------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: May 26, 1997 Issue #732 HEADLINES: ========== REUTER: BURMA OPPOSITION BRACES FOR GATHERING PRESS STATEMENT: MR. LIM KIT SIANG, OPPOSITION LEADER THE NATION: DO MUOI'S HEALTH ENDS BURMA VISIT BORDER SOURCE: BORDER SITUATION UPDATE BKK POST: PROTEST NOTE SENT OVER BURMA'S ACT BKK POST: CABINET TO REVIEW CITIZENSHIP FOR DISPLACED MON NATIONAL RELIEF COMMITTEE: MONTHLY REPORT BKK POST: ESCAPE PLAYS BIT PART IN MAJOR PRODUCTION ASIA TIMES: YANGON MOVING TO THE SUBURBS ABSDF ANNOUNCEMENT: KARENNI REPORT AVAILABLE ----------------------------------------------------------------- REUTER: BURMA OPPOSITION BRACES FOR KEY PARTY GATHERING May 25, 1997 [slightly abridged] BANGKOK, May 25 (Reuter) - Burma's opposition, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, said on Sunday it would go ahead with a party meeting this week despite the detention of 192 members by the ruling military. ``We are all waiting to see what happens tonight and tomorrow to see if the authorities will stop the planned party meeting in Aung San Suu Kyi's (house) compound,'' a senior leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) told Reuters. ``So far there have been no new detentions that we heard of in addition to the 192 we know of,'' he said in Rangoon. The party gathering set for May 27-28 is planned to coincide with the seventh anniversary of the NLD's landslide 1990 election victory which the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) never recognised. The NLD has had few opportunities to gather in a large group since it won the 1990 election as the military has thwarted previous attempts. The NLD claimed that those detained were either restricted to their homes or confined at specific places. Despite the detentions, other senior NLD members who managed to reach the party headquarters in Rangoon had discussed its political, economic, legal and justice reports as planned ahead of a general meeting set for May 27-28, the senior NLD official said. Aung San Suu Kyi was not available for comment. The NLD official said that security around Suu Kyi's lakeside residence at University Avenue was tight but some party members were able to visit her after stringent checks. ``So far they have not detained any Rangoon township NLD members but we don't know if this is a sign that they may allow the party congress to go on,'' he added. NLD officials said that even if the planned meeting was stopped by the authorities on Tuesday, senior party members who had not been detained by the authorities had met in the capital late last week had already agreed on various strategies. ``We predicted this situation a bit earlier and therefore managed to hold discussions in advance on some papers intended to be read at the formal (May 27) meeting,'' said a Rangoon division NLD member of parliament. Last year, 261 party members, mostly MPs, were arrested ahead of a similar gathering. But the meeting took place anyway and Suu Kyi announced the NLD planned to continue its efforts to bring democracy to Burma despite the crackdowns. Although the SLORC released most of the NLD members it arrested last May, some were charged and given long jail terms. Others, mainly MPs, were forced to sign papers saying they would resign from the party. ******************************************** PRESS STATEMENT: MR. LIM KIT SIANG, OPPOSITION LEADER OF MALAYSIA May 25, 1997 From: Teresa DEMOCRATIC ACTION PARTY Media Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, 25th May 1997: ASEAN leaders must take serious view of the latest SLORC mass arrests of NLD leaders and defer all consideration of Burma's entry into ASEAN for this year to safeguard the good name and international reputation of ASEAN ===================================================== Yesterday, the official press of the Myanmese military junta, New Light of Myanmar hailed ASEAN solidarity behind the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and declared: "Asean-10 will soon become a reality, all of us being able to keep at bay any and all who would commit treachery to compromise regional peace, harmony and prosperity" The editorial in the state-run newspaper also said: "Today, when the world must seek a new political order free from big-power hegemony, all emerging nations must unite in the kind of alliance that seeks friends yet give no breach for sinister designs and acts of subversion openly orchestrated and perpetrated." The overwhelming majority of thinking and decent people of ASEAN nations must find this editorial obnoxious and revolting, for this SLORC newspaper was flaunting to the world that the Myanmese military junta had the unqualified support of the ASEAN governments for all its actions, including the repression and violation of the human rights of the people of Burma. This implication that SLORC had the understanding if not the open support for its latest crackdown on opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, with some 200 supporters reportedly detained ahead of a party function marking the seventh anniversary of the NLD's 1990 general election victory, a victory that was never honoured by the junta, is a major slur and blemish of ASEAN's international reputation. ASEAN's good name and international reputation risk being seriously compromised if ASEAN governments condone, whether explicity or tacitly, the latest crackdown against democracy activists in Burma. It is time for opinion-leaders in all sectors of society in every ASEAN nation to make their reservations, unhappiness and downright opposition to the admission of Burma into ASEAN this year heard - loud and clear. On May 31, Asean Foreign Ministers' are scheduled to meet in Kuala Lumpur to discuss the timing of admission of Burma, Cambodia and Laos, which are expected at the annual Asean meeting in July or possibly at an informal summit later in the year. The latest crackdown by the SLORC in Burma, in utter disregard of regional and international opinion that the Myanmese military junta should accept the basic norms of civilised national and international behaviour, has completely destroyed the myth that ASEAN's constructive engagement policy had made any tangible progress in contributing to democratic reforms or national reconciliation In Burma. ASEAN nations must let SLORC rulers know in no uncertain terms that unless they co-operate with ASEAN governments to produce results in ASEAN's constructive engagement policy on Burma, with visible progress in democratic reforms and national reconciliation, it is not in anybody's interest for Burma to be admitted into ASEAN at this stage. [passage omitted quoted from the Singapore Straits Times editorial "Myanmar has to earn its keep", see The BurmaNet News Issue 730] It is time for all decent and peace-and-justice loving people of ASEAN to speak up to urge their respective governments to defer any consideration of admission of Burma into ASEAN this year unless and until SLORC proves its sincerity and seriousness in wanting to co-operate with ASEAN to make a success of the ASEAN constructive engagement policy on Burma with tangible progress in the fields of democratic reforms and national reconciliation. The latest anti-NLD crackdown on the eve of ASEAN's expected admission of SLORC into the regional organisation should open the eyes of SLORC's strongest advocates and defenders in ASEAN that such an admission would send a completely wrong message as it would be interpreted as a victory for SLORC and would only encourage the Myanmese military junta to embark on a new and more serious crackdown against NLD, pro-democracy activists and the ethnic minorities. Is this what the ASEAN governments want to encourage SLORC to do after Burma has been formally admitted into ASEAN either in July or November this year? Lim Kit Siang ************************************** THE NATION: DO MUOI'S HEALTH ENDS BURMA VISIT May 25, 1997 Agence France-Presse RANGOON -Vietnamese communist party secretary-general Do Muoi cut short an official visit to Burma due to ill-health and flew back to Hanoi yesterday afternoon, Burmese Foreign Ministry sources said. The condition of Do Muoi, 81, was not serious, the sources said, quoting members of the Vietnamese chief's personal medical team accompanying him. "Do Muoi started having headaches since yesterday afternoon and accordingly his doctors advised him to cut short his trip," the sources said. A witness said that the Do Muoi departed by special aircraft at 2.30 pm (3 pm Bangkok time) from Rangoon airport, with high-ranking members of the Burmese junta in attendance. The party leader arrived in Rangoon on Thursday and was scheduled to visit Pagan and Mandalay before returning to Vietnam today. Despite the shortened visit, the trip was described as successful in forging unity between Burma and Vietnam against foreign "acts of domination and oppression," a Foreign Ministry official said. Do Muoi was the second high-ranking Hanoi official to visit Burma's rulingjunta, in what was widely viewed as a firm gesture of support to Burma's bid to enter the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) later this year. He had met Senior General Than Shwe, chairman of the junta, officially known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), and first secretary Lt Gen Khin Nyunt on Thursday. On Friday he had visited Rangoon's Shwedagon Pagoda and also toured some industrial estates in satellite towns on the outskirts of the city, the official media reported. His curtailed visit came less than a week before Asean foreign ministers meet in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday to discuss the timing of the Burma, Cambodia and Laos' admission to the grouping. Asean currently comprises Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. *********************************************** BORDER SOURCE: BORDER SITUATION UPDATE May 23, 1997 REFUGEES ARRIVING AT KANCHANABURI, RATCHABURI AND PROVINCES TO THE SOUTH KANCHANABURI PROVINCE Thu Ka This camp, near Nai E Taung, was amalgamated with Htee Lai Pah camp (Umphang area) and moved to a new site at Maw Raka. Maw Raka is located just 2km inside the border demarcation line, adjacent to a Border Patrol Police post. The post is well-manned most of the time. One concern over the location of the site is its close proximity to Halockanee, which is just across the border. 130 SLORC soldiers were present in the refugee camp at Halockanee as recently as last week. The site is easily accessible from Huay Malai, and therefore convenient for hospital referrals to the mission hospital. The move was made on 19.5.97. Unfortunately, that day there was heavy rain and the army trucks could not reach the site to pick up the refugees. The latter were then faced with a long walk in heavy rain, down to a site which the trucks could reach. The last refugees arrived at the site as late as 4 am the following day. Colonel Mamat of the 9th Division told the refugees that the site was temporary and that they should not erect bamboo shelters. The 9th Division soldiers ordered the refugees to tear down the few shelters already erected. The refugees will be supplied with heavy grade plastic by assisting NGOs. The combined population of the two camps at the new site is 1,508. This suggests that many refugees chose to disappear into Thailand, or took the risk of returning to Burma. Pu Muang The residents of Pu Muang remain in a state of uncertainty regarding whether or not they will be moved to the new site at Htam Hin. On 20.5.97 a high ranking Major General of the Thai Armed Forces Joint Command arrived at the camp by helicopter. When asked by the refugees whether or not they would be moved to the new site he reportedly replied, "you would be better off staying where you are, or going back to Burma". If the camp is not allowed to join the other two camps at Htam Hin the problem of divided families will remain. The population remains at 2,469. RATCHABURI PROVINCE Huay Sut This camp of 2,723 people was finally moved to a new site near Htam Hin on 20.5.97. The move was organised by the local authorities, in cooperation with NGOs and the military. Everyone is to be congratulated on the smoothness of the operation, and the care and concern shown for the refugees during the upheaval. Despite rain, most of the refugees were off the old site by late afternoon. A shortage of bamboo poles and new heavier plastic sheet meant that some had to spend the first night at Htam Hin sheltering under the remains of old plastic. MSF were at the site and set up water distribution points and latrines. A clinic was arranged and was admitting patients. The new site is definitely more secure as it is further from the border. Ban Bo Wi This camp was moved to the new location before Huay Sut, on 16.5.97. The residents were well set up at the new place after a few days. The heavier grade plastic has improved the rain worthiness of the shelter, though thatch roofs would undoubtedly be cooler. Eventually all people at the new site will form a joint committee and begin setting up schools for the children. The camp was reportedly moving new arrivals still coming over the border. Any further arrivals will be transported to the new site by the Thai authorities. Once again, all parties concerned should be congratulated on the smoothness of the operation, and the concern for the refugees' welfare demonstrated during the transfer. The total population of this camp at the time of arrival at the new site is estimated at 2,500. A new census will be taken when all sections of the camp have settled in. The refugees are not allowed to bury their dead at the new site, but instead must burn them over old car tyres. There were only 2-3 patients in the in-patient wing of the clinic. PRACHUAB KHIRI KHAN PROVINCE Htee Yaw Kee The population at this site is now said to be 1,022, consisting of 223 families. The population further south, at Ma Khe Paw, has reportedly been ordered by the local authorities to join together with the group at Htee Yaw Kee. The combined population would be 1,189 if they joined. All the refugees on the Thai side of the border are new arrivals, yet NGO access is still not possible. The group includes 27 pregnant women and 10 handicapped people. CHOMPHON PROVINCE Kho Thet Loo The population remains stable at 278. The SLORC troops are said to have entered the Karen 12th Battalion Headquarters across the border from the refugee area on 14.5.97. It is not clear at this point whether the Karen forces have regained control or not. The area is difficult for NGOs to service due to the small number of refugees and the long distance from Bangkok. The total number of refugees in the southern provinces of Thailand who exited from Mergui Tavoy district now stands at 10,567. *************************************** BKK POST: PROTEST NOTE SENT OVER BURMA'S ACT May 25, 1997 Mae Sot Thai border authorities sent a second protest note to their Burmese counterparts yesterday after Burmese soldiers defied a request to stop dredging work on the Moei River to change its course. The protest note was sent to Burmese border committee officials in Myawaddy after the soldiers extended dredging work by 300 metres at Ban Tha Sai Luad. Local residents who stand to lose the land to Burma have lodged a complaint with local authorities to stop the dredging. Burmese soldiers moved in heavy machinery on Friday and began dredging the river in a bid to change its course. Border conflicts have intensified after the Moei River which is a natural boundary between Thailand and Burma at this border front changed course after a major flood two years ago Twelve families of Thai villagers stand to lose their land to Burma if the river changes its course along the dredging line drawn by the Burmese soldiers. ************************************************ BKK POST: CABINET TO REVIEW CITIZENSHIP FOR DISPLACED PERSONS May 25, 1997 The Interior Ministry and the National Security Council will seek cabinet approval to grant Thai citizenship to about 8,000 displaced persons of Mon and Karen origin living in Prachuab Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Ranong and Tak provinces, a ministry source said. Those who are entitled to Thai citizenship entered Thailand before March 19, 1976. These people have Thai relatives and in fact were born Thai, but they were displaced following the border demarcation between Thailand and Britain, when the latter ruled Burma. The displaced people have faced many problems such as education and employment because they have no ID. ************************************************** MON NATIONAL RELIEF COMMITTEE: MONTHLY REPORT April, 1997 [BurmaNet Editor's Note - This text has been edited for clarity] From: Ken and Visakha Kawasaki Monthly Report of Mon National Relief Committee (April, 1997) Mon. Refugees Fled into Thai Soil Since the Mon Army, Mergui District (MAMD) split off from the New Mon State Party and took control in Mergui District area where the Mon and other ethnic refugees were taking refuge, the wars in the area have resumed again. After the split, the safety of the refugees was in doubt. In December, the SLORC local troops launched a new military offensive against the MAMD area, but the breakaway group protected their territory. Accompanying the operation, several Karen, Tavoy, Thai (of Burma) and Mon villages were relocated and many hundreds of refugees also arrived to the border area under control of MAMD. After the offensive in December, the SLORC troops resumed another intensive offensive again in the third week of April to occupy the whole area. Most refugees who are residing on the border area under control of MAMD also suffered because of this new offensive. To defeat MAMD militarily, the SLORC troops also arrested and used civilian porters for their operation. Actually, the new offensive started in mid-April, after over a month of planning. The initial aim of the SLORC troops was to occupy the ABSDF and KNU bases along the border area, and the second priority was to occupy the MAMD bases. The operation was organized by Coastal Region Military Command which is based in Mergui town, capital of Tenasserim Division, and it combined three battalions (LIB 626, 358 and 224) to conduct the offensive. The whole operation was managed by Col. Aung Khin and he kept his troops for a two-week offensive. In operation, the SLORC used a total of 12 companies of troops from those battalions and each battalion had to provide 4 companies. It used about 800 troops and arrested about 300 villagers to be porters from Mergui, Tavoy and Yebyu townships of Tenasserim Division and brought them to the frontline. Those civilian porters were forced to carry ammunitions and supplies for the military and sometimes the soldiers also used them as human shields or mine-sweepers when they moved advance across battlefields with rebels' land-mines. On April 13, the SLORC troops turned their operation to MAMD and kept ahead to occupy the headquarters of MAMD, situated in Huai Phak area after their occupation of some KNU, Muslim and ABSDF student bases surrounding its control area. The Huai Phak (see map) is situated in the border area opposite of Thep Sakae District of Prachuab Kirichan Province. By firing motor shells and marching advance to MAMD military camp, SLORC tried for three days to occupy. In advancing toward the camp, the Burmese troops forced civilian porters to walk ahead of them and some porters also died because of land-mine explosions. Starting from April 23 up to 25, SLORC tried to occupy the base but later failed and turned its operation to another MAMD military camp again. On April 26, it began a new battle in Naung Hui camp of MAMD and shelled a small village situated in the area because the military camp was also based close to that village. All villagers from the whole village had to flee into Thai soil or were internally displaced. On the same day, they occupied the military base of MAMD and burnt all of the houses in the village to ashes. One hardwood factory owned by a Thai company was also burnt down. Before the ceasefire agreement, the villagers received income by working as day labourers in the factory but after the ceasefire logging concessions in the area were closed by both Thai and Burmese authorities. Since then, the villagers have faced difficulties surviving and at the same time, they still could not return back to their native places because of various kinds of on-going abuses. After the occupation of Naung Hui area including MAMD military base and refugee village, SLORC also shelled to Chaung Chi area (see map) where most refugee villagers were situating. To get the military base, its troops fired with motor shells into villages such as Kwan Raeh Mon. Kwan Seik Mon and Mai Att. Those villages were established for several years and all buildings were destroyed within one day on April 27. About afternoon time, the villagers fled into Thai territory to seek a safe haven. While group after group of villagers from the Chaung Chi area fled into Thai territory, two children died on the way due to fatigue. After the occupation of the area, the Burmese troops burnt down all houses, rice- store, schools, hospitals, monasteries and other buildings which left the villages in ashes. The villagers also lost the belongings they leftin their houses. As a result, some 800 refugees created makeshift shelters in the border police checkpoint in Thai territory for nearly one week and then they had to return to their unsafe villages after the Burmese troops resumed back. Some refugees were also displaced in jungle inside the area. While refugees are remaining in Thai territory, they have faced shortages of foods, shelters and medicines. The refugees were also suffered from various kinds of diseases because of lack of medicine. The Thai authorities provided them with a small amount of medicine and food which did not meet their needs. The MNRC and also other international aid agencies could not get enough chance to help those refugees as the Thai authorities denied access. The relief workers were just allowed a short visit, such as to arrange for a meeting with those refugees. Even the group of civilian fled from fear of well-documented persecution of the military regime that rules their country of origin, they were never recognized as refugees or asylum seekers. In the end, they had to return back to their unsafe villagers again after they had no more choice. Lack of protection to Burmese Ethnic Refugees According to the well-documented sources, including some governments and human rights monitoring organizations, Burma, ruled by a military regime, has one of the worst human rights records in the world. Since it seized State power in 1988, the military regime SLORC has been constantly condemned by international community for its numerous acts of arbitrary execution, arrest, killing, torture, rape, forced labour and unceasing tax collection. Because of various kinds of mentioned abuses conducted by SLORC troops against civilians in rural area especially to ethnic community who are residing in war confrontation zones, those villagers had to escape from their home villages. Such abuses have been committed as systematic persecution under the program of SLORC's ethnic cleansing policy and as a result ten of thousands of ethnic refugees have fled into border area or Thai territory for many years. At the same time, Thailand also created a better relationship with Burmese commanders of SLORC with business purposes and the ethnic refugees have been denied access into Thailand or refuge inside Thai soil while it has pressured the ethnic armed forces to agree on ceasefire with SLORC. In 1997, after the intensive offensives launched by SLORC against ethnic armed forces such as Karenni, Karen and breakaway Mon group, many thousands of refugees left their homes and tried to cross into Thailand. Many of them have been denied entry into Thailand and were also subject to refoulement by Thai authorities. In January 1997, there was a big offensive launched by SLORC troops against Karenni refugees who are in unsafe Thai territory. Some refugees were killed in the unexpected attack by Burmese troops and the Thai border police could not protect the refugees and prevent the advance of Burmese troops. After the attack, they were not moved from that unsafe camp to a more safer area deep inside of Thailand. Such terrorists' raid on refugees made them to be fear all the time although they are in Thai soil. But the Thai authorities disagreed to move them and put them in the former places. Similarly, the Karen refugees have been attacked by Burmese troops several times. Because of SLORC's intensive offensives launched against the KNU, ten of thousands of local villagers also abandoned their native homes and tried to take refuge in Thai territory. There is evidence that since February after the SLORC troops launched more offensives that several refugees who stayed inside Burmese territory or in camps on Thai soil were in danger. In February, Karen women and children who fled from KNU No. 4 Brigade were separated from men and all male refugees between the ages of 13 and 60 years were forced back into dangerous area of Burma. In March, a group 1,800 Karen men, women and children who fled into Thong Pha Phum District were also forced back into Burma. In April, while the refugee villages under control of MAMD were burnt down by SLORC troops, about 800 Mon refugees reached Thai territory and Thai authorities provided them temporary shelters close to a border police checkpoint. But they could stay only temporarily and they were forced to resettle in Halockhani, a Mon refugee camp in border area of Kanchanaburi Province, and the authorities refused to provide them a safe place in Thai territory. Later, they had to return to their unsafe villages that were already burnt down by SLORC troops. Although Thailand is a member of the UNHCR Executive Committee (EXCOM), it did not provide protection to Burmese ethnic refugees. Since it is a member of EXCOM, Thailand also has an obligation according to international law related to refugee convention and protocol. The principle of non-refoulement is also important in international law and a State like Thailand, whether it has ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention or 1967 protocol, or not, should respect the non-refoulement principle. The principle applies to all States to respect the safety of asylum seekers who escaped from war of their origin country and unrest political situation. Otherwise, as a signatory member of Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Thailand has denied the rights of refugee children as it attempted to separate families in when it tried to push the refugees back to Burma. The refoulement of boys under 18 years old was against the rights of children and it was evidence of violating international law. Many boys between 13 and 18 years old were pushed back to unsafe places. In Article 16 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it mentioned that "the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled protection by society and the State", the refoulement of some family members is in violation of the principles of human rights. Thailand, as an active member of United Nations, should respect the international human rights instruments and provide humanitarian consideration to Burmese ethnic refugees. The problems including unceasing influx of refugees related to decade-long protracted civil war in Burma have not been solved yet. Without solving these problem and promising to guarantee ethnic equal racial rights and restoration of democratic system in Burma, the Burmese ethnic people will continue to suffer at the hands of the Burmese Army and the refugee problem will remain like before. The international community including Thailand should learn the root problem of Burma and help achieve national reconciliation in the whole country. Refugee Population of the four camps as of April 1997 is: Camp Family Adult Children Total M F M F 1 Bee Ree 415 486 543 688 772 2489 2 Tavoy 685 878 1087 989 1144 4098 3 Prachaub 491 452 558 702 771 2483 4 Halockhani 1011 1324 1376 1686 1733 6119 Total: 2602 3140 3564 4065 4420 15,189 http://www2.gol.com/users/brelief/Index.htm *********************************************** BKK POST: ESCAPE PLAYS BIT PART IN MAJOR PRODUCTION May 23, 1997 Nusara Thaitawat Will justice be served? Will old friends share the microphone at future Asean karaoke sessions? The plot has many twists. The events surrounding the arrest in Thailand of alleged drug kingpin Li Yun-chung, his planned extradition to the United States to face charges, his release on bail and flight to Burma, and his re-arrest in Rangoon before being handed over to the Thai prime minister are the stuff of Hollywood gangster movies. Drugs, money, corruption, a dictatorship, legal loopholes, geo-politics - all are elements of this fascinating plot. According to a source close to the Thai-US talks on Li's extradition, Thailand had even proposed adding yet another incredible twist, this one reminiscent of US involvement in regional politics during the 1960s and '70s. Li was to be secretly airlifted by the Thai Air Force direct from Rangoon to U-Tapao naval base in Chon Buri where he was to be handed over to US authorities. From there, he was to be flown out of the country on a US military aircraft returning thousands of troops after their completion on May 24 of the annual Thai-US joint military exercise Cobra Gold. "This proposal was made to avoid lengthy legal proceedings (involving extradition)," according to the source who requested anonymity. "It could have been done without anyone knowing. The presence of US military aircraft is not unusual during Cobra Gold. The public only would have found out after Li popped up in the US to stand trial, and it could be denied he ever transitted Thailand." It is not clear how high in the US administration this proposal was allowed to rise before it was declined in favour of a promise to speed up extradition proceedings. These proceedings usually take several months and possibly years but on Monday it took only one hearing for the court to rule in favour of extradition, facilitated in part by Li's decision to waive all rights to fight the move. The offer to whisk Li to U-Tapao and then out of the country, said to be a military idea, was intended to repair the country's reputation after Li allegedly bought his freedom by being granted bail and, possibly, out of an eagerness to help the US authorities. Li, alias Pongsak Rojanasaksakul, and alleged accomplice Cha Chung- chang, alias Prapan Thongchaisawang, were arrested on July 23, 1996 at the request of the US after they were indicted in that country for allegedly masterminding the import of 468kg of heroin in 1991 to Hayward, California. The two are also credited with importing 35kg of heroin seized in New Jersey in 1992, 168kg seized in New Orleans in 1993 and 72kg seized in Singapore in March 1996. Thailand's offer to rush Li out of the country is seen by many people as an insult to the country's sovereignty. How could state employees offer to break the law just to help the US capture an alleged drug dealer, however important he is thought to be? What would Thailand gain? But in the end, rather than pretend to know nothing about Li's re-arrest, the Chavalit Yongchaiyudh administration opted for an extravagant publicity stunt, something which could distract the masses from its failure to do anything about the nation's problems at home during its five months in office. Li, who had been re-arrested in Rangoon as long as a month ago, emerged from special Air Force aircraft at Don Muang's military wing into the glare of he media cameras. Members of the Army Special Force, wearing dark glasses and waving M-16 assault rifles, escorted him to where Prime Minister Chavalit was giving a press conference and formed a tight guard around him. The message the Chavalit administration tried to sell was its seriousness in tackling drug trafficking and its commitment to helping the world community. More importantly, he wanted to show Thailand could talk reason with Burma's ruling junta, the State Law and Order Restoration Council - identifying the key negotiator as Army Commander Chettha Thanajaro - even in the face of international isolation of the regime. But Li's handover failed to have the desired effect. On Tuesday, US president Bill Clinton went ahead with economic sanctions against Burma which include prohibiting any US citizen from investing in the development of that country's oil resources. He told Congress he was taking the action because of "serious abuses" by the military junta against its political opponents. Drug agencies in the US might cite Li's case to support their argument that more co-operation with Burma would benefit America's unending war on drugs. Burma is the world's largest heroin producer and the US its main market. A senior local narcotics officer also suggested Slorc should receive more help to fight drugs just as Thailand has since the early 1970s. "It has so many problems," he said. But an international drug expert based in Bangkok described Slorc's decision to hand over Li as "a cheap favour, doing anything they can that doesn't cost too much". Narcotics officers say Li crossed into Burma a few days after he was granted bail on February 7, and that Slorc knew of his wish to settle down in Rangoon in the same manner as former drug warlords Lo Hsing-han and Khun Sa. Slorc initially denied Li was in the Burmese capital. "I would be extremely surprised if Slorc didn't know about Li and others,"said the drug expert. "Li thought he could settle down in Rangoon and be protected in the same way as Khun Sa, but he's a lightweight, he doesn't have damaging inside information like Khun Sa." A western police source based in Bangkok said Li for all intents and purposes was kidnapped and handed over to the Thai authorities without legal protection. At the regional level, the handover is unlikely to have any impact on Burma's bid to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) this year. "Burma's already a de facto member of Asean," said one analyst. Asean's support for Burma's membership remains firm despite its many diversions intended to mislead the international community that there is room for hope it might not be admitted. These diversions have included suggestions Burma might not be ready technically to join Asean's economic co-operation schemes and the grouping of it together with Cambodia and Laos for simultaneous admission when all three are "ready". Following Li's return, Gen Chavalit must now ensure those involved in his escape are punished and that such incidents are not allowed to recur. He must also boost the morale of officers who work hard to fight crime. Li's case should serve as a lesson to both crime suspects and the brokers who make millions of baht by using their close connections to arrange for suspects' escape that the days of money ruling over the law are at an end. Slorc, which is accused of condoning drug trafficking and harbouring drug warlords, also will have to follow up with concrete measures of its own. Whether his return was a spontaneous gesture or a well-scripted performance, Li appeared almost humble back here in Thailand. "I want to apologise to the Thai nation for the embarrassment I caused," he told the media. "I'm ready to be extradited to the US... I acted alone." He most certainly did not act alone. And so now we wait for the next key element of any gangster production - the attempt to silence the potential informer. The 15 days Li must now spend in jail pending extradition to the US are surely to be the longest of his life. (BP) ***************************************************** ASIA TIMES: YANGON MOVING TO THE SUBURBS May 19, 1997 Stephen Brookes Two years ago, the muddy 184-hectare site on the outskirts of Yangon was home to a few dozen paddy farmers, living in thatch huts in the mud. Today - drained, landscaped and completely overhauled - more than a thousand new houses are sprouting there, transforming it into Myanmar's newest phenomenon: A middle class housing development. "This city desperately needs affordable housing," said Martin Pun, chief executive officer of Serge Pun Associates (SPA), which is developing the project. "There are a lot of young couples still living in their parents' houses. So we made a proposal to the government, and they showed us this property. There was nothing here but water, so we started by draining the land and putting in the infrastructure, and now we've sold more than 800 houses. They're selling at a rate of about two every day." The SPA development, known as FMI City, was the first attempt to bring modern, low-cost housing to the masses in Myanmar, but now it's only one of almost a dozen similar projects in and around Yangon. Close by is the 80-hectare Nawaday Garden Housing Project, as well as a low-income, 1,300-unit development called Kyansittha. Government-sponsored devel- opments are adding another 20,000 low-cost homes and apartments in Yangon. And largely in response to an influx of foreign investors, upper-income housing is also being built. Ground has been broken north of the airport for an upscale, 485-hectare development called Mingalardon Garden City Project. SPA is also building a more expensive housing community called the Hlaing River Golf and Country Estate, and is finishing an apartment and office complex in an historic building near the heart of the city. The buyers, they said, would be a mix of domestic and foreign investors. "There's a boom in housing now at all levels, as the economy develops," said Set Maung, a senior economic advisor to the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council. "People have more money to spend; these houses wouldn't be going up if there wasn't a demand for them." The houses start at US$ 20,000 and prices rise to more than US$ 200,000, depending on the location, size and other amenities, developers said. Generally, a 20 percent downpayment is made, with 30 percent paid in the next 90 days and the rest as a 10-year mortgage. Both the FMI City and Nawaday Garden projects have ties with banks that provide mortgages. Developers said they were aiming for a mix of middle, upper and lower class housing, and were building commercial facilities like shops, banks, restaurants and post offices. FMI City will include a sports stadium, Nawaday Garden boasts a community center and Mingalardon Garden City has commissioned golf course architects Nelson & Haworth to build an 18-hole course in the center of the development. The Mingalardon project, which will be adjacent to a massive new industrial park being built by Japan's Mitsui, is the brainchild of Myanmar developer Khin Shwe. "This will be a pioneer city in Myanmar," he said, guiding a visitor around the still-virgin grounds. Despite the fact that the project was only launched in February and no houses have been built or infrastructure installed, more than 500 of the 1,000 sq m lots had been bought, he said. "We sold the first 150 lots in two days," he said. "People have money to invest, and this is a good investment. We're right near the Mitsui industrial zone, there will be an international-standard golf course, and the International School is relocating here." He said he expected most buyers to be foreigners seeking a high standard of living. ********************************************* ABSDF ANNOUNCEMENT: KARENNI REPORT AVAILABLE May 23, 1997 From: caroline@ksc15.th.com Dear Friends, We would like to inform you that we are distributing the ABSDF Karenni Report, FORCED RELOCATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN KARENNI STATE, free of charge for addresses within Thailand. If you would like the report mailed to an overseas address we will need to charge for postage. Our mailing address is : P.O.Box 42 Huamark P.O Bangkok 10243 Thailand Thanks for your attention, Bangkok Office ABSDF ***********************************