------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: April 26, 1997 Issue #704 Noted in Passing: If the international community wishes to...send a clear signal to the Slorc, the denial of its UN General Assembly credentials is one course of action to be considered. - Jose Ramos-Jorta, East Timorese Nobel Peace Prize winner (TT: RAMOS-JORTA CALLS FOR EXPULSION) HEADLINES: ========== NATION: US COURT TO HEAR YADANA RIGHTS ABUSES CLAIM THE NATION: NEB TO GE AHEAD WITH PIPELINE BKK POST: BURMA SETS UP FIRST INTERNATIONAL DATA LINK THAILAND TIMES: RAMOS-HORTA CALLS FOR EXPULSION THAILAND TIMES: DISSIDENTS POUNCE ON BURMESE CAMP THAILAND TIMES: FOUR BURMESE SOLDIERS KILLED IN A KNU FREE PRESS (IMPHAL): EIGHT KNA KILLED BY MYANMAR ARMY SHAN HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION: CHINESE TRAINING SHAN HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION: EXCERPTS FROM MARCH NEW ERA JOURNAL: SLORC MILITARY RAPES KAREN GIRL JAPANESE EMBASSY IN D.C.: JAPANESE PRESS CONFERENCE THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: NEWS BRIEFS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ NATION: US COURT TO HEAR YADANA RIGHTS ABUSES CLAIM April 23, 1997 YINDEE LERTCHAROENCHOK A FEDERAL court in Los Angeles will on Monday hear a class action motion filed by a group of 14 Burmese nationals on behalf of tens thousands of victims who suffered alleged human rights abuses due to the controversial Yadana gas pipeline project. US District Court Judge Richard A Paez earlier postponed a hearing originally scheduled for March 3. Unocal and Total are two of four partners in the consortium exploring and tapping natural gas in Burma's Gulf of Martaban for sale to Thailand via seabed and overland pipelines. The other partners are the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) and Thailand's Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT). The Yadana natural gas projects Burma's single largest example of foreign investment and, under the 30 year contract signed on Feb 2, 1995, between MOGE and PTT on behalf of their respective governments, Thailand will pay Bt 10billion annually for the natural gas. The 14 Burmese plaintiffs filed a lawsuit on Oct 3 last year charging Unocal, Total, MOGE and the ruling Burmese junta, known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), with committing international human rights abuses in the course of implementing the Yadana joint venture. They are seeking a court injunction ordering the multinational oil corporations to stop their activities and to pay financial compensation. The group was joined by Louisa Benson, a representative of the ethnic guerrilla Karen National Union and now a California taxpayer, who is suing the partners in the Yadana consortium for unfair business practices. Judge Peaz on March 25 signed a 38 page order accepting in part the complaint submitted by the group. The court dismissed the complaint against Slorc and MOGE on the grounds that they were entitled to sovereign immunity. The plaintiffs, however, are seeking to proceed with a class action suit on behalf of tens of thousands of residents of Tenasserim region who are alleged victims of human rights violations which include being forced from their land and subjected to forced labour, assault, rape and torture, in some cases leading to death. The success of the Burmese plaintiffs in getting the US court to accept their complaint has prompted residents of Thailand's Kanchanaburi province to consider filing a similar suit against the PTT. They have charged that the PTT agreed on the pipeline route, which will pass through their province, without informing or consulting local people. The state enterprise was also accused of signing a contract prior to completion of an environmental impact assessment (EIA). The PTT is alleged to have misled the public, withheld or provided inaccurate information and conducted a hasty and incomplete EIA that did not address all the concerns of Kanchanaburi's residents. Thai environmentalists have expressed concern over filing a lawsuit in Thailand fearing the government may use its power to influence a decision by the court. But an American lawyer who helped initiate the Burmese lawsuit in the US said she doubted that a US court would accept a similar Thai motion. She said it was easy to prove that the Burmese plaintiffs could not possibly get a fair trial in their own country, but the argument might not work in the case of Thailand which has, "at least nominally, a democracy and a pretty well developed legal system." According to the lawyer, environmental harm is not a very strong claim under international law and the reason the Californian court is listening to the Burmese complaint is because of the alleged human rights abuses. ************************************************************ THE NATION: NEB TO GE AHEAD WITH CONTROVERSIAL PIPELINE (abridged) April 25, 1997 Piyanart Srivalo, The Nation Premier attempting to sweep opposition aside THE National Environmental Board (NEB) decided yesterday to push ahead with the laying of the Yadana natural gas pipeline along its controversial route in Kanchanaburi, despite strong opposition from local residents. At a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, the board charged environmental groups and local Kanchanaburi residents who oppose the route of colluding with Burmese dissident groups. Board members were informed of Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's decision to establish a committee, chaired by Kanchanaburi's governor, that will try to negotiate and convince local residents to accept the multi-billion-dollar Yadana project. Other ministers and officials attending the meeting included Industry Minister Korn Dabaransi, Science Minister Yingphan Manasikarn and Saksit Tridej, secretary-general of the Office of Environmental Policy and Planning. Korn told the meeting that the route of the 260-kilometre pipeline, from Baan-I-Taung in Kanchanaburi to a gas-fuelled power plant in Ratchaburi, had been properly calculated, studied and approved accordingly at various levels, including governmental. The Cabinet, he said, had given ''special approval" to the route, which will cut through a first-class watershed reserve at Huay Kayeng. Korn said that he has already consulted with Chavalit about the Kanchanaburi protests, and quoted the premier as saying the demonstrators are actually ''dancing to the tune of Burmese opposition groups". Chavalit's view, said the industry minister, was similar to NEB findings, which stated that non-governmental environmental groups ''were instigating" the whole campaign because they see the Yadana project as a main financial source of income for the Burmese junta to buy arms and weapons to suppress ethnic minorities. The NEB insisted yesterday that the pipeline's route, carrying natural offshore gas being bought by the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT), was correct and legitimate. It added that the board will strictly control the construction of the pipeline and the military will also be brought in to ensure work begins and continues uninterrupted. The officials added that the Yadana project will not be affected by the imposition of a US economic ban on new American investment in Burma. ******************************************************* BKK POST: BURMA SETS UP FIRST INTERNATIONAL DATA LINK FOR EMAIL April 23, 1997 SINGAPORE - Singapore Telecom Ltd said it has set up Burma's first international link for email and computer communications. State-owned SinGtel said it set up the link last month with Myanmar PTT, giving companies in Burma access to computer networks in other countries. Burma military government has outlawed the use of email by private individuals and companies must register their email and data transfers with state monitors. International communications from Burma had been limited to telephone, telex and telegraph. Use of a fax machine without official permission is punishable by fines and jail terms. (BP) ******************************************************* THAILAND TIMES: RAMOS-HORTA CALLS FOR EXPULSION OF BURMA FROM THE UNITED NATIONS April 23, 1997 AFP BRUSSELS: Burma should be thrown out of the United Nations and isolated the way apartheid South Africa was in the 1970's and 1980's, Jose Ramos-Horta, the East Timorese Nobel Peace prize winner, said yesterday. "The situation in Burma demands action beyond the annual ritual of the UN General Assembly and CHR (Commission on Human Rights) resolution," Ramos Horta told the European Parliament. "If the international community wishes to move beyond rhetoric and send a clear signal to the Slorc, the denial of its UN General Assembly credentials is one course of action to be considered." Ramos-Horta's appeal followed reports that US President Bill Clinton is about to approve economic sanctions against Burma. The United States, the European Union and Norway have all imposed sanctions on Burma but these have so far been confined to largely symbolic steps such as visa restrictions on members of the military junta, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc). Ramos Horta went on to denounce those who cited "Asian values" as an excuse for the failure of countries in the region to meet universal standards on human rights or as a premise for rejecting western criticism. Hundreds of thousands of Asians had fought and died for basic rights, he said. "It is not a European women that is in a Burmese prison," he said in a reference to the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. "If the EU stands up for human rights, it is standing up for values Asians also stand for," he said. ************************************************************ THAILAND TIMES: DISSIDENTS POUNCE ON BURMESE CAMP April 24, 1997 by Assawin Pinitwong TAK: A Burmese military base was the scene of an unexpected attack yesterday, when the Karen National Union (KNU) and the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) took retaliatory action against the junta's troops. The onslaught on Mor Ta camp, opposite Tak's Umphang district, was motivated by the alleged torture of a Karen boy by soldiers from the self-styled State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc). Lt-Col Ta Thong, a senior KNU official, said over 80 KNU and ABSDF soldiers clashed with the Slorc troops, retreating into the jungle after 30 minutes. The junta lost one of its soldiers in the action and three others were injured while the attackers escaped with only minor injuries to two of their men, he said. Ta Thong added that the fall of KNU bases to the Slorc has in fact facilitated action against the junta, as the KNU, positioned along the Thai-Burma border, are no longer so susceptible to attack. A Thai source in Tak said yesterday's action by the anti-Rangoon troops was sparked off by reports that the Slorc captured and tortured a 10-year-old Karen boy on Monday in an attempt to glean information from the boy's father. The soldiers, wanting to gain knowledge of a cache of KNU weapons, apparently held the boy's head under water as his father looked on. ************************************************************ THAILAND TIMES: FOUR BURMESE SOLDIERS KILLED IN A KNU ATTACK April 5, 1997 BY ASSAWIN PINITWONG TAK: The uneasy calm along the Thai-Burmese border was broken yesterday when the Karen National Union (KNU) attacked Burmese troops opposite Tak's Tha Song Yang district, killing four of the junta's soldiers, according to an informed Thai military source. Five more of the junta's troops were wounded, unprepared for the eight land mines planted by the KNU some 10 kilometers outside KNU controlled territory, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. Quickly retreating from the scene of the attack near Karen State's Ban Lo Tee village, the uninjured troops proceeded to Ta Meh Dee village where they fired on Karen residents, the source said. Two of the villagers were killed. The troops, intent on revenge, then made their way via Mae Hong Song province to Koh Hae Dae and the Bo villages where they captured 15 Karens in the mistaken belief that they were KNU soldiers, the source said. A KNU officer, who declined to be named, bemoaned the junta's aggression against innocent people, saying that the litany of human rights abuses perpetuated by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) is being added to on a daily basis. The source said the Slorc's preemptive action has forced KNU members to use military tactics against the junta despite their desire to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the conflict, now in its 49th year. "Only when we reach the negotiation table will we begin to make progress," the source said. Talks held on four previous occasions have broken down due to the Slorc's insistence that the KNU lay down its weapons before signing a ceasefire accord, a concession which the KNU are not prepared to make. The fall of the last remaining KNU bases to the Slorc last month dealt what many have interpreted as a death blow to the anti- Rangoon Karens. But despite their loss, the KNU have repeatedly said they will fight on to the last man or woman until they have achieved autonomy form the military regime. ************************************************************ FREE PRESS (IMPHAL): EIGHT KNA (KUKI NATIONAL ARMY) KILLED BY MYANMAR ARMY April 25, 1997 Imphal April 24: Eight Kuki National Army, KNF militants were killed in an encounter with the Myanmarese Army in the Nungtang jungle in Myanmar on April 19, a late reporter said. Police said the report has been confirmed from Myanmarese intelligence agencies, but that details of the encounter were yet to emerge. ***************************************************** SHAN HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION: CHINESE TRAINING SLORC BOMBER PILOTS (excerpt) March 1997 SLORC TROOPS TAUGHT TO FLY CHINESE FIGHTER PLANES Since 01. 01. 97, at the Namzarng air base in southern Shan State (the largest SLORC's air base in Shan State), 12 Chinese air force military instructors have been training Burmese air force pilots how to fly, shoot and drop bombs from 9 China-made fighter bomber planes. There are now altogether 32 Chinese at Namzarng air base who are instructors in various fields of expertise. By the end of March, 3 of the 9 Chinese fighter-bombers which are currently practicing at Namzarng will be brought to practice in Murngsart, east of Salween, together with 3 Chinese instructors. In the military base compound of No.49 IB in Murngsart, at a site just behind the hill stronghold, a building to house the Chinese instructors is being built. It is a teak wood structure with corrugated iron roof and 5 yd by 9 yd big, with three 3 yd compartments. They started building it since 27. 02. 97 and it has not yet been completed up to now. SLORC RECEIVES NEW MILITARY TRUCKS FROM CHINA On 26. 03. 97, deputy commander of the Eastern Command, Major General Myint Thein went to Xiu Khok (Pang Sai), a border town near Muse in northern Shan State, bordering with China, to receive 30 China- made 6-wheel military trucks from China. They were empty trucks with only tools and spare parts on them. They were brought to Taunggyi on 28. 02. 97 and are being kept at the HQ of Eastern Command. Most likely, they will later be taken to Eastern Shan State. Shan Human Rights Foundation March 1997 P.O. Box 201, Phrasing P.O. Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand ************************************************************ SHAN HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION: EXCERPTS FROM MARCH REPORT (excerpted by Ken and Visakha Kawasaki ) March 1997 Shan Human Rights Foundation P.O. BOX - 201, Phrasing PO, Chiang Mai 50200 Thailand MASS FORCED LABOUR Since mid-November 1996, SLORC troops No.99 IB and No.525 LIB have been forcing people in Langkbur township to split stones for road-building up to the present ------- they have to find and in many places dig out the stones or rocks, some big enough for two men to embrace, by themselves and carry or roll them to indicated places near the roads, split them and pile up along the road sides. Roads under the project are said to be Langkhur Wan Hart (18 miles), Wan Hart Zalawng (20 miles), Zalawng- Sop Taeng (20 miles), Wan Hart- Mawkmai (15 miles) and Mawkmai- Sai Khao (20 miles). Each person from every house in the 4 village tracts in Wan Hart area has to go and work every day. Any house which fails to provide a worker has to pay 200 Ks for one day as a fine. This means nearly 2,500 people are being forced to work every day and this is in Wan Hart area alone. These people now have to work between Ho Huay Hok and Mark Keng Mon, 8 miles apart. Each house has to make 3-4 piles of gravel ----- each pile is 6 ft. square wide and 1 ft. high. Houses with fewer people have to work until they finish at least 3 piles, and houses with more people have to finish 4. They have to provide their own food and many people from villages which are 7-8 miles away from the work sites, like Kun Kharn village, cannot walk there every day and have to sleep near the sites under makeshift huts. Burmese soldiers, at the outset, had provided 400Ks for every 10 persons to buy a 3 lb. hammer to use for splitting rocks, but hammers like that are nowhere to be found in the area so people just have to bring their own axes and tools to work with. Now, in other parts of towns people have worked down south from Larugkbur to Wan Hart and have reached about half the way. People from Zalawng area are working towards Wan Hart. When the 8 mile distance designated for Wan Hart people is completed, they will have to continue to the west towards Mawkmai. This and other several kinds of forced labour have greatly disrupted the livelihood of the people so that hundreds of young people including married couples and their families, are continually heading for Thailand to find work and earn money to support themselves, their families and their elders back home. Thus, in many houses, only older people are left to go to work at the forced labour sites. According to a group of Khum Oot villagers, 31 of them including men, women and children from ages 2 to 27, who arrived in Fang area, Chiangmai province, on 14. 3. 97, the gravel is now piled up along the road-sides. But when the time to spread it over the roads comes it will be no other than these same villagers who will have do the work. TORTURE DURING FORCED PORTERING On 26. 10. 96, SLORC troops No. 66 from Laikha seized a male villager named Zai Long, 20, at Kung Mark Ki Nu village, Murng Khun village tract, Murngkerng township. They tied both his hands to a yoke and forced him to carry their things for 14 days straight, untying only one of his hands every time he needed to eat his meagre rationed food. After much moaning and begging, they untied his hands and continued their journey. After some days when he became too weak to bear the weight of his load, he begged them to release him because he could not go any further and they beat and kicked him and left him in the forest. Though he managed to get back to his village, he was so weak and badly hurt that he had to be sent to hospital. MURDER On 13. 11. 96, Zai Nyunt, 30, a male villager of Na Mark Khaw village, Nawng Leo tract, Murugherug township, left his village to go to buy a cow. When he got near Wan Lauy village he met some troops from Laikha-based No.515 who stopped and searched him. Since he was carrying some money, they accused him of being a rebel who had come to collect tribute money from the villagers and tied him up with a rope. They beat him repeatedly while questioning him for some time. When they could not get any satisfactory answers from him, they tightened up his rope and dumped him in the Nam Tacng river. His body was found after six days by some villagers. TORTURE AND LOOTING On 26. 10. 96, SLORC troops On 13. 10. 96, SLORC troops from No. 66 and No.515 ransacked the village of Phak Phaet, Wan Zarm tract, Murngkerng township, taking what they wanted from the houses. Nang Oo, 28, a female villager, begged them not to pillage her house but they beat her with their rifle butts until she was bruised all over and her head bled. They not only took away bed, blankets and cooking oil but also women's clothes and shoes! ************************************************************ NEW ERA JOURNAL: SLORC MILITARY RAPES KAREN GIRL April 1997 (translated from Burmese to English by ABSDF) (BurmaNet Editor's Note: The New Era Journal is published monthly by the Burmese pro-democracy movement based in Thailand.) The following is the translation of the rape case published by the New Era (the girl's name has been changed for her protection) Name Naw Mo Ko Age 24 years old Nationality Poe Karen Religion Buddhist Time of Incident 4 am, 12.11.1996 Place of Incident Three Pagoda Pass Military Camp Rapist Ohn Lwin (61), Commander of Battalion based at Three Pagoda Pass Naw Mo Ko was released from the Immigrant Detention Center (IDC) in Bangkok, Thailand after serving time in the center on charges of being an illegal alien. On November 10, 1996, she was deported back to the Thai- Burma border at Halokhani Refugee Camp in Sankhalaburi Disrtict. Jobless and unable to survive, she went to the Three Pagoda Pass township in the hope that she could find someone who could help her to reach Bangkok and find work. Ma Ngae, another teenage girl, came along with her. They arrived at Three Pagoda Pass at about 6 pm on 11 November, 1996. That night they stayed at Daw Phyu's house in No. 4 quarter. At about one o'clock that night, SLORC town officials and militia came to Daw Phyu's house and checked registration cards and guest lists. Daw Phyu had not informed the local authorities about her guests and the two girls were detained. (Translator's Note: Every house in Burma is required to inform the local SLORC officials on the arrival of overnight visitors. Failure to do so means that the visitors, the host or both can be persecuted. This has been in practice since 1962 and has been reinforced since the SLORC assumed power in 1988). Naw Mo Ko and Ma Ngae were not the only ones taken in for questioning that night. There were others who were also taken in for failing to report to the authorities. However, the two girls were the only ones taken to the military camp, while the others remained at the police station. After half an hour of interrogation at the military camp the girls were taken to Commander Ohn Lwin's room for further questioning. Commander Ohn Lwin was there along with two officials from the quarter. The two girls sat in the room with them for about 15 minutes and were not told anything about what was happening to them. After a short while, Ohn Lwin went out of the room and seconds later the girls heard the sound of gun fire. At the same time two local SLORC officials told them that they should answer the commander's questions correctly and that they shouldn't be worried. Instead of questioning the girls, the commander asked the girls to help a soldier to prepare dinner for all of them. In the process, the commander touched Naw Mo Ko's back in an intimate way. After a while, Nan Tin Aye saw Ma Ngae follow a soldier. Without having a slightest idea of what would happen to her, Naw Mo Ko had dinner with the SLORC officials and Commander Ohn Lwin. It was only when the dinner was finished and the two officials left that the commander began asking her a few questions. He asked her simple questions such as 'Are you from Pa-an?', 'Are you Karen?', 'How long have you been working in Thailand?' and What's the job like?'. He then sat beside her and began to squeeze her shoulders. Fearful, she tried to break away from his grip suspecting what would follow. Ohn Lwin got up and slammed the door shut and came back to her. He kissed her and violently took her clothes off. He then raped her. Naw Mo Ko was so afraid of what was happening to her, she dared not shout a word. She knew that shouting wouldn't save her from being raped. At about 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning, one of the SLORC officials returned and brought her back to the office where they were first taken to in the military camp. Ma Ngae was already there. On the way back home, Naw Mo Ko told Ma Ngae what happened to her the previous night. Then she learned that Ma Ngae was also repeatedly raped by two SLORC officials the whole night. When they learned of each other's plight they burst out crying, realizing the helplessness of their situation. Many other women have been forced to endure rape and humiliation at SLORC military bases. That same day the two fled back to the Halokhani refugee camp. ************************************************ JAPANESE EMBASSY IN D.C.: JAPANESE PRESS CONFERENCE April 22, 1997 (excerpt) RE: UPCOMING VISIT BY JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER HASHIMOTO TO WASHINGTON, INCLUDING MEETING WITH PRESIDENT CLINTON Briefer: Ambassador Kunihiko Saito The Embassy of Japan Washington, DC Question: On the issue of Burma, as you probably know, the U.S. today imposed some new sanctions on Burma. And Secretary of State Albright made it clear that she hopes that this will have an effect, a negative effect on the investment climate in Burma. Human rights groups here in Washington are saying that they hope Mr. Clinton raises this issue of Burma with the Prime Minister because there is some concern that if U.S. companies are not allowed to open new investments that, you know, competition will come in and Japanese companies, European companies will go into Burma. What's the Japanese attitude right now toward investments in Burma, and how do you think the Prime Minister or the government would deal with such a discussion? AMB. SAITO: We use the term Myanmar instead of -- Q Right. AMB. SAITO: We are concerned about the human rights situation in Burma. We have expressed -- conveyed our concern to the Burmese -- I'm sorry, Myanmar authorities, and we'll continue to press upon them the necessity to improve the situation relating to freedom and human rights in that country. At the moment, as I understand it, the Japanese government does not intend to impose any sanctions on our trade or on our investment with and in Myanmar. We believe that our policy of continuing critical dialogue, it may not be a very appropriate term -- but to talk, continue to talk with the Myanmar authorities and try to persuade them that it will be in their own interest to improve the human rights situation in that country. *********************************************** THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: NEWS BRIEFS April 13-22, 1997 APRIL 13, 1997: SECRETARY-1 RECEIVES EDITOR OF NIHON KEIZAI SHIMBUN YANGON, 12 April-Secretary-1 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt received Asian News Editor of Nihon Keizai Shimbun Editorial Bureau Mr Kiyoshi Hasegawa and party at Dagon Yeiktha of the Ministry of Defence yesterday morning. Minister for Foreign Affairs U Ohn Gyaw and Director-General of Protocol Department Thura U Aung Htet were also present. ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE PROVIDES CASH TO THOSE KILLED, INJURED IN BOMB EXPLOSION AT KABA AYE YANGON, 12 April - A ceremony to provide cash by the Office of Adjutant-General for USDA members who were performing duties, those who were killed and injured when a bomb exploded in Maha Pasana Cave where the Buddha's Tooth Relic from the People's Republic of China was kept for -public obeisance was held in Yangon Division USDA Office at noon today. It was attended by Deputy Director-General U Aung San of the Information and Public Relations Department, Maj Nay Win and officials of the Office of Adjutant-General, Secretaries and Executives of Division/ District and Township Associations, injured people, parents of those who were killed and guests. Maj Nay Win gave K 45,000 each to those who were killed and K 10,000 each to those who were injured. ______________________________________________________ APRIL 16, 1997: SECRETARY-1 RECEIVES AMBASSADOR OF INDONESIA YANGON, 15 April Secretary- 1 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt received Ambassador of Indonesia Maj-Gen (Police) A Poerwanto Lenggono at Dagon Yeiktha of the Ministry of Defence on 13 April. Present were Minister for Foreign Affairs U Ohn Gyaw and Director-General of Protocol Department Thura U Aung Htet. MYANMAR DELEGATION ARRIVES BACK FROM MANILA YANGON, 15 April - After attending the Seventh Ministerial-level Meeting on Economic Cooperation of six Countries in Mekong Region in Manila,- Philippines from 7 to 11 April, Myanmar delegation led by Minister for National Planning and Economic Development Brig-Gen Abel arrived back here by Thai Airways on 12 April. ______________________________________________________ NLM APRIL 19, 1997 PROJECTS IN MAGWAY DIVISION TO IRRIGATE OVER 145,000 ACERS WHEN COMPLETE YANGON, 18 April - Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Than Shwe inspected dam projects in Magway Division, yesterday. Sadan Dam is being built on Sadan Creek upstream Htanaungkwin village in Myothit Township. On completion, the dam will irrigate 16,000 acres. The project for building chains of dams, part of the plan for greening of the nine arid regions, covers construction of Bwetgyi, Pade, Palin, Natmauk, Sunchaung, Sadan, Ngamin, Yinmale, Kinpundaung, Bangon and Yanpe dams, Daungthe diversion weirs and Pin Creek Diversion Dam on the eastern sector of Magway Division. Of them, Natmauk, Kinpundaung and Bangon dams have been put into service. Completion of all these dams will affect 98,000 acres of farmland. Deputy Director U Aung Khin of Construction Division 9 of Irrigation Department briefed them on progress of work, the Chairman of Division Law and Order Restoration Council on the programmes for resettlement of the villages from the catchment area. The Senior General gave instructions on maintenance of the irrigation canals and proper drainage on self-reliance in cooperation with the public. Mann Creek Dam, on completion, will directly irrigate 10,000 acres and affect a total of 49,500 acres including the irrigated acreage of Aingma Dam and Pyankyi Diversion Dam. Mone Creek Multi-Purpose Dam Project The Senior General gave necessary instructions. He later presented gifts to construction group leader Mr Tadao Mashiba and supervisor Mr Toshio Hirakawa of Kajima Co of Japan undertaking building of diversion tunnel and project personnel. MYANMAR WELCOMES PARTICIPATION OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, WELFARE ASSOCIATIONS, PUBLIC TO HELP REALIZE NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN YANGON, 18 April National Health Committee held the 23rd meeting at Medical Research Department this morning with an address by Chairman of NHC Secretary-1 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt. The nation will accept participation of international and welfare organizations in public health care services with sincere goodwill if their assistance does not hinder or disturb the State's political, economic and social objectives, he pointed out. The Ministry of Health has successfully devised an anti-Hepatitis B drug, which is a success and a contribution for the entire mankind, he said, assuring Government assistance in the ministry's research programmes. _________________________________________________ APRIL 21, 1997: SENIOR GENERAL THAN SHWE SENDS FELICITATIONS TO QUEEN ELIZABETH II OF THE UNITED KINGDOM YANGON, 21 Apri-Senior General Than Shwe, Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council of the Union of Myanmar, has sent a message of felicitations to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the-United Kingdom, on the occasion of llea Majesty's.Birthday which falls on 21 April, 1997. SECRETARY-1 INSPECTS CONSTRUCTION OF YANGON INTERNATIONAL HOTEL YANGON, 20 April - Chairman of Tourism Development Management Committee, Secretary-1 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt this morning inspected construction of Yangon International Hotel on Alon Road. On arrival at the construction site of Yangon International Hotel at 8 am he was welcomed by Minister at the Office of the Chairman of State Law and Order Restoration Council Brig- Gen Myo Thant, President of Myanmar MCG Corporation Ltd Mr Koki Onodera and officials. At the Guest Room, Mr Koki OnoNera greeted the Secretary-1, ministers and party and briefed them on the master plan of the Yangon International Hotel, completion of construction works, internal and external decoration, arrangements for soft opening of the hotel and receiving tourists. SECRETARY-2 CALLS ON YOUTHS TO BUILD UP POWER OF 'LOVING KINDNESS' TO BE ABLE TO RESIST OUTSIDE TEMPTATIONS YANGON, 20 April - The Archdiocesan Youth Apostolate (Yangon) hosted a dinner to mark the Fifth Archdiocesan Youth Day at Karaweik Hall this evening. Secretary-2 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Lt-Gen Tin Oo attended it:and gave counsel to the youths. After a chorus singing of youths in honour of the Youth Day, Daw Geraldine Williams explained opening of the Yangon Youth Camp and the Youth Day. Giving counsel, the Secretary-2 spoke of three points- 1. views one and all should have on religion; 2. combination of religious concepts with a sense of duty for nation building; and 3. adherence to Jesus Christ's teachings. MANDALAY MAYOR LEAVES FOR JAPAN YANGON, 20 April- Secretary-2 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Lt-Gen Tin Oo this evening saw off Chairman of Mandalay City Development Committee Mayor Col Sein Win Aung who left for Japan at the invitation of Mayor of Sendai for promotion of bilateral goodwill relations and cooperation. The mayor was seen off at the airport by officials and familymembers. He is accompanied by Head of Water and Sanitation Department of MCDC U Tun Kyi. The mayor will study urban ctnstruction projects such as Sendai Airport, port, hotel service, market, hospital and rail transport service in Japan. BRIG-GEN TIN AYE TO ATTEND 45TH ANNIVERSARY INDONESIAN ARMY SPECIAL FORCES DAY YANGON, 20 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 this morning saw off Brig-Gen Tin Aye of the Ministry of Defence and members who left to attend the 45th Anniversary Indonesian Army Special Forces Day to be held in Indonesia. Brig-Gen Tin Aye is accompanied by Lt-Col Thein Oo and Lt-Col Ohn Myint of the Ministry of Defence. 45 MEMBERS OF ARMED GROUPS EXCHANGE ARMS FOR PEACE YANGON, 20 April - The State Law and Order Restoration Council is building national reconsolidation and upholding Our Three Main National Causes, and is striving for emergence of a modern nation after laying down the political, economic and social objectives. The Government is also providing help for the families who, after realizing their wrongs, had exchanged arms for peace, for their security, livelihood, establishment of model villages, reclamation of land for cultivation, domestic production and agriculture services and for assisting them in health, education and social sectors. After realizing that the subversive-and destructive acts do nothing good to the nation and understanding the genuine goodwill and nation-building tasks of the Government, the armed groups keep on swapping arms for peace individually and in groups. In the South-East Command region from 1 to 6 March this year, pvts Zaw Htoo, Saw Tatho, Saw Cha Dowah, Saw Pha Bi and Saw Thali of the KNU from Dupalayar District, members of Metharawhta security committee Pha Nyein, Pha Kalok and Pha Kalo, pvt Tet Kalar of Leinkhwe security committee, sgt Saw El Soe and pvts Atit, Awin, Than Oo Soe, Saw La Di, Saw Lu Phaw, Saw Jabin, Saw Gae, Saw Zaw Lay and Naw Hse Layar of the 16th Battalion pvt Pha Ye Pha of Kyar- in forest group, school principal Chet Thalin of the 6th brigade, pvts Naung Soe, Kyaw Bo, El Leiwa, Saw Min Maung, Ei Hnit Wa and Saw Ki, health officer Saw Ngwe La, deputy jail war+den Maung Nyunt (a) Zat Laik, member of regional forest group Saw He Lei Mu, officer-in- charge of Kyar-in executive committee Saw Brandy, chairman U Palar Tu, pvt Saw Pi Paroe Na, pvt Pha Ka Mu of regional security unity and sgt Saw Nay Tun of the 6th battalion exchanged arms for peace bringing in one AR machine gun, one M-22 automatic rifles, six carbines, three AK-47 automatics, eight M-16 automatics, two revolvers, two 62mm launchers, one RPG, six grenades, three US-made grenades, 878 rounds and pvt Nyi Nyi of ABSDF 207th battalion with one grenade. In Taninthayi Division, sgt Mahn Kyaw Win of KNU brigade 4, wife Khin Win Kyi and son Kyaw Aung officer-in-charge of the region Saw Pa Det, wife Naw Phawt Hla and sons Saw Lwe Mu, Saw Lwe Kanyaw and Po Da Pi and daughter Naw Hse Mular Phaw exchanged arms for peace bringing with them one M-16 automatic, one AK-47 automatic and 62 rounds. The 45 who swapped arms for peace were accorded warm welcome at respective military camps. ____________________________________________ APRIL 22 1997: ASEAN SEOM FACT-FINDING MISSION CALLS ON MINISTER FOR NPED YANGON, 21 April-A 18-member ASEAN SEOM fact-finding mission comprising officials of ASEAN Secretary-General's office called on Minister for National Planning and Economic Development Brig-Gen Abel at his office today. The minister explained Myanmar's preparation for ASEAN membership, economic development, international trade, cooperation with economic organizations and investment. Also present were officials of the ministry and Customs Department. They also discussed ASEAN Free Trade Area with officials of Trade and Customs Departments. The minister hosted dinner for the delegation at Mya Yeik Nyo Royal Hotel. *******************************************************