------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: May 31, 1997 Issue #737 HEADLINES: ========== SCMP: CONFLICTING SIGNALS REMAIN OVER BURMA THE NATION: ASEAN TO PUSH BACK NEW ADMISSION BURMA SOLIDARITY GROUP MALAYSIA: LETTER ON ASEAN PRESS RELEASE: NEW YORK CITY MAYOR SIGNS SANCTIONS THAILAND TIMES: SHAN REFUGEES FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES MEDIA STATEMENT: LIM KIT SIANG ON YOKOTA'S COMMENTS FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW: CAGED BUT DANGEROUS THE NATION: PRADIT BACKS BRIBERY CLAIM BKK POST: BORDER CONFUSION SETTLED TT: MYANMAR TO FINE THAILAND IF YADANA GAS PIPELINE BKK POST: SOUTH AFRICA IS THE EXAMPLE INEB : PEACE WALK ALONG GAS PIPELINE ROUTE ----------------------------------------------------------------- SCMP: CONFLICTING SIGNALS REMAIN OVER BURMA'S ADMISSION May 31 1997 Ian Stewart and Agencies in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok Burma said yesterday it was confident Asean foreign ministers meeting in Kuala Lumpur today would decide when to admit the country as a new member without being swayed by outside opinion. But senior members of the seven-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations group continued to send conflicting signals over the country's admission time-frame. Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon said there was no consensus on the timing of Rangoon's entry. And the influential head of the Philippines Senate foreign relations committee, Blas Ople, said Burma should not be allowed to join until its rulers ended their "brutal repression". But Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said it was his country's position that July "will be an acceptable date" for Burma, Cambodia and Laos to join Asean. Thai Foreign Minister Prachuab Chaiyasan said the countries' internal politics "are an important factor to consider". Mr Alatas said, however, that internal troubles in Cambodia - where the political crisis has virtually shut down the Government and paralysed Parliament - were no obstacle to its entry. He said the three would join either in July, when Asean foreign ministers hold their annual meeting, or in December when their heads of government hold a summit. The admission date would be decided by consensus, he said. Malaysia, this year's chairman, has been pressing for the induction to take place in July. The United States and the European Union have openly pressured Asean to delay Burma's membership because of its human rights record. An influential Malaysian Muslim group this week urged that Burma's admission be deferred, and activists representing 22 Malaysian non-governmental organisations protested outside the Foreign Ministry in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, urging abandonment of Asean's "failed" policy of constructive engagement with the Rangoon junta. The military junta blocked roads and detained more than 300 opposition party supporters to prevent a congress being held this week by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. Clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in March have also raised concern. "It's very hard to read," one Western diplomat said. "My guess is that it will still happen in July." However, Cambodia's Parliament has not been able to ratify key documents required for membership, and the diplomat said: "Cambodia could be the smokescreen they hide behind if the decision is to delay. The ratification issue isn't crucial [but] this is the land of fudge." ***************************************** THE NATION: ASEAN TO PUSH BACK NEW ADMISSION TO DECEMBER May 30, 1997 Kavi Chongkittavorn When the Asean foreign ministers meet tomorrow in Kuala Lumpur, it will be about a face-saving exercise to salvage one of the world's most famous organisations. Confronted with members' divergent views coupled with Washington's latest tough stance, Asean leaders are expected to defer their decision to admit Laos, Cambodia and Burma to the end of the year. What is at stake is insurmountable: Asean will put at risk its relations with the United States if the grouping goes ahead with its decision to admit Burma tomorrow. Washington had made it clear to Asean senior officials at last week's meeting of the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) on Langkawi Island that the new US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright would have to reconsider the US' participation in the ARF and post ministerial conference this July in Kuala Lumpur. It was Washington's strongest words ever on Burma toward Asean since both sides had established a strong rapport and agreed to disagree on Burma during the first Clinton administration. Asean has now realised with Albright that it is a different ball game. Since Burma was attending the ARF preparation meeting for the first time after it was admitted last year, some ARF members would like to hear about the situation in Burma from the horse's mouth. Representatives of the US, Australia, Canada and the EU did raise two important issues concerning the drafting of Burma's constitution and the national reconciliation process which the Burmese government has pledged to do. But the discussion on Burma was cut short due to time constraints when the US representative, Aurelia Brazeal,deputy assistant secretary of state for Asia and Pacific Affairs, wanted to engage further the Burmese chief delegate, U Aye Lwin, director general of the Political Affairs Department. However, they met outside the plenary session. Brazeal was able to stress the US position on Burma and express serious concern over the recent arrests of members and supporters of the National League for Democracy by Slorc over the past weeks, while Lwin explained Slorc's effort to complete the drafting of the constitution, which is more than halfway finished, and other official lines. The Langkawi meeting also provided the opportunity for Brazeal to exchange views on Burma with senior Asean officials privately and to express for the first time US views on the second Clinton Administration and Albright's work so far. The US message was very succinct: If Asean would like to admit Burma this year, it should wait until December. The reason is quite simple: it would make all the US efforts, especially the recent anti-Slorc measures, look ridiculous, and consequently, it would force Albright to skip the scheduled ARF and post Asean meeting. With a hostile Congress, she has a very limited choice. When Washington slapped a ban on all new US investment in Burma last month, it was aimed at delivering a strong message to Burma rather than influencing Asean's decision on admission. The US administration wanted to demonstrate to Slorc that Washington was serious about the-violation of human rights there. Although the new investment ban was primarily aimed at pre-empting a more powerful pending legislation in the Congress, it did provide a good reason for Asean to further look into allowing Burma into the fold. With Albright and her effort to revitalise US foreign policy, especially in regards to engagement in Asia and the rest of Southeast Asia, Burma is a litmus test for future US-Asean relations. When she holds her maiden meetings with Asean foreign ministers in July, the latter will find out that their first ever woman colleague at the post ministerial meeting means business. It is certainly more than Asean members would like to admit, but Washington's strong insistence that the admission of Burma be delayed also gives Asean some leeway. Given the current political crisis in Cambodia as well as the growing repression in Burma, July's admission would be detrimental to Asean's international image and cause irreparable damage to the grouping's ties with the US. When the Asean foreign ministers meet tomorrow, they would do well to consider the information paper prepared by the Asean Secretariat reviewing the technical preparations of all three prospective members. Of all the three, Burma, ironically, will be given the highest marks for its readiness to join Asean both in the technical and human resources areas. The reason is that Laos and Cambodia lack sufficient officials to handle Asean affairs. By the end of July, Laos will have a total of 300 officials who can speak English to attend the average 245 Asean meetings annually. The Burmese Foreign Ministry has recently set up the Asean Free Trade Area unit, which has a staff of 30 or so officials. As for Cambodia, its troubles extend to its political uncertainty, which will become the main focus in providing Asean foreign ministers with the justification to wait until July to assess that nation's readiness at the grouping's formal meeting. Since Asean heads of government decided at last November's meeting to accept the three countries simultaneously, it is only natural that the foreign ministers will make the recommendation that the applicants will be ready and be blessed by the Asean summitteers in December. Although Asean has been saying that the decision on admission will be based on their technical readiness, it is still, and will always be, a politically-driven one. All things considered, it is a win-win situation. The US will be happy to see Burma's admission delayed until December, and Asean will become Asean 10 this year. It is a case of you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. ********************************************** BURMA SOLIDARITY GROUP MALAYSIA: LETTER ON ASEAN From: Teresa Kok May 30, 1997 30th May 1997 YB Datuk Abdullah Badawi Minister for Foreign Affairs Malaysia. Wisma Putra. Kuala Lumpur. Yang Berhormat Datuk, ASEAN Membership for the State Law & Order Restoration Council of Myanmar/= Burma ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- We are writing to urge you once again to seriously reconsider your Government's stand in support of ASEAN membership for Myanmar's State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). By supporting the admission of Burma into ASEAN, the government is openly condoning the Human Rights abuses by the SLORC regime. We maintain that: The SLORC military dictatorship is not the legitimate government of Burma; it is the illegal usurper of the authority of the representatives duly elected by the people of Burma in the May 27, 1990 general elections; ASEAN membership would provide the SLORC with a de facto license to continue its attacks on the People of Burma; and, The SLORC's activities are a direct contradiction to the aims and objectives of the ASEAN as enunciated in the ASEAN Declaration of 1967 signed in Bangkok, and the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN as a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) of 1971. Since SLORC was conferred observer status in ASEAN in July 1996, the situation in Burma has not improved; on the contrary, unabated violations of human rights, and the absence of peace, democracy, rule of law, and development for all the ethnic nationalities of Burma are continuing. As a matter of fact, over the last few days, the whole world has again witnessed the mass arrest of hundreds of members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi. The cruel irony is that the NLD won more than 80 percent of seats in the May 1990 general elections. As the Straits Times of Singapore pointed out correctly in its editorial on May 23, 1997, the SLORC "has shown how little it thinks of ASEAN and wider Asian opinion by resorting to detention instead of engaging the opposition in a process of reconciliation." As recently as February 1997, the SLORC was still killing and maiming Burmese refugees along Thailand-Burma border. In recent months, SLORC has masterminded anti-Muslim riots and burning down of mosques and copies of the Holy Quran. Millions of Muslim Rohingyas are still denied citizenship in Burma; they face daily repression and harassment. Burma under SLORC misrule continues to be the leading producer and trafficker of illegal drugs in the world. For instance, Burma produced 2,560 metric tons of opium in 1996. SLORC's public relations exercises have in no way reduced the threat of heroin to our region. The above-mentioned SLORC activities with regard to refugees and illegal drug abuse are contributing to serious social problems in the region. They are contributory factors towards regional instability, especially when coupled with the increased smuggling of arms and drugs, trafficking of women, and the outflow of illegal immigrants. Since ASEAN's "constructive engagement" policy was launched in 1991, there has been absolutely no movement on the part of SLORC towards democracy by way of handing power to the duly elected representatives of the Burmese people. The conferment of observer status in ASEAN in July 1996 has not helped at all in this respect. Thus, it is clear that 'constructive engagement" has failed to convince the SLORC military dictatorship that it must become responsive and accountable to the needs, hopes and aspirations of the Burmese people. Therefore, in the interests of long-term stability and prosperity in the region in general, and the upliftment of the peoples of Burma in particular, we call upon the member governments of ASEAN and the international community to discard the policy of "constructive engagement" which has brought untold injustice and suffering upon the peoples of Burma. We strongly urge the member states of ASEAN and the international community to adopt the Alternative ASEAN Policy which is supported by about 400 organisations, academics and political leaders in the world which contains the following principles: Uphold the democratic will of the peoples of Burma; Promote and defend the human and people's rights of the peoples of= Burma; Pursue the development agenda of the peoples of Burma, and Establish people to people solidarity between the peoples of Burma and= the peoples of ASEAN. It is only by respecting the expressed wishes of the Burmese people that there will be justice, peace, democracy, the rule of law and development for the people of Burma. We call on ASEAN governments to abandon its failed policy of "constructive engagement", deny ASEAN membership to SLORC, and initiate a tripartite dialogue among SLORC, the NLD and the minorities, to pave the way towards national reconciliation in Burma. Certified by: Fan Yew Teng Co-ordinator of the Memorandum. Endorsed by: Organisations: 1) Alaigal 2) Aliran 3) Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) 4) Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC)=20 5) Community Development Center (CDC) 6) Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) 7) Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (DAPSY) 8) Democratic Action Party Women (DAP Women) 9) Federation of Consumers Association Malaysia (FOMCA) 10) Nadi Komunikasi 11) Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) 12) Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) 13) Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM) 14) Pusat Bara 15) Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat (KOMAS) 16) Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) 17) Sahabat Wanita=20 18) Solidaritas Timor Timur =20 19) Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) 20) Suara Warga Pertiwi (SWP) 21) Tenaganita 22) Youth Section of Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall=20 ********************************** PRESS RELEASE: NEW YORK CITY MAYOR SIGNS BURMA SANCTIONS LAW From: Simon Billenness May 30, 1997 New York Burma Support Group NEW YORK CITY MAYOR SIGNS BURMA SANCTIONS --CITES "A SITUATION BEYOND WHAT THE HUMAN CONSCIENCE CAN TOLERATE"-- SANCTIONS LAWS SPREADING--CONNECTICUT BILL ALSO NOW PENDING Saying "horrible and tragic" conditions in Burma were "a situation beyond what the human conscience can tolerate," New York City Hall Mayor Rudolph Giuliani today signed legislation barring companies doing business in Burma from doing business with the City of New York. The measure, Bill #647A, was passed by a unanimous 50 - 0 vote of the New York City Council on May 14, and with the Mayor's signature, will take effect in thirty days. The Mayor challenged the business community, which claimed the measure will damage New York City's economy, to support open economies and free governments around the world, saying these will ultimately benefit the people of New York most. "We want to see major changes in Burma," the Mayor said during the Friday afternoon hearing in New York City Hall's Blue Room, "Then we can have open exchange." New York City has the fourth largest governmental budget in the US, after the federal government and the states of California and New York. The Mayor signed the act after hearing City Council Speaker Peter Vallone, Council Members Mary Pinkett, Thomas Duane, and John Sabini and several other speakers describe the Burmese military dictatorship's responsibility for severe human rights abuses and ecological devastation in Burma, and its links to heroin warlords who supply about 60% of the new wave of heroin now plaguing New York City. According to City Council Member Mary Pinkett of Brooklyn, the Mayor's decision to sign the bill sent an important message that freedom belongs to everyone. "We hope this will also push the US government to speak louder and more clearly and to do more to press for democracy in Burma," she said. May Pyong Maung, a Burmese exile representative of the Union of Burmese Women, who also testified before the Mayor, said, "This will hurt the dictatorship and encourage democratic forces in Burma who are under severe pressure right now." Reports from Rangoon say 316 pro-democracy activists have been arrested in Burma since mid-May by agents of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) army junta. The state of Massachusetts and a dozen other US municipalities have already passed selective purchasing laws. A similar measure is now pending in Connecticut's State Legislature. US federal sanctions now bar any new investment by American companies in Burma. The local laws may have more immediate impact, however, by preventing companies doing any kind of business in Burma from receiving local contracts. Apple Computer, Motorola and Kodak are among companies that have pulled out of Burma in response to selective purchasing laws enacted in the pat year. UNOCAL, the California-based petrochemical giant partner to the SLORC junta in a billion dollar gas pipeline project associated with serious human rights abuses, has mounted a major lobbying campaign against Burma sanctions. They have been represented in New York by the firm of Davidoff and Malito. Unocal and Texaco are today targets of consumer boycotts because of their business in Burma. Other companies have already pulled out of Burma or announced they will not do business there, including Pepsi-Cola, Heineken, Columbia Sportswear, Macy's (Federated Dept. Stores), Amoco, Levi-Strauss, Reebok, Eddie Bauer and Liz Claiborne. For further information, please contact : New York City: NYC Mayor's Office 212-788-2958 Burma UN Office 212-338-0048 New York City Council 212-788-6948 New York Burma Support Group Thomas Lansner 212-787-3756 Connecticut: State Assembly Representative Jessie Stratton 860-240-0440 *************************************** THAILAND TIMES: SHAN REFUGEES FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES AS THAILAND PUSHES THEM BACK TO BURMA May 30, 1997 By Khachorn Boonpath MAE HONG SON,: Thailand appeared to be resuming its forcible repatriation program yesterday, sending 430 terrified Shans back to what they described as certain death across the border, local officials said. The refugees, most of them children and elderly, were pushed back immediately as they arrived in the villages of Maikailuang, Maikai-on, Pangyon and Luangchik in Pangmapha district. Fifty soldiers, led by refugee camp supervisor Sivachai Saengchamnong, stood by to oversee the move. Border officials said the Shans were driven back as far as Nam Kit, a Karen village in Ho Mong township, which since being seized from Khun Sa's Mon Tai Army, lies dangerously close to a Burmese base. The forced repatriation came at the order of Mae Hong Son governor Pakdi Chumpooming who made the decision to remove refugees from Thai soil during a meeting with his subordinates on Monday, the official said. One 68-year-old asylum seeker said she had little doubt of her fate once back in Burma. "I will certainly be killed by Burmese soldiers if I am repatriated," Puh told Thai authorities. She said the Burmese troops had warned the group of harsh penalties should they attempt to cross into Thailand. Puh talked of a litany of human rights abuses at the hand of the junta, saying that Burmese troops have massacred villagers and burnt down their houses in their efforts to lay their hands on renegade forces. A spokesman for the Volunteers for the Displaced Shans, who spoke on condition of anonymity, condemned Thailand for tie 'move. "Forced repatriation means sending them to their death since Burma has adopted very strict measures against anyone who flees," he said. The repatriation in March' of hundreds of Karen refugees by Thai troops provoked ail international outcry. ******************************************* MEDIA STATEMENT: LIM KIT SIANG ON YOKOTA'S COMMENTS May 29, 1997 From: Teresa Kok DEMOCRATIC ACTION PARTY Media Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, 29th May 1997: ====================================================== Former UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burma, Professor Yozo Yokota, should make clear his stand whether he gives unconditional support for the entry of Myanmar into ASEAN. Bernama reported that in his lecture at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, Yokota said Myanmar's imminent membership in Asean could be the starting point for improving the human-rights situation in that country. Yokota should explain what is the basis for his belief that Myanmr's admission into Asean could be the starting point for improving the human rights situation in that country. Yokota's remarks have come as a shock to all in the region and even in the world who are concerned about democratisation in Burma, for as UN special rapporteur, he had been very critical of the military junta, State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), in refusing to comply with the most basic norms of civilized behaviour in respecting the human rights of its people. Yokota seems to have performed a "somersault" and is now a strong advocate for Myanmar's entry into ASEAN - despite his past criticisms of SLORC's abysmal human rights record and the new wave of repression and human rights violations in Burma on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the 1990 general elections which was won by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy by a landslide. Yokota's latest remarks on Burma is a dampener to efforts by Asean groups and peoples who are fighting great odds against establishment opinions and to urge ASEAN governments not to admit Myanmar into ASEAN this year and give legitimacy to the violations of democratic freedoms and human rights of the people of Burma by SLORC in the past seven years. The ASEAN groups and peoples who want Burma's admission into ASEAN to be deferred until SLORC co-operates with the ASEAN nations to make the ASEAN "constructive engagement" policy show tangible positive results by way of democratic reforms and national reconciliation with the ethnic minorities feel greatly let-down by Yokota, as they had expected at least moral support from him. Instead, they find Yokota's remarks being used to undermine their campaign for democracy and human rights in Burma. I do not know whether Yokota has been misquoted by Bernama, but he owes it to himself and to his former fans who had admired his good work when he was UN special rapporteur on human rights in Burma to fully explain and justify his position on the question of Burma's entry into ASEAN at this time. Lim Kit Siang ************************************** FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW: CAGED BUT DANGEROUS June 5, 1997 By Bertil Lintner with Rodney Tasker in Bangkok Recaptured drug-runner stays quiet - for now When Li Yun-chung, a suspected drug-trafficker, was flown back from Rangoon to Bangkok on May 17, governments and law-enforcement agencies found reason to congratulate each other. Dressed in a bullet-proof straitjacket and surrounded by Thai commandos sporting sunglasses and automatic weapons, Li looked downcast as he was displayed to the press before being led away to a top-security prison outside Bangkok. Having jumped bail in Bangkok in early February, Li subsequently escaped to Burma to avoid extradition to the United States. He has been indicted in the U.S. in connection with a 486-kilogram heroin shipment seized in California in 1991. Now back in the hands of the law, the process of extraditing him can start again. But the authorities are not looking forward to the prospect. "The Thais have put themselves in the hot-seat by arranging for Li's return from Burma," says a Thailand-based Western law-enforcement official. "If Li is extradited to the U.S., a lot of dirty laundry will be aired. But if he isn't, there will be an outcry in the local media and even internationally. The Thais are damned if they do and damned if they don't. What's making Bangkok uncomfortable is that Li has begun to reveal just how he engineered his escape, passing the details on to police Lt-Gen Nopadol Somboonsap, commander of the Thai Narcotics Suppression Bureau. Bribery of officials is suspected, and Deputy Criminal Court Chief Somchai Udomwong, who signed Li's bail request, is already being investigated for his role in the affair. Li has threatened to go on record saying exactly how he was granted bail, but according to local press reports he wants a "quick passage to the U.S.," and only there would he feel safe enough to reveal the rest. Li has reportedly waived his right to appeal his extradition. The Bangkok daily, The Nation, quoted Nopadol as saying that Li "will never yield to whom bribes were paid. He only says he paid the money through a lawyer. I know there's a lot more things on his mind, he's just too afraid to talk." The officer went on to say that the suspect has asked him: "Do you think they can't kill me in prison?" Li stated that he would "cooperate fully with United States officials once he arrives there." But by even saying that much Li may have made a serious mistake. The Bangkok Post reported on May 21 an allegation by sources close to the case that more than 10 people were believed to have taken bribes from Li to help arrange his escape. Li now denies vehemently that he ever bribed anybody. It's not just the Thai establishment that Li's saga has sullied in the eyes of the international community. The Burmese, who handed him over, have also come under scrutiny for their role in the affair. First, Rangoon denied that Li was in Burma and, when they eventuall y arrested him, a statement asserted that Li first had been in hiding in northern Thailand, crossed the border only in mid-April, and was arrested after three days in Burma. This version contradicts all other intelligence reports from the area, according to which Li was spirited north by a relay of Mercedes cars on the day of his release in February. He spent one night hiding in Mae Sai, opposite Tachilek, and, disguised as a local trader, was driven across the border bridge into Burma in the back of a pick-up truck. The same reports say Li went on to Panghsang, a town in the Wa hills close to Burma's frontier with China's Yunnan province. There, he was sheltered by the United Wa State Army, a former insurgent group which has a cease-fire agreement with Rangoon, and is now one of the country's major drug-producers. There he apparently tried to link up with druglord Khun Sa, who surrendered to the Burmese government in January last year and now lives in Rangoon. "It's obvious that Li thought Khun Sa would be willing to arrange a similar deal for him," a former close associate of Khun Sa says. In mid-April, sources say, Burmese authorities summoned him to Tachilek "for talks." Li evidently believed Khun Sa had arranged for him to come to Rangoon. But immediately on his arrival in Tachilek, he was arrested, flown to Rangoon - and handed over to Thai officers travelling with their prime minister, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who had arrived there on an official visit on May 16. "Khun Sa had some old grudges against Li and decided against helping him," says the former associate of the warlord. Furthermore, diplomatic sources in Rangoon say it was in the interest of both the Thais and the Burmese to make Chavalit's visit to Rangoon "smell a bit better." The controversial trip coincided with the introduction of U.S. sanctions against Burma for violations of human rights and non-cooperation in the fight against narcotics. American official see the Burmese move to cooperate with Thailand not only as a way of pleasing Chavalit, a former general who has been criticized at home and abroad for supporting Burma's ruling military junta, but also to confirm Rangoon's credentials for its scheduled entry into Asean later this year. But whatever was behind the spectacular extradition, the initial euphoria has turned into concern in some Thai judicial and government circles. Losing Li in the first place was humiliating: If Li tells all in America, there could be more embarrassment ahead. (FEER) ****************************************************** THE NATION: PRADIT BACKS BRIBERY CLAIM May 30, 1997 A TOP judge yesterday said he believed bribes had been paid to certain people to obtain the release on bail of alleged drug trafficker Li Yun-chung. ''From what I know, Li Yun-chung made payoffs, but I do not know in whose hands the money ended up," Criminal Court Chief Justice Pradit Ekmanee said. Li is wanted by US authorities on a charge of heroin smuggling. He was granted bail by Judge Somchai Udomwong during extradition proceedings and subsequently fled to Burma. Burmese authorities handed him back during Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's visit to Rangoon earlier this month. Pradit denied reports that people with links to Judge Somchai, his deputy, had approached him seeking leniency if Somchai was found to have acted wrongly in granting bail. ''No one has come to me to secure a reduced sentence for Somchai, if he should be found guilty of an offence," Pradit said. Li initially confessed to making payoffs on his return to Thailand, but later recanted. (TN) ****************************************************** BKK POST: BORDER CONFUSION SETTLED May 30, 1997 Post reporters Dredging allowed for opening of bridge The prime minister and army chief allowed Burma to dredge the Moei River in Tak in a deal in which Rangoon agreed to open the friendship bridge, it emerged yesterday. The standoff between Thai and Burmese forces at the dredging site, which was settled yesterday, came about because field military officers were not informed of the agreement. Lt-Gen Thanom Watcharaphut, the Third Army commander, said Maj-Gen Khet Sein, chief of Burma's southeastern command, told him in Mae Sot the operation had been approved by Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and Gen Chettha Tha-najaro. Gen Chavalit and Gen Chettha gave the Burmese military the go-ahead in Rangoon this month. Workers and machinery were moved in because the Burmese military wanted the work completed within 10 days of permission being given, he quoted Maj-Gen Khet Sein as saying. In Bangkok, Col Anusorn Kotcharat, the Third Army's director for civil affairs, said the confrontation started because field units were not informed of the deal. It was decided at the top that Burma would be allowed to dredge the river to restore the course but the exact location had yet to be determined, he said. "The dredging operation is one of many agreements made at a higher level to meet conditions for the opening of the friendship bridge," said Col Anusorn. "Soldiers in the field were not aware of it." The Thai military had asked Rangoon to suspend dredging until technical teams led by Somboon Sangiambutr, director-general for treaties and legal affairs at the Foreign Ministry, and Aye Lwin, his Burmese counterpart, fixed the location. The Moei changed course after a major flood two years ago and an islet formed on Thai territory opposite Ban Tha Sai Luad, Mae Sot. Col Anusorn said the two sides would need to examine aerial surveys from 1989, 1992 and 1994, and study a 1868 border agreement to find a mutually acceptable solution. The disputed area, he said, is at a bend of the river and had become Thai territory after shallows formed. Thais have laid claim to the land and have engaged in farming. Some 100 angry villagers rallied at the site, demanding the Burmese move out and take their machinery with them. Although Burma agreed to withdraw troops, it refused to pull out the workers, reasoning they would return when dredging was allowed to resume. In an earlier rally at the site, the villagers criticised Gen Chavalit and Gen Chettha for agreeing to the dredging work. Mr Somboon and U Aye Lwin led talks yesterday after the two sides agreed to move their troops out of the area at Khok Chang Peuak. The two countries will send officials to survey the land and the results will be sent to the Thai government, said Prachuab Chaiyasarn, the foreign minister. Burma claimed it was dredging to restore its bank of the Moei, Mr Somboon was quoted as saying. The issue would be discussed by the Joint Border Committee, which Thailand has proposed to host in Phuket from June 14-16, Mr Prachuab said. Rangoon has yet to agree to the proposal but Pitak Intarawitthaya-nunt, deputy foreign minister, and Nyunt Shwe, his Burmese counterpart, would chair the talks, he added.(BP) ****************************************************** THAILAND TIMES: MYANMAR TO FINE THAILAND IF YADANA GAS PIPELINE IS NOT FINISHED ON TIME May 30, 1997 BANGKOK: Korn Dabbaransi, the Industry Minister has revealed that if the gas pipeline being laid from the Yadana and Yetakun sources cannot be completed on time, Myanmar will fine Thailand Bt 862 million baht a year. According to the contract signed in 1995, Thailand has to start purchasing gas from Myanmar in 1999. If the installation of the gas pipeline is not completed on time, then the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) will have to pay compensation . The Office of Environmental Policy and Planning (OEPP) has already granted approval for the PTT to lay the pipeline. Meanwhile, the committee charged with overall responsibility for the laying of the pipeline is considering the possible environmental damage which the project could cause. This follows earlier protests by a number of people who claimed that the laying of the pipeline would destroy about 6 kilometers of abundant forest. However, an industry source said the Non-Government Organization (NGO) was mistaken on the matter, because it did not understand the information about the installation process. ************************************************* BKK POST: SOUTH AFRICA IS THE EXAMPLE IN DEALING WITH BURMA May 28, 1997 Dennis Bernstein and Leslie Kean Burma's reigning generals have pulled out all the stops in their quest to crush the country's still vibrant pro-democracy movement led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) may make the crucial decision at its May 31 meeting whether to accept Burma as a member in its powerful economic and political alliance. In recognition of its own standing as a well-respected world body, Asean should demand that Slorc open up negotiations with the National League for Democracy and the ethnic nationalities in exchange for admission to the group. Burma's unconditional acceptance would further legitimise the junta and provide a shield for its continued brutalities and its expanding involvement in the global heroin trade. The Clinton administration has finally taken action in an attempt to restrain the dictatorship by imposing sanctions on future investments in Burma. While Mr Clinton's actions are a step in the right direction, they do not prevent major investors such as Unocal, already established in Burma, from continuing to prop up the regime through the influx of foreign dollars. At the current crackdown continues, many arrested are destined to join more than 1,000 democracy activists now rotting in jails where they routinely tortured, kept in solitary confinement or chained to military dog cages. The case of 67-year-old imprisoned journalist, translator and colleague of Ms Suu Kyi, U Win Tin, offers a poignant example of how Slorc treats these political prisoners and why the world community must respond through further action. Mr Win Tin was imprisoned in 1989 for influencing the thoughts of Ms Suu Kyi and calling for widespread civil disobedience to resist imposed military rule. In November 1995, while suffering from a heart ailment and other debilitating medical conditions, Mr Win Tin was thrown into a military dog-cell for two months and forced to sleep on cold concrete floors for passing on a letter to the United Nations about the mistreatment of prisoners in Burmese jails. In March 1996, Mr Win Tin and 21 others were tried inside the prison in military-controlled courtrooms, without access to legal counsel. They were all given and additional seven years for writing poems, songs and letters - often on shirts and plastic bags - that contained facts that were unacceptable to the government, according to the trial judge Kyaw Htun. Despite, such abuses, France, Singapore and Thailand are falling over each other to expand investments in Burma and are busy lobbying for Burma's acceptance into Asean. The French oil giant Total has joined Unocal in a partnership with Burma's military-controlled state oil company, Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), to build a $1.2 billion (31.2 billion baht) gas pipeline in southern Burma. Total and Unocal are facing two federal lawsuits alleging that they are benefiting from forced labour and other human rights violations along the pipeline route. An affidavit filed in April in support of the landmark case states that MOGE "has been the main channel for money laundering" and that foreign investments in MOGE provide a "big shield" for Burmese military traffickers. When asked what would prevent Burma's admission into Asean, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir, host for the upcoming Asean meetings and a strong supporter of the Slorc, said on April 30 if "something unusual happens ... perhaps if the government slaughters five million people in Burma". While there is strong support among the Asean nations for Burma's entry into the alliance, not all officials in the region are happy about the prospect of accepting Burma. M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, a well-respected Thai foreign policy analyst and member of the Thai parliament, wrote in Bangkok Post recently new member governments must meet a minimum standard of legitimacy and he felt the Burmese junta had no legitimacy. Unrestrained, Slorc will do whatever it takes to hold onto power. With South Africa as an example, the larger world community must take swift action against the narco-traffickers who rule Burma and who have heaped terror on its people. Dennis Bernstein and Leslie Kean have written on Burma for the "Boston Globe", "The Nation" (US) and for Pacific News Service, where Dennis Berstein is an associate editor. Leslie Kean co-authored the 1994 photographic book "Burma's Revolution of the Spirit".(BP) ******************************************************* INEB : PEACE WALK ALONG GAS PIPELINE ROUTE May 30, 1997 Invitation to a peace walk in the Western Forest of Thailand June 3-4, 1997 Thong Pha Phoom District, Kanjanaburi Province This is an excursion to visit the proposed Yadana gas pipeline pathway, which cuts through the jungle. The trip includes an overnight stay in the jungle, an overnight stay in a Kanchanaburi township, a seminar (with speakers from Wildlife Fund Thailand, Friends of Elephants Foundation, Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma), a peace walk, a Buddhist ceremony, and discussions with locals. The cost of the trip is 500 Baht per person. As some of the participants are monks, nuns, or local people who can not afford to pay for the trip we would appreciate any donations. For further information please contact: Sem 950-6601- 3 TACDB 424-9173, pager 152 call 196-05 **********************************