------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: November 11, 1997 Issue #865 HEADLINES: ========== SLORC: INFORMATION SHEET No.A-0203(I/L), No.A-0202(I) KNU: SLORC EXAGGERATES SURRENDERS THE STAR (MALAYSIA): 'NO DECISION YET' ON JOINT WAR GAMES IMPHAL FREE PRESS: OFFICERS TRIED TO LAUNDER MONEY SHAN: WHO STOLE THE BOUNDARY STONE? ASIA WEEK: THE CHARTER IS STILL RELEVANT, SAYS A DIPLOMAT SEATTLE BURMA ROUNDTABLE: FIVE U.S. CITIES JOIN MOVEMENT BKK POST: EDITORIAL - BURMA ATTEMPTS TO MISDIRECT BLAME VOICE OF AMERICA: ERICSSON-BURMA BKK POST: TRAFFICKERS SPEED UP INFLOW OF AMPHETAMINE GLOBAL EXCHANGE ANNOUNCEMENT: BURMA SPEAKING TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT: CATERPILLAR COMPANY BOYCOTT -------------------------------------------------------------------------- SLORC: INFORMATION SHEET No.A-0203(I/L), No.A-0202(I) November 10, 1997 From: OKKAR66127@AOL.COM INFORMATION SHEET No.A-0203(I/L) Date. 10-11-97 No Unlawful Harassment on Mrs. Aris' Activities Daw Su Kyi has freely moved in visiting her friends and accepting her visitors. Regarding her activities in Yangon, Daw Su Kyi met at her residence Ambassador Head of Delegation and members of EU Mr Michale Caillout, a French and Mr Dominic Warit Whiting, a British at 1600 hrs to 1645 hrs on 5 November. She went to the British Ambassador's residence together with U Aung Shwe, U Tin Oo and U Lwin at 1230 hrs to 1445 hrs on 6 November. On her return she went to NLD Head Quarter and met youths at 1455 hrs to 1620 hrs. A discussion was being held by U Kyi Maung and U Tin Oo at her residence with 45 youths at 1515 hrs to 1730 hrs. She met Charge d' Affaires a.i. of American Embassy at her residence at 1045 hrs to 1150 hrs on 7 November and went to the French Ambassador's residence at 1500 hrs to 1640 hrs. She went to U Maung Ko's (deceased) house meeting his family in Yankin Township at 0925 hrs to 1050 hrs on 9 November. ------------------------ INFORMATION SHEET No.A-0202(I) Date. 10-11-97 [excerpts] S-E COMMANDER MEETS COMMANDER OF NO 3 MILITARY REGION OF ROYAL THAI ARMY IN MYAWADY Commander of South-East Command Maj-Gen Ket Sein arrived in Myawady on 4 November. The Commander together with Commander of No 33 LID Brig-Gen Thura Aye Myint and officials went to Myanmar-Thai border Friendship Bridge and met senior military officers led by Commander of No 3 Military region of Royal Thai Army Lt-Gen Thanom Wancharamut on the bridge. They discussed development of border trade, tranquillity and development in border area at Bayintnaung Yeiktha. The two commanders had lunch at Thaungyin Hall in Myawady. 118 KNU MEMBERS SWAP ARMS FOR PEACE IN THANDAUNG Altogether 118 members of KNU (Kayin National Union) armed group led by leader of Thandaung Township special unit major Saw Phe Re Mo (a) Saw Ar Di and deputy company commander of No 3 company of No 2 brigade Saw Gwe Hmu swapped arms for peace together with 124 family members, bringing in 33 assorted arms, 5,240 rounds of ammunition and 38 assorted mines at Leiktho Military camp in Thandaung Township on 8 November. **************************************** KNU: SLORC EXAGGERATES SURRENDERS November 11, 1997 From: Information was received recently that last week KNDO battalion Commander Ah dee of Toungoo District surrendered to the SLORC, negotiations were carried out in Thandaung town between representatives from the SLORC and Saw Ah Dee. Two sections, about 20 men, surrendered with Saw Ah Dee. In addition, company commander Capt. Chris Bo of KNLA No.2 Brigade also surrendered. It is not yet certain how many of his man surrendered along with him. The SLORC has reported that, 200 men surrendered along with commander Ah Dee, however the combined strength of Saw Ah Dee and Saw Chris Bo is at most 50 men. This inflated claim is clearly intended to demoralize the Karen movement. The SLORC will undoubtedly use these to commanders as militia in much the same way as former KNLA 16 Battalion commander Thu Mu Hei who surrendered in February in the Dooplaya district. Thu Mu Hei has been supplied by the Burmese to form a militia and has been committing much the same abuses as the Burmese soldiers with the result that many more people have been fleeing to safety in Thailand. ******************************************* THE STAR (MALAYSIA): 'NO DECISION YET' ON JOINT WAR GAMES WITH MYANMAR Sunday, November 9, 1997 KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is unable to determine at this point when it will hold a joint military exercise with Myanmar, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said yesterday. Such exercises were normal among Asean countries but it had not been decided when to hold the joint war games with Myanmar because it had just joined the grouping, he told reporters after launching the "Islamic Excellence Week" organised by Universiti Malaya. "Let everyone feel comfortable first, it has joined Asean and time and opportunity should be given . . ." he said when asked whether any timeframe had been set for conducting joint military manoeuvres. -- Bernama ******************************************************* IMPHAL FREE PRESS: ARMY OFFICERS TRIED TO LAUNDER LOOTED MONEY October 31, 1997 From Yumnam Rupachandra and N Deven Singh Imphal, October 30: In what could explode into a major scandal, some Army officers presently posted at Moreh tried to launder a huge amount of money that was looted from the State Bank of India, Phek branch, in Nagaland almost 10 years ago on December 12, 1986, allegedly by the banned National Socialist Council of Nagaland, NSCN. According to records maintained by the police, on October 9 last, at about 2 pm, Major Shantosh Kumar Jaswal of the 5/11 Gurkha Rifles post at Moreh, in full uniform, along with Major Sein Lin of 87th Battalion Myanmar Army, Captain Khin Lay Maung and two other residents of Tamu town came in a Myanmarese vehicle-- Toyota bearing number 6A-8053 (written in Burmese script) from Myanmas and entered Moreh through Gate No. 1 along with the vehicle without any permission. Earlier Major Shantosh Kumar had crossed the Indian border into Myanmar through number 2 Gate. Moreover the bank was not authorised to issue drafts amounting to more than Rs. 50,000 at a time. At 3:20 pm the foreign nationals in question returned to Myanmar the police said. The next day 9:30 am, Major Shantosh Kumar and his party along with Major Bastsa (of intelligence branch, Moreh) and Lt Col V.S. Grewal came to the bank and rescued that the money be allowed to be sent to "Nadir Ali and Company by Lt Col V.S Grewal is special cause. As the bank regulation allowed the transfer of only Rs. 50,000 at a time, the cash handed over to the bank, this time was only Rs. 50,000 in Rs.10,000 bundles of Rs. 100 notes, the police record said. On cross checking by the bank staff, it was discovered that two of the bundles of currency notes, amounting to Rs. 20,000 bore denomination Nos 905801 to 905900. These numbers were among the numbers on the notes looted by suspected NSCN, from the Phek branch of the State Bank of India, on December 12, 1986. **************************************************** SHAN: WHO STOLE THE BOUNDARY STONE? November 7, 1997 From: shan The BP-1 checkpoint, between Nawng Ook (Thailand) and Poongpakhem (Shan State) has been closed off again only a few days after it was officially opened on 23 October in accordance with the agreement made by Burma's Southeast Regional Commander and Thailand's Third Regional Commander in August. The dispute was due to the mysterious disappearances of the boundary stone which was placed by the British and Thai surveyors more than a hundred years ago. The Burmese side held the Thai Authorities for the disappearance and demanded its return. The Thais denied the accusation and sought to placate their counterparts by offering to replace the disappeared stone with a substitute. The offer was categorically denied, according to Thai sources in Chiangdao. End. ********************************** ASIA WEEK: THE CHARTER IS STILL RELEVANT, SAYS A DIPLOMAT October 31, 1997 Timothy Chorba Is the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights truly universal? Timothy Chorba, outgoing U.S. ambassador to Singapore, believes so. He contributed the following column to a recent edition of The Straits Times. A condensed version: Some commentators suggest the Declaration is no longer relevant. They imply it reflects the bias of Western drafters, is rooted in values alien to Asia and has been imposed on the non-western world by Western "superpowers." A careful reading of the Declaration leads to a more balanced and constructive view. Myth: The Declaration was drafted by Western countries. Fact: The eight members of the U.N. special committee that drafted the document represented [the Republic of ] China, Lebanon, Chile, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, the Soviet Union and the United States. Many others contributed suggestions. The chairperson was Eleanor Roosevelt, an American humanitarian and wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The vice chairman was a Chinese diplomat and the rapporteur a Lebanese philosopher. The General Assembly adopted the Declaration 48-0, with eight countries abstaining. Among the countries that voted ‘yes’ were Burma, China, Cuba, India, Iran, Iraq, the Philippines and Thailand. Myth: The Declaration was an attempt by colonial powers to impose their will on weaker, smaller nations. Fact: So-called "third world" countries such as Panama, Chile and Cuba were among the strongest advocates of the concept that the U.N. should agree on a set of universal human right. The Declaration was one of the first international agreements to recognize the essential equality of all of the world’s people and the dignity of individuals regardless of their country of origin or its international strength. Myth: The Declaration focuses only on individual rights and ignores community interests. Fact: Article 16 states that "the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and by society and is entitled to protection by society and the state." Article 29 states that "every one has duties to the community…subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public democratic society." Myth: The Declaration does not add economic and social rights. Fact: Article 23 states that "everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment." Article 25 states: "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family." The original drafters of the Declaration produced a rich document reflecting many different viewpoints as powerful and relevant today as when it was first drafted a half century ago. ************************************** SEATTLE BURMA ROUNDTABLE PRESS RELEASE: FIVE U.S. CITIES JOIN FREE BURMA MOVEMENT November 7, 1997 From: S E A T T L E B U R M A R O U N D T A B L E 2319 N. 45th St., #115, Seattle, WA 98103 USA Tel (206) 784-5742, Fax (206) 784-8150 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FIVE U.S. CITIES JOIN FREE BURMA MOVEMENT SEATTLE URGED TO JOIN MULTILATERAL CAMPAIGN Seattle, November 7, 1997 -- During the past three weeks, five U.S. cities have joined a growing multilateral campaign of anti-apartheid style economic pressure on the ruling military junta of Burma. Palo Alto (CA), Quincy (MA), Newton (MA), West Hollywood (CA) and Brookline (MA) have all passed measures restricting city purchases from companies doing business in Burma. They bring the total of cities participating to 17 (including New York City, San Francisco and Oakland), plus Alameda County (CA) and the State of Massachusetts. President Clinton invoked a ban on new US investment is April, citing U.S. national security concerns, and Burmese military complicity in the heroin trade. Canada and the European Union also have sanctions targeting the Burmese military junta, and Japan continues to withhold Overseas Development Aid, in an effort to encourage the military to take up dialogue with the overwhelmingly popular Burmese democracy movement headed by Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Foreign investment in Burma is drying up as a result, raising hopes that the junta will come to the table soon. "We are increasingly confident that Seattle will not want to isolate itself from this multilateral campaign," says Larry Dohrs of the Seattle Burma Roundtable. "We as a city pride ourselves on caring about the oppressed. When we can act at virtually no cost to ourselves, but with great effectiveness, we are ethically obligated to do so." The proposed Seattle Burma Ordinance would restrict city purchases from companies propping up the Burmese junta. A study of current city contracts suggests few if any contracts will be affected. A panel discussion on the proposed Seattle Burma Ordinance is scheduled for December 2nd at 9:30 am in the Council Chambers. The ordinance has been endorsed by a broad coalition of business, labor, religious, political and community groups. "Nothing that Seattle could do to help the Burmese people would be more effective than to support the federal government, the international campaign and the Burmese elected government, by passing this ordinance," says Khin Pale Nu, a Seattle-based Burmese dissident. According to Everett Billingslea, General Counsel to Governor Gary Locke, the city of Seattle is "free to set its own procurement policies," unencumbered by any World Trade Organization strictures. Contact: Larry Dohrs and Khin Pale Nu, Seattle Burma Roundtable, 206-784-5742 *************************************** BKK POST: EDITORIAL - BURMA ATTEMPTS TO MISDIRECT BLAME November 8, 1997 The Burmese regime stopped democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from meeting supporters. It attacked a small crowd of supporters, detained several dozen people and arrested an unknown number. This occurred just a week after Rangoon won cautious praise for allowing Mrs Suu Kyi to hold an identical meeting. ------------------- It is the official view of the government of Burma that with her continual attempt to exercise freedom of speech, Aung San Suu Kyi has halted progress to democracy. According to Secretary One, Khin Nyunt, Burma is being held to ransom by Ms Suu Kyi. If only the leader of the National League for Democracy would stop trying to speak to her supporters, Burma would quickly become democratic. All this would be mildly amusing if it were fiction, a petite woman preventing a military regime from imposing a democratic system on a country. But the relentless insistence by SLORC leaders and their spokesmen that it is the truth of today's Burma is more serious. The claim that Ms Suu Kyi can prevent the military regime from doing anything is difficult, or impossible, to believe. The protest that she is preventing Slorc from imposing a democratic regime is ludicrous. The fact is that Slorc continues to prevent any outbreak of democracy in Burma. It is also true that the reason for this is not exactly clear. It was the Slorc group which organised Burma's first free, fair and national elections in 1990. Those elections could have been the first important and impressive step on the Burmese road to democracy. Instead, Slorc completely ignored them except to arrest, torture and imprison many of the winning candidates. In more than seven years since, the leadership has refused to say why it subverted them. The only credible reason seems to be that Slorc leaders feared to fall from the lucrative control of the dictatorship. To its credit, the Slorc junta has tried on several occasions to come to grips with the reality of its membership in Asean. Since June, it has taken faltering steps to deal with the loyal opposition, including the democrats led by Ms Suu Kyi. It has attempted to articulate the cost of its years of doing business with drug warlords Khun Sa, Lo Hsing Han and others. Earlier this week, Secretary One Khin Nyunt told Bangkok Post there would be major changes in internal policy. It would have sounded better if Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt had mentioned a deadline. In the five months since Burma has joined Asean as a full member, there has been no visible progress towards becoming a responsible member of the group, and of the world community. Each hesitant step forward has resulted in a quick step backwards. Two weeks ago, the regime allowed and even facilitated a political trip to a Rangoon suburb by Ms Suu Kyi and her senior advisers. By all accounts, including the media mouthpieces of Slorc, the day in the suburbs went well, with no security problems or indeed any problems at all. The next time she left her home, riot police arrested eight supporters. On Wednesday, she tried again; authorities arrested around 50 NLD members and renewed their absurd campaign that Ms Suu Kyi was blocking the path to democracy. This sort of response only makes it clear that Slorc makes up its own rules as it goes along—out of confusion or to induce fear, it doesn't matter. The other members of Asean face a tough job in dealing with Rangoon. But it is vital they increase the reminders and diplomatic pressure that Slorc's atrocious actions now reflect badly on Asean and on each of its members. Rangoon continues to deal with drug traffickers. It continues to treat Mrs Suu Kyi's legal opposition movement badly. These and other wretched activities reflect badly on Slorc. But they now also bring disrepute to Asean. It is time they stopped. ************************************************* VOICE OF AMERICA: ERICSSON-BURMA November 6, 1997 Aung Hla Since President Clinton signed a law earlier this year banning new US investment in Burma, activist groups opposing Burma’s military government have stepped up their campaign for companies to divest from Burma. As Aung Hla of VOA's Burmese service reports, Ericsson of Sweden -- known for its cellular telephones -- is one of the companies targeted by groups working To promote democracy in Burma: Text: boycotts against Ericsson have been going on in a number of Scandinavian countries, and groups critical of Burma’s military government are attempting to spread public protests to Asia, Australia, the united states and Canada. Activists say Ericsson supplies the Burmese military government with telecommunications equipment that helps to suppress the Burmese people. In Burma, ordinary citizens using cellular telephones, fax machines or modems without permission can be jailed up to 15 years. In the united states, one of the coordinators of the boycott against Ericsson is Dan Orzech of "the bay area Burma roundtable" in San Francisco: /// Orzech act /// Well, the democratic elected leader of Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi, has asked western companies not to come to Burma until democracy does. And many, many companies -- including Ericsson’s competitor Motorola -- have respected that request. But Ericsson persists. Any company that is involved in Burma, doing business in Burma, is either directly or indirectly supporting human rights abuses like forced labor - slave labor, torture, which the government there uses to keep its citizens in line. And is indirectly supporting the heroin trade because Burma supplies most of the heroin found in the united states. The government is involved up to its ears. /// end act /// David Wolfberg is a Burma activist who is trying to educate university students about the situation in Burma. /// Wolfberg act /// Our message to Ericsson is that they are not going to get into the student market because the Free Burma Coalition is on 100 campuses and we're going to let everyone know that Ericsson is not the cellular phone company to go with. /// end act /// Ericsson does business in more than 130 countries, and employs more than 100-thousand people, with world-wide sales of more than 15-billion dollars. The company says it complies with national and international laws -- including the law signed by president Clinton this year banning new u-s investment in Burma. Ericsson vice president for public affairs, John Giere, and Kathy Egan -- vice president for corporate communication -- say Ericsson is fulfilling its existing contractual obligations in Burma. They categorically deny Ericsson has any relationship with the Burmese military. However, both Mr. Giere and Ms. Egan candidly acknowledge that because of Burma’s political and human rights situation, the country cannot be considered a good place to invest: /// Egan act /// In fact, there is not even a good case for doing business in Burma because of the problems that have been going on: the human rights issue, the economic issues, the instability of the government. That makes Burma not a country that makes sense to do business in. /// end act /// Activist groups in Australia are now supporting a campaign to persuade the public to boycott Ericsson products. Mary O’Kane represents "the Burma Support Group" in Melbourne: /// O’Kane act /// Burma activists in Australia are working with the Ericsson campaign in conjunction with the Free Burma Coalition as part of a globally-organized campaign against Ericsson. We will stop when we have a satisfactory answer from Ericsson that they won't continue to do business in Burma under present political conditions. // end act // Like other companies, Ericsson has watched as US cities and one state approved "selective purchasing" legislation. Such laws impose restrictions on cities signing contracts with companies doing business in Burma. Burma activist groups say Ericsson and other companies have lost millions of dollars as a result of these laws being approved in such places as New York City, and San Francisco, California. Critics of these laws point out that losses in places like Burma are small compared to overall corporate profits. The state of Massachusetts passed sanctions legislation last year. Recently, two Massachusetts towns (Newton and Quincy) joined a list of 15 US cities with Burma selective purchasing legislation. Similar legislation is pending in at least one other large American city -- Seattle, Washington. **************************************** BKK POST: TRAFFICKERS SPEED UP INFLOW OF AMPHETAMINE November 9, 1997 Subin Khuenkaew Drugs flood: Each month, eight million amphetamine tablets are smuggled in from Burma. Tightened security at the Mae Sai-Tachilek checkpoint has only made traffickers change their routes and strategies. The Burmese town of Tachilek has become a haven for Thai drug addicts and a major source of amphetamines that are flooding Thai markets. "Whenever I have a craving for heroin, I just walk across the border to Tachilek and go to one of several houses that sell the drug," said a tricycle driver in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai. "The authorities cannot touch me as long as I don't bring heroin back into Thailand." But heroin is not the only problem for Thai anti-narcotics officials. Every month, millions of amphetamine tablets are smuggled into Thailand from Tachilek. Like heroin, amphetamines are easily available in the Burmese border town. Young Thai addicts cross the many illegal border passes into Tachilek daily to buy and consume the drug. The official Mae Sai-Tachilek checkpoint is not the only channel used by people from both sides, who have had close links for a long time. The Chiang Rai border has many hills, valleys, streams, and tracks. The geography makes it possible for drug traders to set up clandestine factories and smuggle amphetamines through the illegal crossing points along the border. The problem worries Pornthep Lamprapai, chief of Chiang Rai's Narcotics Control Office. "So far, we have found 60 major routes that are used to bring in eight million amphetamine tablets every month. We think the drug is intended for Thais, and the number of users is rising, particularly among teenagers," he said. Smuggling operations: A police officer said cars that do not have northern licence plates are often used to smuggle amphetamines from Tachilek. Once a car has been modified, it will be driven to Mae Sai. At least two people will share the driving, said the officer. Once in Mae Sai, the car is left for a third driver either in a hotel car park, a petrol station or a hospital parking lot. It will then be driven to a meeting point to "load" the drugs. Since the Third Army and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) set up a task force to tackle amphetamine trafficking in the North two months ago, traffickers have changed routes and strategies. Smuggling activity increased on the stretch from Burma to the Mekong River and in Chiang Saen and Chiang Khong districts of Chiang Rai; from Burma to Laos and across the Mekong to Nong Khai; and from Tachilek southward to Mae Ai, Fang and Chiang Dao in Chiang Mai. Foot couriers are also used to tarry shipments to Mae Chan district in Chiang Rai, said a Thai official. "We believe more than one million ya baa (amphetamine) tablets have been transported into Thailand on foot and are being kept in a secret place. They know they are being watched." Orders are normally placed in Mae Sai, with brokers usually getting one baht a tablet and smugglers 2-3 baht. A tablet in Mae Sai costs 18 baht. Chemicals used to produce the drug, such as ephedrine that comes from China, cost more than 100,000 baht a kilo. Official involvement: Mae Sai police chief Pol Col Panurat Meephian admitted that some policemen had been hired by drug traders to drive cars into Burma for a fee of 5,000 - 10,000 baht. "Recently, I transferred two sergeants out of Mae Sai," he said. Two months after the task force was set up, five village headmen, two soldiers, an anti-narcotics policeman and a law graduate were arrested for their alleged involvement in the amphetamine trade. One in four of the arrest cases involved hilltribe people, said Pol Col Panurat. Authorities say they still have to depend on old-fashioned methods against drug criminals. "We depend a lot on decoys, both in Thailand and Burma. But success depends to a great extent on the experience and expertise of ONCB officials who can recognise suspects and cars that are involved in trafficking," said Pol Col Panurat. At the moment, a special unit comprising ONCB and military personnel has been set up at the Mae Sai-Tachilek permanent checkpoint to search vehicles. Details of passing cars, such as licence plates and the number of passengers are recorded. Cars that have disappeared for several days after crossing the checkpoint (into Burma) are treated as suspicious. "Many people who want to get rich quick have joined the narcotics gangs. They have no criminal records and do it just once, so it's difficult to track them down." the police officer said. The manufacturers: Anti-narcotics authorities claim that the United Wa State Army, a former Burmese rebel group, runs many amphetamine factories along the border. The Wa signed a ceasefire agreement with Burma's State Law-and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) to lay down their weapons three years ago and became a volunteer force in charge of maintaining peace along the border. Their headquarters are in Tachilek. According to Mr Pornthep, Burmese anti-narcotics officials in Tachilek claimed that amphetamines from factories owned by former Wa soldiers were sent into Thailand. "They admit it is difficult to suppress these producers. But we once made a joint suppression drive that netted over 100,000 amphetamine tablets in Tachilek," he said. Local police claim there are nine to 10 amphetamine factories within a 10-km radius of Tachilek. Five major trafficking routes are used, mainly by boat across the Mae Sai River, and through the temporary crossing points at Pang Ha, Fai Hin, Sai Lom Joy and Tha Dindaeng. There have been many successful joint suppression campaigns by Thai and Burmese authorities, but Rangoon did not want to publicise them. It apparently does not want to admit that Tachilek is a major source of amphetamines. Besides, the Red Wa still wield considerable influence over the authorities in Tachilek, an anti-narcotics source claimed. The ONCB has set up special suppression forces, which comprise its own personnel, troops from the Third Army and border patrol police, which form two units, one responsible for Mae Sai, the other Chiang Dao. The headquarters is in Ban Therdthai in Mae Chan district, which was a stronghold of former drug warlord Khun Sa. Military narcotics suppression units monitor around 60 crossing points daily but can only stop smuggling to a certain extent. "When we monitor the small crossing points, traffickers switch to bigger points such as the one at Mae Sai- Tachilek. They also increase the amount of drugs from 10,000 to 500,000 tablets per trip," said an official. "They take the risk because the returns are high if they can get away with it. A big shipment means operators are influential and wealthy," he said. "We need better intelligence." Need for cooperation: Banpot Piamdee, director of the Northern Narcotics Control Centre, said Burmese cooperation is essential. At present, traffickers can escape into Burma and Thai authorities can do nothing. There have also been meetings with Laos every three months that have resulted in some cooperation. Mr Banpot said the new constitution might make the suppression effort more complicated. "Under the old law, suspects could be detained three days before being sent for interrogation. The time is crucial, particularly to find the source or the masterminds. But the new constitution allows only 48 hours. Even three days is sometimes not enough since some incidents take place in remote areas or in the jungle." ONCB officials now have a special card which gives them the authority to search houses or cars at any time. Under the new constitution; government officials need a search warrant from the court of justice. Mr Banpot said he is not certain whether ONCB officials are subject to this new regulation. The power and role of ONCB officials should be clearly defined in organic laws to be drafted by Parliament, he said. Another difficulty is the lack of manpower to guard evidence. The Public Health Ministry recently ordered all provincial health offices to take care of seized narcotic drugs instead of sending them to Bangkok. The problem, Banpot said, is that each provincial health office is not ready to do so. There are places to store the drugs but not enough manpower to look after them. "Sometimes, there is a massive amount of drugs and this is a big problem at many public health offices," he said. Chiang Rai public health office now has to take care of one million amphetamine tablets and 40 kilogrammes of heroin seized by local police. ********************************************** GLOBAL EXCHANGE ANNOUNCEMENT: BURMA SPEAKING TOUR November 9, 1997 From: Larissa Snorek Burma Speaking Tour - Sponsored by Global Exchange When: The tour will begin March 23 and continue until April 10, 1998. Once commitments are made by local groups, we will coordinate and confirm the exact schedule. Where: We plan for the tour to concentrate in these areas of the country: 1) West Coast: San Francisco, L.A., Wyoming, and Idaho. 2) Midwest: Illinois, Missouri, Michigan 3) East: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Philadelphia, Florida. 4) Southwest: Texas, New Mexico Program: We envision a typical program as a talk followed by a question and answer period. Some groups may wish to host a reception before or after the program. The format is flexible and we will accommodate the needs of each group. Speaker: The speaker is Ohmar Khin, a Burmese refugee living in the United States. (See enclosed biography.) Topics for the talk: Ohmar is available to speak on the following topics, either alone or in conjunction with each other: 1) "Burma: South Africa of the '90s" - Ohmar will explain Burma's struggle for democracy and human rights and she will discuss why Burma has been called the "South Africa of the '90s" by comparing the situations in each country. 2) "Burmese Refugees: Nowhere to Hide in Burma; No Sanctuary in Thailand" - This talk focuses on the more than four decades of civil war and the plight of Burmese refugees along the border. From her experience, Ohmar will discuss how SLORC's ethnic cleansing and persecution have been unbearable. 3) "Burma: A Cry for Freedom" - In this talk she will focus on the lives of the Burmese people under military rule, the forced labor that Burmese children are thrown into under government orders, and the cry for freedom from the mouths of Burmese citizens. 4) "Burmese Women and Children" - Ohmar will address the exploitation of young women in Burma and surrounding areas (specifically Thailand) and the torture and rape of children. Child prostitution and using children for pornography has become widespread in Thailand, and as many as 50,000 Burmese women and children are working in Thailand as prostitutes at any one time. Ohmar's experience living in Burma and giving talks in the U.S. gives her deep insight into the eye-opening realism in this region of the world and promises to challenge audiences to think beyond their own country and to take action toward a free Burma. We are asking event organizers to: * Provide venue arrangements. * Publicize events within your university/groups. Global Exchange can assist with this. * Provide hospitality to two out of town guests (our speaker and a tour organizer) for one night, including food, lodging (home stay is ok, hotel is not necessary), transport to and from the airport and between events. * Publicize events to press/media. Global Exchange can provide assistance in this effort. Funding: We need to receive between $500 and $1000 per event (depending on associated costs) in order to cover the expense of the trip. We understand that some groups can provide more support than others. Our experience has shown that seeking co-sponsors (e.g., among departments or student groups) helps to share the costs and responsibilities of an event. For More Information, Contact Larissa Snorek at: tel: (415)255-7296 ext. 249; fax: (415)255-7498; e-mail: Global Exchange is a non-profit education and action center working to promote citizen diplomacy. We seek to build more people-to-people ties between North and South, and closer collaboration among U.S. groups doing such work. Ohmar Khin Profile Ohmar Khin, coordinator for the Burma Project of Refugees International in Washington, D.C., experienced student liberation movements in Burma firsthand. She is one of the many students that actively worked to bring democracy to Burma in 1988 and that witnessed the progressive movement be violently crushed by the Burmese government. Today, her work in the U.S. enables her to help many refugees such as students who in the late eighties fled to the Thai-Burma border to seek refuge in the jungle and who have now migrated to the West for refuge because they could no longer subsist in the jungle. Forced to flee the country herself after Burma's ruling military regime, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), crushed the nationwide pro-democracy movement in 1988, Ohmar now lives as a student-in-exile. Majoring in chemistry at Rangoon University in 1988, Ohmar served as an executive member of the All Burma Students' Federation of Unions (ABSFU), as Vice Chair and co-founder of the All Burma Students' Democratic Movement Organization, and gave speeches on the Rangoon University campus promoting democracy for Burma. When the pro-democracy movements ended in the slaughter of unarmed protesters gunned down alongside streets by military forces, Ohmar managed to survive by fleeing to the border where she joined the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) - the border-based student organization. One year later, she became a volunteer at the Jesuit Refugees Service (JRS) in Bangkok, Thailand, and formed the Burmese Students Committee for Social Affairs to help other Burmese refugees. In 1990, Ohmar resettled to the United States as a political refugee. In 1992, she received a fellowship from the JRS to research the situation of Burmese refugees on the Thai-Burma border and of Burmese women who were forced into prostitution in Thailand. Later that year, she assisted the Harvard Program on Refugee Trauma in researching post-trauma events of Burmese students during their stay in Thailand as refugees and she co-authored a report on this subject which was published in the American Journal of Public Health in November, 1996. Ohmar spoke at the World University Service of Canada in 1993 on Burma's human rights situation and movement for democracy and again at the 1994 Amnesty International Annual Press Conference in Washington, D.C. She then graduated from Simon's Rock College in Great Barrington, Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry. In other efforts to help her country, Ohmar testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations in favor of the Free Burma Act of 1995 and before the New York City Council's Committee on Governmental Operations in favor of banning the city's contracts with corporations that are investing in Burma. Also, on April 23rd 1996, she testified before the Texas State Affairs Committee in favor of the proposed state-wide Burma Selective Purchasing Law in Austin, Texas. Since then, other cities around the nation have followed by passing selective purchasing laws which ban the purchase of products made by companies affiliated with Burma. In April 1997, she received the Capitol Area Peace Maker Award from American University's Peace and Conflict Resolution Program in Washington, D.C. In May, the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children in New York presented her with the Refugee Leaders of Promise award. ********************************************** ANNOUNCEMENT: CATERPILLAR COMPANY BOYCOTT November 9, 1997 From: E. Mirante, Project Maje The Midwest-based Caterpillar company has been a major supporter of the SLORC, actually hosting a SLORC delegation to the US at its headquarters in 1996. A high-profile proponent of constructive engagement, Caterpillar, which makes heavy equipment such as bulldozers, was named one of the 10 worst corporations by Multinational Monitor in '96. They have had a record 300 unfair labor practices charges here in the US and their safety violations killed at least one of their own employees. Although their Burma involvement has been known for a long time, obviously it's hard for us to launch a grass-roots boycott campaign against their earth-moving equipment. But now they have begun a new consumer-goods line that is perfectly boycott-able: "Cat Footwear". They are making/selling hiking & work boots (the Caterpillar logo in yellow on them) and they are trying to introduce them to the "youth market" by advertising them in trendy magazines. It's ironic that they use a tough, "working mans" image for their ads when the company is responsible for abuse of their own workers. Plus there's nothing trendy or fashionable about being a big corporate pal of the SLORC. The ads include an 800 number to call for a store carrying the Cat Footwear line: 1-800-789-8586. Please call it and tell them you will certainly not buy those boots as they come from a company that supports dictatorship in Burma. Also you can write and tell Caterpillar's CEO the same message: Mr. Donald Fites, Caterpillar Inc., 100 NE Adams St., Peoria IL 61629-1425. "Boot Cat Out of Burma!" ********************************