----------------------------------BurmaNet---------------------------- "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: November 14, 1996 Issue #569 Noted in Passing: I'd like America to come in here and get rid of this government.- teashop owner in Mandalay (UPI: MILITARY REGIME STEPS UP HARRASSMENT OF NLD) HEADLINES: ========== UPI: BURMA JUNTA WARNS OF MORE ATTACKS UPI: MILITARY REGIME STEPS UP HARRASSMENT OF NLD THE NATION: BURMA SLAMS 'DESTRUCTIVE' FORCES THE NATION: ATTACK ON NLD SIGNALS RISING TENSION IN BURMA THE NATION: SUU KYI DOUBTS SLORC PREPARED TO JOIN ASEAN THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: EU TOLD NOT TO FOLLOW U.S. ON ASSK EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SESSION NEWS PRESS RELEASE ------------------------------------------------------------ UPI: BURMA JUNTA WARNS OF MORE ATTACKS November 12, 1996 RANGOON, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Burma's military government warned Tuesday that a mob attack last weekend on opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi may be repeated unless she tones down her criticism of the ruling junta. In its first public account of the attack on Suu Kyi's motorcade on Saturday, a commentary in the government-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper said stones and clubs were used to smash the windows of cars occupied by she and her aides. ``Suu Kyi will get into trouble if she thinks that every group she sees is her supporter,'' the government commentary said. ``Upon reaching the stage of being hit by stones openly, she will have to exercise restraint.'' On Monday, Suu Kyi filed a criminal complaint at the Bahan Township Police Station in northern Rangoon, citing violation of sections 336 and 427 of Burma's criminal code that prohibit attacks endangering lives and damaging private property. But she acknowledged that the authorities were unlikely to act on the complaint because the attack was planned by the ruling military junta. The mob had gathered in an area where civilians were not allowed and included men with walkie-talkies. Suu Kyi was not hurt in the attack, which she blamed on ``paid thugs run by fascists''of the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). Afterward, police made no move to arrest the attackers. Officials of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy said the attackers were paid 500 kyats (US $3.12) each and later bused back to their homes on Rangoon's outskirts. ``As Suu Kyi is becoming more and more apparent as the one trying to destroy all prospects for stability of the state with her fangs,'' the government commentary continued, ``it is rather difficult to definitely indicate what sort of people do not want her.'' A senior European diplomat in the Burmese capital said Tuesday the attack appeared to be aimed at demonstrating popular opposition to Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 and enjoys wide spread support within Burma. ``It was a very confrontational action,'' he said. ``I very strongly denounce this action which could not take place without the approval of the SLORC.'' The government's hardening stance toward its opponents was evident Monday in a speech by military chief Gen. Than Shwe to a government- affiliated social organization. In a thinly veiled attack on Suu Kyi and her supporters, the general called for the ``elimination of destructive elements who wish to totally hand over the country's sovereignty into the hands of others,''according to a report in the government-run newspaper. ``We are trying to establish a disciplined democracy that is suited to Burma, and if we give priority to such superficial things as human rights that allow unbridled freedom of action, the country will be ruined,'' Than told the Union Solidary and Development Association. The U.S. State Department issued a statement denouncing the weekend attack and urged the SLORC ``to punish those responsible for the attack. '' The European envoy in diplomat said he expected the European Union to issue a similarly strong denunciation of the attack soon. ``We are exactly in the same line (with the U.S.),'' he said. ``Tension is rising every day. We wonder what will be the point of no return.'' *************************************************************************** UPI: MILITARY REGIME STEPS UP HARRASSMENT OF NLD November 12, 1996 (abridged) RANGOON, BURMA -- Burma's military government may be preparing to clamp down further on the country's beleaguered pro-democracy movement. Observers in Burma say that the recent arrest of Kyi Maung, vice chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD), is the latest signal from the regime that it has no intention of ending its campaign of harassment and intimidation against the opposition. The government, known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), continues to play a series of cat-and-mouse games with NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. In the last few weeks, SLORC has prevented her from delivering her traditional weekend speeches to supporters from her compound gate, by putting up barricades. But during the week, the barricades come down. Her telephone also has been recently reconnected. A series of attacks on Ms. Suu Kyi and two of her top lieutenants this weekend, observers say, indicate that the SLORC intends to keep up its harassment. Members of Rangoon's diplomatic community are putting a different spin on the affair. ``It's worrisome,'' says a diplomat,noting that the arrest was the first time that SLORC has detained a members of the party's top echelon since the release of Suu Kyi in July 1995 after six years of house arrest. ``It means that the leadership is no longer untouchable.'' The move was the latest in a series of recent measures against the NLD, which has seen its ranks decimated by arrests and resignations since Burmese generals annulled the results of 1990 elections that the pro-democracy camp overwhelmingly won. More than 250 members were arrested prior to an NLD party convention in May, and between 500 and 800 members were detained when the party attempted to hold another congress Sept. 27-29. `What SLORC has done (recently) is to draw a new line in the sand,'' says the diplomat. In essence, Burma's generals have decided to enforce Law No. 5/96 issued after the May NLD congress. Among other things, it prohibits speeches or statements that ``undermine the stability of the State....'' Persons who violate the law can be thrown into jail for up to 20 years, while organizations can be banned and have their funds and property confiscated. With Maung's detention, observers worry that all of these options might now be exercised against the NLD. What is considered unlikely, however, is the rearrest of Suu Kyi, who remains the opposition's most potent symbol of defiance. ``They want to mute her; they don't want to make a martyr of her again,'' notes another diplomat in Rangoon. Burma's diplomatic community has also been feeling the heat from the crackdown. Since Suu Kyi's release from house arrest, the envoys - almost exclusively from Western countries - have tried to keep in touch with her and her colleagues. It is ``just part of the normal monitoring of Burma we undertake for our government,''insists one diplomat. ``Maintaining legitimate contact with the government and legal opposition is one of the functions guaranteed to diplomats'' under international law, says another. Burma's military rulers see it differently. Over the past few months, SLORC has stepped up its campaign against what it describes in its official newspaper as ``external destructive elements''and their``ax handle'' accomplices. Some of the most caustic remarks and accusations have been reserved for the United States. The former US Charge d'Affaires in Rangoon, Marilyn Meyers, who resigned from her post on Oct. 4, was said by the state media to ``have kept visiting her companion woman (Suu Kyi) who was good at gossiping in English and whiling away the time gossiping, as is the nature of women.'' Awaiting an American invasion There is little sign that xenophobic warnings of an impending neocolonial invasion are registering with a public that is still sympathetic to the pro-democracy cause. In fact, they may be having the opposite effect. During the Gulf war, notes one diplomat, Burmese asked when the US was planning to invade Burma after finishing with Iraq's dictator. The idea still resonates with some. ``I like America,'' declares a tea shop owner in Mandalay. ``I'd like America to come in here and get rid of this government.'' **************************************************************************** THE NATION: BURMA SLAMS 'DESTRUCTIVE' FORCES November 13, 1996 (abridged) RANGOON - Burma's prime minister and top general Than Shwe has urged Burmese people to crush "destructive elements" inside and outside the country who Are trying to disrupt peace, official media reported yesterday. Than Shwe, chairman of the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), made the comments to leaders of the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA). "It is the duty of the entire people including USDA members to resolutely crush destructive elements inside and outside the country as the common enemy who are disrupting all the development endeavours with the sole aim of gaining power," the papers quoted Than Shwe saying in a speech too USDA leaders. Than Shwe 's comments appeared aimed at opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. It is unclear what the main function of the government-run USDA is, although it is one of the largest organisations in the country. Than Shwe said it has about five million members. Diplomats and opposition leaders believe the USDA was behind weekend attacks on Suu Kyi's motorcade, when cars in the convoy were attacked by a group of stick-wielding, stone-throwing young men. USDA members have also been used to attend mass public rallies against Suu Kyi and the democracy movement over the past year, diplomats said. One diplomat said he was told by some of the young men they came from neighbouring townships and had been paid and trucked in by the government to cause unrest. ************************************************************************ THE NATION: ATTACK ON NLD SIGNALS RISING TENSION IN BURMA November 13, 1996 (abridged) RANGOON - Foreign diplomats and witnesses said that the attack on Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's motorcade last weekend was a renewed attempt to discourage Rangoon residents from demonstrating open support for her. "It has sent the message throughout Rangoon: Don't even dream of gathering or making critical speeches again," said one Western diplomat, referring to Saturday's attack in which around 200 pro-government youths rocked Suu Kyi's car, hit it with iron bars and smashed its rear window. Witnesses said the attackers entered the area in military trucks and silently waited for instructions in separate places. Some of them did not even bother to hide the protruding weapons from small Shan-style shoulder bags or longji waistlines. Another diplomat said that the youths were organised from townships in Rangoon. "I heard each was paid a mere 500 kyat (Bt78)," he said In a country where the average monthly income of a clerk is between 2,000 and 2,500 kyat, the amount is considered to be quiet handsome. Police officers also ordered two Canadian and two Dutch tourists who were walking near the area to move away at around 4 p.m. on Saturday, telling them the area was blocked. Canadian backpacker Cary Durrant said that he become suspicious because the people in the area were all young men, unlike at most of Suu Kyi's gatherings, where women and children are also present. ********************************************************************** THE NATION: SUU KYI DOUBTS SLORC PREPARED TO JOIN ASEAN November 13, 1996 RANGOON - Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi questioned whether the Burmese military junta is technically prepared to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). How could a government not accountable to its people be considered prepared to become a member?" Suu Kyi said in an interview yesterday. She questioned whether other Asean governments would disgrace themselves by sitting with the Burmese regime. "I don't think they want to be seen as similar to the Slorc (State Law and Order Restoration Council)," she added, referring to the regime's actions against her demand for greater democracy in Burma which she has continued to press since her release in 1995 from six years' house detention. The Asean secretary-general, Ajit Singh, said last week that the Burmese government is "fairly advanced" in its preparations to join the grouping. An example of this, he said, is the number of Burmese officials able to speak and write in English, the official language of Asean. Singh pointed out that Burma is already a member of the World Trade Organisation and can meet the financial obligations required for membership in Asean. Indonesian Ambassador to Burma Poerwanto Lenggno said in a separate interview yesterday that the judgment is fair enough and will probably be discussed in informal summit of Asean leaders in Jakarta on Nov 30. "Frankly speaking, Myanmar is more prepared to become an Asean member than Cambodia. They are even more prepared than Vietnam," Poerwanto said. Myanmar is the name given to Burma by the ruling junta. However, technical problems should not be given more weight than important political considerations, he added. Asean, comprised of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, is processing membership applications from Burma, Cambodia, and Laos. The three have already received "observer status" - a category assigned to a country before it becomes a full member. Full membership status will be finalised next July when all Asean foreign ministers meet in Kuala Lumpur. The Philippines and Thailand have opposed automatic acceptance of Slorc into the grouping, but Malaysia and Indonesia are eager to bring Burma into the fold. The Burmese opposition has also asked US President Bill Clinton, scheduled to meet Asean leaders at the Nov 25 meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation in Manila, to convince those leaders to put more pressure on Slorc. Suu Kyi also questioned the technical considerations for Slorc to join Asean, saying it is normal for Burmese people to have some English ability, as the country used to be a British colony. "English is widely spoken here, while in Vietnam they are just beginning to learn English. It does not mean that Vietnam is not technically unacceptable as an Asean member," the Nobel laureate said. She added that the financial contribution is likely to burden the Burmese people if the country is accepted as a full member. "The social gap in Burma is so wide. Only a 'point something' of the people her live a normal, standard life," she said. Asean membership for Burma will only benefit Slorc, not the Burmese people, she insisted. According to Suu Kyi, Slorc is eager to join the grouping because it needs support from neighbouring countries to face growing international condemnation. (TN) ************************************************************************ THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: EU TOLD NOT TO FOLLOW U.S. ON ASSK November 6, 1996 "Part 2" of Article by staff member of `MYET KHIN THIT' : "We Do Not Want You To Act Unthinkingly as Others Do" [Transcribed Excerpt] The Denmark problem that had been stated earlier can be called the democracy problem that should be considered the most, regarding the matter of democracy which is being heard loudest in the world today. There were outcries that the entire public did not like Maastricht Treaty, that they could not allow the governance of bureaucrats from EC or WEU or European Union Commission- based in Brussels, Belgium, that Denmark's sovereignty would be put into the garbage can and that the so-called chairman of European Commission was the harbinger of death for Europe. Upon these protests, Denmark voiced a plan to arrange for another referendum to ensure the majority consensus. [passage omitted] The EEC in close cooperation with the US has been interfering in the internal affairs of world nations for quite some time. It has been making objections about this country or that country; it should be noted that it is having to act as dictated by the US, as it is doing everything the US does. The US, which showed off its footwork with passes and dodges, believing Mrs Michael Aris' [Aung San Suu Kyi] words, has now come to realize it has committed man-out [offside] with its decisions on Myanmar [Burma]. Not realizing it, the EU has come up again. It has become necessary to ask a question to the EU. Let alone the question whether they can enjoy human rights or right to shape their own destiny in full in Europe; the question I would like to ask is whether they can go ahead freely even in growing crops for themselves. Whether in matters of democracy or human rights or whatever, it should be borne at heart that one should not act unthinkingly as others do. ******************************************************** EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SESSION NEWS PRESS RELEASE November 11, 1996 From: Julien Moe Helping refugees Cooperation procedure - second reading. 314 votes required for amendments to be adopted. (A4-344/96 - Howitt) Monday, 11 November - Illustrating the need for further changes to a Council common position on EU rules governing refugees, Richard Howitt (Essex South, PES) related the story of a poor Burmese mother forced to return to Burma with a sick child who later died. Such forced repatriations especially where there is fear of violence should not be made he said. He emphasised the need to help vulnerable groups such as women and the disabled, a point later endorsed Wilfried Telkamper (D, Greens). And yet he said the EU had shown that it could provide vital assistance in rebuilding villages as had happened in Laos. But he complained about the unnecessary bureaucratic procedures introduced by Council to the decision making structure which he said would not only cost ECU 153,000 but result in unnecessary delays and create 70,000 pieces of paper every year. His views were supported by other speakers such as Jose Manuel Torres Couto (P, PES) and Bernard Kouchner (F, PES) who took up the cases of those trapped in Zaire. A dissenting voice however came from Frank Vanhecke (B, Ind) who expressed the view that European countries could not be expected to act as hosts for people from an alien culture. Replying for the Commission Christos Papoutis emphasised the need for providing help for resettlement programmes and training in health and basic social and educational services. He was prepared to accept numerous amendments including those designed to guarantee freedom from discrimination and to outlaw forced repatriations. He could not however agree to another amendment fixing at 3% the maximum to be spent on studies. Neither did he wish to involve any further the European Parliament and NGOs in the decision making process. Vote on Tuesday at midday.