------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: April 29, 1997 Issue #707 HEADLINES: ========== INSIDE REPORT: 17 STUDENT LEADERS EXECUTED BY SLORC MLOB: LETTER TO BRUNEI, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA IMAGES ASIA AND BURMANET: SLORC ANTI MUSLIM ABSDF: SLORC'S ATTACK ON THE ABSDF CAMP/MON BROKE THE NATION: TAK MILITIA MEN KILL KAREN INTRUDER THE ECONOMIST: "SANCTIONED, BUT NOT CHASTENED" THE NATION: THAILAND, RP AGREE TO SET UP TRADE PANEL AFP: MALAYSIA SAYS BURMA'S ENTRY INTO ASEAN VITAL THE NATION: SLORC STRIKES BACK OVER CRITICISM OF DRUG ----------------------------------------------------------------- INSIDE REPORT: 17 STUDENT LEADERS OF DECEMBER DEMONSTRATION EXECUTED BY SLORC Released by ISBDA, April 27, 1997 BurmaNet Note: We have not had confirmation of this report yet, but hope that other BurmaNet readers will look into it. Reliable sources inside Burma reported that 17 university students who led peaceful and disciplined demonstrations in December 1996 were tortured and killed inside a military compound at Ye Mon town near Pegu. Most of these victims are from Rangoon Institute of Technology and some are from the University of Rangoon. The military officer who administered these executions reportedly said that the authorities have executed the students without using firearms because Western countries do not want Myanmar to use bullets in order to quell student demonstrations. ********************************************************** MLOB: LETTER TO BRUNEI, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA April 28, 1997 MUSLIM LIBERATION ORGANIZATION OF BURMA SECOND LETTER TO THE SUPREME AUTHORITIES OF BRUNEI, INDONESIA, AND MALAYSIA CONCERNING THE CURRENT SITUATION FOR MUSLIMS IN BURMA Questions of concern: (1) Why didn’t the SLORC protect mosques, houses and other Muslim property all over Burma from destruction during March and April 1997? (2) Who will provide protection for Burmese Muslims in the future, in case of anti-Muslim riots after SLORC becomes a member of ASEAN? (3) Why did the SLORC army dynamite mosques, rip up and destroy copies of the holy Quoran, and order Muslims to eat pork and convert to Buddhism in Karen State during February and March 1997? (4) Why didn’t Muslims celebrate Idd Al Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice), one of the five pillars of Islam, in Burma on 18 April 1997? Dear Sirs, As members of an organization that has been fighting for Muslim rights in Burma since the early eighties, we are writing on behalf of the oppressed minority Muslims of Burma to express our concern and draw your attention to the issues mentioned above. We welcome the imposition by the United States of economic sanctions against the SLORC. As three member countries of ASEAN with significant Muslim populations, we ask you also to take action. We urge you again to kindly and immediately halt your efforts, enacted at the expense of lives and properties of minority Muslims, to welcome SLORC as a member of ASEAN. The Burmese peoples as a whole fear that the SLORC admission to the ASEAN grouping will legitimize this brutal junta, which inherited power from the socialist dictatorship of General Ne Win, who seized power in 1962. The people are convinced that Burma’s admission to ASEAN will only strengthen SLORC and prolong its brutal treatment of those who do not want to continue their lives as slaves under the regime. For the Burmese people, 36 long years lived under dictatorship is already more than enough. You may be aware that soon after Ne Win’s army seized power, it nationalized all public properties, demonetized Burmese currencies repeatedly, and intensified the now 50-year old civil war all over Burma that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. Under the Burma Socialist Programme Party, Ne Win’s regime adopted a Burmese socialist policy that declared Muslims foreigners. The BSPP’s disastrous mismanagement of the economy led many of the Burmese people to starvation and changed Burma from one of Southeast Asia’s richest countries to one of the poorest nations in the world. The SLORC massacred thousands of peaceful protesters when it assumed power in 1988, then failed to honor its promise to transfer power to the NLD when the party won a landslide victory in the SLORC-held general elections of 1990. The SLORC have consistently refused to solve Burma’s political problems by political means. Its iron rule of the country has forced the majority of its citizens into penury as forced labourers, with hundreds of thousands fleeing across the borders as refugees, and tens of thousands of women becoming prostitutes. It is because of the SLORC’s mistreatment of ordinary civilians that the Burmese peoples oppose the dictatorship’s continued rule. We are ashamed to say that at this juncture that your Muslim nations are at the forefront in strongly supporting SLORC’s admission to ASEAN. The Burmese people regard this as simply another means to victimize them, after they have been continuously deprived of all human rights by military rule over almost four decades. The SLORC itself has admitted that the recent destruction of mosques, houses, shops and other properties of Muslims is nothing other than the price Muslims have to pay for Burma’s entry into ASEAN; that is, for your unnecessary support of this most heinous of dictatorships. The Burmese peoples would like to live peacefully as human beings, enjoying all the human rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights under a humane government. Almighty God knows, and you may soon come to realize, what will happen to the minority Muslims when the junta becomes an ASEAN member with the backing you have initially proposed. At that point, who will protect them? We would like to remind you that the recent anti-Muslim actions are only the latest chapter in a long history of Muslim persecution under the SLORC and the BSPP. In fact, the Muslim community have frequently served as a convenient scapegoat for the military regimes in times of political unrest. 1. In 1977 alone, three Arakanese armed movements formed in opposition to the BSPP regime. The first, the Arakan Independence Organization (AIO) led by Ko San Kyaw Tun, was based in the Kachin area in the north. The second, the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) in Karen area in the south, fought vigorously against the military dictatorship, inflicting heavy casualties. The third group, led by Mahn Ngwe Aung, Kyaw Hla and others operated in the heart of Rangoon to topple the dictatorship. The combined efforts of these three groups shook the junta tremendously and brought the entire Arakanese population to the brink of rising up against the regime. The junta responded by fomenting anti-Muslim riots in 1978 that forced 200,000 Rohingyas to flee into Bangladesh. 2. In 1980-82, two Muslim armed organizations, the Muslim Liberation Organization of Burma and the All Burma Muslim Union emerged in the Karen liberated area. When the Muslims, along with the Karen liberation forces, started to fight against the junta, agents of the BSPP again generated anti-Muslim riots in a bid to crush the Muslims in Karen and Mon states and Tenasserim division. Several hundred Bashu Muslims were forced to flee into Malaysia where they are still living now. 3. In 1988, just before nationwide mass demonstrations, the junta, in order to divert the public attention from political problems, instigated anti-Muslim riots in central Burma, Taunggyi, Prome, Tekkong, and Pegu. 4. You may also be aware that in 1991, SLORC created anti-Muslim riots in Arakan forcing 300,000 Rohingyas to flee into Bangladesh, in order to divert the people’s attention from dissatisfaction over the refusal by the junta to hand over power to the NLD following the elections. 5. In early 1996, the monks in central Burma planned to demonstrate against the junta as the junta had arrested several hundred monks. When the junta learned of the plan, it attempted to instigate anti-Muslim riots in Kyaukpadaung and other areas of central Burma. However, the people, familiar with the dirty tactics of the junta, refused to participate in the demonstrations. Only then the junta began to place false monks who started anti-Muslim riots in Mandalay in March 1997. 6. Buddhist monks in Burma are politically active and have often led anti-government demonstrations. The theft of gold and precious stones from one of Burma’s most-revered Buddha statues in Mandalay by SLORC officials and the killing of about 20 monks in the jails were the gounds from which the monks mounted the March demonstrations against the junta. However, the junta came to know of the plan before the demonstrations took place, and to avoid confrontation with the monks, immediately dredged up a case that had already been settled involving a Muslim youth. At the same time, the SLORC planted “false monks” in the monasteries to instigate the monks to demonstrate against the Muslim community. Thus the planned demonstrations by the monks against the SLORC were once again turned into anti-Muslim ones. The afore-mentioned attacks on the minority Muslims in Burma are only some of the more major abuses Muslims have suffered under the military dictatorship. The longer the junta exists, the more the Muslims will suffer. Moreover, there will never be any guarantees of security for the lives, religious institutions, and properties of the Muslims. As long as the junta holds power, not only Muslims but the entire Burmese population will live in misery, fear and starvation. In the hope of protecting minority Muslims from further brutalities such as these, we once again respectfully urge you to reconsider the situation that exists in Burma and withdraw all your support for the military junta, in favour of support for the security of the life and property of Burma’s Muslim citizens. Central Executive Committee, MLOB 28 April 1997 copy to: (1) Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) (2) World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), Malaysia (3) ABIM, Malaysia ***************************************************** IMAGES ASIA AND BURMANET: SLORC ANTI MUSLIM CAMPAIGN IN KAREN STATE April 1997 EXCERPT FROM "NOWHERE TO GO: A REPORT ON THE 1997 SLORC OFFENSIVE AGAINST DUPLAYA DISTRICT (KNU SIXTH BRIGADE) KAREN STATE BURMA" April 1997 by Images Asia and BurmaNet The SLORC has been carrying out an anti-Muslim campaign during the 1997 offensive in Karen State. Several mosques have been destroyed, Korans have been ripped up or burned, and Muslims have been driven out of Karen State. Given the SLORC's anti-Muslim campaign in Karen State, and their history of creating religious unrest as a distraction in times of economic and political turmoil, it should be asked what role the SLORC has played in inciting or even orchestrating anti-Muslim attacks in Central Burma in March, 1997. Moreover, Muslim organizations from Burma want to know why predominantly Muslim countries in ASEAN are continuing to support the SLORC and even allowing the SLORC to join ASEAN given the SLORC's persecution of Muslims in Burma. ANTI-MUSLIM CAMPAIGN In Burma today there are estimated to be approximately seven million Muslims. Large numbers of Indians of both Muslim and Hindu faiths migrated to Burma during the colonial period. Many were employed by the British in the colonial administration, while others became traders, landowners, and money lenders. Generally accorded higher status by the British, the Indians were often resented by the Burman population and frequently became targets of Burman anti-colonialist actions. Muslims also began moving into Karen State at the time of Great Britain's annexation of Upper Burma in the 1880s. The Muslim population in Karen State numbers in the thousands, with Muslims engaging in a range of professions from farming to shop-keeping. Many Muslims in Karen State refer to themselves in Karen as Pwakanyaw Thu or Black Karen and consider Karen State as their homeland. Although the Muslims tend to live in separate areas within Karen villages, relations between Muslims and Buddhists and Christians have generally been smooth. There are two Muslim organizations which were established in the early eighties and have worked with the KNU. The All Burma Muslim Union (ABMU) maintains its own battalion of troops and has been fighting together with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the KNU's military wing, against the SLORC since 1983. After an outbreak of anti-Muslim riots in Martaban, Moulmein and other towns in lower Burma in the early eighties, a number of internally displaced Muslims joined the ABMU. On March 6, 1997, the ABMU issued a statement declaring that they would like the international community, and especially Muslim countries in ASEAN, to be more aware of the human rights abuses currently being perpetrated particularly against Muslims by the Burmese military (see appendix). The second organization, the Muslim Liberation Organization of Burma (MLOB), is comprised of Muslims from different areas in Burma. In their letter to the Muslim countries of ASEAN of March 25th, they declared that: ... the people are afraid that a SLORC led Burma would become a member of the ASEAN grouping, which would give legality and legitimacy to the SLORC to brutalise the people for longer. Both the ABMU and MLOB are active members of the DAB (Democratic Alliance of Burma), an umbrella organisation formed in 1988 to unite Burmese ethnic fronts and other pro-democracy opposition groups who are fighting against the SLORC using military and political means. They are also both members of the National Coalition of the Union of Burma (NCUB), an alliance formed between DAB members and elected Members of Parliament who fled Burma due to repression following the 1990 elections. The SLORC has often tried to stir up religious and racial tensions in Burma in order to divide the population and divert attention from other political and economic concerns. In 1988, the SLORC provoked anti-Muslim riots in Taunggyi and Prome during the pro-democracy movement. In May 1996, anti-Muslim literature widely believed to have been written by the SLORC was distributed in four towns in Shan State, leading to violent incidents. In September 1996, the SLORC razed a 600 year old mosque in Arakan State and used the rubble to pave paths between new military base camps in the area. And in March 1997, SLORC officials were accused of instigating attacks against Muslims and of exacerbating existing tensions between the Muslim and Buddhist communities in Central Burma. In Karen State, the SLORC has also tried to stir up anti-Muslim feelings. In August 1996, a letter came from Dammaya town to some people in Kyaikdon, Karen State encouraging fighting between Muslims and Buddhists. According to one informant (Wanasoo - see below) who saw the letter, it was written in good Burmese, and was unsigned. The villagers believed that SLORC officials had written it and that the Democratic Kayin Buddhist Army (DKBA), which has been working closely with the SLORC, had been distributing copies of the letter. In the February 1997 SLORC offensive, the SLORC attacked the Muslim community directly. SLORC soldiers razed mosques and destroyed copies of the Koran, ordered conversions to Buddhism, and drove Muslims out of Karen State. Below is a partial list of villages where mosques were destroyed: VILLAGES WHERE MOSQUES WERE DESTROYED BY THE SLORC: Kyaikdon The inside of the mosque and the Muslim school destroyed, Muslims expelled unless they became Buddhist Gaw Bay Mosque destroyed Naw Bu Mosque destroyed and all the villagers were expelled Day Nga Yin Mosque destroyed Kyaung Don Mosque destroyed, villagers allowed to stay Kaninbu Mosque and the Muslim school destroyed Pa Glaw Ni All valuables inside the mosque looted and placed in the village's Buddhist temple. The wooden mosque was then dismantled Each mosque has a special coffin for carrying the dead. These were destroyed in all of the above villages, and in most cases the mosque's copy of the Koran was also either burned or shredded. SLORC soldiers have made it known that they are targeting Muslims and have threatened to kill any Muslims that they see. There have also been confirmed reports of SLORC troops killing Muslims. In Kyo Ta village, SLORC soldiers blindfolded 2 male Muslim villagers and cut their necks. In Ti Dah Blu village, 2 Muslim villagers were also killed. The first, Shan Bok (35 years old), was a Muslim member of the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) militia. The second, Soe Win (approximately 30 years old), was a civilian. Muslims from Karen State face a precarious future. They have been told that they cannot become citizens of Burma unless they profess Buddhism as their religion. Many have been ordered to leave Karen State and to return to India, although they have no connections to that country today. The interviews below relate the experiences of Muslims who fled to the border to escape further persecution. (Note: We have used the term "Black Karen" for the ethnicity of the Muslims we interviewed as that is how they defined themselves) 1.NUSA (33 years old, male, wife and 2 children, Kyaikdon, shop owner, Black Karen, Muslim) Destruction of the Mosque When we arrived at Kyaikdon we tied up the bullocks and went to the well in the mosque compound to get water. The soldiers at the entrance warned us that we could not enter the mosque itself, and that we should get the water as quickly as possible. In the meantime, a SLORC column entered the village. When they saw us, they hurled rude abuse at us like: 'You sons of bitches!' and so on. I was getting water at the well in front of the mosque when some soldiers brought out the Koran and I saw them ripping it up. The soldiers said: 'Don't watch! Just get your water,' pointing their gun at me. I wanted to cry but I couldn't. They threw the pieces of Koran on the street. When the Muslim women on the street saw this, they cried and felt such pain. The SLORC soldiers said, 'Don't cry! This is not a Muslim country! This is a Buddhist country! Go away! Expulsion from the village An officer from the 202 TOC (Tactical Operation Command), 22nd LID (Light Infantry Division) told me: 'Muslims cannot stay. If you are Muslim you must leave.' Another one said: 'Muslims cannot stay here, you must convert to Buddhism and put an altar in your house.' Forced labor The next day, the village elders organised everything and told us that for every cart, 500 kyat must be paid to the soldiers. We collected 15,000 kyat and gave it to the officer of the troops. After that, they gave us each a travelling document and warned us that we must travel back to our own villages. From our group, the soldiers then demanded twelve of the women to come and work at their campsite. The village elders refused to hand over the women and negotiated to send two men to work for them instead. Their names are Beila (23 or 24 years old) and Ah Pyi (28 years old). Expulsion [After several days travelling] .. We stayed in Moulmein for two nights and then went back to Kawkareik. When we were in Kawkareik we did not dare to go outside in the downtown area, as the soldiers were rounding up porters and forced laborers there. We have suffered so much grief at the hands of the military that I feel that if we could get some guns now, all of the people suffering here would fight back against this brutal regime. This feeling is felt deep in the hearts of our Muslim community here. We can never forgive the SLORC soldiers who destroyed our mosque and our Koran, which is the holy center of our community. 2. WANASOO ( 36 years old, male, wife and 2 children, Kyaikdon, wage laborer, Black Karen, Muslim) Destruction of the Mosque at Kyaikdon My wife and some of the other villagers returned to the village from the place where we were hiding in the jungle. They cried with grief when they saw the ruins of our mosque. They met the SLORC soldiers near that mosque, and the SLORC soldiers said to them, 'This is not India! Within two days two bulldozers will arrive at this village to raze the mosque!' They noticed that the doors on the left side of the mosque were burned down and the marble floors made up of ceramic tiles had been pounded and destroyed by the SLORC troops. The Koran had been torn into pieces and was scattered on the public footpath in front of the mosque. The women in the group cried when they saw this. At that time, the soldiers told the people: 'This is not India! All of you Muslims must leave the mosque compound within half an hour!' The SLORC troops have now destroyed the mosque at Kyaikdon village twice. Once was in 1990 and the other time was this year. This time we tried to hide the Koran in a safe place in the mosque, however the soldiers found the Koran and tore it to pieces and scattered it across the road. The soldiers then killed the pigs and cooked and ate port curry in the mosque compound [a grave insult to Muslims]. The destruction of the mosque and the holy Koran hurts like a spear piercing my heart. Even if the SLORC were to kill me along with my family, it would not hurt as much as this. This feeling is deep in our hearts and we will never forget this incident. Fleeing and threats of execution We sent one man back to our village from our hiding place to collect news about the movements of, and conditions under, the SLORC troops. He went back to the village and returned to our hiding place in the evening. He told us that the SLORC troops had said that they would kill all Muslims. He warned us to stay in a large group, and that we should not travel separately. He advised us to run to Kawkareik. 3. ABDUL (male, 54 years old, wife and 9 children, Kyaikdon, senior member of ABMU, Muslim) Looting The SLORC took everything left in the village. They said all of it belonged to Muslims, so they took it. A plea to Asean Even if we can't fight with guns, we'll fight with words. We will tell the whole world what is happening to us. The SLORC is only good at fighting. The countries who are supporting the SLORC don't know what the SLORC is doing. I want Asean countries to know what the SLORC is doing. If Burma enters ASEAN, we will have to fight. We won't surrender. We hope ASEAN won't let them in. We are so disappointed that Muslim countries are supporting the SLORC. Why are they doing this? There are 7 million Muslims in Burma; why aren't they looking at us? Please send this news to them. Today we are suffering because of the actions of Indonesia and Malaysia. ********************************************** ABSDF: SLORC'S ATTACK ON THE ABSDF CAMP/MON BROKE THE AGREEMENT WITH DEMOCRATIC FORCES IN THE AREA April 28, 1997 From: Min Zaw Oo The SLORC columns which occupied the Muslim base camp were divided into two columns and then advanced to the students' 88 camp. The first column, composed of LIBs 262 and 432, including 480 troops and porters, advanced to the Karen Battalion no. (12), south of the 88' camp. According to information received from the border, another column from the south was already prepared to launch an attack against KNU Batallion no.(12). The Second column was reinforced with the LIB (433) on 23/4/97 and was composed of LIB 224/ 358/ 433, including 1300 troops and porters, to intensify the attack against the 88 camps. The operation commander for that column was Lt. Col. Khin Maung Kyi. The area of the 88 camp was overun by the SLORC troops on April 22, after heavy shelling. Then the SLORC troops advanced to the strategic hills in that area. At a meeting held on 20/4/97 the leaders of the Mon Army (the mutiny group from the New Mon State Party) agreed to cooperate with and allow the democratic forces under attack to retreat into their uncaptured area, however, they later broke their promise. The Mon leaders were confused by the SLORC's promise that they would not attack Mon area. Therefore, the students, Karen and Muslim forces were framed by SLORC troops in the mountains and Mon troops did not let the students and other forces withdraw into their area. Thai police raided the AASYC(Arakhan students) office in Thapsakae on 26/04/97 and the ABSDF office is similarly threatened. Many family members with young babies are staying at the office. Thai army and intelligence officals appear to be cooperating with Slorc. ************************************************************ THE NATION: TAK MILITIA MEN KILL KAREN INTRUDER April 28, 1997 AFP One man died in a clash between civilians militia and ethnic Karen fighters at a Karen refugee camp in Tak province yesterday, a Thai military officer said. A group of 15 to 20 armed men crossed from Burma and invaded the Ta Per Poo camp, in Thailand's northern Tak province, and torched 19 shop stalls and houses early yesterday, Col Suwit Maenmuen, commander of the Fourth Army Regiment Task Force said. Thai civilian militia fought with the armed group, killing one of the Karen fighters who had invaded the camp, located about two kilometres inside Thailand. The Karen, who were believed to be from the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), took eight refugees hostages but they were released later, Suwit said. The DKBA is a Karen splinter group supported by the Burmese military. Most of the refugees in Thai border camps are sympathetic to the Karen National Union (KNU), which is still fighting Rangoon. The Ta Per Poo camp houses some 2,200 ethnic Karen refugees who have fled Karen enclaves in eastern Burma during military offensives by Burmese government forces in recent years. Over 90,000 Karen stay in camps along the Thai border. The KNU has lost control of its remaining territories in Burma in a major offensive by government forces which began in February, causing an exodus of thousands of Karen. (TN) ****************************************************** THE ECONOMIST: "SANCTIONED, BUT NOT CHASTENED" April 26, 1997 It can hardly have come as a surprise. Long before President Clinton did so on April 22nd, the generals who run Myanmar must have known that, sooner or later, he was likely to make good on his threat to ban new American investment from their country. Last September he signed legislation requiring him to impose the ban if there was "large-scale repression", or if Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's opposition leader, was harmed or detained. Since then, a car she was riding in has been attacked by thugs, and her movements and visitors have been severely curtailed. Many members of her party and other dissenters have been locked up. Meanwhile, heroin from Myanmar has continued to find its way in large quantities to the United States. So presumably the generals cared less about American investment than about enforcing order at home and keeping the drug money coming. In announcing the ban, Mr. Clinton's secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, described the junta's policies - no doubt correctly - as "authoritarian" and "ultimately doomed". But they also reflect a confidence that it can do without America. Conveniently for both the generals and the Americans, the ban is not likely to affect existing investments. So, much the most important foreign investment project in Myanmar - a gas pipeline costing $1.2 billion in which an American company, Unocal, has a 28.3% share - is highly unlikely to be scrapped. Unocal will not be able to commit itself to any further investments. But both the company and the junta are confident that other companies will be eager to take its place in exploiting Myanmar's hydrocarbon riches. Other American investors in Myanmar, including retailers, clothing manufacturers and a giant soft-drinks firm, Pepsi, had already pulled out under pressure from Americans urging consumer boycotts. Myanmar has also incurred the loss of some tariff privileges from the European Union because of its use of forced labour. All this is doubtless irksome. But it will not be allowed to deflect the junta from its apparent determination to crush all domestic opposition. And it will not have much impact unless Myanmar's Asian neighbours turn against it. They will not. China, which provides the army with some of its guns, will remain a loyal friend. Japan and South Korea will, most probably, keep their heads down. Above all, the members of the regional club, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), are unlikely to be deterred from their policy of "constructive engagement". Already, if the pipeline is discounted, their businesses are the biggest investors in Myanmar. And their governments are still talking of admitting Myanmar as a full member in July, when ASEAN celebrates its 30th anniversary. American sanctions may actually harden the resolve of some ASEAN countries to admit Myanmar. Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam resent and fear American interest in their "internal affairs". They will not want the treatment of Myanmar to set a precedent. ********************************************** THE NATION: THAILAND, RP AGREE TO SET UP TRADE PANEL April 28, 1997 [abridged] By Yindee Lertcharoenchok PHUKET ­ Thailand and the Philippines agreed yesterday to establish a commission to promote their increasing bilateral trade and investments, as well as joint ventures. The joint trade commission, which was proposed by Thailand, will also serve as a mechanism to resolve bilateral problems and eliminate any obstacles that could affect or hinder economic activities and cooperation between the two countries. Moreover, the panel will be entrusted to work out a comprehensive Joint Action Plan for bilateral cooperation in the fields of investment and joint ventures between Thailand and the Philippines. In a meeting tomorrow, Prachuab and Siazon will make further deliberations concerning all bilateral topics of discussions and give a final blessing to the agreements reached by their senior officials. As their meeting will take place just a week after US economic sanctions against Burma were announced, the two ministers are expected to hold talks on the sanctions' impact on Asean activities, particularly on the probable admission of Burma, Cambodia and Laos into the regional grouping. The two ministers will be joined by Singapore's Foreign Minister Shunmugum Jayakumar for an unofficial working breakfast on Wednesday, during which they will discuss and work out an Asean position on the membership of the three candidates. Jayakumar and his 15-member delegation will arrive in Phuket tomorrow for a bilateral meeting and a round of golf with Prachuab. Along with its ban on new American investment in Burma, the United States has urged Asean ­ its key political, economic and security ally ­ not to admit Burma into the Southeast Asian club citing its poor human rights record. Asean countries, which support economic engagement with Burma, have deplored the US sanctions, saying that the tough economic measures will only hurt the Burmese people. They also argued that Asean's decision to admit the three countries is an internal affair of the grouping and that they will not bow to US pressure. At the informal Asean summit last December, the heads of government agreed to accept the three countries simultaneously. Although they did not announce a date, Burma, Cambodia and Laos expect to become members by July. Asean foreign ministers will hold an informal meeting on May 31 in Kuala Lumpur to decide the entry date for the three countries. (TN) ****************************************************** AFP: MALAYSIA SAYS BURMA'S ENTRY INTO ASEAN VITAL FOR REGIONAL STABILITY April 27, 1997 [slightly abridged] by M. Jegathesan KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (AFP) - Malaysia Sunday said the entry of Burma into ASEAN was vital for regional stability and economic growth. "We see the membership of Burma in ASEAN from various angles -- strategic and growth of the region. It should be brought into the regional organisation," Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told reporters here. Abdullah said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has agreed to accept Burma's entry. "It is ASEAN's standpoint. We understand the issue better than the United States." His comments followed an announcement by US State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns on Friday that the United States was trying to persuade ASEAN members to reject Burma's bid for full membership, on the grounds of its "woeful human rights performance." Abdullah said ASEAN nations policy of constructive engagement with Burma served the region well, adding that Burma already attends the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the Post Ministerial Conference (PMC). The political system of a country is not made a condition for admittance even into the United Nations, he said, adding that ASEAN maintains a strict policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. "However, we hope through our relations with Burma, we can bring changes to benefit its people. We will decide what is good for us," Abdullah said. He also said there was no need for ASEAN to tell the United States not to interfere in regional matters. "We do not have any desire to quarrel with any country." Abdullah said ASEAN only had a difference of opinion with the US, adding that it was not confrontational in nature. "It is the decision of ASEAN heads to admit Burma, Cambodia and Laos simultaneously," he said, when asked if there was a possibility of only Burma denied entry this year in the wake of the US appeal. Admitting the three countries this year, ASEAN's 30th anniversary, would fulfill the group's long-held ambition of incorporating the 10 nations of Southeast Asia. [excerpts from related article -Vietnam and the Philippines comments] _________________________________________ THE NATION: US PRESSURE ON BURMA FORCES ASEAN INTO TOUGH DECISION April 28, 1997 Deborah Charles Philippines foreign secretary Domingo Siazon said it is "normal" for governments to lobby others. "We will review our position because we have a meeting anyway on May 31 in Kuala Lumpur to determine and take a decision on the eventual membership of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar [Burma]." A Burmese government official said on Saturday he did not know what Asean would decide, but urged the grouping to "stick to its guns" and not give into US pressure. It has traditionally had good relations with the United States and the European Union - both of which are members of the Asean regional Forum which discusses security issues. Recently the United States and the EU increased opposition to Asean admitting Burma, saying that it would be tantamount to approval of the military regime's rights abuses and its failure to recognise the 1990 electoral victory of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party. Some analysts and commentaries said that although Asean countries usually make decisions by consensus and seldom allow disagreements to be seen by outsiders, they will likely have tough-closed-door deliberations during talks next month. But others said that Asean will likely end up sticking to its policy of "constructive engagement", which follows the idea that Burma is more likely to change if it is included, not isolated. The increase pressure on Asean could actually backfire, said some analysts. (TN) _______________________________________ BKK POST: RANGOON ADMISSION CALLED VITAL TO BLOC April 28, 1997 Kuala Lumpur, AFP Malaysia, Vietnam bristle at US effort to block membership In Hanoi yesterday, the foreign ministry said in a statement that any country which applies pressure to block Burma's entry into Asean can only harm its own image. Such a move "is not in keeping with international fundamental principle," it said. And in Rangoon itself, the official English-language New Light of Myanmar newspaper said the US is "in a pickle" over its decision to impose sanctions. "Backfire it will. It's going to prove a fiasco," the newspaper said in an editorial. ****************************************************** THE NATION: SLORC STRIKES BACK OVER CRITICISM OF DRUG TRADE April 28, 1997 Reuter Rangoon - Burma, the world's biggest opium producer, has reacted to international criticism of its efforts to tackle a massive narcotics trade with a propaganda offensive highlighting its efforts to deal with the problem. Diplomats and foreign journalists were invited on a three-day tour last week of eastern Shan State to see evidence of government efforts to stamp out the drug trade. As helicopters carrying the entourage descended on towns throughout the province long controlled by drug barons, they were greeted by former insurgents and villagers in traditional dress saluting the military government's powerful Secretary One and intelligence chief, Khin Nyunt. "The guys with the guns are our guys," said government spokesman Lt Col Hla Min as a convoy carrying the official party entered Mongla township, on the border with China's Yunnan province. "But the insurgents have been allowed to keep their own uniforms," he said. According to US estimates, Burma produced more than 2,500 tonnes of opium - which is refined into heroin - last year, most in this hilly eastern region which forms part of Asia's Golden Triangle region where Burma, Laos and Thailand meet. The region has long been controlled by ethnic rebels who financed decades-old armed struggles for autonomy from Rangoon by producing opium. Most of them have since made peace deals with the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc). A member of one, the United Wa State Army, told the visitors last week his Hotong district - considered a major black spot - produced less than one-tenth of the US estimate for the region. In another town, former warlord U Sai Lin was presented a certificate and silver plate to mark what officials said was the eradication of opium production around Mongla. "These armed groups upon clearly appreciating the sincerity and goodwill extended by the state ... exchanged arms for peace," Khin Nyunt said. "As community peace and tranquility prevails in the region ... the rays of hope for the eradication of poppy cultivation have become brighter." The Slorc officials say that Burma has been unfairly accused of not doing enough to stamp out a complex problem that it says is linked to its efforts to win peace deals with the ethnic groups. But Thai and US anti-narcotics sources say the trade is flourishing and have indicated it is the Wa who have taken over key drug-producing activities in the region since the surrender of Burma's most notorious warlord, Khun Sa, in early 1996. The US was outraged by a deal struck between Rangoon and Khun Sa, who is wanted in a US court on heroin trafficking charges. (TN) ******************************************************