------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: April 21, 1997 Issue #699 Noted in passing: “Has our failure to impose the Cohen-Feinstein sanctions...made it more difficult for us to argue that Thailand and other Asean nations should isolate the SLORC and provide continued assistance to its victims?” -- Congressman Christopher Smith on the plight of tens of thousands of refugees who fled to Thailand to escape a burmese military offensive. (see VOA REPORT: US SANCTIONS ON BURMA) HEADLINES: ========== THAILAND TIMES: BURMESE TROOPS ATTACK STUDENT CAMP THAILAND TIMES:CHAVALIT:SLORC CHAIRMAN TO STEP ASIDE THAILAND TIMES:BURMESE MUSLIMS LAUNCH PROTEST THE VILLAGE VOICE:LOCAL LOBBYISTS AND UNOCAL SHILL THE NATION: ARMY SETS ONE WEEK DEADLINE FOR REFUGEES VOA REPORT: US SANCTIONS ON BURMA REUTERS:BURMA-U.S. SANCTIONS "WEAPON OF DESTRUCTION" BOSTON GLOBE: MASSACHUSETTS, U.S. OFFICIALS DISCUSS BKK POST: CHAVALIT TO VISIT BURMA NEXT MONTH RANGOON RADIO MYANMAR:LAOS' KHAMTAI ARRIVE FBC-SA: HONORARY DOCTORATE FOR DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI FBC AUSTRALIA: THREE DAYS FOR BURMA ***************************************************** THAILAND TIMES: BURMESE TROOPS ATTACK DISSIDENT STUDENT CAMP April 20, 19997 Agence France-Press BANGKOK: Burmese government forces have attacked a dissident student base close to the Thai border triggering a new exodus of refugees into southern Thailand, sources said yesterday. Some 1,000 troops of Burma's State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) are conducting an offensive against the student's 8888 Camp and nearby ethnic settlements, opposite Thailand's Prachuab Khiri Khan province, according to the All Burma Students's Democratic Front (ABSDF). Col Somdej Seumak of Thailand's Ninth Infantry Division confirmed there had been fighting across the border on Friday and that 138 refugees had crossed into Thap Sakae district of Prachuab Khiri Khan that 138 refugees had crossed into Thap Kakae district of Prachuab Khiri Khan that afternoon. An ABSDF spokesman reported that a further 500 ethnic Mon refugees had fled to the border, but were yet to cross into Thailand. More refugees were expected from settlements of Karen, Mon and Moslem communities close to the student camp. An estimated 20,000 refugees have already escaped to Thailand since February during a massive sweep by Burmese junta troops along Burma's western border, to flush out resistance from rebel Karens. Small groups of dissident s including the ABSDF have supported the Karens' resistance to the Slorc. The ABSDF spokesman said 8888 Camp, which is located about two km inside Burma, had been under attack for over a week and was shelled on Friday, There had been no further fighting yesterday. ****************************************** THAILAND TIMES:CHAVALIT SAYS SLORC CHAIRMAN TO STEP ASIDE April 19, 1997 KANCHANABURI: BURMESE military leader Gen Than Shwe is planning to step down after clearing up internal military conflicts, Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said yesterday. Speaking about the rumors of an internal power struggle within the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), Chavalit said the Slorc chairman "wants to step down." The premier did not clarify exactly when and how Than Shwe will give up his posts, only saying Than Shwe will step down after he has cleared up internal problems within the armed forces. Than Shwe, 64 came into power after the Burmese military brutally suppressed demonstrations by pro-democracy students in 1988. He replaced long time military strongman, Ne Win, when the Slorc was formed. Besides holding the chairmanship of the military junta, Than Shwe also holds the posts of prime minister, defense minister and minister of industry. Rumors about his retirement began circulating last fall after he was reported to have suffered a stroke. Since then, he has carried out largely ceremonial duties, greeting foreign dignitaries and visiting neighboring countries. Chavalit's remarks about Than Shwe's plans came shortly after a mysterious bombing at the home of senior Slorc official Gen Tin Oo, which killed his 34 year old daughter. One of the causes is believed to be internal conflicts caused by a power struggle within the Slorc leadership. A senior Thai military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the Slorc officers have split into two factions. One is led by Lt Gen Khin Nyunt and the other is led by Slorc vice chairman and army chief commander, Gen Maung Aye. Than Shwe is seen as the buffer between the two factions. The two groups are jockeying for power behind the scenes, he said. The Maung Aye faction has wanted to topple Than Shwe, who is still respected by most military officers, said the source. One theory holds that when Than Shwe steps down, Maung Aye will succeed him as Slorc chairman as well as commander in chief of the Tatmadaw defense forces. Gen Maung Aye is known as a hawk who believes the Slorc can solve their myriad domestic problems with military force. He also opposed the conciliatory tone Khin Nyunt and Than Shwe initially took with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi after her release from house arrest in 1996. Khin Nyunt, meanwhile, heads Slorc military intelligence and is rumored to be close to Ne Win, who some say still has considerable influence with in the junta. Chavalit is known to have maintained his close ties with the Burmese military leaders since his retirement form Thai military service. Thailand's army commander in chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro also has a policy to be friendly with Burma. He has met with Gen Maung Aye several times recently for various discussions related to border conflicts. He is scheduled to meet with Maung Aye again in Kawthaung later this month. Chavalit also said the Karen refugee problem will vanish once Than Shwe steps down but offered no indication as to how that would be the case. ******************************************** THAILAND TIMES:BURMESE MUSLIMS LAUNCH PROTEST AGAINST SLORC April 19, 1997 Reuters TAK: A Burmese Islamic activist yesterday said most Muslims in Burma refused to cut up goat and cow meat during the Islamic feast of Eid-ul-Adha in protest against systematic persecution from the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc). The aim of the demonstration was to show disapproval of the SLORC by refusing to comply with the traditional religious rite of distributing meat to the poor during the ceremony held each year. The activist, who wished to remain anonymous, said this action was undertaken in order to persuade Muslims world-wide , particularly in Middle Eastern countries to boycott the Burmese junta. Referring to the burning of Islam's holiest book the "Koran" last month, he said most Muslims believed it was the work of the SLORC and not Buddhist monks in an attempt to create religious tension between Muslims and Buddhists. Last month, Buddhist monks protesting in Mandalay were reported to have ransacked mosques and burned copies of the Koran in retaliation to an alleged rape of a Young Buddhist woman by two Muslim men. ********************************************** THE VILLAGE VOICE: "LOCAL LOBBYISTS AND UNOCAL SHILL FOR BURMA'S MILITARY JUNTA" BEYOND RANGOON April 17, 1997 by Ken Silverstein In recent months, three congressional delegations have embarked on missions to Burma, a country whose citizens suffer widespread human rights abuses and "live in a climate of fear," according to a new United Nations report. The nation's military dictatorship has abolished almost all opposition, kept Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi under virtual house arrest, and employed torture and murder to maintain itself in power. Despite these atrocities, and despite increasing pressure from a bipartisan coalition of legislators and activists, President Clinton refused last week to impose economic sanctions on the regime. The president's decision seems to have been influenced by a high-stakes lobbying effort being put forth on behalf of Burma's ruling generals -- an effort that includes tow of the congressional excursions. The first mission, headed by John Porter of Illinois, cochair of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, was denied entry and forced to travel to Thailand instead. The other delegations, however -- one of which included New York State's rising star, Bill Paxon -- were warmly greeted by the junta. The regime's friendly welcome to the last two groups wasn't surprising. Their respective journeys were funded by the Asia-Pacific Exchange Foundation and the Burma/Myanmar Forum -- two D.C. outfits that receive funding from oil giant UNOCAL, the biggest U.S. investor in Burma. UNOCAL's financial support for those groups is part of a broad campaign by the company to improve relations between Washington and Rangoon, and head off any human rights-based action that could jeopardize its financial stake there. The oil giant has even hired New York's top lobbying firm, Davidoff & Malito, to help it quash local legislation that would punish companies doing business in Burma. UNOCAL's efforts represent the latest stage in Burma's quest for international legitimacy. As one of the most reviled regimes in the world, Burma is keenly aware of the need to polish its image in the U.S. -- its financial success is riding on it. Last year, Congress passed a law requiring the Clinton administration to impose stiff sanctions against Burma if the junta, known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) stepped up repression of the opposition. Such criteria seems to have been easily surpassed, as evidenced by Amnesty International's report that 1996 was the worst year for human rights in Burma since 1988, when the military seized power and slaughtered 3000 people. The administration apparently disagrees, as demonstrated by last week's decision not to act. Burma's attempt to shed its rogue image first gained notice in 1991, when the country hired lobbyist Edward Van Kloberg. Previously, Van Kloberg had represented such beacons of democracy as Saddam Hussein, Nicolae Ceausescu, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, and Samuel Doe of Liberia. Van Kloberg took to his task with relish, helping arrange meetings between Burma's ambassador, U Thaung, and 23 members of Congress. However, the SLORC, apparently embarrassed by the negative media coverage that followed the deal, summarily dismissed Van Kloberg and stiffed him for $5000. The lobbyist, who previously lavished praise on U Thaung, recently referred to him in print as a "little shit." Following the Van Kloberg debacle, the SLORC apparently concluded that the task of lobbying would be best left to American firms with local investments. But with many companies having pulled out -- including Disney and PepsiCo -- in response to pressure from U.S. solidarity groups, only a handful of American firms still have significant money on the line in Burma. UNOCAL has the most at state, in the form of its share in a $1.2 billion oil-pipeline joint venture with the French firm Total, the SLORC, and the government of Thailand. Therefore, the sordid task of selling Burma to the U.S. government and public has landed on the oil company's shoulders. UNOCAL insists that the best way to promote human rights in Burma is to have other U.S. firms join it there. "Engagement and investment are the keys to starting a Third World country on the road to political reform," says a PR statement the firm helped draft. "Isolation is exactly the wrong approach." The company's strategy of speaking only in vague terms about the supposed benefits of "engagement" is a wise one, since it's hard to see how participation in a huge joint venture with a cabal of military thugs could somehow enhance the cause of democracy. UNOCAL would also like to avoid discussing the messy details of its involvement in Burma, such as the company's decision to provide the cash-strapped dictatorship with a $7 million fertilizer credit. To promote its ludicrous arguments, UNOCAL has recruited a number of heavy hitters, including Timmons and Co's Tom Korologos, a prominent GOP lobbyist who served as one of Bob Dole's top campaign advisers. UNOCAL paid Korologos's firm -- which lobbied for the oil company on a broad range of issues including Burma -- $280,000 for its efforts in 1996. During congressional debate last summer, Korologos put heavy pressure on Republicans who were considering voting for a bill that would have immediately slapped sanctions on Rangoon. The bill was narrowly defeated, clearing the way for passage of the loophole-ridden measure that Clinton clings to as a justification for inaction. UNOCAL has also been working at the state and local levels, especially in opposing so-called selective- purchasing laws. These statues, which have passed in a dozen cities and the state of Massachusetts, ban or deter companies that do business in Burma from receiving government contracts. Davidoff & Malito -- headed by Sid Davidoff, the close friend and advisor to former mayor David Dinkins, and Robert Malito, one of Senator Alfonse D'Amato's closest cronies -- was recently retained by UNOCAL to oppose a selective-purchasing bill now before the New York City Council. At a March 4 council hearing, Davidoff & Malito's Arthur Goldstein claimed that while there "are consistent reports" of human rights problems in Burma, "no such violations have taken place" in connection with the UNOCAL project -- a statement that ignores that SLORC forced peasants to labor on the pipeline and forcibly relocated villages lying in its path. "Before UNOCAL hired Davidoff & Malito we had an excellent chance of winning," says Nina Reznick, a lawyer who has led New York's selective purchasing drive. "I'm still optimistic, but it's going to take a hell of a lot more work." UNOCAL has also sought to influence public opinion, selecting the Washington PR firm Edelman Worldwide to drum up positive press. Edelman associate Katie Connorton has taken on the task of soliciting articles from university professors. In a January 31 letter to one academic, Connoton explained how UNOCAL's pipeline project "is helping ... (bring) high paying jobs, economic development, and socioeconomic assistance" to Burma -- perfect fodder, she suggested for a piece about the oil company's heartwarming deeds in that country. Among UNOCAL's most effective allies are the beltway outfits behind the congressional junkets to Burma. The Asia-Pacific Exchange Foundation, headed a right-wing army reserve general, Richard Quick, has also sponsored delegations to China and Singapore. Last December, the foundation aid for four congressional Republicans --Paxon of New York, House majority whip Tom De Lay of Texas, Dennis Hastert of Illinois, and Deborah Pryce of Ohio -- to travel to Burma. The quartet met with various military leaders and stayed in the tyrannized nation, ironically enough, on December 10, International Human Rights Day. The U.S. representatives did not meet with opposition leaders during their visit but did find time to fly -- on a military plane -- to Pagan, a lovely town where a few years ago villagers were forcibly removed to keep them away from tourists and foreign reporters. The congress members also visited the pipeline facilities, this being of particular interest to DeLay and Hastert, as UNOCAL contributes to their political campaigns. The Burma/Myanmar Forum is run by Frances Zwenig, a former staffer to Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, and describes itself as "a key source of information for those interested in the developing relationship between the United States and Burma/Myanmar." The Forum has sponsored several trips to Burma, most recently in February, when it covered the costs for five carefully selected Hill staffers. These included Deanna Okun from the office of Senator Frank Murkowski, perhaps the most rapidly pro-oil member of Congress, and Dan Bob from the office of Senator William Roth, head of the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees sanctions. "Zwenig's good. She knows the Hill and how to work it," says a beltway Burma watcher who asked not to be identified. "She must have money behind her because arranging these trips is not cheap." Neither Quick nor Zwenig will reveal their organization's financial backers. However, a UNOCAL spokesman acknowledged that the company subsidizes both operations. He would not say in what amount. "These are independent organizations which pursue their mandates in an objective manner," said the spokesman. "We have every right to support them. Asia is a major market for us." Activists from U.S. solidarity groups have a different perspective. "These groups claim to be independent and give UNOCAL plausible deniability," said Doug Steele, an editor of the online service Burma-Net. "Some members of Congress who go on these trips may not even realize that they are being lobbied." Despite its lavish spending and powerful allies, UNOCAL may not be able to fend off tougher measures against its friends in the SLORC for much longer. There is a strong movement in Congress to pass a tougher sanctions bill on Burma this year and even Clinton may reverse fields and back the provisions. "He's up to his eyeballs with Asia problems," says the Burma watcher, referring to the "donorgate" scandal. "The president may go along (with a new sanctions bill), if only to avoid drawing any more attention to the region. ************************************** THE NATION: ARMY SETS ONE WEEK DEADLINE FOR REFUGEES April 18, 1997 KANCHANABURI - The Army has given about 2,400 newly arrived refugees at Tho Kah camp in Thong Pha Phum district one week in which to either move to a new site further south in the province or return to Burma. An informed source said it was not clear why the 9th Division commander in Kanchanaburi, Maj Gen Thaweep Suwan nasingh, wanted the refugees to move to Phu Muang camp, which is facing problems of overcrowding. During a visit to Tho Kah on Wednesday, Thaweep told refugees who crossed into Thailand when the Burmese army mounted a heavy offensive in the area over the weekend that they had three options to choose from within a week. They could either go to Phu Muang camp in Muang district, join the Mon shelter at Halokkhani camp just across the border from Thailand's Sangkha Buri district or go back to Burma on their own. About 1,200 Karen refugees 700 of whom arrived after their guerrillas' 6th Brigade headquarters fell to the Burmese army in February are already taking refuge in Halokkhani, which is primarily a Mon camp. The source said that the refugees one third of whom are Tavoyans while the rest are Karen did not want to go to Phu Muang, as the place is far from their homes, which are in an area intended for the controversial Yadana gas pipeline project. They also do not want to return to Burma now as it is unsafe for them, he added. Tho Kha is about two kilometres deeper into Thailand. The multi billion dollar Yadana pipeline project, which will tap natural gas form Burma's Gulf of Martaban and transport it through the seabed and overland to Thailand, has come under heavy international criticism for its effect on the local Burmese population. There are widespread reports of human rights abuses, forced eviction and forced labour as a result of the project, which is run by a consortium of four partners: France's oil company Total, American petro giant Unocal, Thailand's Petroleum Authority of Thailand and the Burmese junta's MYANMAR Oil and Gas Enterprise. During the weekend attacks and shelling of Karen National Union (KNU) guerrillas near Tho Kah, about 20 heavy Burmese shells fell on Thai soil. Other sources said that although the 9th Division had allowed Karen refugees to flee fighting into Thailand after recent media reports accused the division of forcing repatriations, it had imposed restrictions on access by outsiders to camps in Kanchanaburi. Camps in Ratchaburi remain accessible to those with permission. ************************************************ VOA REPORT: US SANCTIONS ON BURMA April 18, 1997 The United States this week sent its strongest signal yet to Burmaıs military government that Rangoon could face new economic sanctions in the absence of progress toward human rights and democratic reform. The strongest remarks on Burma so far this year by any Clinton administration official came from secretary of state Madeleine Albright. In a foreign policy speech, she said Burmaıs ruling military government is on notice that unless Şthe clouds of repression are lifted,Ş burma will face investment sanctions under u-s law. Secretary Albrightıs remarks came amid continuing speculation about how soon -- if at all -- President Clinton will implement a 1996 law requiring an end to new investment in Burma by US companies. Earlier this month, a US newspaper (Washington Times) reported that Mr. Clinton was leaning away from any early action. The newspaper quoted un named US officials as saying US policy would be to gradually increase pressure on Rangoon. Soon after that report, the state department said sanctions remain an option -- although no deadlines are being set. But the day after secretary Albrightıs remarks, the sanctions question came up again. This was state department spokesman Nicholas Burnsı reply to a reporter who suggested that, when it comes to human rights, the United States was applying different standards to different countries: /// Burns act /// Well, you know, there isnıt, as far as iım aware, any sanctions, legislation that senior members of congress have proposed for China. There is for Burma. And we have, of course, universal principles that we adhere to across the board. But you have to look at the tactics of trying to change a governmentıs behavior from country to country. Now, a bunch of military dictators, like those in Rangoon, we think, might sit up and take notice if the largest and most important country in the world, the most powerful country in the world, presents that threat to them. And we hope this will moderate some of their behavior, which has been quite disappointing in recent months. /// end act /// Mr. Burns said although the president has not yet made a decision, Burmaıs military should recognize that sanctions are now Şa strong possibility.Ş Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, the question of action or inaction in implementing the 1996 sanctions law and overall policy toward Burma received more attention. Here is what Republican Congressman Christopher Smith of New Jersey had to say during a hearing on the plight of tens of thousands of refugees who fled to Thailand to escape a burmese military offensive: /// Smith act /// Has our failure to impose the Cohen-Feinstein sanctions, which were passed into law last September and signed by the president, and which (among other things) specifically requires the president to prohibit US investment in Burma in the event of large-scale political repression by the SLORC (Burmaıs State Law and Order Restoration Council), made it more difficult for us to argue that Thailand and other Asean (Association of Southeast Asian) nations should isolate the SLORC and provide continued assistance to its victims? /// end act /// //Opt// at the same hearing, Soe Pyne (pron: so-pine) of the exile National Coalition Government of Burma, said refugee problems along the border are the direct result of Burmaıs continuing political problems. He urged more US pressure on Rangoon: /// Soe Pyne act /// The United States and the international community must step up their efforts aimed at pressuring the SLORC to enter into dialogue with the democracy movement and the ethnic nationalities. That process will resolve the refugee problem and ensure peace and harmony in Burma and the region. /// end act - end opt /// Meanwhile, a senator who supported an even tougher sanctions bill in 1996 said again he feels conditions in Burma are such that Mr. Clinton must act. Republican Mitch McConnell, along with democratic senator Patrick Leahy and others watching Burma, have vowed to draft new legislation calling for immediate action -- in the absence of an administration move to implement last yearıs law. (signed) ************************************* REUTERS: BURMA SAYS U.S. SANCTIONS "WEAPON OF DESTRUCTION" April 16, 1997 The United States is using the threat of economic sanctions against Burma like a weapon aimed at destroying basic rights of the Burmese people, a government spokesman said on Wednesday. "The U.S. economic sanctions is a policy which is being extensively used today as a weapon of destruction against a nation or a population regarded as unfriendly," the spokesman said in a faxed response to questions by Reuters. He had been asked about remarks made on Tuesday by U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who criticised Burma's military government for failing to respond to appeals to improve human rights. "Burmese leaders are on notice that, unless the clouds of repression are lifted, they will face investment sanctions under U.S. law," Albright said in a speech to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. U.S. President Bill Clinton can impose sanctions on Burma if democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is rearrested or the situation in Burma worsens. Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace laureate, was under house arrest for six years for her criticism of the Rangoon government. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns called Albright's remarks a stiffening of the U.S. position. "It puts squarely before the Burmese dictators the proposition that without an improvement in the human rights situation, there is going to be action by the United States," he said on Tuesday. The Burmese spokesman told Reuters that his government was more concerned about the situation in Burma than was the United States or any other foreign nation. "If the U.S. is so genuinely concerned about the human rights of the Myanmar (Burmese) people, why is it so necessary to deprive one of the most essential rights of the Myanmar people -- the right to earn a living and support the family?" he asked. "Does U.S. human rights mean priority of one favoured person or a party is above everything else? And does the U.S. really believe that installing an overnight Western democracy is the cure for all developing, unstable and problem-ridden countries of the world," he asked. The U.S. and many other Western countries have criticised Burma for human rights abuses and for failing to recognise the democratically elected government of the National League for Democracy, which was co-founded by Suu Kyi. ********************************** BOSTON GLOBE: MASSACHUSETTS, U.S. OFFICIALS DISCUSS BURMA SANCTIONS BILL April 16, 1997 By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff The chief sponsor of the controversial Massachusetts law imposing sanctions on military-ruled Burma said a meeting yesterday with Clinton administration trade officials did nothing to persuade him to water down the statute. Representative Byron Rushing, a Democrat from the South End, said the three-person delegation from the US Trade Representative's office and State Department did not try to pressure him or the Legislature to back off the sanctions bill, which has created an international furor among American trading partners. Rushing said that the three - who also met with House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran, a top economic aide to Governor William F. Weld, and other lawmakers -outlined the administration's concerns that the law violated international trade agreements. "Nothing was said in these conversations that convinced me we should change our position or we should urge the Legislature to do anything different," he said. The law forbids the state from awarding contracts to companies doing business in Burma, whose nine-year-old military junta has been assailed for repressing democracy, and requires state pension funds to divest themselves of stock in companies that do business there. Weld yesterday said the European Union and Japan have raised a "straight legal question . . . a non-frivolous issue" of whether the US Constitution takes precedence over Massachusetts foreign policy measures. "I don't blame the EU or Japan for wanting to put it on the table," Weld said, adding that he had spoken to US Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky and offered to help her office defend state law to the World Trade Organization. The EU and Japan, under pressure from multinational corporations, told the Clinton administration that if Massachusetts does not back off on its Burma law within four weeks, they will begin a formal protest to the World Trade Organization. They contend the law discriminates against businesses from their countries. Also pending in Massachusetts is a bill imposing similar sanctions on companies doing business in Indonesia, which is facing criticism for its suppression of political opposition in East Timor. **************************************** BKK POST: CHAVALIT TO VISIT BURMA NEXT MONTH April 20, 1997 Nussara Sawatsawang Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh will visit Burma early next month, Froeign Minister Prachuab Chaiyasarn said yesterday. The issue was discussed during a meeting with his Burmese counterpart Ohn Gyaw, whom Mr Prachuab was hoping to play golf with in Bangkok today. Mr Prachuab said the premier wanted to visit Burma as part of his desire to drop in on neighbouring countries following his recent tour of Asean nations and China. Mr Prachuab, who also invited Cambodian Foreign Minister Somsavat Lengsavad to tee-off with him, said Gen Chavalit was scheduled to visit both Laos and Cambodia in June. Permanent Secretary Saroj Chavanaviraj will go to Rangoon next Thursday to prepare the premier's schedule and the topics for discussion with Burmese leader Gen Than Shwe. A Foreign Ministry official said that the bridge linking Mae Sot in Tak and Myawaddy of Burma would be high on the agenda because its construction was scheduled to be completed soon. Mr Prachuab's one-hour meeting with U Ohn Gyaw also touched on other bilateral issues, including the setting up of the Thai-Burmese Friendship Association, the annual meeting of the Joint Commission at foreign ministerial level, and the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Thai-Burmese diplomatic relations next year. He said Thailand wanted to build a hospital in Burma to commemorate the event. Burma's entry into Asean was not discussed but Mr Prachuab said this would be raised by Asean foreign ministers on May 31 in Kuala Lumpur. Asean leaders agreed last year to admit Burma, Cambodia and Laos into the grouping at the same time, but did not set a timeframe. ********************************************** RANGOON RADIO MYANMAR:LAOS' KHAMTAI ARRIVE IN RANGOON; DRUG PACT SIGNED [translated from Burmese] March 29, 1997 At the invitation of Senior General Than Shwe, chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council [SLORC] of the Union of Myanmar [Burma] and prime minister, and his wife Daw Kyaing Kyaing, Mr. Khamtai Siphandon, prime minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic [LPDR], his wife Madam Thongvan Siphandon, and a goodwill delegation arrived at Yangon [Rangoon] International Airport by a special aircraft at 0930 today. They were welcomed at Yangon International Airport by SLORC Chairman Sr. Gen. Than Shwe and his wife Daw Kyaing Kyaing; General Maung Aye, SLORC vice chairman, deputy commander in chief of the Defense Services, and army commander in chief, and his wife; SLORC Secretary-1 Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt and his wife; SLORC Secretary-2 Lt. Gen. Tin U and his wife; Vice Admiral Maung Maung Khin, SLORC member and deputy prime minister, and his wife; Lt. Gen. Tin Tun, SLORC member and deputy prime minister, and his wife; ministers and their wives; Mr. Valeri V Nazarov, dean of the diplomatic corps and Russian ambassador, and his wife; and senior diplomats and their wives. [passage omitted on procession to state guest house] Gen. Than Shwe, SLORC Chairman and prime minister, and his wife Daw Kyaing Kyaing hosted a banquet in honor of Mr. Khamtai Siphandon, prime minister of LPDR, his wife Madam Thongvan Siphandon, and the Laotian goodwill delegation at the Reception Hall of the People's Assembly Building at 1900 today. Khamtai Siphandon, the visiting Laotian prime minister, called on SLORC Chairman Sr. Gen. Than Shwe at the Mingalar Hall of the People's Assembly Building at 1400 today. SLORC Secretary-1 Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt and his wife Dr. Daw Khin Win Shwe paid a courtesy call on Mr. Khamtai Siphandon, the visiting Laotian prime minister, and his wife Madam Thongvan Siphandon, at the Seinlekanthar State Guest House at 1130 today. [passage omitted on tour and tree planting] An agreement signing ceremony between the governments of the Union of Myanmar and the LPDR was held at the Treaties Chamber of the People's Assembly Building in Yangon at 1600 today. The ceremony was attended by Sr. Gen. Than Shwe, SLORC Chairman and prime minister; Gen. Maung Aye, SLORC vice chairman, deputy commander in chief of the Defense Services, and army commander in chief; SLORC Secretary-1 Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt; SLORC Secretary-2 Lt. Gen. Tin U; Vice Admiral Maung Maung Khin and Lt. Gen. Tin Tun, both SLORC members and deputy prime ministers; ministers, and senior officials. A cooperation agreement to prevent illicit trafficking of narcotics, psychotropic substances, and chemicals used in refining drugs was signed and later exchanged by Myanmar Police Force Director General Soe Win, secretary of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control, and Laotian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Phongsavat Boupha. Another agreement, on cooperation and administration of Myanmar- Lao border region, was signed and later exchanged by Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister U Nyunt Swe and Laotian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Phongsavat Boupha. ************************************ FBC SOUTH AFRICA: HONORARY DOCTORATE FOR DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI April 18, 1997 From: "Dr. Khin Ni Ni Thein" STATEMENT RELEASED BY THE FREE BURMA CAMPAIGN (SOUTH AFRICA) Durban, 18 April 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------ Honorary Doctorate for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi In a remote part of the world, 40 million people are kept in a prison without walls. Their everyday existence is dominated by fear. Those who dare ask for democracy are usually answered with bullets. The jackboots who control this beautiful land have met their match in one woman who simply is not afraid. Aung San Suu Kyi is the lone voice of the frightened and her country, Burma, is one of the most violent places on earth. This is a violence that should not be, for the demand of the Burmese is simply for basic human rights. The generals who have ruled Burma since 1962 are deaf to their people but the chorus demanding they step down is growing internationally. The Free Campaign applauds the University of Natal for lending its voice to this chorus. The university will confer on Aung San Suu Kyi an honorary doctorate on April 23, 1997 at its graduation ceremony in Durban. She has been unable and unwilling to leave Burma to accept a host of awards, among which are the 1991 Nobel Prize for Peace and the prestigious Sakharov Prize. Her refusal is based on the belief that the military may refuse to allow her back into the country. Being the international symbol of the Burmese pro-democracy movement, she considers her daily responsibilities far too immense to away from her beloved people. Her poignant appeal to the international community is to, "Please use your liberty to promote ours." As a people recently liberated from the yoke of authoritarian rule, we, South Africans, have a moral obligation to answer this desperate call for help. It was after all the selfless sacrifices of ordinary men and women in all corners of the world who helped us defeat the tyranny of apartheid. Burma is a tyranny that we dare not allow to continue. The Free Burma Campaign urges the South African government to distance itself from the military authorities in Rangoon and work towards its isolation in international fora. The University of Natal has boldly taken the first step and President Mandela would do well to offer the support of our freedom-loving people to Aung San Suu Kyi and the freedom-seeking people of Burma. Released by : Free Burma Campaign (South Africa) , P.O. Box 138 , Pavilion, 3611 South Africa Tel: Intl +27 82 4166585 Local 0824166585 Email: kiru@pixie.udw.ac.za ********************************** FBC AUSTRALIA: THREE DAYS FOR BURMA From: Amanda Zappia April 19, 1997 Free Burma Coalition, Australia WHEN SPIDERS UNITE THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION LETS DO IT ____________________________________________________________ THREE DAYS OF ACTION 22ND APRIL TO 24TH APRIL INCL. Our colleagues in the US are staging three days of action to pressure the US administration into imposing sanctions against the SLORC. During this three day period we ask that you take some form of action that will support their campaign. OCAW, oil workers union in the US is joining hands with students and the community in an all out attempt at forcing the hand of us policy makers. Please join the Australia Burma Council and the Burma Office , Sydney by writing letters to Alexander Downer asking that forms of sanctions be imposed against the SLORC. The Hon. Alexander Downer M.P. Minister Foreign Affairs Ministerial Wing Parliament House Canberra Act 2600 FAX: (06) 273 4112 Draft Dear Minister, As you are aware the state law and order restoration council (SLORC) has been escalating repression against their own people, in particular, the students, monks, members of the non-Burman states and members and supporters of the National League for Democracy. In a motion which was passed by the Australian senate on the 19th June 1996 the SLORC was put on notice that sanctions would be considered if civil and political rights were not restored. "the senate- (a) expresses greetings to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for her birthday on the 19th June; (b) notes: (1) with deep concern, the recent moves by the military regime in Burma against the democracy movement in the country, (2) reports that the SLORC is using torched earth tactics, in form of looting and burning villages in the Kayah state, and (111) with approval, the strong statement by the minister foreign affairs, Alexander Downer, in response to renewed repression in Burma; (c) welcomes moves by the state legislature of Massachusetts in the US to ban state contracts with companies doing business in Burma, and (d) calls on the government of Australia to put SLORC on notice that potential trade sanctions must be placed on the agenda if civil and political rights are not restored." Minister, given the increasing use of slavery being used to construct infrastructure necessary for tourism, the renewed civil war against the Karen people, increasing intimidation of members of the NLD, an increasing number of unjust sentences being meted out in a bid to shut down the NLD and the obvious instability within the SLORC themselves we are of the considered opinion that forms of sanctions must now be implemented by the Australian government. As the senate resolution of june 19th 1996 calls for you to put SLORC on notice that sanctions will be considered if civil and political rights are not restored it seems only correct that ten months later with the situation worse than ever and deteriorating by the day that you do just that. Once again we call on the australian government to impose forms of sanctions, as is deemed appropriate, until the SLORC agrees to hold meaningful political dialogue with the NLD, ends the civil war and ceases all forms of denial of human and civil rights in Burma. We thank you for your attention and, as always, we thank you for the constant diplomatic representation made to various international bodies and nations by you on behalf of the democratic movement of burma. Yours sincerely, ____________________________________________________________ FREE BURMA COALITION, AUSTRALIA IS WORKING FOR THE: NATIONAL COALITION GOVERNMENT OF THE UNION OF BURMA, FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS, BURMA AUSTRALIA BURMA COUNCIL BURMA OFFICE, SYDNEY: MINN AUNG MYINT (burma@sydney.net) Labor Council Build. Suite 6, 8th Floor, 377-383 Sussex St. Sydney 2000 Fax: (612) 9264 7693 Tel: (612) 9264 7694 AUSTRALIAN REP OFFICE, CANBERRA: AMANDA (azappia@spirit.com.au) PO Box 2024 Queanbeyan NSW 2620 Fax: (616) 297 7734 Tel: (616) 297 7773 *************************************