, precursors of the present day armed forces of Burma. That there men, no longer young but still firm of purpose, are with us today in the struggle to gain for our people the full rights due to citizens of an independent nation is a matter of great pride for our party and a source of inspiration for our people. But it is also a matter of shame for our country that there is still a need for the generation that fought for independence to continue to labor for the nation of their dreams. At this time of their lives they should have the right to look back on their achievements with calm satisfaction as they watch their grandchildren grow to adulthood in an ordered, prosperous society. Political resistance has become so very much a part of our everyday existence that on summer nights while I lie awake waiting, for the cool breeze to come up from the lake, I sometimes wonder what it would be like for members of the NLD once there is no longer a need to exercise the spirit of resistance with a grinding perseverance. Will they be completely taken up with the task of reconciliation and reconstruction? or will they suddenly feel the vacuum of a lack of dangerous challenge and acquire a burning desire to conquer unscaled mountain peaks and plumb unexplored ocean depths to mop up their excess energy? After so many years of constant peril, it would be a pleasure to see our people indulging in such relatively safe activities. (This series of "Letter from Burma" appears in the Mainichi Daily News on the first Monday of each month. The Japanese translation of the column appears in the Mainichi Shimbun on the same day.) ******************************************* AFP:KAREN REBELS CLAIM SLORC TORCHED 30 VILLAGES April 7, 1997 BANGKOK, April 7 (AFP) - Burmese government forces targetting Karen National Union (KNU) guerrillas have torched 30 villages in a "cruel" drive that is terrorising ethnic Karens and other people, a senior KNU official said Monday. KNU joint first general secretary Mahn Sha said junta troops were burning settlements and rice supplies as they tried to flush out rebel guerrillas in eastern Burma. "They've burned about 30 villages. It's not just operations against the KNU, but against Karen people and all people inside Burma," he told AFP by telephone from the Thai border. He said the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), as the junta is known, was undertaking a "very cruel" campaign through northern Papun district, in the KNU's Fifth Brigade area, where the villages are located. In a press release received here, the KNU named villages burned down and detailed dozens of rice barns and thousands of baskets of paddy destroyed since mid-February. Papun is one of several isolated regions in central and eastern Burma where the KNU, the only major ethnic insurgency yet to reach a ceasefire with the SLORC, maintains guerrilla resistance but holds no fixed territory. Another rebel source said the junta had deployed an extra nine battalions in Papun, bringing the total in the region to 15 battalions. Mahn Sha said that junta forces were still conducting operations throughout all KNU areas, amid continuing clashes with KNU guerrillas. The KNU has lost territorial control of the enclaves it formerly held in its Sixth and Fourth Brigade areas, since thousands of SLORC troops began a sweep along Burma's mountainous eastern frontier with Thailand nearly two months ago. An estimated 20,000 Karens have fled to Thailand during the offensive, bringing to more than 90,000 the number of Karens now sheltering in Thai camps after fleeing military rule in Burma. *************************************** AFP: SENIOR JUNTA OFFICIAL'S DAUGHTER KILLED IN BLAST April 7, 1997 RANGOON, April 7 (AFP) - A parcel bomb exploded at the home of Lieutenant General Tin Oo, a top general in Burma's ruling junta, killing his eldest daughter, diplomats and officials said Monday. The bomb went off Sunday night in the bedroom of the general's wife, Khin Than Nwe, who was absent at the time, a source close to the family told AFP, adding that Tin Oo had been present in the house but was not injured. The daughter, Cho Le Oo, 33, was speaking on the telephone in the room and took the full force of the blast, the source added. Tin Oo is second secretary of the junta, officially known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), as well as army chief of staff and head of the bureau of special operations. An information sheet from military intelligence confirmed the "terrorist bomb explosion" and the death of Tin Oo's daughter. It did not say who the government believed was responsible for the attack, saying only that an initial investigation revealed the explosive was a parcel bomb. The US Embassy said it had received confirmation from "competent authorities" that a parcel bomb was responsible for the blast. People living in the vicinity reported a large explosion at around 8:30 p.m. (1400 GMT Sunday). Security was immediately reinforced around the compound. The family source said Cho Le Oo had received a telephone call asking if she had found some mail from Japan, where several members of her family were visiting, among a stack of unopened letters and parcels in her mother's room. Finding a package with Japanese stamps on it, she opened it and set off the explosive device, the source said. Cho Le Oo was married to an army major and had one son and one daughter, the source said. Her funeral is due to be held on Tuesday. The bombing came amid stricter security in the capital ahead of celebrations in the run-up to Burmese New Year on April 17, following nationwide unrest marked by a score of attacks against mosques and other Moslem property. Diplomatic sources in Rangoon said that there were a large number of soldiers around Tin Oo's compound but that the situation in the rest of the capital appeared to be normal given the current security alert. There was no official indication of who might be responsible for the explosion, but some sources said suspicion had fallen on ethnic guerrillas of the Karen National Union (KNU). Tin Oo toured captured KNU bases in southern Burma last week in the region of Minthamee, near the border with Thailand. The KNU has said it would consider terrorist action against strategic military targets in Burmese towns following a massive SLORC offensive through its enclaves close to the Thai border which began in February. However, Mahn Sha, KNU joint first general secretary, denied that the rebel group was responsible for the attack. Reached by AFP's Bangkok bureau at the Thai border, Mahn Sha said he believed the blast was the result of internal differences within the SLORC. Other analysts speculated that the attack could have been launched by Moslem extremists, seeking retribution for a spate of anti-Moslem attacks by Buddhist monks across the country last month. The use of a sophisticated device such as a parcel bomb was beyond the experience of ethnic opposition groups, one Rangoon-based analyst said. "It is inconsistent with any terrorist practice in Burma's political history," the analyst said. "The most intriguing speculation would be Moslem extremists." While the government blamed last month's unrest on agitators, many analysts believe the SLORC had a hand in fuelling the violence, which was ostensibly sparked by an alleged attempted rape of a Buddhist girl by a Moslem man. ************************************ ABSDF: PRESS RELEASE ON THE RECENT BOMB BLAST April 7, 1997 From: Caroline Lurie ABSDF has received information that a bomb exploded in the Rangoon residence of General Tin Oo, Secretary No. 2 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, on the night of April 6th, 1997. We the ABSDF would like to state that we had no involvement whatsoever in this incident. We do not believe that terrorist acts of this nature will bring about a lasting solution to Burma's political problems. We believe that dialogue between the Slorc, democratic forces led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic representatives is the most effective means to solve the country's political problems by peaceful means. Since members of the Slorc first entered cease-fire negotiations with Burma's armed ethnic opposition groups in 1989, an internal division began to form within the ruling junta. Two powerful factions have emerged; a military group led by General Maung Aye, Chief Commander of the Army, of which General Tin Oo is a member, and a military intelligence group led by General Khin Nyunt. Although both factions seek to perpetuate military rule within Burma indefinitely, they disagree on the most effective means to do this. According to reliable sources in Rangoon, the two main points of contention relate to Asean membership, and the negotiation of cease-fire agreements with the ethnic minority opposition groups. General Maung Aye's group is against Burma joining Asean, and would prefer to force the ethnic opposition to surrender unconditionally. We the ABSDF believe that, due to the level of security which surrounds General Tin Oo, yesterday's bomb blast could only have been carried out by someone within the Slorc. We therefore consider this incident to be a clear indication of an escalating power struggle within the ruling Burmese junta. Once again, we urge all members of the Slorc to realise that dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic representatives presents the most humane and practical solution to Burma's political crisis. Central Committee ABSDF ********************************** AFP: COMMUNIST PARTY MEMBERS SURRENDER IN BURMA April 7, 1997 BANGKOK, April 7 (AFP) - Nearly 300 former members of the Communist Party Burma (BCP) active in the country's western Rakhine State have surrendered to ruling Burmese military authorities, official Burmese radio reported Monday. A total of 289 BCP members, including family members, led by Saw Tun Oo, Chairman of the BCP's Rakhine region gave up earlier to immigration headquarters in the western Burmese border town of Maungdaw with a number of assorted arms and ammunition, Radio Rangoon said in a dispatch monitored here. At the welcoming ceremony, held in Mongdaw township Monday morning, Saw Tun Oo said his group had decided to end their guerrilla operations in exchange for Rangoon's pledge of development assistance, according to the radio. The ceremony was presided over by Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt, powerful secretary general of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), and Major General Aung Htwe, commander of the Rakhine region army, it said. BCP and ethnic-based armed groups have been fighting against central governments in Rangoon since Burma gained independence from Britain in 1948. ****************************************** WASHINGTON TIMES: NO SANCTIONS FOR BURMA, EVEN AS RIGHTS WOES WORSEN April 5, 1997 Warren P. Strobel and Tiffany Danitz HEADLINE: No sanctions for Burma, even as rights woes worsen; Clinton decides on policy with deadlines for change President Clinton has decided not to impose economic sanctions on Burma's military regime for now, despite Rangoon's worsening human rights record and failure to control drug trafficking, U.S. officials said yesterday. Instead, Mr. Clinton is embracing a middle-of-the-road policy that would combine new steps against the regime, known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), with a deadline for changing its behavior or face U.S. sanctions, the officials said. The president's decision - which officials cautioned is not yet final - comes after a long internal administration debate between those who believe the United States must get tough with Burma and those who argue that sanctions would be futile without broader international backing. "I wouldn't look for them [sanctions] real soon," said an administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "A continuation of the upward slope of pressure against the Burmese regime is what he's called for," the official said. "The president has given them a two-minute warning." Another official said Mr. Clinton is expected to make a final decision soon and has been prodded into action by recent SLORC actions against Burmese monks in the city of Mandalay and a military offensive against the Karen ethnic people along Burma's borders. Mr. Clinton's expected action will disappoint a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers and pro-democracy activists, whose criticism is supported by the State Department's most recent human rights report on the generals who seized power in 1988 and annulled elections two years later. In a letter to Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright last month, Sen. Mitch McConnell warned against further half-steps. "On four occasions, including your own visit, tough American ultimatums were issued only to be tested by SLORC. Our ultimatums were immediately followed by arrests, torture and deaths of democracy supporters. I do not want to risk more lives with empty threats," the Kentucky Republican wrote. A Republican operative who specializes on Burma said this course would be another example of appeasing dictators and terrorists. "Clinton caved on Cuba sanctions, lifted sanctions to allow oil companies to cut deals with terrorist states and now Burma's democracy movement has been victimized by Clinton's policy," the operative said. The United States repeatedly has warned the regime about its behavior - which includes a crackdown on dissidents, torture, mistreatment of ethnic minorities and reports of forced labor - but has taken only minor steps against the regime, such as barring visas for the generals last year. Congress last year passed a watered-down version of legislation sponsored by Mr. McConnell that would give the president the discretion to ban U.S. investment in Burma if the SLORC "physically harmed, rearrested for political acts or exiled [pro-democracy leader] Aung San Suu Kyi or has committed large scale repression or violence against the democratic opposition." Administration officials have argued for weeks over whether the conditions in the legislation have been met. "It's on the cusp of a clear case. But it's not a clear case that sanctions need to be imposed at this point," the U.S. official said. Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom remains constricted. The regime continues to monitor and harass dissidents, and in February, the Burmese military attacked camps of the Karen, an ethnic minority strung along the Thai border. "After 2,000 arrests, this vicious attack on ethnic civilian communities, Aung San Suu Kyi's virtual house arrest, threats against her life, the torture and murder of her supporters, what precisely is the threshold for the conditions of the bill being met and the President imposing sanctions?" Mr. McConnell asked in his letter. Many officials acknowledge that, if SLORC is given a deadline of, say, 60 days, it is unlikely to change its behavior. *************************************** REUTER: BURMA APPROVES $2.81 BLN IN FOREIGN INVESTMENT April 4, 1997 BANGKOK, April 4 (Reuter) - Burma said on Friday it approved $2.81 billion in foreign investment projects during the fiscal year ended March 31, 1997, against $668.2 million a year ago and $1.35 billion during 1994/95. The Burmese Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development said proposed direct foreign investment from late 1988 to end-March this year totalled $6.05 billion in 247 projects. Of this total, $2.13 billion or 34 projects were in the petroleum and natural gas sector and $1.12 billion or 82 projects in manufacturing. Unocal Corp , Total , Texaco Inc and Atlantic Richfield Co are major foreign oil companies currently developing joint venture offshore gas fields in Burma. Other industries attracting major foreign investment in the period from 1988 until end-March were real estate, accounting for $874.9 million in 14 projects and hotels and tourism, $762.6 million in 39 projects. A national planning ministry official estimated that about 60 percent of planned foreign investment projects were implemented. **************************************** THE NIKKEI WEEKLY: UNCERTAIN FUTURE IN MYANMAR March 31, 1997 Potential. That is the word one hears most often from Japanese executives who describe the business climate in Myanmar. "They have great potential, including many natural resources and cheap labor," says Satoru Takahashi, the Bank of Tokyo-`Mitsubishi's chief representative in Rangoon. But the down side for investors, apart from political tensions linked to the ruling military junta, is an old problem: weak infrastructure. Executives say that poor port conditions and high transportation costs prevent companies from Investing in production facilities in Myanmar. "New factories will rely on imported parts," said banker Takahashi. "Reliable supplies will be essential." A joint effort involving investors from Singapore and Hong Kong is building a new container port across the river from Rangoon which may be in operation by the end of 1997, but traders still face such obstacles as poor roads, antiquated train lines and unreliable water networks. Japanese direct investment in Myanmar from 1991 to 1995 was only $71.5 million, compared to about $250 million for U.S. firms during the same period. But last year every major Japanese city bank established a representative office in Rangoon, obviously betting on the country's potential. Another chief obstacle, cling to industry sources, is that Myanmar hasn't enacted financial reforms to ease currency convertibility and to make hard currency available to repay offshore borrowings. Among existing investment plans, one of the most ambitious, drafted by Mitsui & Co., envisions a scheme to use supplies of natural gas from the Gulf of Martaban to produce fertilizer and electrical power. In other deals, Sumitomo Corp. signed a 10-million deal to improve Myanmar's telecommunications system, while state owned Myanmar Heavy Industries and Mazda Motor Corp. have agreed to produce Mazda brand commercial vehicles. Mitsui is also building an industrial estate near the Rangoon airport, but analysts say that unless large scale infrastructure projects are realized, Myanmar's potential may not be realized. Hydropower is the country's most abundant resource. About 37,000 MW in potential hydropower resources have been identified, but the actual electricity base in Myanmar is tiny compared to neighboring Thailand and southern provinces in China. This weakness also presents opportunities for power developers. The country hopes to attract foreign investments in power plants aiming to sell electricity to Thailand. ********************************************************** DOW JONES BUSINESS NEWS: HYUNDAI TO SHIP UREA FERTILIZER TO BURMA April 3, 1997 SEOUL -- South Korea's Hyundai Corp. (Q.HYN), the trading arm of leading conglomerate Hyundai Group, said Thursday it agreed on a two-year contract with Burma government officials to ship urea fertilizer. Under the agreement, Hyundai will supply to Burma 100,000 tons of urea fertilizer manufactured by Namhae Chemical Co., South Korea's largest fertilizer maker, each year starting in 1998. In addition, Hyundai signed a memorandum of understanding with the Burma officials to set up fertilizer packaging and blending plants in Burma. Details on the projects have yet to decided, a Hyundai official added. Earlier, Hyundai agreed to ship 80,000 tons of fertilizer to Burma this year. Stocks of Hyundai Corp. ended unchanged at 13,700 won on a volume of 184,470 shares. ************************************* THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: NEWS BRIEFS April 2, 1997 PRIME MINISTER OF LPDR MR KHAMTAY SIPHANDONE AND MADAME THONGVANH SIPHANDONE AND DELEGATION CONCLUDE VISIT YANGON, 1 April - Prime Minister of Lao People's Democratic Republic Mr Khamtay Siphandone and Madame Thongvanh Siphandone and delegation, who were in Myanmar at the invitation of Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council and Prime Minister Senior General Than Shwe and Daw Kyaing Kyaing, left here yesterday morning and arrived at Tachilek Airport in eastern Shan State at 10.15 am yesterday. __________________________________ MERLION INTER-TRADE CO CHAIRMAN CALLS ON MINISTER FOR HOTELS AND TOURISM YANGON, 1 April-Chairman of Merlion Inter-trade Co Ltd Mr Drake Poh and party called on Member of the State Law and Order Restoration council Minister for Hotels and Tourism Lt-Gen Kyaw Ba at his office at noon today. They discussed construction of a world-class hotel and resort on Palu Jitan and Palu Nyai islands Kawthoung District with the investment of $ 40 million. __________________________________________ KMB OFFICIALS CALL ON MIC SECRETARY YANGON, 1 April-Director Mr Joned Yasin of Kulim Malaysia Berhad Co Ltd and party called on Secretary of Myanmar Investment Commission Minister at the Office of Deputy Prime Minister Brig-Gen Maung Maung at the office of MIC this morning. They discussed establishment of rubber plantations and production of rubber products. _____________________________________ MYANMAR DELEGATION ARRIVES BACK FROM INDONESIA, VIETNAM YANGON, 1 April - Myanmar delegation led by Minister for Commerce Lt-Gen Tun Kyi arrived-back here after visiting Indonesia and Vietnam at the invitation of Mr Tungki Ariwibowo, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Indonesia and Mr Le Van Triet, Minister of Trade of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. ********************************** THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR (3 April, 1997 ) MINISTER FOR H & T RECEIVES PRESIDENT OF TAWAN E SAN CO LTD YANGON, 2 April - Member of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Minister for Hotels and Tourism Lt-Gen Kyaw Ba received President Mr Serewong-Somying of Tawan E San Co Ltd, Thailand, at his office at 2 pm today. They discussed construction of state-level hotel and resort in Tachilek Township. ____________________________________ PRC GOODWILL DELEGATION ARRIVES YANGON, 2 April - At the invitation of Chairman of Yangon City Development Committee Mayor U Ko Lay, a goodwill delegation led by Chairman of Kunming Municipal Committee Mr Zhang Chaohui of the People's Political Consultant Conference of the People's Republic of China, arrived here by air this afternoon. ************************************** THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR (4 April, 1997) DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER RECEIVES PRESIDENT OF DAIMEX INC YANGON, 3 April Member of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Deputy Prime Minister Chairman of Myanmar Investment Commission Vice-Admiral Maung Maung Khin received President of Daimex Inc Mr S Takenaga and party of Japan at his office this afternoon. They discussed investment matters. ___________________________________ SECRETARY-2, MINISTERS MEET TATMADAWMEN, REGIONAL AUTHORITIES, DEPARTMENTAL OFFICIALS IN DAWEI YANGON, 3 April - Secretary-2 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Chief of Bureau of Special Operations Chief of Staff (Army) Lt-Gen Tin Oo met the Tatmadawmen and families, regional authorities and departmental officials and personnel in Dawei today. They next flew to Hteehta camp of KNU No 7 battalion where they were welcomed by Commander of No 55 LID Brig-Gen Than Tun and military officers. The LID Commander explained to them the situation of capturing the camp and mopping up operations in the area. The Secretary-2 and party flew back to Dawei. At Heinda Yeiktha in Dawei, they inspected the arms and ammunition and other equipment seized from Minthamee camp of KNU No 4 brigade, Kamawthawt camp and Hteehta camp. This morning, Lt-Gen Tin Oo inspected the site designated for extended construction works. Later, he met the Tatmadawmen and families of the regional battalions and units of Dawei Station at the regional battalion hall. He spoke of the need for the Tatmadaw to execute its three main duties-national defence, training and perpetual service of the people with committed resolve so as to be able to implement the 12 political, economic and social objectives upholding Our Three Main National Causes. Only where there is peace and tranquillity in border areas will regional development tasks be carried out effectively, he said, urging the Tatmadawmen to pay serious attention to welfare and consolidation of the units and battalions. They explained to them the tasks being carried out by the respective ministries and programmes for regional development. The Secretary-2 later spoke of the national economic progress and political situation and called for cooperation of the public for peace, security and development in the region. The Secretary-2 and party left for Dawei at 10 am. _________________________________ MINISTERS, COMMANDER INSPECT MANDALAY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PROJECT YANGON, 3 April Minister for Transport Lt-Gen Thein Win, accompanied by Director-General of Department of Civil Aviation U Tin Aye, inspected extension of apron at BaganNyaungU Airport this morning. At the Mandalay International Airport Project Office, the ministers and party heard reports on laying of second layer of the runway presented by Project Manager U Boon Kyi and officials and construction of the airport terminal by Mr Hank Edarnura of Italian Thai Co. ___________________________________ MINISTER FOR HOTELS AND TOURISM RECEIVES JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHERS OF ASAHI KOSOKU PRINTING CO YANGON, 3 April Minister for Hotels and Tourism Lt-Gen Kyaw Ba received Photographer Mr Masayuki Hiraoka of Asahi Kosoku Printing Co Ltd of Japan and party at his office this morning. Mr Hiraoka spoke of his trip to take photos of tourist attractions in Yangon, Mandalay and Bagan for tourism publications of Seichi Travels Co of Japan and expressed gratitude for Myanmar people's hospitality during his trip. _____________________________________ MLFDB, GLOBAL COMMERCIAL BANK OF CAMBODIA SIGN MOU TO SET UP JV BANK YANGON, 3 April Chairman of Chinfon Group Dr Shi H Huang and party of Cambodia called on Minister for Commerce Lt-Gen Tun Kyi at Sedona Hotel on Kaba Aye Pagoda Road this evening. They discussed joint establishment of a bank by Myanma Livestock and Fisheries Development Bank Ltd and Global Commercial Bank of Cambodia on profit-sharing basis, bilateral trade and investment. Then, a memorandum of understanding on establishment of a joint-venture bank was signed by MLFDB Ye Tun and Chairman of GCB of Cambodia Mr Albert Chen. *************************************** THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR ( 5 April 1997) MERCANTILE MARINE CADET COURSE CD/24 CONCLUDES YANGON, 4 April - A ceremony to mark the conclusion of Mercantile Marine Cadet Course CD/24 and opening of Course CD/ 25 was held at the Institute of Marine Technology of the Ministry of Transport this morning, attended by Secretary-1 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt. In his address- Minister for Transport Lt-Gen Thein Win said opening of a new course at the conclusion of the previous one is a significant aspect and it shows the ministry's seriousness for continuous training and recruitment. _______________________________________ K 500M WINPHANON DAM IN MON STATE WILL IRRIGATE 13,500 ACRES, PRODUCE MORE YANGON, 4 April Secretary-2 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Lt-Gen Tin Oo inspected development in Kayin State yesterday and attended a ceremony to launch implementation of Winphanon Dam Construction Project in Mudon Township in Mon State today. They were welcomed there by Chairman of Mon State Law and Order Restoration Council Commander of South-East Command Maj-Gen Ket Sein, Secretary of Kayin State Law and Order Restoration Council Lt-Col Kyaw Yin and officials concerned. Commander Maj-Gen Ket Sein briefed the Secretary-2 on measures for development of Kya-in-Seikkyi Township. The Secretary-2 and party left for Azin Village in the township. Commander of No 44 Light Infantry Division Brig-Gen Ohn Myint briefed the Secretary-2 on Azin Village and its environs, local residents and requirements for regional development. ______________________________________ VICE-PRESIDENT OF FNCCI CALLS ON MINISTER FOR COMMERCE YANGON, 4 April-vice-president Mr Pradeep Kumar Shrestha of Federation of Nepal Chambers of Commerce and Industry and party called on Minister for Commerce Lt-Gen Tun Kyi at his office this afternoon. They were accompanied by Ambassador of Nepal Mr Satchit Shumshere J B Rana. The minister and the guests discussed trade and promotion of tourism industry between the two countries. ***************************************** THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR (6, Sunday April, 1997) SECRETARY-2 MEETS LAHU AND LISHAW NATIONALS YANGON, 5 April-Secretary-2 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Lt-Gen Tin Oo met Lahu and Lishaw nationals of southern Shan State, currently here on an excursion tour, at Yannyeinaye Hall of No 1 Combat Organizing Training School in Mayangon Township this morning. __________________________________ MINISTER FOR COOPERATIVES RECEIVES PROFESSOR OF PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA YANGON, S April -Minister for Cooperatives U Than Aung received Professor of Ship Engineering Research Institute, Wuhan Transportation University, Mr Gao Xiao Hong and party of PRC at his office this morning. They discussed mutual cooperation in the cooperative sector. Head of Office U Hla Kyu, Chairman of Yangon Cartel of Cooperative Syndicates Daw Wa Wa Tun and officials were also present. __________________________________ English : http://www.myanmar.com/nlm/ German: http://www.myanmar.com/nlm/gnlm/ *************************************