------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: October 31, 1997 Issue #857 HEADLINES: ========== REUTERS: BURMA SAYS DETAINS FOUR SUU KYI PARTY MEMBERS BKK POST: BURMA, LAOS TO ATTEND JOINT MEET SCMP: REACTION HINTS AT SPLIT IN REGIME KNPP: NEWS RELEASE FROM KARENNI KNU: PRESS RELEASE NO. 61/97 KNU: PRESS RELEASE NO. 62/97 SHAN: SHAN ACTIVIST PASSED AWAY BORDER SOURCE #2: HUAY KALOKE SITUATION REPORT 2 SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: JUNTA HOOKED ON DRUG TRADE THE NATION: MINISTRY DENIES REPORT ON THAI PRISONERS PEOPLE'S FORUM ON BURMA: JAPAN- UPDATE ON MYA WAI'S CASE FBC: WRITE TIME MAGAZINE'S 'MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE' LIST BURMANET SUBJECT-MATTER RESOURCE LIST -------------------------------------------------------------------------- REUTERS: BURMA SAYS DETAINS FOUR SUU KYI PARTY MEMBERS October 30, 1997 RANGOON, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Burma's military government said on Thursday it had detained four members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy for questioning over a gathering that was blocked by police. The four senior NLD officials were held late on Tuesday after the meeting was blocked earlier in the day, an NLD source said. Police had set up road blocks and trucked away party supporters from the meeting at Mayangone, outside Rangoon, the source said. A statement issued by the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) said the four were members of the Mayangone branch of the NLD. It did not give their names or say if the four had been released. Officials were not available for comment. ``They have attempted to conduct political meetings outside the framework of the law and have violated the established regulations governing such meetings,'' the statement said. Military authorities, some armed with clubs and shields, on Tuesday set up barricades and blocked Suu Kyi from holding the Mayangone meeting, witnesses said. The government said on Tuesday that Suu Kyi and the NLD had been told not to hold the gathering. It said their efforts to try to go ahead despite the warning would only slow down the country's moves towards democracy. The gathering would have been the 1991 Nobel Peace laureate's second political meeting outside the city since she was released from house arrest more than two years ago. NLD sources said Suu Kyi had planned to organise the youth wing of the township's party organisation and speak to supporters. But instead, the young supporters who gathered to meet Suu Kyi were stopped by police when her car drove up. One student said there was a small scuffle around the car when supporters were not allowed to speak to Suu Kyi. A few dozen NLD supporters were taken away in trucks and dropped off a few miles from the office, witnesses said. The SLORC did not explain exactly what the NLD had done that was against the law, but local analysts speculated that the party did not get permission from the government to hold the meeting. Permission is required for any public gathering and is also needed to use a loudspeaker. The statement issued on Thursday said the NLD and the other nine political parties that have rights to carry out party activities but must comply with the law. ``Legal political parties do have the responsibility and obligations to meet their commitments,'' the statement said. ``Defying the law for the sake of embarrassing the government will only create unnecessary setbacks in the national endeavours in building democratic institutions.'' Burma has been widely criticised for failing to recognise the NLD's sweeping 1990 electoral victory. Last week Suu Kyi -- who has been under close surveillance, with her movements limited since last December -- was allowed to meet NLD youth members and speak in a different township a few miles outside Rangoon. Analysts had said the move, which came on the heels of talks between the government and some NLD officials and after the SLORC allowed an NLD party meeting to take place, could have been a possible easing of tension between the military and the opposition. ************************************************* BKK POST: BURMA, LAOS TO ATTEND JOINT MEET October 30, 1997 Bhanravee Tansubhapol EU sets aside qualms, allows observer status The European Union, a strong critic of human rights abuses by Rangoon, has agreed to allow Burma and Laos to participate in its upcoming meeting with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Foreign Minister Prachuab Chaiyasarn said yesterday. The EU had informed Thailand about its change of heart and the minister conveyed the message to his Burmese counterpart, Ohn Gyaw, in talks yesterday in Rangoon. Mr Prachuab said in Rangoon that the Burmese minister welcomed the decision despite the fact that Burma and Laos will be allowed only observer status at the Asean-EU Joint Cooperation Committee gathering. The meeting, to be held next month in Bangkok, is a forum for Asean and EU senior officials to review cooperative plans. The Europeans had been reluctant to let a Burmese delegation attend the forum, saying it and Laos could only join in the talks when the EU extends the cooperation agreement currently covering Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Burma and Laos joined Asean in July. As Mr Prachuab began his two-day visit to Rangoon yesterday, Ohn Gyaw pledged to avoid causing any unease for Asean and said his government wants more dialogue with the opposition National League for Democracy. He said the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council is also promoting talks between opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and visitors outside her residence. As Asean's EU coordinator, Mr Prachuab proposed the appointment of either the Thai ambassador in Rangoon or a senior Foreign Ministry official in Bangkok to serve as liaison with Burma and respond to concerns from Europe. He said Burma promised to hold a long-awaited meeting next month in Rangoon to prepare a navigation agreement in the upper Mekong River involving Thailand, Burma, Laos and China. Thailand will host a joint commission meeting, probably from December 10 to 12, to evacuate bilateral trade and political and social relations with Burma, he added. Mr Prachuab wraps up his visit today by asking Slorc chairman Than Shwe and first secretary Khin Nyunt to release Thais jailed in Burma. He denied that he would meet Mrs Suu Kyi. ****************************************************** SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: REACTION HINTS AT SPLIT IN REGIME October 29 1997 William Barnes in Bangkok The skirmish in Rangoon shows how reluctant the junta is to allow opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi any room for manoeuvre. But it may also provide a rare glimpse of differences within the regime over how to deal with the charismatic leader who has proved a thorn in its side. After a three-hour standoff between troops and members of Ms Aung San Suu Kyi's party, it was a member of military intelligence that ordered the barricades to be lifted. Last week, the junta allowed the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner to address a small crowd on the outskirts of the capital, leading some observers to talk of a possible "softening" and of tentative "peace feelers" being put out. The State Law and Order Restoration Council, as the junta styles itself, was given more notice of this week's meeting nearer central Rangoon, and their response was that it should not go ahead. The junta fears and loathes Ms Aung San Suu Kyi because she has everything they have failed to acquire: a popularity and legitimacy that crosses ethnic and class divisions. There has been no evidence that any of the regime's leaders are prepared to ease their iron grip, let alone give in to her demands for a more democratic political system. But there do appear to be some differences over how to lift the country's status as an international pariah. The hardliners in the junta - led by the regional military commanders and army chief General Maung Aye - react to pressure by turning inwards and becoming even harsher with their critics. But the more pragmatic and sophisticated members of the intelligence organisation - lead by Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt - appear more prepared to see how far Ms Aung San Suu Kyi might be allowed to run loose. General Khin Nyunt might even be prepared to see what benefits talking to her might bring - something the junta's hardline members have vigorously shunned. ******************************************************* KNPP: NEWS RELEASE FROM KARENNI October 29, 1997 From: ooreh THE GOVERNMENT OF KARENNI MINISTRY OF PUBLIC RELATIONS AND INFORMATION News Release Severe flooding has occurred in Burma during the rainy season this year. It destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of paddy fields in Pegu Division. On account of this flood, the Slorc regimes is facing a shortage of rice. In addition it also has other unsolved problems that pressed SLORC to request aid from the International Community. The demand for rice in the flood-effected areas is so acute the Slorc is demanding that Karenni villagers share half of their paddy produced at the lowest price or free as donation. The Karenni village militia who were mobilized by Slorc have been instructed to expedite the order as mentioned above without failure so that Slorc will be able to solve the rice problem. Karenni villagers who are concentrated in the relocation camps now face starvation as Slorc has stopped giving out rice to them. The Christian churches are allowed to distribute rice to the villagers in the relocation camps but now Slorc told the churches to first give the rice to them and they will distribute it. It is very probable that Slorc will indirectly stop churches from supplying rice. "It is most likely if Slorc received rice from the churches, it will not distribute it," said a church leader who refused to express his name. The other news is Slorc is mobilizing villagers in the relocation camps to serve as militia. Date: 29 October 1997 ******************************************** KNU: PRESS RELEASE NO. 61/97 October 29, 1997 From: OFFICE OF THE SUPREME HEADQUARTERS KAREN NATIONAL UNION KAW THOO LEI Press Release No.61/97 Regarding 1997 SLORC Offensive against KNU Taungoo District * 1/10/97: Tharn-daung township LORC and SLORC LIB 707 were given the sanction to use 700,000 Kyat to build a road from Pa-let-wa village in Tharn-daung township to Plaw-me-doe (Ye-da-gon) village. The total cost was estimated to be 5 million Kyat. The villagers not only have to pay the 4.3 million Kyat difference, but they have to clear the road-way and build the road, daily, eating from their own food supply. * Starting from the beginning of October, troops from SLORC LIBs 701 and 707 set up camp in Klaw-me-doe village in Tharn-daung township and have been driving villagers from Poo-mu-doe, Ler-kla-doe,Keh-doe, Kaw-poe-lu, Moo-lo, Thay-lo and etc for relocation in Klaw-me-doe village. The SLORC troop took the villagers' belongings left behind in the evacuated villages. The relocated villagers have to pay porters fees of from 300 to 500 Kyat per household, every month. They are allowed away for at most a week at a time, to go back and work in their farms of the old villages. * 5/10/97: The SLORC IB 39 and LIB 707 summoned a large number of people from villages in Baw-ga-leet and Gor-theh-doe areas, for porterage. Again, on 15/10/97, troops from the two SLORC battalions summoned 30 more persons from Gor-theh-doe village. * 17/10/97: Military column 2, led by Aung Lwin, from SLORC LIB 707 came to Da-per-kee village in Tharn-daung township, and shot and ate 3 pigs of the villagers. * 20/10/97: The SLORC operation commander Aung Naing Tun came and set up camp at Mea-tha-gon and Chauk-chin-daung in Leik-tho area of Tharn-daung township. He then ordered a person from each household to bring his own food and work for him and, as a result, the villagers are not free to do their own work up to now. Nyaung-lay-bin District * 12/10/97: One Myint We, said to be a SLORC military intelligence man, at the concentration village of Aung-soe-moe in Mone township, alleged the villagers were in possession of 20 hidden guns. He ordered them to hand over those guns or pay 150,000 Kyat. The villagers had to settle for the payment of the money demanded. Nowadays, The SLORC troops and the military intelligence men in Nyaung-lay-bin and other district are making personal gains by variously contrived means such as extorting money or robbing the property of the villagers, after intimidating them with accusations of serious crimes. (Translated, printed and distributed by the Karen Information Center) ****************************************************** KNU: PRESS RELEASE NO.62/97 October 31, 1997 From: OFFICE OF THE SUPREME HEADQUARTERS KAREN NATIONAL UNION KAW THOO LEI Press Release No. 62/97 Regarding 1997 SLORC Offensive against KNU Pa-pun District * 1/9/97: A military column from SLORC IB 19 came to Aw-lor-kee village of Pa-pun township and took away villagers Maung U Lay (76) and Maung Ya (70), two brothers. On 17-10-97, the SLORC troops informed the relatives to come and pay a ransom of 60,000 Kyat for the release of the two. * 10/10/97: Troops from SLORC LIB 531 came to Ka-lor-say village and, after ransacking the houses, burnt down the village. * 18/9/97: Military columns led by the SLORC IB 19 commander and the LIB 340 commander went round to Nat-kut-ta, Nat-kut-kee and No-ta-kaw-ber villages in west Pa-pun area and seized 67 villagers who were later sent to Koo-zeit and Ma-dauk in Shwe-jin townships. The troops, after ransacking houses in the villages, burnt the belongings of the villagers they could not carry. * 18/10/97: General staff officer 2, Soe Win of the SLORC Operation Command in Pa-pun township detained more than 70 Baptist Christian pastors at the end of their annual conference held in Pa-pun town and tried to intimidate them with various kinds of threats. He finally said that if the pastors promised to come and live in the "peace" areas together with the people under their charge, they would be released, otherwise they would be retained under detention. On 20/10/97, the pastors were released for bringing back the people to come and live in areas designated by the SLORC. The SLORC authorities threatened to kill all civilians found any where, on the spot, if the pastors failed to do as instructed. Kaw ka reik District * The SLORC South-East command have been engaged in the forced relocation of people from 40 villages in Kaw-ka-reik and Cha-in township. The people are relocated in a place designated by the SLORC as a new town. The fate of the people relocated was said to be something akin to that of being sent to hell as some 2,000 or more of them could no longer bear the hardships and ill treatment, they have now fled into the border area of Thailand as new refugees. The SLORC troops and their followers took all the belongings of the villagers they wanted and burnt the rest. (Translated, printed and distributed by Karen Information Center) ************************************************ SHAN: SHAN ACTIVIST PASSED AWAY October 30, 1997 From: shan To All Shans and All those Concerned Khun Kya Oo, a life long activist for freedom and democracy, passed away at 14:00 hours local time at Maesai, surrounded by friends and relatives. Until his death, he was the Chairman of the Shan Human Rights Foundation, the group that has made Shan plight known to the world by its monthly reports. His remains are at Wat Phataek. The funeral is being arranged. Details shall be reported ASAP. ********************************************* BORDER SOURCE #2: HUAY KALOKE SITUATION REPORT 2 October 1997 [This report reviews the situation in the Huay Kaloke refugee camp, located near the Thai-Burma border. The authors of this report prefer not to be named due to the sensitive situation in the Mae Sot area] In July of this year, the first Huay Kaloke situation report was completed. Since that time, things have remained relatively calm, and most of the regulations have remained the same. Unless noted below, all of the regulations given in the first report still stand. The policy on rent is also still the same. Dissatisfaction with the leadership continues. Objections raised by the villagers are still met with indifference by the leadership. On the good side, most people feel that the situation now is better than it was. Many people have been able to grow their own vegetables to supplement their diets and to make themselves more self sufficient. This self-sufficiency is even more important now due to the state of the Thai economy as prices for goods have gone up. The residents still do not want to return to Burma as they continue to fear for their safety, and they are fearful of what this coming dry season will bring. RENT: The section leaders have been asked to go around and collect the rent which is still 50 Baht per month in the village section of the camp. Many people no longer have enough money to pay, and so they have told the section leaders that they will have to give rice instead. This further reduces the rice rations of refugees who already have rice taken out of their rations to feed the new arrivals who are not allowed to collect rice. It is the poorest of villagers who cannot pay the rent. They are also the ones who cannot afford to buy vegetables and meat to supplement their diets, and thus the reduced rice ration will have an adverse affect on their health. In the market the situation is the same. Karens and Indians who are allowed to open stalls in the morning must pay rent for these stalls. They have constructed the stalls themselves, but they must still pay 300 Baht a month in order to use them. These generally consist of a table. Some refugees, usually women, do not build stalls but carry their produce around on their heads. Usually they will find a place on the ground to sit in the market and sell their goods. For this, they must pay a 5 Baht a day fee. WATER: The water supply situation in Huay Kaloke, while never good, is expected to be even worse this year. The addition of refugees from the relocated Huay Bone (Don Pa Kiang) camp and many new arrivals from Burma has meant that the already scarce water resources will have to be stretched even farther. Many wells go dry or are periodically dry during the cold season, even before the hot season has come. Water can be bought from the landowner, but many people don't want to have to pay for this, cannot afford it, or just do not want to out of principle. Now that the camp is fenced in, it is unclear whether residents will be allowed to go out to the Thai village of Huay Kaloke to use the wells there. They have to pay a nominal fee to do this and they feel better about it than buying it from the landowner. COOKING FUEL: Charcoal is now being provided by the BBC to each family in order to keep down the high costs of cooking fuel. One bag is provided each month per family. This is almost enough if there are only two or three people in one family, but most houses have five to six people and sometimes as many as ten or twelve people under one roof. For these people, one bag will last barely one week. One bag of charcoal in Huay Kaloke is now 150 to 180 Baht. CURFEW: The curfew is still in place with villagers expected to have their lights out by eight o' clock. Families with school children are now allowed to keep a candle lit to study by until ten. Short-wave radios are still permitted as long as the volume is kept low and is not offending anybody. ACCESS: Foreigners and non-camp Karen were allowed entry into the camp for the Wrist Tying ceremony. This openness lasted for three days and then the camp was closed again. As of 14/10/97 entry was possible to foreigners if they had a purpose to be in the camp although passports must be left at the gate. Karen are allowed out of the camp to work. Karens are not allowed into the camp without an ID card saying that they are residents of Huay Kaloke camp. These ID' s are not issued individually, but by family. Passes are issued by an Aw Saw checkpoint next to the main gate. They are good for one day and no money is paid for them. At the village gate to Thai Huay Kaloke village, the Aw Saw collect l0 Baht from each Karen before letting them through. The camp is also periodically closed to new arrivals, who then have the choice of continuing on to another camp, usually Mae La (Beklaw) camp, going to work in Thailand, or returning to Burma. THE MARKET: The market is now allowed to be open from 6am until 9am. At this time Thais are allowed to come into the camp to sell produce and other goods. Karens and Indians are also allowed to sell things in the market at this time, however they must pay rent to the landowner for the stall which they sell from. After 9am, only the landowner' s shop is allowed to be open. The exception to this appears to be the tea shops which are still allowed to be open all day. The landowner is also said to be planning to open a movie house. This will replace the eight or so previous Karen owned movie houses. Generators are still not allowed in the camp, although this probably does not apply to the landowner. Small shops are still open all day within the village section or the camp selling small one to five Baht items like garlic and betel nut and fruit. They probably do not compete with the landowner' s shop. There was a previous order that these shops must be closed also, so it is not clear whether that order was rescinded or if the Thai authorities jut look the other way. DKBA: Although the DKBA has not directly threatened the camp yet, the rainy season is near its close and the camp residents fear what the dry season will bring. DKBA soldiers who have crossed to visit relatives on the Thai side (as civilians and without arms) have privately said that the next dry season, they would rather not come to burn the camp, but to kill the Thais. The possibility of this happening is not likely, however, as many DKBA soldiers have relatives in the camp, they are also not happy with the way the refugees are being treated by the Thai authorities. The DKBA still have units at Kaw Moo Rah. THAI MILITARY PRESENCE: The soldiers previously stationed at the camp gate have been transferred. They have exchanged places with the BPP detachment from Mawker refugee camp. The soldiers at the camp gate have let it be known that should the DKBA and Burmese return to the camp, then the refugees had better run quickly as that is what the soldiers will be doing. The soldiers at the village gate have not commented, but as they are the same ones who did not bother to come out of their house in the last attack, nobody is counting on them. In the last few weeks two incidents occurred wherein Karen villagers were beaten by the Thai security. In the first incident, a young Karen man in the market who is known to not use drugs, drink alcohol, or even smoke, was approached by an Aw Saw soldier from the village gate and a Palat Amphoe and accused by the soldier of using drugs. Although he denied this charge, he was slapped repeatedly by the soldier. The soldier and amphoe official then walked out. The Karen man reported this incident to Major Mary Ohn, but did not get a favourable response. The villagers vouched for his innocence. The man finally went straight to Mary Ohn and said that he would go directly to the checkpoint to file a complaint unless she did something. On hearing this, she then went with the camp secretary to the checkpoint to talk with the soldiers, who told her mai pen rai [it doesn't matter]. . In the second incident, a Karen man, who was admittedly drunk, went to the camp gate and began to verbally abuse the Thai soldiers stationed there. The Thai soldiers then beat the man. A rumour followed this incident that the mall had been beaten to death. Although still unclear, apparently another man had died of illness that day and the rumour mill had merged the beaten mall and the dead man into one. THE AREA AROUND HUAY KALOKE REFUGEE CAMP: Down at the Moei River, a border road which was little more than a pot holed track has been widened to two lanes with concrete drainage ditches and the new metalled surface is almost completed. This road goes from the old KNU (and now Burmese/DKBA) base at Kaw Moo Rah to Mae Tao near the new Friendship Bridge. Two permanent wooden checkpoints are also being completed along it. One going from Kaw Moo Rah to Huay Kaloke, and the other on the way from Kaw Moo Rah to Mae Tao. These new checkpoints have all appearances of toll gates. The only things along this road are the very poor Thai village of Wang Kaew across from Kaw Moo Rah a Buddhist monastery, and a small impoverished village of Karen from Burma. There are also a few fields and sawmills (on the Burma side of course), but compared to the pot holed road round Mae Sot, this new road which apparently goes to nowhere and is rarely travelled is an oddity, unless one remembers that Kaw Moo Rah used to do a thriving black market and teak trade when it was a KNU base. Also the new bridge is very much in the spotlight these days. Rumours that the camps in Tak province may be further consolidated may become true if it is deemed that Huay Kaloke is in the way of another Thai-Burmese infrastructure project. Building the road along the river may be an attempt to bypass this problem and thus not arouse international attention. **************************************** THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: JUNTA HOOKED ON $1.8BN DRUG TRADE, WARNS US ANALYSIS October 29, 1997 By Howard Winn in Bangkok Burma's ruling military junta appears to be increasingly dependent on profits from the drug trade, the country's most valuable export. The latest United States report on Burma estimates the trade in narcotics at $US1.24 billion ($1.8 billion) in 1996. According to the US report, drug profits have helped the regime through a foreign currency crisis caused largely by the increase in arms spending by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). In the mid-1990s this arms spending rose to as much as half of government outlays, amounting to the equivalent of 8 to 10 per cent of Burma's gross domestic product (GDP). In the early '90s, the regime paid for its arms spending by cutting funds for health and education, reneging on interest payments on its debt and drawing down its foreign reserves, according to the US report. As a result, the Government's foreign exchange reserves slumped from $US370 million at the end of 1989-90 to $US43 million in 1992-93. But in the mid-1990s there was a sharp increase in gross unrecorded foreign exchange inflows, equivalent to more than 10 per cent of GDP in 1995-96. The report says this was because more profits from narcotics were remaining inside the country. The regime encouraged this by its partial liberalisation of the currency in early 1993, which allowed foreign currencies to be converted into the local currency - the kyat - at the market exchange rates, rather than at the considerably higher official rates. In the late '80s and early '90s, the SLORC - formed in 1988 - discontinued the Burmese Government's practice of confiscating bank deposits that could not be shown to have been legally earned. The SLORC introduced a partial liberalisation of the economy after coming to power in 1988, but these reforms became untenable after the fiscal difficulties encountered by the regime because of increased defence spending. Exports and GDP growth slowed. However, fuelled largely by drug profits, imports and consumption continued and created an illusion of rapid economic growth. According to Burmese Government figures, economic growth slowed from 9.7 per cent in 1992-93 to 5.8 per cent in 1996-97. The US report shows that the rise in retained drug profits undermined Burma's fragile legal economy. The drug-related foreign currency inflows led to an appreciation of the kyat and discouraged the production of import substitutes. Private firms found it increasingly difficult to compete with the drug-financed imports, resulting in the failure of many companies and a slowing of the economy. *********************************************** THE NATION: FOREIGN MINISTRY DENIES REPORT ON THAI PRISONERS October 29, 1997 THE Foreign Ministry yesterday strongly denied news reports that it has ignored Thais jailed in Burmese prisons by failing to visit them and provide them with much needed medicine. The ministry said in a statement released yesterday that it has done its utmost to ensure that the Thais have been treated fairly by the Burmese. "Embassy staff of every rank in Rangoon have been assigned to visit the Thais in the jails and to counsel them. Visits are usually conducted once a month or more often for special cases," the statement said. During the visits, the embassy staff usually give the prisoners food, clothing and medicine provided through donations or paid for by the staff. The visits are conducted with the permission of Burmese authorities, it said. Recent news reports have claimed that the Foreign Ministry has not taken adequate care of Thais imprisoned in Burma by failing to give them medicines and visit them regularly. The reports quoted a senior Thai Army source as saying that relatives of the imprisoned Thais had now sought Army help. The ministry said the condition of a jail in a particular country was the sole responsibility of that country and that Burmese authorities treated all prisoners equally regardless of nationality. He said the Thai prisoners are in fact receiving better treatment than other prisoners as they obtain special treatment, including food and medicine, from embassy staff. Foreign Minister Prachuab Chaiyasan will travel to Burma today to act as a coordinator between Burma and the European Union, an informed source said yesterday. The source said Prachuab is scheduled to meet his Burmese counterpart U Ong Gyaw during his two-day visit to Rangoon. Prachuab has just returned from a trip to a number of European Union countries, including Belgium and France, where he was informed of the EU's position on Burma, which recently became a member of Asean. The EU is one of the grouping's 15 dialogue partners. Thailand is currently the coordinator between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the EU. ******************************************************* PEOPLE'S FORUM ON BURMA: JAPAN- UPDATE ON MYA WAI'S CASE October 29, 1997 From: QYN02403@niftyserve.or.jp * Updates on U Mya Wai's case * On 24 October, the Ministry of Justice of Japan submitted a statement to the Tokyo District Court. This statement is in response to the request for suspension of execution of the repatriation order for U Mya Wai which had been filed to the Court on 9 October by U Mya Wai's lawyers. The statement, which is 75 pages long, asks the Court to reject the request. It at length is trying to impress the court that there is no reason for U Mya Wai to fear persecution when he is repatriated. According to the statement, this is because U Mya Wai has not submitted any documents to prove his participation in pro-democracy activities in Burma. The statement also points out some inconsistencies in what U Mya Wai has been saying at the various interviews done during the refugee application process regarding the dates of his arrest and the length of detention, saying that if the arrests and torture had such an effect on him that he would fear persecution, U Mya Wai would remember the dates and the time periods correctly. The lawyers representing U Mya Wai held a meeting this morning (30 Oct) and they are planning to submit another statement in response to the one from the Ministry of Justice by 5 November. They are also working hard to gather 'evidence' to convince the Court that it would be very dangerous for U Mya Wai to be repatriated. The Court is expected to make a decision on the request (for suspension of repatriation) in two weeks. In the meantime, there has been no action on the part of the Ministry of Justice regarding the second application for refugee status (filed on 21 September) or application for provisional release (filed on 17 October). Over 40 letters and faxes have come from around the world and within Japan expressing concern on this case to the Immigration Bureau in care of the People's Forum on Burma. They have been forwarded to the Immigration Bureau, and photocopies of them have been forwarded to U Mya Wai. According to the lawyers that have been to see U Mya Wai recently, his physical condition, which was by no means good at the beginning of detention, has improved considerably. Yesterday, the Nagoya District Court made a decision to repeal the decision by the Ministry of Justice not to grant refugee status to a Pakistani man. The court said that the man will be in danger of persecution if he goes back to Pakistan. This is the very first case in Japan in which the court repealed the rejection of refugee status by the Ministry of Justice. This is a considerably encouraging news. The People's Forum on Burma/Lawyers' group for Burmese asylum seekers ********************************************** FBC: WRITE TIME MAGAZINE'S 'MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE' LIST October 29, 1997 From: Time Magazine is compiling its list of "100 most important people of the 20th century." to be published early next year. Write to them suggesting Aung San Suu Kyi with a brief argument as to why she should be included. The category in which she would most likely fit is "Warriors and Statesmen." Time 100 Room 2548 Time and Life Building Rockefeller Center New York, N.Y. 10020 ************************************************************** BURMANET SUBJECT-MATTER RESOURCE LIST BurmaNet regularly receives enquiries on a number of different topics related to Burma. If you have questions on any of the following subjects, please direct email to the following volunteer coordinators, who will either answer your question or try to put you in contact with someone who can: Campus activism: zni@students.wisc.edu Boycott campaigns: ai268@freenet.carleton.ca Buddhism: Buddhist Relief Mission: brelief@gol.com Chin history/culture: [volunteer temporarily away] Fonts: tom@cs.colgate.edu High School Activism: [volunteer needed] History of Burma: zni@students.wisc.edu International Affairs: Julien Moe: moe@interport.net Kachin history/culture: 74750.1267@compuserve.com Karen history/culture: Karen Historical Society: 102113.2571@Compuserve.com Mon history/culture: [volunteer needed] Naga history/culture: Wungram Shishak: z954001@oats.farm.niu.edu Burma-India border Aung San Myint: aungsan@giasd101.vsnl.net.in Pali literature: "Palmleaf": c/o burmanet@igc.apc.org Pipeline Campaign freeburma@irn.org Resettlement info: refugee_help@mail.serve.com Rakhaing (Arakan) history/culture Kyaw Tha Hla:thisthis@nyc.pipeline.com Rohingya culture volunteer needed Shan history/culture: Sao Hpa Han: burma@ix.netcom.com Shareholder activism: simon_billenness@mail.cybercom.net Teak Boycott Tim Keating: relief@igc.org Total - France Dawn Star: cd@utopia.EUnet.fr Tourism campaigns: bagp@gn.apc.org "Attn. S.Sutcliffe" volunteering: refugee_help@mail.serve.com World Wide Web: FreeBurma@POBox.com Geographical Contacts: Massachusetts simon_billenness@mail.cybercom.net [Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- FREE BURMA WEB PAGES: http://FreeBurma.org This single page serves only as an easy to remember URL and departure point to resources promoting the establishment of democracy in Burma. Please write to FreeBurma@pobox.com to add a site or for further information." - Glen, system administrator FREE BURMA COALITION: to get involved in the Free Burma Coalition, send a message to: zni@students.wisc.edu or visit their homepage, accessible through: http:// FreeBurma.org There is also an e-mail list-server especially for Free Burma activists BURMANET SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: The BurmaNet News is an electronic newspaper covering Burma. Articles from newspapers, magazines, newsletters, the wire services and the Internet as well as original material are published. It is produced with the support of the Burma Information Group (B.I.G) and the Research Department of the ABSDF. We are also grateful to many other friends around the world who send us articles to post. The BurmaNet News is e-mailed directly to subscribers and is also distributed via the soc.culture.burma and seasia-l mailing lists. For a free subscription to the BurmaNet News: send a message to: majordomo@igc.apc.org a. For the BurmaNet News only: in the message, type: subscribe burmanews-l b. For the BurmaNet News and 4-5 other messages a day: in the message, type: subscribe burmanet-l (NOTE: all lower case letters, last letter is a lower case "L", not the numeral one). Letters to the editor, comments or contributions of articles should be sent to the editor at: strider@igc.apc.org ***************************************************