------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: April 9, 1997 Issue #689 HEADLINES: ========== REUTER:BURMA SAYS BOMB MAILED BY GROUP IN JAPAN SLORC: INFORMATION SHEET NO. A-0032 NCGUB: STATEMENT ON BOMB BLAST THAI ARMY: TERMINOLOGY USED IN DEALING WITH KARENS NEW YORK TIMES: INTERNET GUERRILLA WAR INDEPENDENT REPORT: BORDER REPORT #4 BKK POST: BURMESE ASKED TO PROBE RECENT INCURSIONS THE NATION: KL MEETING TO DECIDE FATE OF ASEAN THE NATION: BEST SOLUTION MAY BE EXCLUDE UNHCR BKK POST: CASINOS DUEL ALONG SINO-BURMA BORDER USIA:BUSINESS GROUP DECRIES U.S. UNILATERAL SANCTIONS ANNOUNCEMENT:PROSPECT BURMA SCHOLARSHIP AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT: A BURMESE BENEFIT DINNER ***************************************************** REUTER:BURMA SAYS BOMB MAILED BY GROUP IN JAPAN April 8, 1997 RANGOON, Burma (Reuter) - A parcel bomb that exploded at the home of one of Burma's top generals, killing his daughter, was sent by a Japan-based anti-government group, the military government said Tuesday. "Initial investigation revealed that the terrorist bomb that exploded at Lieutenant-General Tin Oo's residence on the evening of 6 April 1997 was airmailed from Japan," said a statement received by Reuters late Tuesday. "There are reasons to believe that the bomb plot was masterminded by some anti-Myanmar (Burma) government groups within Japan which have resorted to acts of terrorism." It gave no further details. There are several groups of exiles living in Japan, as well as in other Asian countries like Thailand and India. Rangoon residents reacted with shock and fear Tuesday to news that the bomb had exploded at Tin Oo's house, killing his 34-year-old daughter, Cho Lei Oo. The funeral for Cho Lei Oo, a mother of two and Tin Oo's eldest daughter, was held Tuesday afternoon. "I never imagined that our country would be so unsafe," said one old man after hearing about the attack. Others said they were worried about their own safety. The attack comes on the heels of nationwide religious unrest and 3 1/2 months after another deadly explosion at a Buddhist shrine in the outskirts of Rangoon on December 25. The military government blamed the Karen National Union (KNU) ethnic guerrilla group for that attack, in which two bombs exploded, killing five people and wounding 17. Tin Oo, one of the four most powerful members of the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), was the last senior official to visit the sacred Tooth Relic Pagoda before the explosion on Christmas Day. He is one of the hardliners in the SLORC, and often gives speeches urging troops and citizens to "annihilate" anyone who tries to disturb the stability of the state. Some diplomats said Tin Oo, who is army chief of staff and whose government title is Secretary Two of the SLORC, might have been injured in the Sunday night attack. Others said they had heard he was not hurt. But many residents noticed he did not appear on television Monday night at ceremonies he usually attended. ************************************* SLORC: INFORMATION SHEET NO. A-0032 April 8, 1997 From: Ok Kar No. A-0032 date. 8-4-97 Initial investigation revealed that the terrorist bomb that exploded at Lt.Gen Tin Oo’s residence on the evening of the 6th of April 1997 was airmailed from Japan. According to the information received from the on going investigation there are reasons to believe that the bomb plot was masterminded by some anti-Myanmar government groups within Japan which have resorted to act of terrorism. ********************************** NCGUB: STATEMENT ON BOMB BLAST AT SLORC OFFICIAL'S RESIDENCE April 8, 1997 From: Soe Pyne NATIONAL COALITION GOVERNMENT OF THE UNION OFBURMA 815 Fifteenth Street, NW, Suite 910 Washington, DC 20005 Fax: (202)393-7343 Tel:(202)393-7342 (202)393-4312 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma has learned of the April 6 bomb explosion at the residence of Lieutenant General Tin Oo, which resulted in the death of a family member. The NCGUB, a firm believer in peaceful, nonviolent struggle for democracy and human rights, does not condone or encourage any form of terrorism. It has been a strong advocate and supporter of the call for dialogue for national reconciliation by Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy. The NCGUB condemns the bomb explosion on April 6, which follows the December bomb blast at Kaba-Aye Pagoda, the target of which apparently was also Lt. Gen. Tin Oo. Both the bombs could only have been planted by persons with high-security clearance. The explosions are quite obviously the result of a power struggle within the SLORC. The NCGUB wishes to remind SLORC military factions that the people of Burma have always been known for their tolerance and peaceful nature. Personal and political ambition should not be the basis to violate this time-honored tradition. They should not forget that even though they may eliminate their military rivals, violence will not guarantee them power or resolve political problems that Burma faces today. Only dialogue for national reconciliation can guarantee a peaceful transition toward progress, prosperity and long-lasting peace in the country. The military has only to blame itself for the latest bomb blast because it only understands the language of violence and brute force. Thousands of innocent people have lost their lives, personal freedom, homes, and property since 1962. Many still languish in "hell hole" detention centers 1963. and prisons today. Even though the April 6 explosion may have been meant for a tyrant responsible for these injustices, the NCGUB strongly condemns the violence and regrets the loss of life it has brought about. *************************************** THAI ARMY: TERMINOLOGY USED IN DEALING WITH KARENS FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS PURPOSES April 9, 1997 [Unofficial translation received by BurmaNet from a reliable source] 1. Do not use the word “refugee” with Karens who enter the country but use “displaced person from fighting” or “Myanman-Karen displaced person from fighting”. 2. The status of a displaced person from fighting is that of an illegal entrant, not that of a refugee. 3. Do not use the term “refugee camp” to refer to areas in which Myanmar-Karen displaced persons from fighting stay but use the terms “shelter accomodating displaced person from fighting” or “temporary shelter”. 4. Avoid using the term “Karen forces supported by the Burmese troops” instead use “groups of Myanman-Karen forces”. 5. Avoid categorizing the groups into a group of Buddhist Karens and a group of Christian Karens; instead use group of Myanman-Karen or group of Myanman-Karen forces by putting KNU or DKBA in parentheses. 6. Avoid using the terms “block” or “prevent”, as well as “push”; instead use the following: a) When displaced persons from fighting cross the border into Thailand, Thailand will provide assistance and temporary shelter in safe areas based on humanitarian principles. b) When they are to be deported, the following phrase should be used: to provide assistance for a safe and dignified repatriation. GUIDELINES SPECIFIC FOR THE BURMESE FRONT a) No support and cooperation shall be given to the groups rebelling against the Burmese government or the minority forces of Burmese nationality. Furthermore, officials of agencies responsible for the area along the border and foreigners are to be strictly supervised not to be involved in lending support to minority groups of Burmese nationality. b) All Burmese soldiers and minority forces with Burmese nationality who are armed and have sought refuge in Thailand are to be disarmed and procedures in terms of news reporting are to be undertaken. They are to be held in a safe area and the same policy for sending them back and returning their weapons should be used for both groups. c) In dealing with the heavy shelling that crosses the Thai border by the Burmese troops, warning shots should be given before returning fire. Also continuous liaison with the Burmese troops should be conducted to create understanding and to find appropriate solutions since negotiation is still a possibility. d) Burmese citizens of the Karen tribe who are displaced from the fighting shall be dealt with as follows: (1) reduce the area of temporary shelter and move them away from the border as deemed appropriate, taking into consideration the appropriateness and efficiency in ensuring safety as well as the prevention of smuggling of labour, destruction of natural resources and adverse effects on people in that area. (2) Seriously prevent illegal entry into the country and push them back according to appropriate channels and time. (3) In terms of Public relations, emphasis should be placed in continuously persuading all displaced persons from fighting to return to Burma. (4) Army units posted in the reas are specifically responsible for monitoring the safety of the displaced persons from fighting, as well as preventing them from taking over large areas and escaping from the area in order to present a good image to the world population. (5) Continuous search for weapons in all temporary shelters are to be conducted in order to prevent unlawful activities and minimize the suspicion Burma has toward Thailand. (6) In terms of public relations to all target groups, it should be confirmed that Thailand does not support the Myanman-Karen group. There are no refugees and refugee camps, only displaced persons from fighting and temporary shelters. (7) For Thais along the border, emphasis should be placed on creating understanding. ************************************** NEW YORK TIMES: INTERNET GUERRILLA WAR: POLITICAL EXILE FIGHTS BURMA April 8, 1997 William Glaberson ITHACA, N.Y. -- In a small apartment on a peaceful street here, on most nights a father tucks his two children into bed. Then, as he describes it, he goes to war in the next room: he switches his computer on. Htun Aung Gyaw, a former Burmese jungle fighter and student leader, dials up the Internet. There, he joins other opponents of his country's military government in electronic debates, plans, and hopes. For many pro-democracy activists from Burma and for political dissidents from many other countries, the Internet has become a headquarters for every type of political action from plans for corporate boycotts to tactical deliberations. "I came out of the jungle to get training and arms and go back and join with the people and win the struggle," Htun said, sitting in his modest living room near the Cornell University campus here. "But when our dreams did not come true, we had to change our strategies. We are weak. That's why we need high tech: they have an army; they have power; they have money. This is a new kind of warfare we are fighting, Internet warfare." If it is a new kind of warfare, Htun Aung Gyaw (pronounced ton ung jaw) is an example of a new kind of foot soldier who can be found in American cities and towns. At night, in the glow of their computer screens, they are part of electronic communities that are concerned with faraway events in places like East Timor, Tibet, and Taiwan. But by day, they lead the difficult lives of political exiles. And to judge from Htun's story, they may be subject to greater stresses than the expatriate activists who came before because the computer transports their cause into their living rooms. Htun, 44, said he is sometimes so convinced that he is at home in Rangoon, after a night on the computer, that he wakes up the next morning unaware that he is in Ithaca. Then, during the day, he said, it is sometimes hard to concentrate on his job reshelving books at Cornell's Olin Library or trying to complete his thesis for a Cornell master's degree in Southeast Asian studies. He finds himself thinking, he said, about how much work he and the people who remained behind in Burma have to do. "I really feel close to them all the time when I read on the Net," he said. Or he will reflect on the news reports he read on the Internet from electronic information services designed to keep activists up to date about events back home. He will think about the e-mail from other pro-democracy supporters he has to answer. His mind will wander from the eight-hour-a-day job he took to support his family in America. "Sometimes, I hate myself because I am doing what I don't want to do," he said. "What I want to do is do things for my country full time." Some leaders of the pro-democracy movement say the Internet has become a powerful tool because it binds together distant allies. "Many of us are like orphans, we're away from home, we're away from our family, and yet we have grown close to each other over the Internet," said Zarni, founder of the Free Burma Coalition, which runs Internet sites for the Burmese pro-democracy movement from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Zarni, who, like some other Burmese has a single name, said that people across the country like Htun, including many American students, play a vital part in the pro-democracy fight through their electronic participation. Online, Htun and other supporters of the pro-democracy movement plot. They talk. They gossip. They distribute information about the military's maneuvers and they circulate news about their Nobel Peace Prize-winning leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who insists upon nonviolent methods. They plan lobbying efforts. They discuss public-relations campaigns that are drawing increasing American attention to their cause, like one push that led to a March 3 hearing of the New York City Council on a proposed bill that would bar the city from dealing with companies that do business with the junta. The online fighters have also worked to keep up pressure on President Clinton to impose U.S. government sanctions on Burma. But in his off-line life here in Ithaca, Htun's blinking computer screen can be an unwanted rival. Htun's wife, Swe Swe Myint, and their son and daughter, who are 11 and 10 now, were separated from Htun for six years until they joined him here in 1995. He arrived here in 1992 as a political refugee after three years in Thailand. His wife said she supports his political work but sometimes, when he turns on the computer, she finds herself growing outraged. "He should do that," she said, "I agree with that. But I and my children were away from him for six years. And when we arrived, he had no time for us." At the library and in the master's program at Cornell, some people say they admire Htun for his role in the pro-democracy movement. In the 1970s, he was imprisoned for five years in Burma for fighting the government. Then, in 1989, he was sentenced to death in absentia for treason because he was the first chairman of an influential armed students' group, the All Burma Students' Democratic Front, which took to the jungle to fight the military. Still, even some of those who say they are admirers say that Htun is sometimes so distracted by his involvement in the movement as it passes through his computer screen that he is unable to do what is expected of him. "It goes in cycles," said Joel Copenhagen, Htun's supervisor at the library. "Sometimes he gets enough sleep and things go well. Sometimes things don't." Htun, a youthful man with a quick laugh, said Copenhagen recently told him that he should find a grant or a sponsor so that he could dedicate himself full time to the pro-democracy movement. Some of Htun's friends say that time has passed him by for any leadership role. Some say he was once such a skilled politician among the students that he could be a government minister if the pro-democracy movement ever took power. Htun said he would be ready to go home at a moment's notice if the military government collapsed. He would not speculate about any position that might interest him. But he said that he was anxious for the day he could return to his homeland. "Even under the regime in Rangoon, when I was in hiding, I was really comfortable with my friends," he said. "Here it is always pressure, stress, stress." In Ithaca, he said, he is always worried about debt. Most of the $2,000 he and his wife take home every month from full-time jobs is immediately spent. There is the rent bill, the car-loan payment, the phone bill, and the heat bill. And then, he said, there is the bill for that necessity of any pro-democracy fighter in the 1990s. Htun must pay $200 every month on the loan he took out to buy his computer. ************************************ INDEPENDENT REPORT: BORDER REPORT #4 (SOURCE BASED ON THAI BORDER) April 8, 1997 UPDATE: Thai military along the border vicinity of Kanchanaburi to Hua Hin are now allowing all refugees (who desire to do so), to enter Thailand. Three camps have now been permitted, Phu Muang, Huay Soot, and Baw Wee. The refugees are being fed and cared for by the Burma Border Consortium (BBC) SLORC soldiers are actively patrolling the Thai-Burma border, often patrolling just inside Thailand. SLORC troops have fired upon Karen inside Thailand and have stolen money and livestock from villagers on the Thai side. On March 25 a Thai villager was shot and wounded by a SLORC soldier inside Thailand after the SLORC soldiers refused to pay for a chicken the SLORC soldiers had stolen. This occurred in the Pu Muang area, west of Kanchanaburi. One week earlier, five Thai soldiers were captured by SLORC soldiers who were patrolling inside Thailand in the vicinity of Phu Nam Rohn - Phu Muang. The Thai soldiers were stripped to their underwear and all their clothing, equipment, and weapons were taken by the SLORC soldiers. Ten days later, the SLORC military returned the Thai soldiers' weapons but not their clothing or equipment. Between March 10 and 20, SLORC soldiers, patrolling over kilometer inside Thailand, stole B.2,000.00 from a Karen village. The village is located in a beetle-nut orchard, approximately 3 kilometers south of the Thai village 'Bueng Klueng" west of Umphang. (By foot this village is 7-8 kilometers from Bueng Klueng.) This robbery and violation of Thai sovereignty was reported to the BPP unit at Bueng Klueng with no discernible effect. On March 19, four SLORC soldiers armed with AK (47 or 74's, unclear), entered 500 meters in Thailand and searched a Karen hostel in Bueng Klueng. On March 22, these soldiers returned and walked around the hostel and nearby homes for approximately 30 minutes before walking back to Burma. Again, the BPP was notified, but to no effect. As of March 27, SLORC now in control of Hta Ma Pyo Hta, KNU forces defending south of this location. Thai soldiers at Tha Ko Bon village in th.land, forced Karen refugees to give five sacks of rice to SLORC soldiers in the area on March 26. Between April 1 and 3, a Karen man was fired upon by a SLORC patrol in the vicinity of Baw Wee (Suan Pung area). Karen villagers in this area report that SLORC soldiers patrol on the Thai side of the border with impunity, penetrating over 1 kilometers into Thailand. SUMMARY: As of March 30, the Thai military along the border have been very helpful to Karen refugees, reversing their earlier actions of forcing Karen refugees back into Burma. There seems to be a very positive change in policy, with refugees being accepted all along the border areas. ********************************** BKK POST: BURMESE AUTHORITIES ASKED TO PROBE RECENT INCURSIONS April 8, 1997 Supamart Kasem, Mae Sot, Tak Local authorities here have asked their Burmese counterparts in Myawaddy to investigate recent border incursions by armed men who attacked Karen refugees in Thai territory. Col Suwit Maenmeun, chairman of a local Thai-Burmese border committee, yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding asking his Myawaddy counterpart, Lt-Col Sai Phone, to take action against two groups of heavily-armed men who slipped across the border into Mae Sot and Phop Phra districts last Thursday, said a border source. The first 80-strong group crossed the border at Ban Huay Nam Nak, Tambon Chong Khaeb in Phop Phra, and attacked Karen refugees, killing one man and seriously wounding a woman. The intruders also forced some 40 refugees to return to Burma. The other group of seven armed men sneaked across the Burmese border into Rim Moei village, Tambon Tha Sai in Mae Sot, on the same day. They clashed with Thai Border Patrol Police troops for about five minutes before retreating to Myawaddy. No casualties were reported. (BP) ******************************************************* THE NATION: KL MEETING TO DECIDE FATE OF ASEAN HOPEFULS April 8, 1997 Marisa Chimprabha , The Nation NEW DELHI ­ Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will meet informally in Kuala Lumpur this May to decide whether Cambodia, Laos and Burma will be admitted to the grouping at a formal meeting two months later, Thailand's foreign minister said yesterday. Prachuab Chaiyasan said the seven Asean members will put forward their decisions and the reasons behind them at a meeting on May 31. Last July, Asean agreed to admit the three countries simultaneously, but if one of the applicants is rejected, the other two will not be able to join. Asean foreign ministers met informally yesterday and agreed to discuss the expansion of Asean on May 31. The ministers were with their counterparts attending the 113-member Non-Aligned Movement being held in the Indian capital. ''At the May meeting, we can tell Burma, Cambodia and Laos whether we will accept their applications for membership. We will have reports from the Asean Secretariat to help us consider their readiness to join," Prachuab said. The secretariat is preparing a final report on the readiness of the three countries. Secretariat officials and member countries will make fact-finding trips to the three countries to assess their preparation for joining. ''During [yesterday's] discussions, the Asean Secretariat was asked to conduct a more detailed survey so that the foreign ministers can make a decision based on reality," he said. Asean Secretary-General Ajit Singh also attended the meeting. ''The report from the Asean Secretariat will offer substantial facts for the foreign ministers to consider. It is the ministers who will say yes or no," he said. Western countries have criticised Asean for wanting to reach their goal of including all 10 Southeast Asian countries into the forum by ignoring the volatile situation in Burma ­ which is controlled by a military junta. Some Western countries, including the United States, have imposed diplomatic sanctions against Burma in opposition to the country's human rights violations and its suppression of the pro-democracy movement. Prachuab said that the secretariat was also asked to prepare a report on how to improve its own administration. One of the ideas put forward was to introduce an additional deputy secretary-general, he said. Prachuab supported the proposal, saying that Asean was developing rapidly and had increased its workload. ''In the near future Asean will have 10 members, but the present number overloads the secretariat. Therefore, it seems to me that the secretary-general should have another assistant," Prachuab said. Another topic to be discussed in May is the preparation to commemorate Asean's 30th anniversary, he added. (TN) ******************************************************* THE NATION: BEST SOLUTION MAY BE EXCLUDE UNHCR April 8, 1997 Fleeing a dry-season offensive by the Burmese Army, thousands of Karen have crossed into Thailand seeking food, water and a safe place to sleep. The recent influx brings the number of refugees on the border to about 115,000 - perhaps the largest single such assemblage in Asia. Among those who have publicly called for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to become involved is the Karen Refugee Committee. A communique from the group outlined what it wants the Thai government to do: "Permit the UNHCR to perform its mandated role in protection of refugees rights and security." While it is irrefutable that the Karen have suffered from the military battering by Slorc and its allies, it is much les certain that UN involvement would improve the situation. Indeed, the government in Rangoon sees the UNHCR as a tool of the US. It is unlikely that the Burmese government would recognise the UN group as an honest broker in mediating between itself and the Karen refugees. One lower profile organisation that has a better handle on the Karen situation is the Burmese Border Consortium. The church-based group has done a remarkable job of feeding, sheltering and educating the Karen along the Burmese border in the Thai provinces of Tak and Kanchanaburi. Certainly, the group could use international help with funding. But it doesn't need to have its role usurped by the likes of the UNHCR. A concerted push for meaningful dialogue, compelling both sides to reviews more conciliatory strategies, could bring a quiet return of one of Asia's largest refugee groups to their homeland. Unfortunately, UN intervention would do little more than raise the noise level and encourage a centuries-old ethnic feud to continue in its bitter, pointless way. (TN) ******************************************************* BKK POST: CASINOS DUEL ALONG SINO-BURMA BORDER April 8, 1997 AFP Hong Kong - Rival casino owners from Hong Kong and Taiwan have taken to settling disputes with gun-battles in a wilderness area along the China-Burma border, a newspaper reported yesterday. Stiff competitions has forced many rival casino operators from Hong Kong and Taiwan to battle for business on the Burmese side of Ruili at the Sino-Burmese border, the Chinese-language Ming Pao daily said. The report did not mention any casualties in such shooting incidents which have become "a daily common occurrence", it said. (BP) ******************************************************* USIA:BUSINESS GROUP DECRIES U.S. UNILATERAL ECONOMIC SANCTIONS April 3, 1997 By Jon Schaffer Washington -- U.S. unilateral economic sanctions have cost U.S. businesses jobs, put at risk numerous U.S. investments and are rarely effective, says the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). "Our economic sanctions are a massive patchwork of good intentions with bad results," NAM President Jerry Jasinowski said in unveiling a study commissioned by the U.S. business group. "Unilateral sanctions are little more than postage stamps we use to send messages to other countries at the cost of thousands of American jobs." The report shows that "it is difficult to argue that any of the 61 measures authorized over the past four years have changed the behavior of the 35 targeted governments," Jasinowski said. The report, "A Catalog of New U.S. Unilateral Economic Sanctions for Foreign Policy Purposes 1993-1996," was produced by Professor Barry Carter of Georgetown University and released March 4. The study comes amid considerable opposition by important U.S. allies to the Helms-Burton law targeting foreign companies and individuals for sanctions if they traffic in property confiscated from U.S. citizens in Cuba. The European Union has filed a case in the World Trade Organization challenging Helms-Burton. The departments of State and Commerce declined to comment on the NAM report. The study said that during the 1993-1996 period, 61 U.S. laws and executive actions were enacted authorizing unilateral economic sanctions for foreign policy purposes. Most of the actions did not involve embargoes and some included directions to vote against loans from international financial institutions. Of the unilateral measures adopted over the four year period: -- 22 were adopted to promote human rights and democratization and 13 countries were specifically targeted: Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burma, Burundi, China, Croatia, Cuba, Gambia, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua, Nigeria and Yugoslavia. Sanctions were also imposed against companies in Canada, Italy and Mexico due to prohibited activities in Cuba under the Helms-Burton Act. -- Anti-terrorism was the focus of 14 laws or executive actions, the report said. These measures targeted eight countries, including Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Nicaragua, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. -- Nine measures were adopted to prevent nuclear proliferation, with China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Pakistan specifically targeted. Third-party countries who trade and invest with Iran and Libya were also targeted. -- Eight measures were adopted to promote political stability, particularly in Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda, the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union (including Russia), Yugoslavia and Zaire. -- Eight anti-narcotics measures were targeted against Afghanistan, Burma, Colombia, Cuba, Haiti and Nigeria and two measures were targeted against any third-party country engaged in prohibited dealings with Cuba. -- Six unilateral sanctions measures were adopted to promote worker rights or the prevention of prison labor, with China, the Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates specifically targeted. -- Three measures were adopted targeting Brazil, China and Taiwan over environmental protection issues. The report provides little aggregate data on the economic effects of the sanctions, instead including a few case studies of jobs lost to individual U.S. firms as a result of the sanctions. It said that foreign manufacturers are eager to fill the void left when American companies are denied the opportunity to export. Only in a handful of the 35 countries covered in the report could an arguable claim be made that the sanctions changed the behavior of the targeted government, the report said. "They have yet to topple a targeted government. They provide an external scapegoat for well-entrenched regimes to compensate for domestic failings. Once launched, they are extremely difficult to terminate." The report also stressed that U.S. businesses are increasingly viewed as unreliable. "Foreign companies and governments are understandably reluctant to enter into any longer-term commercial relationship with U.S. companies if the threat of sanctions looms." The report makes the following specific recommendations: -- Before considering economic sanctions, the United states should pursue diplomatic, political and military isolation alternatives that more effectively target a country's unique vulnerabilities. Except in the most unusual and extreme circumstances, all sanctions should be multilateral. -- If unilateral sanctions are considered, they should meet specific criteria relating to effectiveness, availability from foreign suppliers and enforceability. Provision should also be made for such measures to lapse absent reauthorization by Congress, or be waived if the president determines that it is in the national interest. -- The U.S. government should produce an annual report on all unilateral sanctions, analyzing both the impact on the targeted government and on U.S. companies. ************************************* ANNOUNCEMENT:PROSPECT BURMA SCHOLARSHIP AWARD FOR 1997 Date: 24/2/97 Prospect Burma is again offering a Scholarship open to people of Burmese origin who meet the following conditions: They must be in one of the following 3 categories: Category A: Students who are already in the second or later year of a first degree course or University. Category B: Postgraduate students who have already started or have a confirmed offer of a place on a Master's degree course at a University in the academic year starting in 1997. Category C: Postgraduate students who have already started on a doctorate or who have a confirmed offer of a place to read for a doctorate in the academic year starting in 1997. In 1997, priority will be given to candidates - 1. Who are resident in South East Asia or the Indian Sub-continent AND 2. whose subject of study is one of the following: Agriculture; Community Nursing; Ecology/Conservation; Media Studies; Public Administration; Teacher-training. Those who fulfil the above conditions may obtain application forms and further information by writing as follows (requests by E-mail, fax etc. cannot be dealt with) : For residents of South East Asia to: Education Project Coordinator, PO Box 145, Chorakhebua PO, Bangkok10230, Thailand. For residents of the Indian Sub-continent to: Ms Sharada Nayak, D-41 Sujan Singh Park, New Delhi 110003, India. For those not resident as above to: Prospect Burma, 143 Rivermead Court, London SW6 3SE, England. THE CLOSING DATE (WHICH WILL BE STRICTLY ADHERED TO) FOR RECEIPT OF COMPLETED APPLICATION FORMS IS 17 MAY 1997. ************************************************ ANNOUNCEMENT: A BURMESE BENEFIT DINNER April 8, 1997 From: Ken and Visakha Kawasaki Sunday, May 18,1997, in Kyoto Time: 3 PM Cost: 8,000 yen (6000 yen for seniors over 60 4000 yen for children under 12) For Dinner Reservations contact: Burmese Relief Center -- Japan (vegetarian course available) Refugee Bazaar -- Admission Free! 11AM - 3 PM Many distinctive handmade gifts from Thailand, Burma, and refugee camps along the border Place: Kyoto Co-op Shimogamo Center 2F 37 Takagi-cho, Shimogamo, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto This gala event will include a full-course dinner of authentic, delicious Burmese dishes, classical Burmese music, traditional cultural performances, and a lively auction of Burmese arts and other choice donated items. All proceeds will benefit Burmese students and refugees on Burma's borders. This is the seventh anniversary of the 1990 elections in Burma, won overwhelmingly by the National League for Democracy, but nullified by the military junta, SLORC. Again this year, Burmese Relief Center -- Japan is commemorating the elections with a call for the restoration of democracy in the country, under the leadership of the winner of those elections, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Just after New Year, SLORC staged attacks on a number of Karenni and Karen refugee camps in Thailand, burning hundreds of houses, leaving thousands homeless and terrorizing all. This year's dry-season offensive has forced more than 20,000 new arrivals to flee fierce fighting and SLORC reprisals. That means there are over 120,000 Burmese students and refugees along the Thai-Burma border alone with the situation liable to deteriorate even further. Most Burmese refugees suffer from malaria and relief groups face acute shortages of food, clothing, blankets, shelter, and medicine. Last year BRC-J provided more than three million yen in relief supplies but this year the needs are much greater. Join us for a delicious dinner! Contribute to a worthy cause! Burmese Relief Center—Japan 266-27 Ozuku-cho, Kashihara, Nara 634 Tel: (07442) 2-8236 Fax: (07442) 4-6254 e-mail: brelief@gol.com http://www2.gol.com/users/brelief/Index.htm ************************************