------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: June 9, 1997 Issue #744 HEADLINES: ========== DVB: BOMB EXPLOSIONS AT AIRPORT, DEFENSE ACADEMY THE NATION: RANGOON FREES 300 SUU KYI SUPPORTERS AP: HEROIN SEIZURE SUSPECT EXTRADITED FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW: POWER PLAY KNU: PRESS RELEASE NO.25/97 JAKARTA MEDIA:BURMA- NOT NECESSARILY ATTEND ASEM REUTER: MALAYSIA SLAMS ASEAN'S CRITICS ON BURMA MEDIA STATEMENT: LIM KIT SIANG BKK POST: BURMA MEMBERSHIP 'WILL DAMAGE CREDIBILITY' THAILAND TIMES: MAE SOT A HOTBED FOR MALARIA TT:CHETTHA REFUTES RUMORED APPROVAL OF OPERATION TT: CONSTRUCTION RAISES CONCERNS OF WATER POLLUTION TT: CROSS-BORDER TRADERS WANT MAJOR ROADS FIXED THE NATION: PRO-PIPELINE LOBBY COMES FORWARD THE NATION: THAI SOLDIERS SHOULD NOT ABUSE REFUGEES IID: STATEMENT ON ASEAN'S ACCEPTANCE OF BURMA ANNOUNCEMENT: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DIVESTMENT ----------------------------------------------------------------- DVB: BOMB EXPLOSIONS AT AIRPORT, DEFENSE ACADEMY June 3, 1997 [translated from Burmese] It has been reported that a bomb explosion at Loikaw Airport on 22 May caused damage only to buildings. Saw Win Nyo reported that about 800 civilians living in the vicinity were being questioned by military intelligence personnel. The military intelligence personnel were suspicious that those responsible for the bombing were being hidden by sympathizers from the ward. Local people said this explosion had nothing to do with the civilians and that it concerned only military intelligence personnel and the Defense Services, because the majority of the airplane tickets from Loikaw were monopolized by military intelligence. Apart from military servicemen and senior officials, others have to pay a high price for the plane tickets. It was believed to be the act of the Defense Services, to show their dissatisfaction over the military intelligence. There have been frequent bomb explosions in Burma, and they all occurred in places with high security. A bomb exploded at the Thihapasana Cave in Kabaaye last December and another bomb explosion occurred at the house of Lt. Gen. Tin Oo, secretary-2 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council [SLORC], and caused the death of his daughter, Cho Le Oo. On 10 April, 4 days after the explosion at Tin Oo's house, a bomb exploded a few moments after SLORC Chairman Sr. Gen. Than Shwe had delivered an address at the graduation parade of the Military Cadet Training Course at the Defense Services Academy in Maymyo. Military sources reported that a major and 14 cadets were killed and another 10 cadets were wounded. Whenever a bomb explosion has occurred, the SLORC has always accused the opposition forces and the activists. But this time news was blacked out, because the SLORC could not pinpoint the blame for the bomb explosion that occurred at the high security Maymyo Defense Services Academy, where only authorized military personnel are allowed. It has been reported that a group of Defense Services personnel, including a major from an engineering battalion, was being held for questioning. Observers say questioning members of the engineering battalion whenever a bomb explosion occurs has created a lack of trust and a growing discontent among Defense Services personnel. Oslo Democratic Voice of Burma ******************************************** THE NATION: RANGOON FREES 300 SUU KYI SUPPORTERS June 7, 1997 AFP RANGOON - Burma's ruling junta has released over 300 Aung San Suu Kyi supporters who were prevented from attending an opposition party congress last month, an aide to the pro-democracy leader said yesterday. "I've heard that everybody has been released," said the aide, reached by telephone at Suu Kyi's Rangoon residence. The National League for Democracy (NLD) announced late on Thursday that although supporters had been unable to attend the congress, they had managed to approve 21 resolutions through letters, word of mouth and group discussions. In an 11-page statement the NLD also called on the military government to release all political prisoners, convene parliament and initiate talks with the political opposition and ethnic minorities . The international human rights watchdog Amnesty International says that some 2,000 people were detained in 1996 alone in Burma in connection with calls for improved human and political rights. The aide said that 316 members of the NLD had been confined to their homes or detained by authorities around the country in the run-up to the May 27 to 28 congress, called to mark the NLD's May 1990 landslide election victory. Rangoon has denied any detentions but said that local authorities had asked NLD members to stay at home. The "request" for NLD members ',to refrain from attending this function has been canceled since last Sunday [June 1]" and they were now "free to visit" Rangoon, a senior government official said on Thursday. Only a handful of senior party members were able to reach Suu Kyi's house for the congress, after hundreds of armed riot police were deployed to scupper the meeting. The congress marked the seventh anniversary of the NLD's sweeping win - never recognised by the ruling junta - in the last general elections to be held in Burma. The resolutions called for tripartite dialogue among democratic forces led by Suu Kyi, the representatives of country's ethnic minorities and the junta, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc). The NLD also urged the Slorc to convene "as soon as possible", a parliament based on the result of the 1990 general elections, halt further repression of NLD party members, end forced labour and release all political prisoners. The statement broadly echoed similar calls made by the party at the time of the planned congress for the military junta to allow elected candidates in the election to take up parliamentary seats and for Slorc to support political dialogue. However, on Thursday the party also revealed it had drafted an 80-page document which should form the basis of a new constitution. "We have, however, decided to keep this document on hold until a genuine national convention ... could be held," the statement said. The Slorc has organised a national convention to draft a new constitution and is sensitive to moves by the NLD to frame an alternative charter. The NLD withdrew from the convention in late 1995, claiming it would unfairly enshrine a proportion of seats for the military in any future parliament. ******************************************** AP: HEROIN SEIZURE SUSPECT EXTRADITED June 5, 1997 Jiraporn Wongpaithoon BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- The suspected mastermind behind the biggest shipment of heroin ever seized in the United States left a Bangkok prison today for a closely guarded journey to New York, where he will stand trial on drug charges. Li Yun-chung was arrested in Bangkok last year but jumped bail and fled to Burma in February. Burmese authorities, in a gesture of political friendship, sent him back last month. Li, a Burmese-born Chinese with Thai residency, was indicted in U.S. District Court in New York in May 1996 in connection with 1,070 pounds of heroin that was seized in Hayward, Calif., in 1991. The drugs, worth about $50 million, were destined for New York. Thai authorities arrested him in July with an alleged accomplice, Cha Chung-chang, also sought by U.S. authorities. Cha is still fighting extradition. Li's case gained notoriety in Thailand because of allegations he bribed high-ranking court officials to have bail granted. When Thai authorities questioned Li on his return, he said he bought his freedom for $800,000. Li was handed today to U.S. officials at the Bangkok Remand Prison and taken by van to Bangkok's airport, where he was flown by helicopter to a Thai air force base at Takhli, 100 miles northeast of Bangkok. A U.S. military aircraft waited there to transport him to New York, accompanied by two agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and two U.S. federal marshals. Li was not expected to arrive in New York today due to a stopover, sources in the federal prosecutor's office in Brooklyn, N.Y., said on condition of anonymity. Li and Cha also have been linked to a 158-pound heroin shipment seized in Singapore in March last year. Since January 1996, at least six alleged drug traffickers have been extradited from Thailand to the United States. ******************************************** FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW: POWER PLAY June 12, 1997 Burma's new military strongman, Gen. Maung Aye, is forming his own military-intelligence unit to counter the Directorate of Defense Services Intelligence, led by Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt. A special cabinet meeting in early May also discussed whether Maung Aye should take over from the aging Gen Than Shwe as commander-in-chief of the defense services and chairman of the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council. If that happens, his deputy will be the present army chief of staff, Lt-Gen Tin Oo. These changes may take place as early as July, but will need the approval of Burma's old strongman, Gen Ne Win, who retired in 1988 but still plays an important role behind the scenes. The power of Khin Nyunt, a Ne Win protégé, has been slipping over the past year. Most recently, his DDSI has been blamed for failing to prevent a parcel bomb from reaching Tin Oo's daughter, who was killed in a blast in early April. (FEER) **************************************************** KNU: PRESS RELEASE NO.25/97 June 3, 1997 From: Simon_Po@sala.icn.net (Simon Po) OFFICE OF THE SUPREME HEAD QUARTERS KAREN NATIONAL UNION KAW THOO LEI KNU Press Release No.25/97 Regarding 1997 SLORC Offensive Against the KNU June 3,1997 By military offensive, the SLORC has been destroying Karen villages and, in east of Shwe Gyin township, the SLORC is continuing its work of destruction as given below- The SLORC troops burnt down: In Sor-theh-kee village tract, 49 houses, making 494 persons homeless; in Ler-wah village tract 50 houses, making 304 persons homeless, in Su-mu-ta village tract, 25 houses, making 104 persons homeless; in Ko-phet village tract, 40 houses, making 131 persons homeless; in Tee-ba-lar village tract, 63 houses, making 267 persons homeless; in Meh-reh-kee village tract, 93 houses, making 438 persons homeless; Eighty families from Meh-reh-kee and Klor-ko-ger villages, and 32 families from Tee-ba-lar village tract were driven down to the plain areas. From 12 to 21 May, 1997, troops from SLORC IBs 57, 59 and 37 combined together and continued the work of destruction in northern Pa-pun district as given below. In Ler-mu-plaw village, the SLORC troops burnt down 55 houses, 83 farm huts, 55 rice barns and killed a large number of live-stock. The SLORC IB 548 looted 10 baskets of rice and 10,000 kyats from Tee-law-theet-ta, 25,000 kyats from Tee-theh-lay village and 2 buffaloes from Tee-tha-blu-ta village. In Baw-kyo-traw village area, villagers have to pay 1,000 kyats per family as porter fees. On 11-5-97, a DKBA commander, Saw Hla Dah, came to Par-klu village of Myawady township and forcibly collected 3,000 kyats per family as recruitment fees. Village elders Par Jer Po and two others were beaten severely as Lo-Baw and Do-thu-kee villages were late in paying the fees. The villagers had to pay an additional 400 kyats to DKBA Saw Mya Aung, as a fee for the work of beating. The three village elders were released on 18-8-97 and elder Par Jer Po could hardly walk because of the beating. Abbreviations: KNU = Karen National Union (Political wing of the Karen resistance), SLORC = State Law and Order restoration Council (Military dictatorship of Burma), DKBA = Democratic Kayin Buddhist Army (A puppet army of the SLORC), Kyat is the name of Burmese currency, Shwe Gyin is a town about 90 miles to the east of the Burmese Capital, Rangoon, Myawady is town in the Karen State opposite Tak province of Thailand. KNU Information Center **************************************** JAKARTA MEDIA INDONESIA (INTERNET VERSION): ALATAS SAYS BURMA 'WILL NOT NECESSARILY' ATTEND ASEM June 4, 1997 Jakarta (Media Indonesia)--Foreign Minister Ali Alatas says the question of who will and who will not attend the upcoming Asia-Europe meeting [ASEM] will be dealt with individually. "ASEM will not be a collective meeting, ASEAN on the one hand and the EU on the other; rather, it will be a meeting among countries," Foreign Minister Alatas said in Jakarta yesterday. Alatas made the statement in response to a decision by the EU, supported by the British Foreign Office, not to invite Burma to the upcoming ASEM in London next year, although that country will be admitted into ASEAN in July. Indeed, Burma will not necessarily attend the next ASEM. It would be erroneous for them to think that Burma will automatically attend the next ASEM when the country joins ASEAN," Alatas said. A senior Burmese official shrugged off the EU's decision not to invite his country to the next ASEM as part of a "divide-and conquer" policy. Burma has been severely singled out and criticized by the West for human rights violations. The international community is increasingly supporting Aung San Suu Kyi, who has won the Nobel Peace Prize. *********************************************** REUTER: MALAYSIA SLAMS ASEAN'S CRITICS ON BURMA June 6, 1997 KUALA LUMPUR, June 6 (Reuter) - Malaysia's acting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday slammed critics of the move by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to admit Burma for ``playing to the gallery.'' Speaking to an Asia-Pacific Roundtable, Anwar said the critics were apparently ``influenced by the oscillating moods of the moment rather than a clear-eyed vision of the future.'' ``Criticism of ASEAN for admitting Myanmar into the grouping, together with Cambodia and Laos and talks of 'containment' of certain Asian countries, for example, demonstrates a predilection to playing to the gallery rather than facing the realities of the region,'' Anwar said. Some 240 policymakers, scholars, journalists and corporate figures from 24 countries were attending the three-day annual discourse organised by Malaysia's Institute of Strategic And International Studies (ISIS). A charter drawn up at last year's roundtable stressed the ``three pillars of our Pacific Community'' -- peace, prosperity and a ``celebration of civilisations,'' Anwar said. ``There should be a celebration of civilisations where we each fortify the values and the ways which make us strong and that makes us civilised in our own light while partaking of the values and the ways of all our Pacific partners,'' he said. ``We in the Pacific must reject and reject most vigorously the thesis that civilisations are destined to collide, especially in this part of the world.'' ************************************************ MEDIA STATEMENT: LIM KIT SIANG June 6, 1997 [abridged] 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 Friday, June 6, 1997: SLORC should show positive results in ASEAN constructive engagement policy in the eight-week probation before formal admission to ASEAN in the third week of July The decision of the ASEAN foreign ministers informal meeting to admit Myanmar into ASEAN-10 at the Asean Ministerial Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 24 is a great disappointment and have rightly provoked a sense of outrage, not only in international circles but also in the region as well. The Burmese State Law and Order Council (SLORC) should take heed of the remarks by the Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto that it should not regard Asean membership as a form of pardon for the military junta. In fact, it is not only SLORC which is on "probation", ASEAN has also placed itself on "trial" as to whether it could ensure that Burma under SLORC would help to make the ASEAN constructive policy a success and see positive results in the area of democratic reforms and national reconciliation or whether the admission into ASEAN would be a precursor to more repressive policies against the people of Burma. The eight-week period between the Asean foreign ministers informal meeting and the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on July 24, is the first probation period for SLORC, as to whether it could show ASEAN and the world that it can be a responsible regional and global player by initiating tripartite discussions among the military junta, the National League for Democracy headed by Aung San Suu Kyi and the ethnic minorities to pave the way for national reconciliation and unity. The question that should be answered in this eight-week period before Burma's formal admission into ASEAN is whether SLORC is prepared to show a more democratic face or whether it wants to be admitted into ASEAN merely to legitimise and perpetuate its repressive regime and policies. Lim Kit Siang *************************************** BKK POST: BURMA'S MEMBERSHIP 'WILL DAMAGE CREDIBILITY' June 8, 1997 AFP Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will damage the grouping's credibility, an Indonesian analyst warned yesterday. "Burma's membership will result in a heap of criticisms towards Asean from the international community, especially the Western countries," said Jusuf Wanandi, chairman of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. The move would in turn limit Asean's influence both regionally and globally, Jusuf wrote in a paper entitled "Asean 10: Challenges and implications for the wider region." "Asean has to take these criticisms seriously," he said. Jusuf noted that opposition to Burma's entry had also been voiced by non-governmental organisations within Asean member countries. "In their eyes, Burma's Slorc (the State Law and Order Restoration Council) lacks decency and legitimacy," he said. On the economic front, Jusuf said, Asean would have to provide a lot of assistance and support for the three economies to catch up. Asean 6 would have almost tariff-free economies in 2003- Vietnam in 2006- but the three economies would be given longer time to implement reforms until 2008 or 2009, he said. "This will strain the three economies and Asean as a whole," Jusuf said. He said the admission of Laos would create problems because of the country's lack of officials capable in participating in Asean's development. *********************************************** THAILAND TIMES: MAE SOT A HOTBED FOR MALARIA INFECTION June 7, 1997 By Assawin Pinitwong TAK: Mae Sot district is the most heavily malaria infected area in Thailand, with over 2,000 cases of infection believed to be transferred by alien workers coming from the Thai-Burmese borders. A health source yesterday said that malaria cases usually escalate during the rainy season, adding that infected refugees who enter from Burma were known carriers of the disease. Of the 2,000 infected patients throughout the province, ten of them have died in Mae Sot Hospital. The source added that 15 of 18 border police officers at Tambon Phawor were also sick with the disease. Ronnatri Ruangweerayut, a doctor at the Mae Sod Hospital, cited that 2,000 patients come yearly for treatment, and 10 percent of them are usually in serious condition, saying that some of them died when the disease spread to their stomach and kidneys. *************************************************** THAILAND TIMES: CHETTHA REFUTES RUMORED APPROVAL OF BURMESE RIVER CHANNEL OPERATION June 7, 1997 By Assawin Pinitwong TAK: Army chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro yesterday dismissed rumors that Burma's, construction of a river diversion channel had been initially approved by senior officials of the two countries, by saying permission could only be granted by the Burmese Technical Sub-comittee. Gen Chettha said only the sub-committee has the authority to approve any construction operations because. it has the information and evidence such as aerial maps to be used in monitoring any digging activities. He said disputes regarding the dredging of the Moei River have existed for a long time therefore a serious resolution to the problem needs to be found by the two sides. Meanwhile, a border source said that Thailand and Burma have again failed to agree on a map to be used as a guideline for future river diversion channels on the disputed land in Tak province. Following the Thai-Burmese Technical Sub-committee's meeting on Thursday, the two sides failed to reach an agreement on which aerial maps should be used as a blueprint for digging operations on the shared waterway. Burmese authorities insist on using a 1989 map, but Thailand prefers the digging to be based on three maps produced in 1989, 1992 and 1994. However, the matter will be discussed continuously until a substantial agreement can be reached between the two countries . ********************************************* THAILAND TIMES: BURMA'S EXPANDED CONSTRUCTION RAISES CONCERNS OF WATER POLLUTION June 6, 1997 By Assawin Pinitwong TAK: Burma put additional burden on the already tense Thai-Burmese relations when it approved the construction of commercial buildings which encroach further along the Moei River bank, causing Thailand to worry about the possible contamination of the shared waterway. A border source said yesterday-Myawaddy authorities reportedly granted a private company a construction permit for 20 more units of commercial buildings along the Burmese side of the Moei River. The buildings are ostensibly designed to encroach further onto the bank of the river, raising Thailand's ire that the construction may cause water pollution as the Burmese reportedly lack a proper waste water treatment system. The construction will be located southward of the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge which recently opened to facilitate trade in the popular economic area as it is crowded with goods transport operations. The source said Thai authorities had five years ago banned a similar construction project on Thai soil due to its close proximity to the river bank. However, Burma reportedly agreed for the first time to dismantle the embankment which it constructed early last month on the same river. Such an action was believed to be in exchange for Thailand's approval of the Burmese excavation of a river diversion channel opposite Tak's Ta Sai Luad sub-district, added the source. ********************************************* THAILAND TIMES: CROSS-BORDER TRADERS WANT MAJOR ROADS TO RANGOON FIXED June 6, 1997 By Assawin Pinitwong TAK: Cross-border traders yesterday called for a cooperative effort between Thailand and Burma in upgrading roads leading from the border to the Burmese capital, saying that decent roads could boost border trade at Mae Sot to the tune of two billion baht a year. Chirasak Paiboonthammarote, chairman of the Thai-Burmese Border Traders Association, said the appalling state of disrepair on Burma's roads is a severe impediment to Thai traders. He urged the Thai government to join hands with the Burmese junta in improving the 300-kilometer road to Rangoon from Myawaddy, just across the border from Mae Sot. Although the total cost of the project might reach 300 million baht, it makes economic sense given the development expected in the border region once the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge is open to traffic, he said. But Chirasak said that even with improved roads, Thai traders doing business in the area will still face problems. At present, he said, the traders are stung by exorbitant fees by the Burmese authorities each time they cross the border. Once both bribe money and legitimate fees have been added up, the total cost for the traders is l00,000kyat, equivalent to about 14,000 baht, he said. Chirasak said the traders urge Thailand to work closely with Burma to facilitate cross-border trading by removing unnecessary red tape. *********************************************** THE NATION: PRO-PIPELINE LOBBY COMES FORWARD June 7, 1997 TWENTY-FIVE village headmen and kamnan from Kanchanaburi province submitted letters to Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and Industry Minister Korn Dabaransi yesterday in support of the Yadana gas pipeline project, which has been strongly opposed by environmentalists. The headmen and kamnan yesterday went to Government House and the Industry Ministry to deliver the letters. "The construction of the Yadana gas pipeline is supported by 99 per cent of the villagers in the area. We believe the project will benefit the nation as a whole," said Thanya Darapisaisuk, a kamnan from Keang Sean sub-district in Kanchanaburi who led the village headmen to Government House. Tasco Mannesmann, a joint venture between Mannesmann Demag AG of Germany and Tipco Asphalt of Thailand, received the concession from the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) and the Burmese government to lay the gas pipeline through Kanchanaburi province. The project, however, has met stiff resistance from environmentalists, prompting concern from the builder that the pipeline might not be completed within the specified time frame. Korn said the contract was drawn up between 1995 and 1996 during previous governments and that the National Environmental Board (NEB) had already concluded that construction would not have a negative impact on the environment. The NEB gave approval for construction on March 24 this year and the PTT worked out a route for the pipeline which would have the least impact on the environment, Korn said. Korn said the pipeline was essential as domestic annual demand for electricity is increasing by 1,400 megawatt. Since plans to construct hydro-electric dams have been blocked by conservationists, the government has no better choice than to seek energy sources from neighbouring countries and natural gas from Burma emerged as a viable solution, he said. Thanya claimed the protesters might have a hidden agenda, and added "I wonder whether they are even from the area". "If anything happens to the project, for instance, if it is forced to be re-routed, I will certainly protest. Now, we are waiting to see what decision the government takes. We have already considered that our gains would surpass our losses once the pipeline is completed," he said. Pinand Chotiros-saranee, a leader of the protesters against the pipeline project, however, said that the village headmen came out to support the project because they did not have correct information about the route it would take. She said although PTT claimed the pipeline would be built along a main road, in some areas it would pass through the forest and that could cause environmental harm. "These village headmen have occupied land in the forest area and they hope land prices will go up once the pipeline is constructed. They wrongly expect that the pipeline will bring industry to Kanchanaburi province. In the letters submitted to the prime minister and industry minister the village representatives said they represented people living in Ban E-Tong, Pi Lok, Huy Kayeng, Ta Kanoon, Lintin, Tongpabhumi, Sai Yok, Tha Sao, Wang Krajae, Lumsoom, Sri Mongkol, Ban Kao and Chorakae Puek, which covers a 260-kilometre stretch of the pipeline route. The letters said the villagers in the area agreed on June 5 that they would back the project. "There will be no negative environmental impact. The construction of the pipeline will not harm any endangered species", he claimed. The pipeline builder would be fined by the Burmese government if the project is not completed by the July 1998 deadline, he added. Korn claimed that construction of the pipeline would open up only a 20metre-wide strip of land. Once completed, the builders would restore the land. Korn said the project would make a "rising star" of Kanchanaburi. "In the future, Kanchanaburi will become the gateway to countries to the west such as India, as well as the Middle East and Europe. Kanchanaburi will also be economically important because it will have four-lane streets and a railway to Tawai," Korn said. ************************************************** THE NATION: THAI SOLDIERS SHOULD NOT ABUSE REFUGEES LIKE SLORC June 8, 1997 I would like to explain about a recent event in Huay Kaloke Karen refugee camp in which one soldier under the Mae Sot district administration command, shot threateningly at a member of the camp community. On May 24, at about 11 pm, five soldiers came by motorbike to the refugee camp. The five arrived at the (Karen organised) patrol checkpoint which is located in front of a school. One of them was drunk and demanded a girl from the refugee camp member who was on duty there. That person tried to reason with the soldier. But the soldier responded by challenging the camp patrol. Suddenly, the soldier fired his M-16 twice into the ground, near the man's feet. This shocked the people in the camp, and some packed their bags, ready to flee. However, the Thai soldiers ordered the Karen on duty to tell the camp that the incident was only an accident. As far as we refugees know, the soldiers love money and girls, more than they care about our security. I would like to urge these soldiers to treat us as human beings and perform their duties accordingly. I would also like to note a remark from one of our community publications produced after Huay Kaloke and Huay Boe camps were burned to the ground by Slorc and DKBA: "We state that the security from the Thai Army is inadequate ... What is the meaning of this? It means that people come into our houses, kick us in the backside, sleep with our wives and then leave, while we can only merely sit and watch." We hope that the Thai soldiers will not continue to behave in a way that will make it easy to mistake them for those who lay in wait across the border to commit abuses against us. "A refugee" HUAY KALOKE CAMP ********************************************** IID: STATEMENT ON ASEAN'S ACCEPTANCE OF BURMA June 4, 1997 [excerpts] From: iid ASEAN'S ACCEPTANCE OF BURMA The Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) is shocked and views with grave disdain ASEAN's acceptance of the murderous SLORC regime of Burma as a full member . We are not at all surprised at the approvals of authoritarian regimes in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore; however, for the Philippines to do so is not only legitimizing the violations and suppression of rights in Burma but is an insult to our very freedoms and liberties which we have fought and struggled for so long against the very types of dictatorship as is now firmly entrenched in Burma. We are also familiar with that old refrain sung by ASEAN's foreign ministers, mimicked by our Secretary of Foreign Affairs Domingo Siazon, to the effect that rather than isolate it, it is much better to constructively engage Burma in the region in the hope that ASEAN may be able to soften its narcissistic tendencies and influence it to move towards democracy faster. What is however wrong about this policy is that it has never worked here nor in any part of the world. In short, stripped of its bare essence, what this convoluted logic brings is nothing but a legitimisation of the dictatorship and a condonation of the brutal treatment of its own populace. We are also tired of the worn-out argument that it is not for us to criticize, and question, a sovereign government's policy, or its violation of internationally recognized human rights for to do so is to interfere unnecessarily in the internal affairs of that particular state. Our government however forgets that this pre-supposes that the regime in place in Burma is legitimate to begin with. Alexander A. Padilla Chairperson, IID Initiatives for International Dialogue 04 June 1997 ========================================= | Initiatives for International Dialogue | 27-D Rosario Townhouse, Galaxy St., GSIS Heights | Matina 8000 Davao City Philippines | Tel: (63)(82) 299 25 74 (to 75) Fax: (63)(82) 299 20 52 | Alternate E-mail: iid@interasia.com.ph ======================================== *************************************** ANNOUNCEMENT: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DIVESTMENT CAMPAIGN BEGINS June 5, 1997 From: orzech@well.com (Dan Orzech) Contacts: * University of California Student Association (UCSA): Kimi Lee, Executive Director (510) 834-8272, Anastatia Telesetsky (805) 685-1661 * UCLA Burma Action Coalition: Harold Goldstein (310) 319-9133, Yuki Kidokoro (310) 450-5375, Aung Min (310) 838-8721 * Bay Area Burma Roundtable: Dan Orzech (510) 528-0653 A NEW DIVESTMENT CAMPAIGN TAKES ON "THE SOUTH AFRICA OF THE 90s" UC Students And Faculty Call For Divestment From Burma Los Angeles, CA -- In a movement with echoes of the South Africa divestment movement of a decade ago, University of California students and faculty across the state have begun pressing the UC Regents to cut ties with companies which do business in Burma. In recent weeks, the University of California Student Association, which is the state-wide UC student government, the UCLA legislative assembly of the academic senate, and the UC Santa Cruz student government have all called on the Regents to divest from companies which invest in Burma, and to end purchases from those companies. Many cities, counties and states have already banned deals with companies which do business in Burma, and the Federal government last month banned all new investment in that country. "Burma's generals are using the money they make from foreign corporations to finance massive purchases of arms, which they turn on their own people," says UCSA executive director Kimi Lee. "The University of California should have nothing to do with companies that support the junta." Burma's democratically elected leader, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has repeatedly called for Western corporations to end their support for the military regime in Burma. She reiterated that position most recently in a meeting with Unocal President John Imle at her home in Rangoon, where she remains under virtual house arrest. The University of California holds stock in two companies which do business in Burma: Procter & Gamble and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson. Ericsson lost contracts last year with the city of San Francisco worth up to $90 million because of its business dealings in Burma. The University of Washington, Stanford and a number of other universities have already begun using their endowments to support democracy in Burma. The University of Washington Board of Regents decided in March 1995 to vote for, and sponsor, shareholder resolutions aimed at limiting corporate involvement in Burma. A shareholder resolution at Unocal Corporation's annual meeting earlier this week called on the company to investigate claims that it was being used as a front for laundering drug money in Burma. Burma is the world's largest producer of opium, and the source of most of the heroin found on American streets. The University of Washington owns stock in Unocal. After continuing pressure from students and faculty, the University of Wisconsin Regents announced that they would sell the University's shares in Texaco because of that company's participating in a natural gas project in Burma. Days later, Texaco executives announced that they were looking for ways to withdraw from Burma. With most major corporations already out of Burma, the few companies still doing business there are becoming more visible. Students at California universities played a key role in convincing PepsiCo to withdraw from Burma in February of this year. Sales of Pepsi were banned at UC Berkeley, Stanford and a number of college campuses until Pepsi ended sales in Burma. "This is something for the Regents to think about over the summer," says Anastatia Telesetsky, the UC Santa Barbara graduate student representative to the UCSA. "When we come back in the fall, we'll expect them to have some answers." --------------------------------------- STUDENT UNION ASSEMBLY: UCSC RESOLUTION June 4, 1997 [excerpts] From: theikdi@bookstore.ucsc.edu (theikdi) Resolution on Corporations Doing Business in Burma Student Union Assembly of the University of California, Santa Cruz calls on the Regents of the University of California to divest any of its shares in companies that do business with Burma, Student Union Assembly of the University of California, Santa Cruz calls on the Regents of the University of California to establish policy that a business supplying goods or service to any University of California campus or other organizational unit shall be required to state that it, its parent, subsidiaries or franchises do not conduct business in Burma, June 4, 1997 Student Union Assembly University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA 95064 *******************************************