/* ---------- "Burma Focus, April 1995" ---------- */ From: absdf@nn.apc.org (All Burma Students' Democratic Front) *************************************************************************** BURMA FOCUS PUBLISHED BY THE ALL BURMA STUDENTS' DEMOCRTIC FRONT ABSDF Europe Office **************************************************************************** Vol.6 No.1 April 1995 **************************************************************************** France Sponsors UNCHR Resolution and Oil Exploitation GenCCve, f+vrier 1995 "Daw Aung San Suu Kyi detention has been further extended for six months from 10 January to 11 July 1995. The decision was taken by the Council of Ministers on 14th December 1994, though the order was only shown to her finally on 29 January 1995," the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Burma said in his oral statement at the 51st session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva on February 23, 1995. (On March 30, the deputy director of the military intelligence unit, Col Kyaw Win attempted to clarify the issue of Aung San Suu Kyi, saying she would be released in accordance with what is stipulated in the "law".) "According to the Government's own interpretation of its altered law, applied to her with retroactive effect, she cannot continue to be held beyond July 11, 1995, by which time she will have been detained without trial for six years," Yokoto clearly pointed out to the assembly. For the fifth year in a row, the UNCHR urged the Burmese military junta to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi B9 immediately and unconditionally. The French-sponsored resolution, again adopted by conensus by the Commission, expressed its deep concerns at the extremely grave human rights violations in Burma. Besides torture and summary execution, the UNCHR charged the junta of engaging in forced labor, abuse of women, politically motivated arrests and detention, forced displacement of the population, restrictions on freedom of expression and association as well as oppression of ethnic and religious minorities. The Commission also condenmed the junta for a recent offensive against the Karen National Union and against student activists along the Thai-Burmese border. All member nations recognized that SLORC's national convention was not a legitimately free body which would lead to democratization in Burma. Half-way around the World, Abuses Continue Meanwhile, a critical report by London-based group Article 19 described Rangoon as one of the most heavily censored states in the world. "The SLORC's maintenance of strict controls of freedom of expression, association and assembly, suggests that the Burmese military is not yet prepared to loosen its grip on the political life of the country and hand over power to democratically elected civilian leaders," the report observed. According to an Amnesty International statement dated March 15, fifty pro-democracy activists were arrested in Rangoon during the funeral of Burma's first-elected prime minister, U Nu, on Feb 20. Amnesty expressed its strong concerns for the safety of the young activists. Two of the detainess, Maung Maung Oo and Moe Myat Thu were reported by eye-witnesses to have been badly beaten at the time of their arrest by members of the Military Intelligence. Violence by military forces is not confined to peaceful demonstrators, as AsiaWatch illustrated in its Feb 27 report showing how Burmese troops have beaten and killed men and women who were forced to work as porters. Burma: Abuses Linked to the Fall of Manerplaw, covered the period of October 1994 to Feb 1995, when those suspected of supporting Karen rebel were seized from work-places, cinemas, trains and even their homes. The 27-page report, based on the interviews with 50 porters who have escaped, graphically told how some were killed and many were injured. Porters went without food for two days, were badly beaten with rifle butts if they slowed down and some of the weak or injured were left to die on the trails. "All had been witnessed by the deaths of fellow porters," the report pointed out. AsiaWatch called on the Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN) to reconsider its policy of "constructive engagement" with Burma. Frence Leads Foreign Investment in Burma The Burmese Foreign Investment Commission announced that France has taken over the top spot as largest foreign investor with US$1.05 billion, or 44% of the total in February 1995. French companies were followed by business interests from Singapore, Thailand and the United States. Among French companies, state-owned oil giant Total has altogether invested more than US$1 billion to develop a natural gas pipeline with the Burmese junta-owned Oil and Gas Enterprise. In addition to oil and gas, hotels, tourism and mining were the most attractive areas for foreign investors, who continue to shy away from risky and virtually absent industrial development. Despite official claims, investors know the political situation is unstable in Burma and that making any long-term investments that go beyond simple natural resource exports would require huge investments in infrastructural projects. Natural resources are easier to exploit, and tourism is being given special incentives by the regime. Singapore has invested a total of US$293.4 million and Thailand US$265 million, much of that on fishing and forestry, while American companies have given US$203 million to SLORC. The Burmese Foreign Investment Commission listed other significant investments as coming from Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Britain, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Macau, Malaysia, the Phillipines and the Netherlands. Berkeley Leads the Way Doing business with the Burmese junta is not acceptable, decided the Berkeley City Council. On Feb 28 the Californian city passed a resolution officially barring companies from doing business with the City of Berkeley if they are dealing with SLORC. The resolution B9 the first of its kind on Burma and much resembling the anti-Arpartheid campaign B9 prohibits the purchase of goods and services from companies who do business in Burma on account of that country's repressive human rights record. The three largest US companies with operating in Burma B9 Pepsi, Texaco and Unocal B9 are likely to be affected by the resolution. The law also acts as a powerful deterrent to companies who are doing business with Berkeley not to invest in Burma. The Bay Area Burma Round-table, a citizen action group concerned with human rights in Burma, and Progressive Asset Management were the main proponents of the legislation. "This is an important victory in the struggle to bring justice to Burma. We hope other cities, counties and state governments will now understand economic santions against companies operating in Burma, similar to the world-wide grass-root effort that helped achieve an apartheid-free South Africa," said Conrad Mackerron, Director of Social Research for Progressive Asset Management. Similar legislation was passed by a key committee on Feb 28 in the Massachusetts legislature. "As we have learned in the case of Iraq, oil riches bring huge sums of monney to military leaders enabling them to acquire weaponry and technology to intimidate and opress their citizens," said Linda Maio of the Berkeley City Council. Rev Desmond Tutu, Arbishop of Cape Town and fellow Nobel Laureate of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, commented on Mar 30 in The Daily Yomiru that "...the constructive engagement policies of the ASEAN countries are doomed to fail. Only the application of punitive sanctions will bring about an end to military rule. Suu Kyi will then guide her country as its demoncratically elected leader." "The international communitry acted decisively in the case of apartheid in the South Africa with spectacular results. It cannot do less in the case of Burma." "What is the world still waiting for?" wrote Desmond Tutu. SLORC vs KNU/ABSDF, Round II The Burmese military junta resumed it military offensive against Karen and the democratic forces along the Thai-Burmese border on December 11, 1994. SLORC troops from Karen State had been mobilized since the first of week of December to exploite the situation after a seemingly religious rift developed within the Karen National Union (KNU), when a few hundred disgruntled rank-and-file defected from the several man-strong Karen National Liberation Army. It was later discovered the breakaway faction was directly supported by the military regime with supplies and arms in return for strategic information, especially about Manerplaw defenses. Beginning December 12, fighting between SLORC troops and the KNU/ABSDF combined forces intensifed. Finally, on January 27, SLORC troops captured Manerplaw, the Heaquarters of the KNU in addition to many other Burmese democratic forces, including the National Coaliation Government of Union of Burma. Here is a brief chronology of events taking place both inside and outside of Burma during the SLORC military offensive. December 1994 Dec 1 - approx 300 Karen guerrillas mutined, led by Buddhist monks and young Buddhist Karen officials, against the mainly Christian leadership; the mutineers occupied a strategic hill at the confluence of the Salween and Moei rivers over-looking Manerplaw; the KNU sent a 15-member delegation to negotiate any grievances Dec 7 - the mutined group detained 5 members of negotiating team against their will, including a Buddhist monk Dec 9 - SLORC troops occupied Mae Nyaw Khei, South-East of Manerplaw; provocative disinformation was distributed and exagerated that the KNU was "at war with itself" between Christian and Buddhist factions Dec 11 - fighting erupted when a group of the mutineers attempted to move across the Salween River towards the KNU headquarters at Manerplaw, about 20 km (12 miles) south of the confluence; they were repelled; at the same time approx 1,400 SLORC troops attacked and captured Loh Toe, a small outpost 10 km west of Dawn Gwin, the headquarters of the ABSDF Dec 14 - SLORC troops attacked the Dawn Gwin area and burned down a hut in an outer camp before they retreated to 12 km west of Dawn Gwin; Burmese troops set up checkpoints on the roads near Kawkareik Township and dragged more than 300 people out of cars, trucks and buses and put them in military trucks to bring them to the fontlines for portering, road building and to act as human shields/minesweepers Dec 15 - A meeting consisting of KNU leaders, mutinied and mediation committee members including a Thai monk was held and a five-point agreement was signed aimed at defusing the crisis between Buddhists and Christians Dec 19 - SLORC troops fired more than 200 mortar bombs at the Karen's Kawmoora base, located on the west bank of the Moei River; two Burmese officers were killed and 17 soldiers wounded during the fruitless assault; U Rewata, a Buddhist monk who is negotiating between the Burmese junta and Aung San Suu Kyi, met with KNU's chairman Gen Bo Mya and NMSP's chairman, Naing Shwe Kyin, in Chaing Mai in northern Thailand before leaving for Rangoon for another round of negotations. Dec 20 - the KNU sent approx 1,000 of its soliders to fortify the headquarters and defensive lines of ABSDF, Dawn Gwin, which had been defended for days solely by 700 students Dec 21 - the mutineers formed its own organization, the Democratic Kayin (Karen) Buddhist Association, and a military wing which was governed by two bodies - six Buddhist monks led by U Thuzana and a nine-member central committee headed by U Tha Htoo Kya, a "civilian" unkown to the KNU; about 80 Thai troops and two 105mm artillery pieces were deployed at Mae Sot, opposite Kawmoora on the Burmese side of the frontier Dec 22 - a senior military officer at the Defence Ministry in Rangoon confirmed that SLORC troops had shelled the KNU rebel headquarters at Manerplaw and another important base at Kawmoora, near the Thai border; the officer also said that "there was no agreement with anyone on how long SLORC would continue its cease-fire" Dec 25 - according to the Bangkok Post, the KNU leader General Saw Bo Mya blamed SLORC subersive agents for the conflict which upset the KNU's Christian and Karen soldiers Dec 26 - Reuter reported that SLORC troops continued to press-gang villagers in Karen State to work on building military roads and buildings; two porters and 11 government soldiers were killed and 46 others wounded during a six-hour unsuccessful assault on the Karen's Kawmoora base; ABSDF made a surprise raid on the headquarters of the Burmese army's southeastern command in the town of Papun in Karen State Dec 29 - Fighting flared between the KNU and the mutineers; about 150 Buddhist Karens dug in around the River Junction Pagoda at the confluence of the Salween and Moei rivers and indiscriminantly fired shots at boats, both Thai and Karen Dec 31 - the KNU issued an ultimatum warning the mutineers to return by Dec 31, 12 p.m., or they would be regarded as enemies; the KNU accused the mutineers of having formed "an alliance with SLORC" January 1995 Jan 2 - the KNU launched attack against the mutineers; Burmese Army Chief of Southern Operation Command, Gen Maung Hla and 20 SLORC military officers arrived at the river junction and held meetings with the mutineers; SLORC promised cash and high positions to mutiny leaders in return for their support against the KNU Jan 5 - the KNU re-captured the river junction which the mutineers had been occupying up to that time; at least 10 mutineers were killed, 41 surrendered, remainder escaped into the jungle Jan 20 - at least 15,000 SLORC troops attacked the KNU's headquarters from the northern, southern and western fronts; thousands of villagers crossed into Thailand to seek safety from portering and forced labour Jan 24 - at least two companies of about 150 SLORC troops managed to cross the Salween River to the KNU fontlines located near Naw Day Hill and White Elephant Hill, only 7 km from Manerplaw; more than 2,000 Karen civilans fled to Thailand. Jan 26 - the United States Government expressed concern about fighting around Manerplaw and condemned SLORC for using forced porterage; the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) which had agreed to a ceasefire with SLORC, called on the Burmese junta to halt a military operation against the KNU; Article 19 asked the international community to take urgent measures against SLORC military offensive; due to leaks about their strategic defenses by mutineers to SLORC, KNU troops decided not to defend Manerplaw and set fire their headquarters and moved to other bases or crossed into Thailand; about 60 KNU members were killed while opposing losses were double or triple those of the KNU during SLORC's offence against Manerplaw Jan 27 - 3,000 Burmese troops occupied the charred remains of Manerplaw and a dozen other smouldering sattelite camps in the area; over 6,000 civilians and Karen fighters fled into Thailand Jan 29 - KNU's chairman Gen Bo Mya appealed to the international community to help for more than 6,000 Karen and Burmese refugees which fled due to the SLORC offensive; Burmese troops attacked Kawmoora, south of Manerplaw, with such intense heavy artillery fire that more than 100 shells landed in the camp that day alone Jan 31 - the Australian Goverment protested against SLORC's continuing offensive against forces of the KNU and the fall of Manerplaw; SLORC's secretary-1 Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt said the attack against Manerplaw was launched by the DKBA with SLORC only providing logistical suppport for the mutineers, however, body counts at the scenes of battles discredited this; Thailand House Committee of Foreign Affairs urged ASEAN to exclude Burma from its planned first informal meeting of the leaders of 10 Southeast ASEAN Nations in December, saying that Burma's recent attack on the Karen was not in line with ASEAN's constructive enagement February 1995 Feb 3 - Amnesty International reported Burmese troops forced hundreds of civilians to carry their weapons and supplies during last month's attack against the KNU; Thailand Foreign Minister Thaksin said if the fighting continues, ASEAN will review their contructive engagement policy to determine if it is no longer a viable policy; the Deputy Foreign Minister told the Burmese Ambassador in Bangkok that ASEAN's effort to see a ten-nation ASEAN cannot be achieved without each individual country working towards this reconciliation; U Rewatta Dhama called on Thai Prime Minister Chun Leekpai to act as mediator between SLORC and the KNU Feb 5 - Deputy Director of Burmese Military Intelligence, Col Kyaw Win, commenting on the peace talks with KNU, "We may have to consider whether the KNU is still representing the majority of the Karen armed group members" Feb 6 - Burmese forces who have been shelling the KNU Kawmoora base at regular intervals around the clock for the past two weeks, launched a sustained artillery attack; several Burmese shells and mortar bombs fallen on the Thai side of the border; Thai PM Chuan said counter-shelling is necessary even though Burmese military shelling which had landed in Thailand had so far caused no caualties but they posed a high-level threat to the lives of Thai people; he said the refugees who had escaped into Thailand from fighting inside Burma will only be allowed stay until it is safe to return to Burma Feb 8 - some 50 Burmese troops who crossed to the Thai side in an attempt to make a rear attack against Kawmoora, were repulsed by the Thai army, more Burmese troops were killed as they attempted to storm the Kawmoora base, the area was particularly well-mined with limited access Feb 9 - DKBO troops kidnapped Padoh Mahn Yin Sein, a senior KNU official and two others in a border refugee camp in Thailand Feb 10 - The DKBO troops killed 3 members of ABSDF after opening fire on the boat in which the students were travelling on the Salween River; Norwegian State Scretary Jan Egeland said Norway is deeply concerned about the Burmese military repressive measures taken against the KNU and ABSDF and will again examine the possibilities of an internatonal armed embargo against SLORC; the European Parliament condemned the SLORC attack against Manerplaw and Dawn Gwin Feb 12 - SLORC troops captured ABSDF's headquarters Dawn Gwin, which had already been burnt and abandoned Feb 13 - an unknown number of the DKBO troops crossed into Thailand for second time at Tak Province in an attempt to kidnap KNU leaders Feb 14 - Karen sources said DKBO troops have crossed into Thailand and forced people back at gun-point, looted supplies and threaten to destroy those who remain in the Thai camps; the Burmese army accused Thailand of obstructing its military offensive against Kawmoora by sending food supplies to KNU soldiers defending the camp and providing the medical treatment for wounded rebels Feb 15 - the KNU stated its remains committed to achieving peace through dialogue with SLORC; Thai acting Foreign Minister Surin summoned the Burmese ambassador U Tin Win in Bangkok for kidnapping KNU officials from Thai soil. He said Thai government considers the kidnapping "unacceptable" and a violation of Thai sovereignty Feb 20 - Burmese forces resumed heavy offensive against Kawmoora after it unsuccessfully attacked on Feb 8; as many as 142 artillery shells were counted as having landed on Thai territory opposite Kawmoora; a KNU official said Burmese troops fired chemical shells and its caused chest pain, breathing difficulties and stinging eyes; about 1,000 KNU defenders pulled out of Kawmoora Feb 21 - Burmese troops took control of the abandoned 1-sq km that was Kawmoora base; SLORC said the splinter faction of the KNU, the DKBO, captured the Kawmoora. however Feb 23 - two Karen refugees and the Thai driver were killed and 10 others, including four small children, were wounded when DKBO troops fired on a bus when refugges moving farther into Thailand to safer areas Feb 25 - Thai PM Chuan offered to act as mediator between the KNU and SLORC March 1995 March 24 - KNU president Gen Bo Mya issued an announcement to his armed units to avoid clashes with SLORC troops and to wait for the setting of dates for negotiation March 29 - Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister Nyunt Shwe said talks began between low- level officials following the KNU's announcement on a unilateral ceasefire; the SLORC official turned down Thailand's offer to mediate between SLORC and KNU Opium War The US State Department has labeled Burma the worldis -undisputed leader of opium, and indicated it will cut financial and education assistance to SLORC unless the situation improves. According to the US State Department's annual International Narcotics Strategy report dated March 13, Burma produced 2,575 tons of opium in 1993 and 2,030 tons in 1994. The report added that the last year reduction of opium production was because of poor weather-ruined crops. -The government of Burma continues to treat counter-narcotics efforts as a matter of secondary important,- it said. Last month, more than 10,000 Burmese military troops vowed to take Khun Sais headquarters at Ho Mong. Deputy Director of Military Intelligence Col Kyaw Win said that if Khun Sa was captured, he would be sentenced to death as he is a -heroin trafficking terrorist.- Military analysis in Bangkok say that an attack on the Khun Sais Mong Tai Army would be the most logical follow-up to the devastating blow that the Burmese army has dealt to Karen rebels. -The Burmese could say, hey, weire not only fighting ethnic rebels and dissident students, but opium warlords as well,- say one analyst. Even if the current moves against Khun Sa are effective, this would hardly herald an end to the Golden Triangle heroin trade. Khun Sais main commercial rivals are drug lords connected with the forces of the former Communist Party of Burma, which controls the main opium-growing areas along the Yunnan frontier. -They have ceasefire agreements with the government in Rangoon, and they can freely invest their fortunes in supposedly legitimate businesses inside Burma,- says a Bangkok-based intelligence source. The US embassy in Rangoon last year reported that a majority of the 35-40 opium refineries located in the Golden Traingleis opium-growing area are no longer under Khun Sais protection. Instead, most of Burmais heroin refineries are sited along the Sino-Burmese border and are controlled by the narco-insurgent organizations of the Wa and Kokang. These labs suffer little threat of interferene from the Burmese army, the report said. Indeed, insiders say drug money is behind many of the new luxury hotels springing up in the northern Burmese city of Mandalay and the capital Rangoon. Meanwhile, Khun Sais MTA army for the first time openly expressed its williness to join the Union if the Union guaranteed -equality and justice- for all peoples in Shan State. But MTA said if the Burmese army try to capture Ho Mong Headquarters, the MTA will retaliate with urban guerrilla assaults including targeting Burmais second city, Mandalay. (Sources# Far Eastern Economic Review, March 9; Bangkok Post, March 13; The Nation, March 31 and April 5.) Rohingya Refugees Sent Back by Force In 1991 and 1992 approximately 300,000 Rohingya, Burmese Mulisms from Burma's western Arakan State, fled into Bangladesh to escape a programme of -ethnic cleansing- by the Burmese army. Since the first agreement signed in September 1992 between Bangladesh, Burma and UNHCR, 183,000 refugees have returned home repatriation officials said on March 31. They hoped the remaining 67,000 would be repatriated by the end of the year. However, according to the recent reports from Refugees International, Medecins San Frontieres (MSF) and the United States Committee for Refugess (USCR), the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Burma has continued in controversy since it first began three years ago. -The New UNHCR policy is based on their assessment that the situation in Arakan allows all the refugees to go back. This view of the situation in Arakan is shared neither by the refugees nor by the international observers,- report published by MSF in Sept 1994 pointed out. The canceling of UNHCR interviews makes it very difficult for the refugees to refuse an immediate repatriation. They are under pressure of the Bangladeshi administration, eager to speed up the repatriation process and to get rid of the refugees as soon as possible, the sources stated. The report went on to say that about 6,000 refugees who had been repatriated to Burma have already returned. This is just one reason the repatriation of the Rohingya refugees could not be considerd wholly voluntary. The US Committee for Refuggees charged that the Bangladesh government used coercive measures, including physical abuse, threats of physical abuse, misinformation, arrest of refugees opposed to repatriation, and withholding of food rations, to induce refugees to - volunteer- to repatriate. The USCR report published in Feb 1995 revealed that a significant percentage of the refugees in general did not want to be repatriated and feared for their safety if they were forced returned to Burma. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more Information, Plase contact: Burma Focus All Burma Students' Democratic Front(ABSDF) Europe Office P.O Box 6720 ST.Olavs Plass 0130 Oslo Norway tel&fax: 47 - 22 - 41 41 43 E-Mail:absdf @oslotnett.no