----------------------------------BurmaNet---------------------------------------- "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: October 5, 1996 Issue #532 Noted in Passing: Aung San Suu Kyi is effectively under house arrest, and the new crackdown is extensive by any standards. - New York Times Editorial (RESPONDING TO BURMESE REPRESSION) HEADLINES: ========== NYT EDITORIAL: RESPONDING TO BURMESE REPRESSION WASHINGTON POST: CRACKDOWN ON BURMA PRESS RELEASE: DOE AND BENSON V. UNOCAL, SLORC, IMLE NATION: LAWSUIT CHARGES FIRMS, SLORC WITH ABUSE PRESS RELEASE: APPLE COMPUTER DELETES BURMA NYT: BURMESE CHAMPION OF DEMOCRACY CALLS CRACKDOWN HER VICTORY WALL STREET JOURNAL: BURMA'S OIL-PAYMENT ARREARS SIGNAL NATION: JAILS FILLING UP AS SLORC BIDS TO SQUASH ALL DISSENT NATION: END GAME IN RANGOON NATION: ACTIVISTS FIND LITTLE COMFORT IN BRITAIN'S PRO-TRADE BAG: MAJOR SUCCESS FOR BRITISH BURMA CAMPAIGN; --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NYT EDITORIAL: RESPONDING TO BURMESE REPRESSION October 5, 1996 A new law went into effect this week requiring President Clinton to impose an American investment ban on Myanmar if its already repressive military regime extends its crackdown against dissent and democracy. The timing was exquisite. Myanmar, as Burma was renamed by its current rulers, is currently being shaken by the worst repression of the last five years. The country's governing State Law and Order Restoration Council says that in the last week it has arrested nearly 600 members of the opposition National League for Democracy who were planing to attend a party conference. The league's leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, says the figure is closer to 800. To reach foreign reporters, Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi had to sneak out of her house, which is now ringed by soldeirs and barricades. The government has also cut her telephone and stopped her regular weekend rallies. The Burmese government's actions have provoked an unexpected and welcome international reaction. The Philippines and Thailand, the two most democratic members of the Association of Soughteast Asian Nations, persuaded that organization to delay Burmese entry indefinitely. Other nations, including Japan and Britain, are also considering limiting their trade with Myanmar. Washington's sanctions bill prohibits all new American investment if the Burmese authorities harm or rearrest Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi or engage in widespread repression. These conditions have clearly been met. Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi is effectively under house arrest, and the new crackdown is extensive by any standards. President Clinton this week condemned the Burmese conduct and banned travel to the United States by Burmese officials and their families. The Administration chose not to apply the new sanctions immediately, but promises to take a fresh look at the issue as early as Monday. Officials argued that sanctions would be more effective if Washington can persuade European and Asian nations to restrict their own trade with Myanmar, although they are unlikely to join in full sanctions. Recruiting international support is wise, and a few days'delay is acceptable. But the Administration should not wait for long to impose the ban on new American investment. The Burmese leaders are not likely to care much about the travel restrictions. Sanctions on Myanmar are now called for under American law, and should be employed unless the Burmese leadership releases hundreds more prisoners and allows freedom of movement to Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters. *********************************************************** WASHINGTON POST: CRACKDOWN ON BURMA October 4, 1996 No one disputes that the Asian nation of Burma and its 45 million people have the misfortune to be ruled by one of the most odiious regimes on earth. The questoin is what the rest of the world should do about it. The military junta, which goes by the appropriately unappealing acronym of SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council), in recent days has revealed again its lack of shame and moral compunction. Eight hundred civilians, most of them peaceful activists for democracy, have been rounded up and jailed; history suggests that many are being mistreated. Burma's rightful leader - Aung San Suu Kyi -, the brave woman who overwhelmingly won an election six years ago but never was permitted to take office - has been placed again under house arrest. Her telephone connections to the outside world have been severed. All this came in response to Aung San Suu Kyi's attempt to hold a peaceful meeting of her National League for Democracy. As usual, she has responded with calm and optimism to the latest outrage. Slipping past police barricades to meet with reporters, she said the SLORC's action reflected "the extent of their fear, their nervousness" and would in the end prove a boon. "People are fed up with this kind of stupid behavior, and the international community agrees now the SLORC is getting worse, not better," the Nobel Laureate said. Now it is up to the international community to prove her correct. President Clinton took a step in the right direciton yesterday when he signed a proclamation barring SLORC rulers and their relatives from visiting the United States. Burma's neighbors, whose policy of constructive engagement has so evidently and abysmally failed, indicated that they are rethinking the prompt admission of Burma to their ASEAN alliance. Some European nations are pushing for trade sanctions. These halting steps are welcome but hardly sufficient. A new U.S. law, signed last week by Mr. Clinton, mandates the imposition of sanctions in the event of "large-scale" repression." It is difficult to view the crackdown in Burma as anything else. Now Burma's dictators and democrats alike will be watching to see which side the United States and its allies support. ***************************************************** PRESS RELEASE: DOE AND BENSON V. UNOCAL, SLORC, IMLE October 3, 1996 From: ccr DATE: Thursday, October 3, 1996 TIME: 10:30AM LOCATION: 128 North Fair Oaks Avenue, Suite 204 Pasadena, California CONTACTS: Dan Stormer (818) 585-9600 Jennie Green and Tyler Giannini (212) 614-6431 MILITARY REGIME, UNOCAL, TOTAL AS WELL AS UNOCAL EXECUTIVES SUED FOR HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN BURMA Victims of rape, forced labor, forced relocation, assaults, and the death of family members today sued the multinational oil companies Unocal (El Segundo, CA) and Total (France), together with their joint venture partners, the military junta in Burma, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and the SLORC-controlled petroleum company, Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE). The victims also sued two of Unocal's top executives, John Imle and Roger Beach, for their complicity in the project and the abuses surrounding it. The Burmese victims are joined by Louisa Benson, a representative of the Karen National Union, and now a California taxpayer who is suing the members of the joint enterprise for unfair business practices in California. The Karen are one of the ethnic minority groups affected by the pipeline project. The plaintiffs are represented by a coalition of human rights organizations and private attorneys. The plaintiffs seek a halt to the violence, a disgorgement of the unlawful profits obtained by Unocal, and compensation for the egregious and despicable conduct of defendants. The case charges SLORC, the oil companies, and the executives with legal responsibility for violations of international human rights prohibitions against forced labor and crimes against humanity, torture, including rape, and unlawful conspiracy. The Yadana natural gas pipeline project was established by Unocal, Total, and MOGE to build a pipeline from the Yadana field, a natural gas resource off the coast of Burma, to Thailand. The pipeline route goes through the Tenasserim region, an area where a number of indigenous groups live. The oil companies have worked with the SLORC military and intelligence forces who have relocated whole villages, forced farmers living in the area of the proposed pipeline to provide in their labor for the pipeline, as well as stole their property. SLORC's methods have included brutal human rights abuses such as killing members of families, beatings, rapes, threatened rapes, and other torture. The despicable conduct includes the brutalizing of a mother, who, while nursing her baby was kicked by a SLORC officer into a fire, the baby was burned and when SLORC soldiers prevented the baby from obtaining medical assistance, the baby died. Other plaintiffs were raped, beaten, brutalized and otherwise tortured. Plaintiff Benson, a former Burmese citizen, stated, "This conduct is despicable by any standards. It is not acceptable to allow the companies to profit through human misery." Tyler Giannini, co-director of EarthRights International stated, "This detention, torture, and death must stop. SLORC's oppressive policies must halt." Jennie Green, staff attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights, charged the companies with profiting from forced labor: "Unocal and Total have entered into a unholy alliance with a military regime whose brutal human rights record is internationally notorious." Added Dan Stormer of Hadsell & Stormer "Multinational corporations must be held accountable for their complicity in violations of basic human rights, and with this lawsuit we intend to do just that." The plaintiffs are represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Law Offices of Hadsell & Stormer, Paul Hoffmann, and EarthRights International. At the Press Conference, Ms. Green, Mr. Stormer, and Ms. Benson, as well as others, will be available for comment. ****************************************************** NATION: LAWSUIT CHARGES FIRMS, SLORC WITH ABUSE October 4, 1996 by James Fahn A CLASS action lawsuit accusing Total, Unocal and Burma's ruling military junta of "egregious human rights violations" was filed yesterday in the US federal district court in Los Angeles. The plaintiffs include 15 anonymous Burmese nationals who claim that they have suffered direct harm - including forced labour and portering, assault, rape and the death of family members - as a result of the Yadana gas pipeline being built by the defendants, according to Katharine Redford, director of Earth Rights International (ERI), a Kanchanaburi-based non-governmental organisation. "For the plaintiffs in this case, who cannot voice opposition to such harms in Burma, this lawsuit is their only chance for justice," explained Ka Saw Wa, ERI's field coordinator. The identities of the Burmese plaintiffs and their location will remain confidential for their safety, Redford said. The lawsuit also names as defendants two Unocal executives: John Imle, current president of the US-based company and Roger Beach. she said. Comments from the defendants were unavailable at press time because the suit was not publicly announced until 12.30 this morning, Bangkok time. Earlier this month, however, following the announcement of a different lawsuit to be filed solely against Unocal by the in-exile National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) and the Federation of Trade Unions of Burma (FTUB), Unocal denied allegations of human rights abuses on the Bt30 billion pipeline project. "All people who work on the pipeline are paid a better- than- average wage, people have been more-them-fairly compensated for any land use and villages are in the same place they always have been," the Unocal statement read. We believe that this lawsuit is motivated solely by political considerations. "The people of [Burma] will receive the main benefits from the Yadana natural gas project. In particular, the people along the pipeline route benefit from new jobs and the U $2 million [Bt50 million] in socio-economic programmes sponsored by the project," the statement added. Construction of the actual pipeline, which will transport natural gas from Burma's Yadana field in the Gulf of Martaban to Thailand, is due to begin in Nov. The Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PIT) is building the pipeline on the Thai side, while PTI Exploration & Production Plc (PTTEP) has a 25.5 per cent stake in the Yadana gas production venture, but neither has been named as a defendant. "They shouldn't be buying the gas, but based on our present information they haven't done anything illegal," said Redford, a lawyer. Unocal has also claimed that its involvement in the project is purely financial. Earlier this week, a Unocal spokesperson declined to answer any specific allegations because the French company Total is the project operator. The lawsuit announced yesterday was filed by the Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR), a US-based legal organsation that has successfully fought similar court cases, said Redford. "[The] defendants' conduct violates state and federal law, and customary international law, including the prohibitions against forced labour and forced relocations, rape and other torture, and other human rights violations," according to a statement released by ERI. Unlike the previously announced suit, the complaint filed yesterday, which comprises more than 50 pages, details the alleged human rights violations, Redford said. Ka Saw Wa added that the incidents had been documented in interviews carried out by people under his guidance over the last year. "Nobody is arguing that company officers went out and did these things themselves, but they can be held responsible if they were done in furtherance of the joint venture," said Redford. "We think the companies know what has been going on, but [to win the case against them] we just have to show that they should have known what's going on because of Slorc's history of human rights abuses," she added. Since it is a civil rather than a criminal suit, a guilty verdict would result in fines rather than jail time. Damages awarded from class action suits have amounted to billions of dollars in some cases, but it usually takes many years before a verdict is reached. In this case, it may take years merely for the court to make a decision on the key issue of whether it has jurisdiction to try the case, Redford explained. ***************************************************************** PRESS RELEASE: APPLE COMPUTER DELETES BURMA October 4, 1996 From: "W. Kesavatana-Dohrs" Seattle Campaign for a Free Burma 2319 N. 45th St., Suite 115 Seattle, WA 98103 Ph: (206) 784-5742 Fax: (206) 784-8150 APPLE COMPUTER DELETES BURMA DISTRIBUTOR RELATIONSHIP BEING TERMINATED FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCTOBER 4, 1996 CUPERTINO, CA -- Apple Computer confirmed today that it is in the process of terminating its relationship with its distributor in the Southeast Asian dictatorship of Burma (Myanmar). Apple spokeswoman Nancy Keith Kelly said the move was in reaction to a Massachusetts state "selective purchasing" law signed by Governor William Weld in June. The law bars state contracts with companies doing business in Burma. Similar laws are in effect in six US cities. "This is exactly what we want this law to do," said Rep. Byron Rushing, sponsor of the Massachusetts bill. "We hope the rest of the companies will also get out." Apple had sold several thousand units to the ruling military junta in Burma, ostensibly for use in the school system. Sources say the purchase was arranged through Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, head of Burma's dreaded Military Intelligence, and concurrently Secretary 1 of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). Reports from inside Burma suggest that students were required to pay extra fees for the computers but were then not given access to them. The SLORC recently announced a law providing long prison terms for those who use a computer modem without government permission. Similar laws are already in effect for fax machines, telephones, satellite dishes and videotapes. Burmese democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has called for sanctions against the military junta, saying that international commerce under present circumstances only reinforces the control of the SLORC, which has refused to hand over power to democracy forces despite an overwhelming election victory. A SLORC crackdown during the past week has brought the arrest of 800 democracy supporters, and has resulted in fresh international condemnation of the regime. Yesterday, President Clinton issued a proclamation banning visas for SLORC members and their families. He is considering further economic sanctions as outlined in a bipartisan law passed by Congress. An international three day fast for Burma begins Monday, October 7th on more than 60 university campuses in the US, as well as South Africa, Japan, India and other countries. Activists are targeting US companies Unocal, Texaco, Arco and PepsiCo, as well as Mitsui, Mitsubishi and Marubeni of Japan. Contact: Dr. Thaung Htun, National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, 212-338-0048 Simon Billenness, Senior Analyst, Franklin Research and Development, 617-423-6655, x225 Nancy Keith Kelly, International Public Relations, Apple Computer, 408-996-1010 ********************************************************* NYT: BURMESE CHAMPION OF DEMOCRACY CALLS CRACKDOWN HER VICTORY September 3, 1996 From: Zaliwin@aol.com By Seth Mydans YANGON, Myanmar, Oct 2. -- As a small crowd of plainclothes security men waited in the rain outside, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi today called the military creackdown over the past few days a victory for her pro-democracy movement. "We rather feel that every time Slorc takes action against us it helps us greatly," she told reporters. She was referring to the State Law and Order Resotration Council, the ruling junta, which over the last few days has arrested hundreds of her supporters and barricaded her house. "People are fed up with this kind of stupid behavior," she said. "And the international community has now realized that we were correct when we said Slorc was getting worse, not better." It was the first public statement by the pro-democracy leader, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, since the authorities clamped down last Friday to prevent a conference of her National League for Democrracy, sealing her off from the outside world. Unable to receive visitors at her home, which has remained surrounded by soldiers and riot policemen, Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi evaded security men to meet with reporters for an hour this afternoon at the home of one of her aides. "I've had a good rest," she said, smiling, as she sat barefoot in a low chair, wearing a bright blue shirt and with purple orchids in her hair. "I've gotten a lot of exercise, walking round and round the garden in the evenings. It is the first time in more than a year that I have had time to stand and stare." Since the weekend, the Government has maintained a barrage of criticism of her, saying its crackdown was necessary to prevent her from fomenting disorder and even riots. But privately, on high-ranking official said Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi would have won either way -- by holding her party meeting and issuing political position papers, or by apearing the victim of Government repression. Though she said she leaves her house once or twice a day to drive home the two senior aides who are allowed to visit her, Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi's telephone has been cut and the Government has tried to bar the press and foreign diplomats, as well as her supporters, from making contact with her. She estimated that 800 of her supporters had been arrested in recent days. On Tuesday the Government said that it had detained more than 500 people, but that most of them would be released quickly. She said there are 32 people with her in her large but rundown lakeside compound in the center of this city, formerly known as Rangoon. Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi seemed relaxed, and even energized, by the confrontation with the Government -- confident, joking and mocking the authorities as she does with the crowds that gathered outside her house every weekend until this one to hear her speeches. The only hardship she admitted to was the abundance of chicken curry that remained uneated at her home after the party gathering was blocked. "Chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, for days and days and days," she said, although because she is a vegetarian, it was her companions who suffered the monotony rather than she. Though the Government appears to have the upper hand, closing off her options for opposition activity, Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi asserted that its strong actions betrayed a continuing fear of the extent of her support around the country. "The level of their response is always a reflection of the level of their fears, their nervousness," she said. ************************************************************ WALL STREET JOURNAL: BURMA'S OIL-PAYMENT ARREARS SIGNAL WIDER ISSUE OF HARD-CURRENCY DRAIN October 3, 1996 By James Hookway AP Dow Jones News Service Burma is facing severe economic difficulties which threaten to drain the country of sought-after hard currency and derail the military government's plans for growth, observers in Rangoon say. The observers view a gasoline shortage in the country as the clearest sign yet of a hard-currency crunch in the public sector, and indications are the situation could get worse. Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co. revealed last month that the State Law and Order Restoration Council, known as SLORC, was in arrears for payments on crude oil imports, prompting speculation that the country's foreign reserves are dwindling fast. The arrears on oil payments -- which foreign bankers in Rangoon put at around $30 million -- may point to wider problems in paying for capital-goods imports, which accounted for 40% of all imports in the fiscal year ended March 31, 1995, according to Burmese government data. VITAL TO ECONOMY The imports are vital to economic growth, helping push real adjusted gross domestic product growth up to 4.6% in the 1994095 fiscal year from 2.7% in thye year earlier period. World Bank data show reserves at $341.7 million in fiscal year 1994-95, and Burmese authorities forecast this to rise to $372 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 1996. But analysts view this figure with suspicion, pointing out that the government's figures are unreliable at best. The country already faces difficulties servicing a near-crippling debt burden. Total debt in arrears in fiscal year 1994-95 reached $1.48 billion, a precipitous climb from $365 million in fiscal year 1989-90, according to US embassy figures that are calculated using International Monetary Fund and World Bank data. Under the circumstances, Burma may find it hard to take on additional debt to pay for imports. Economists in Singapore say Burma's foreign exchange policy of pegging the kyat to an unnaturally high level of six kyat for one dollar isn't helping. The black market rate is about 165 kyat. "For one thing, it makes exports expensive,and it encourages imports.The trade deficit looks pretty bad as a result," said Neil Saker, an analyst at Crosby Securities Ltd. in Singapore. One Western embassy official sad the economic difficulties have reached such proportions that the government resorted to purchasing dollars at unofficial rates at Rangoon's foreign-exchange stalls. The secret police, meanwhile, had also been ordered to make sure nobody was driving up the price of U.S. currency. WESTERN BOYCOTTS GROW Meanwhile, the growing strength of Western boycotts on Burmese goods is also eating away at Rangoon's ability to bring in foreign funds. PepsiCO and Levi Strauss & Co of the U.S. ahve already quit the country in response to consumer pressure in the U.S. and Europe. Burmese officials are putting a brave face on it, though. Aung Hliang, director general of the state-owned Myanma Petroleum Products Enterprise, said 150,000 gallons of gasoline and 400,000 gallons of diesel are being distributed daily. But black market traders aren't taking any chances. The lack of crude imports has send the balck market gasoline prices spiraling, climing to 400 kyats a gallon last week ($2.42 at the unofficial exchange rate) from 200 kyats ($1.21) The key problem for Rangoon is that its main foreign-exhcnage earners -- rice and timber -- are seeing a production slowdown. Government figures indicate that state-monopolized exports fell in the fiscal year ended March 1996, with rice exports falling to 400,000 metric tons in fiscal year 1996/96 from one million metric tons the previous year. A metric ton is equal to 2,204.62 pounds. Already, Burmese consumers are snapping up staple food products in anticipation of delivery problems, and this is expected to adversely effect the government's recent progress in reducing inflation. The only thing that can turn the conomy around, analysts say, is a more liberal political climate which would enable Burma to seek low-interest, long-term funds from the World Bank and the IMF. The door to these funds was slammed in Rangoon's face when the military junta annnulled elections in 1990. ****************************************************** NATION: JAILS FILLING UP AS SLORC BIDS TO SQUASH ALL DISSENT October 4, 1996 by Aung Zaw AYE Aye Win from Thankayta township, a member of the National League for Democracy, was a regular visitor to Aung San Suu Kyi's "democraey forum". At one recent gathering outside Suu Kyi's University Avenue house, she was so moved by a Suu Kyi speech that she yelled out: "Power to Aung San Suu Kyi". Shortly after, she was taken away and received seven years imprisonment. In recent months, the Slorc has stepped up its been campaign to suppress all forms of dissent against its rule, and handed out severe punishments to those who dare to defy it. A few weeks ago, Hla Myint, an NLD member and elected MP in Maubin township of Irrawaddy division, was sentenced to two years; imprisonment. His crime was to tell a police officer to leave an NLD meeting after he was seen Jotting down the names of members present. Some sources reported. that the wife of an NLD MP, Hla Than, and her son were also arrested last month. Hla Than served time in Insein prison and died in hospital recently. According to sources in Rangoon, Hla Than's family members were arrested without any reason. ln August, the state owned press reported the arrest of nine youths, including one girl, for distributing pamphlets at Suu Kyi's weekend rallies. Labelling the youths "delinquents," the paper said they distributed anti-SLorc pamphlets aimed at inciting unrest during the "weekend roadside talks on University Avenue." Those arrested included Ko Myint and Nyi Nyi from Rangoon university and Kyaw Soe Min Khine from the Rangoon Institute of Medicine, sources in the capital said. A big blow for the NLD was the detention in May of Win Htein who was serving as a liaison officer for Suu Kyi. He was sentenced to seven years. (BurmaNet Editor's Note: his sentence has been extended to 14 years) Suu Kyi wrote in her recent column: "When U Win Htein, a key of my office staff, was arrested, he had a bag already packed. When U Win Htein asked those who had come to take him away whether they had an arrest warrant, they replied that it was not necessary as charges had already been moved against him and his sentence had been decided." An NLD source said the party feared Win Htein was suffering a lot. "He won't come out the same person," he said. Before last week's crackdown, observers have noticed more and more underground anti-Slorc statements and leaflets began to be circulated throughout the country. Significantly, many activists, under ground labour unions and former students resurfaced recently. "They may not have a well-organised plan but they are doing what they can" said one observer. Another student, Ye Htum was also arrested along with four other student after he visited Suu Kyi's house on Aug 8 with four other students. According to Rangoon sources, the Slorc arrested Soe Naing and Htun Naing from Mingala Taung Nynit township on Sept 27 Myuo Maung Aung Myint, Tin Tin Win (Female), Tim Tim Maw (Female). "It is just like they took him without a warrant," a friend said. He also said the cooks who were cooking for the NLD congress were apprehended. *********************************************************** NATION: END GAME IN RANGOON October 4, 1996 (abridged) by Aung Zaw The ongoing game of brinkmanship in Rangoon reached new levels of intensity last week as the ruling junta, officially known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council, sealed off University Avenue, where opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi lives. On Friday morning the authorities cut off the telephone line to Suu Kyi's residence. Then a sweeping crackdown began. Military intelligence officers barged into the house and took people away, and rounded up people who were heading to Suu Kyi's house on the streets. This crackdown is slightly different from the May move. This time the government seems determined to prevent any contact between Suu Kyi and the outside world. Suu Kyi has not been allowed to speak to the press or her followers. The riot police held photographers and television journalists for international media organisations at their hotels and confiscated film and tapes of University Avenue and police checkpoints. Three European tourists were also rounded up by the riot police. The Slorc's handling of the tourists outraged tour agents. "It ruined everything,' said one local agent. The junta's "Visit Myanmar Year", set to begin on Nov 18, is a fiasco, he added. "They said they wanted tourists to come and they arrested them. Some tourists who went to University Avenue were searched and films were seized at the Rangoon airport before they left. Shortly after the crackdown began, NLD chairman Aung Shwe issued a statement saying: "The crackdown is typical of the present military regime that they should try to resolve political differences through draconian measures rather than finding a constructive course of action." In Rangoon, the owner of the NLD head-office at Shwegonedine, asked the NLD office to move from the premises. According to a reliable source the Slorc has threatened owners of the buildings. "They have been told that these buildings would be confiscated when the NLD is announced as being an unlawful organisation," he said. On Sunday the riot police cleared away coming to hear Suu Kyi's regular weekend speech. It marked the first time Suu Kyi has been prevented from holding her weekend gatherings since she was freed from six years of under house arrest. In June, the regime passed laws that empower the Home Ministry to ban Suu Kyi's party from holding gatherings at her house on the grounds that they obstruct the Slorc-sponsored National Convention's efforts to draft a constitution. According to the law, anyone found guilty faces a 20 year jail term. A few months ago, the NLD received a notice from the local authorities that it must stop weekend gatherings. The question now is: How long can Slorc block University Avenue? In a police state when citizens are afraid to discuss politics and openly criticise the government, the "democracy forum" at University Avenue has provided them with a rare freedom.' "People are going there for two reasons," explained one person who attended Suu Kyi's democracy forum recently. "One is they want to show they support her and two is you can relax and hear the truth and criticism it is refreshing for people who are fed up with Slorc just to be hearing the truth. It is totally different meaning in a police state" Today though, the atmosphere around Suu Kyi's neighbourhood is tense. There reports that the junta is telling its soldiers that the NLD is an enemy that "we have to crush." But among the Slorc leadership there are apparently differences of opinion over how to deal with Suu Kyi and how to defuse the current political stale mate. "One faction wants to wipe out the movement, they are in dilemma," said an insider. The recent crackdown and the junta's inflexibility has already backfired against the junta. Asean is looking increasingly reluctant to let the junta become a member next year. Japan, Burma's biggest donor, has also urged the junta to open a political dialogue with Suu Kyi. Senior Gen Than Shwe, when he met senior leaders and regional commanders on Monday said that they junta is handling the current political situation carefully and softly. "There are soldiers who advocate not killing the bird, but they are effectively clipping the wings of the bird," said a diplomat in Bangkok. "This is their purpose, they won't touch her but will continue to amputate the NLD," she said. Indeed, the ongoing crackdown creates a climate of fear but activists are not going to hold back, said a source close to the NLD. "They are pushing through with it," he said. The NLD and the Slorc will more than likely continue to play their cat and mouse game. ***************************************************************** NATION: ACTIVISTS FIND LITTLE COMFORT IN BRITAIN'S PRO-TRADE POLICIES IN BURMA October 4, 1996 Aye Chan Naing The sounds of automatic gunfire still ring in his ear. News of mass killings take his breath away. He weeps bitter tears of disappointment. Martin Morland, the former British ambassador to Burma, vividly recalls the day that soldiers gunned down peaceful demonstrators on the streets of Rangoon in September, 1988. "During those days, I went to my office every day. I had to inform our Foreign Office of day-to-day events, and also to speak to journalists. There was a tremendous feeling of freedom of exhilaration, that the repressive rule of government were to be lifted. But in the end I watched helplessly the slaughtering of innocent people. It was totally one-sided," he said at his London home. Morland, who has a long-term love affair with Burma, served there as ambassador m Rangoon for eight years, covering two separate periods in the fifties and eighties. After gaining independence from Britain in 1948, Burma fell under military dictatorship in 1962. Unlike former communist countries in Eastern Europe, the attempt to remove military rule ended in the loss of thousands of lives and led to the formation of another military junta - the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc). While consolidating its power over the last seven years, the Slorc has also sought to end Burma's self-imposed isolation, a campaign that culminated with Visit Myanmar Year this year. British NGOs, however, have led the way in opposing the campaign. Tricia Barnett, coordinator at the Tourism Concern group, which offers "educational materials" for concerned tourists, said: "Burma is an extraordinary example of people who have lost their livelihood because of tourism." For British tour firms who operate in Burma all this appears to be of no concern. Like Oriental Express - the only answer to reports of abuses in Burma is "no comment". Since 1988, hotel and tourism-related investment, mostly from Singapore and Thailand, became the second biggest source of foreign funds in the country, amounting to US$674 million (Btl6.2 billion) or 20 per cent of the total foreign investment. Yvette Mahon, of the Burma Action Group (BAG) - a London-based grassroots organisation campaigning for democracy in Burma - said: "Some people would argue that tourists will lead to a more general opening up of the country, and will prevent the regime from committing human rights abuses. But the experience of other countries in the region, such as East Timor and Tibet, indicates that it would be quite possible for the regime in Burma to encourage tourism while at the same time oppressing the people." The BAG has recently released the second edition of "Burma - the Alternative Guide" - urging people not to go to Burma until there is democracy. The BAG's campaign has already forced several British tour operators to drop their Burmese holiday pro motions but this leaves dozens of companies, including British Airways, still active. Tourism is not the only issue that Burma activists are targeting. The accused companies investing in Burma are fuelling the junta's human rights violations. As with the anti-apartheid movement m South Africa in the 1990s, Burma activists in the US have already forced several American cities to refrain from doing business with companies investing in Burma. Consumer boycotts have pressured London Fog Industries, a $400 million manufacturer of outer wear, to drop its operation in Burma joining other multinational companies such as Levi Strauss, Reebok, Eddie Bauer, Liz Clairborne, Columbia Sportswear, Coca Cola and others who had already ended their operations. In July, giant European brewers Carlsberg and Heineken abandoned plans for building breweries in Burma. The British famous clothing retailer, BHS, also faces similar consumer action in the UK A month ago, a member of the BAG found a BHS store in London selling clothes with the label, "Made in Myanmar". Myanmar is a name for Burma given by Slorc. The BAG is still pursuing BHS. A BHS spokesman said the firm had been trading with its supplier for two years: "BHS would not withdraw its business connection with Burma unless the UK, EU or UN were to impose sanctions on Burma," he said. If BHS does stop, it will be not because of any British government action in the foreseeable future. The British Embassy in Rangoon has been organising "British Week" - promising companies the opportunity of meeting Slorc's officials and businessmen. The British Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) had organised an official trade delegation, providing companies with a grant of Lb 1,000 (Bt39,600) for joining the trip to Burma in February. The delegation was led by Peter Godwin, chairman of the DTI - Asia Pacific Advisory Group who also chairs the Myanmar-British Business Association (whose patron is the Burmese ambassador to London). Britain's business interest in Burma is probably the main reason behind London's limp-handed policy toward Slorc. A Foreign Office spokesman said that because of the recent crackdown on Aung San Suu Kyi's party, a second DTI trip to Burma, scheduled for July was called off. However, a DTI spokesman had another version. He said: She reason was because we haven't yet evaluated the first visit report." To add more confusion, the Foreign Office spokesman said: "There will be no more DTI trips to Burma this year. Another trip during next year will depend on the improvement of the human rights situation in Burma." According to the DTI spokesman, another trip is dependent on the response of companies. If they wish, there could be another trip even within this year, he said. In a speech in Britain's Parliament m February 1996, the British Foreign Office Minister, Jeremy Hanley, said: "Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has not called for a ban ... In a recent interview with the BBC, in answer to a question about whether foreign investment and trade will boost growth, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi replied: 'It depends on how investments are put to use. Those that bring prosperity that widen the gap between rich and poor will never benefit the country.' I cannot but agree with that." However, when Suu Kyi asked members of the European Parliament in July this year to impose economic sanctions against Slorc, in a videotaped message smuggled out of Burma, and when the Danish government proposed an EU ban at the very same meeting, Britain was among other EU countries that quickly blocked the proposal. The Foreign Office spokesman argued that economic sanctions from EU countries would not make any different to Slorc unless such a policy receives international support, mainly from Burma's neighbours. As for Morland, he thinks the British government "has gone too far by encouraging investment in Burma". "It is a very delicate matter and difficult to make a judgement, I agree." But Morland feels that encouraging British companies to do business in Burma, sits uneasily with the government political position on Slorc. "in fact, you cannot do business in Burma without at least indirectly supporting the junta," he concluded. Aye Chan Naing is a former student who participated in the 1988 pro-democracy movement in Burma. He now lives in exile in Norway. ***************************************************************** BAG: MAJOR SUCCESS FOR BRITISH BURMA CAMPAIGN; BHS NO LONGER SOURCING IN BURMA October 4, 1996 From: Burma Action Group Yvette Mahon Burma Action Group Collins Studios Collins Yard Islington Green London N1 2XU Tel: 44 171 359 7679 Fax: 44 171 354 3987 E-mail: bagp@gn.apc.org Date: PRESS RELEASE 8th OCTOBER 1996 Burma Action Group UK MAJOR SUCCESS FOR BRITISH BURMA CAMPAIGN; BHS NO LONGER SOURCING IN BURMA British Home Stores have announced that their only remaining contract for Burma sourced clothing is due to expire within the next three weeks. The company have signed a sequence of contracts with their UK suppliers for Burmese clothing. However on expiry of this current contract the company will not sign a new contract, and now have "no plans for further production from Burma". BHS would not be drawn on the reason for the non-existence of further contracts. The company has made it clear that all their sourcing decisions are taken on a purely commercial basis. However the BHS boycott campaign has attracted much negative publicity for the company over the last months and had the potential to have significant impact on BHS sales figures. We believe that for this reason, if no other, BHS decided not to sign a new contract. The Burma Action Group launched the BHS boycott campaign on 30/8/96 due to the companies sale of clothing "made in Myanmar", and when correspondence failed to persuade them to end their Burma business. Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the democratically elected National League for Democracy, has repeatedly asked foreign companies to stay away from Burma, to avoid supporting an illegitimate system of government intrinsically harmful to the people of the country. Bhs have until recently simply asserted that Rif Britain, the European Union or the United Nations were to impose an official economic boycott on Myanmar, Bhs would of course comply.S The Burma Action Group now welcomes the news that Bhs have no plans for further production from Burma. At the Labour party conference on 30/9/96, Glenys Kinnock MEP and Derek Fatchett, Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister presented BHS with an "Unethical Business of the Year" award for their operations in Burma. Since learning that Bhs will not be signing a new contract, the Burma Action Group have cancelled all further BHS protest events scheduled to have taken place on October 12th in ten British towns and cities across the country. Yvette Mahon, Coordinator said; Rthis is a clear success for the Burma campaign here in Britain. The news that BHS, a major British company, is now no longer conducting business in Burma will lend great strength and encouragement to the Burmese democracy movement, at a time when they are subject to an increasingly aggressive wave of repression. The British people are increasingly behind them in their struggle for freedom, many are now prepared to demonstrate that fact by taking their custom elsewhere. We advise other UK companies currently doing business with Burma, including the high street retailer Debenhams, to take note. The Burma Action Group will be entering into correspondence with Debenhams, and will consider an appropriate course of action, pending their response. For further Information contact: Yvette Mahon, tel: (44)-171-359 7679