------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------

The BurmaNet News: May 22, 1996
Issue # 414

Noted in Passing:


HEADLINES:
==========
REUTER : BRITAIN URGES BURMA TO FREE OPPOSITION LEADERS
REUTER : BURMA OPPOSITION LEADER URGES  U.S. SANCTIONS
AP : US IS DEEPLY CONCERNED ARRESTS IN BURMA
U. S. SENATE COMMITTEE
     ON BANKING, HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
DAILY YOMIURI : AMBASSADOR IN MEDIATION
INTELASIA : RECENT ARRESTS SEEN HAMPERING INVESTMENT DRIVE
INTELASIA : NINE PEOPLE KILLED BY LANDMINE THAT EXPLODED UNDER TRAIN
INTELASIA : BURMA FOREIGN MINISTER DENIES ARRESTS
THE NATION : CRACKDOWN ON SUU KYI SUPPORTERS
SHOWDOWN OVER NLD MEETING
THE NATION : SLORC 'HUMANS'
REUTER : AT LEAST 90 HELD AS BURMA CRACKDOWN CONTINUES. 11:59 GMT
REUTER : BURMA'S EXILED OPPOSITION CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL ACTION.
NEWS RELEASE : S E N A T E   B A N K I N G   C O M M I T T E E
THE HINDU : MYANMARESE STUDENTS SEEK AN END TO BORDER TRADE
REUTER : JAPAN CALLS FOR DIALOGUE AFTER BURMA CRACKDOWN

-------------------------------------------------------------

BRITAIN URGES BURMA TO FREE OPPOSITION LEADERS

   LONDON, May 22 (Reuter) - Britain on Wednesday deplored Burma's arrest of
90 supporters of opposition democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and urged the
ruling State Law and Order Council (SLORC) to free them immediately.

    A Foreign Office statement said Britain was ``gravely concerned about
the deteriorating political situation and rising tensions throughout the
country.''

    The United States said on Tuesday it was deeply concerned by reports of
arrests of democracy activists in Burma and had made ``the strongest
possible representations'' to the military rulers in Rangoon.

    The SLORC apparently ordered the arrests of members of Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy to prevent a planned party congress, the first
since the party won a sweeping election victory in 1990.

    The junta refused to honour her party's landslide victory.

    ``We deplore the latest arrests of members of the National League for
Democracy and call on all sides to show restraint, in particular during this
weekend's NLD congress,'' the Foreign Office said.

    ``We urge the SLORC to free those detained immediately and to enter into
meaningful dialogue with democratic opposition.''

************************************

BURMA OPPOSITION LEADER URGES  U.S. SANCTIONS

By Robert Green     WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuter) - A Burmese opposition
leader urged the U.S. Congress on Wednesday to impose economic sanctions on
Rangoon's military government, now engaged in a crackdown on pro-democracy
forces.

The recommendation was opposed by the State Department and the head of a
U.S. company engaged in a project in the region.

"I can assure you that the passage of this legislation will further
advance the cause of democracy in Burma," Sein Win said of a bill intended to
curb U.S. investment as a lever to force the military rulers to step aside.

Win, who is prime minister of the exile National Coalition Government of
the Union of Burma and is a cousin of Burma's main internal opposition
leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was speaking at a hearing of the Senate Banking
Committee.

The bill would ban private investment in Burma and require U.S. firms to
disinvest until the president assures Congress that an elected government has
been allowed to take power.

Burma's rulers detained another 10 opposition politicians on Wednesday,
swelling the total of those picked up in a crackdown designed to scuttle a
meeting of Suu Kyi's party.

At the State Department, spokesman Nicholas Burns said: "This is yet
another in a long series of outrageous and oppressive measures against
democrats ... nothing can justify the detention of 91 people who simply
wanted to meet to talk about the activities of their group."

The United States has often condemned Burmese repression of the Nobel
Peace Prize winner and her supporters, but its policy has been complicated by
what some officials feel is a need to work with Rangoon on anti-drug
trafficking efforts.

In addition, most of the countries in the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations have advocated a policy of engagement with Burma, rather than tough
sanctions.

"We understand the concern of some who fear that sanctions will hurt the
common people. They are wrong," Win said.

"The common people of Burma have survived for three decades under the
Burmese military by operating outside the official economy and they will
continue to do so. The ones who will be affected by sanctions are the members
of the ruling junta and those who support them," he added.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kent Wiedemann said the
administration supported the goals of restoring democracy in Burma, but
opposed the mandatory imposition of sanctions.

"We intend to maintain the U.S. measures already in place in Burma,"
Wiedemann said in remarks prepared for the hearing.

"We need to maintain our flexibility to respond to events in Burma and to
consult with Congress on appropriate responses to ongoing and future
developments.

 "We thus oppose measures, such as the mandatory provisions of (the bill)
that restrict, rather than maintain or enhance, the administration's freedom
of action."

 And the president of Los Angeles-based Unocal Corp <UCL.N>., which is
trying to develop the Yadana natural gas field off the coast of Burma, said
the sanctions would only hurt the Burmese people rather than the military
rulers.

"Rather than isolating Myanmar (Burma), the expanding use of unilateral
steps will further isolate the United States from many of its allies in Asia
and Europe -- all of whom are aggressively developing closer relationships
with Myanmar,"

Unocal's John Imle said in a written statement to the panel.

 Imle said the project would directly benefit 20,000 Burmese who live in
the vicinity of the 39-mile (65 km) pipeline route, not government officials.


Senator. Mitch McConnell, chief sponsor of the bill, said this week's
arrest of 90 opposition politicians, most members of the National League for
Democracy in Burma, unscored the need for stronger action against the
military government.

"Swift action on my bill will assure Suu Kyi and the NLD that the U.S.
Congress stands with them in democracy's hour of need," said McConnell, a
Kentucky Republican.

He compared the situation to South Africa, where use of U.S. and
international sanctions helped end apartheid.

Committee chairman Alfonse D'Amato, a New York Republican, also supports
the bill but it is uncertain when the committee might act on the legislation.

******************************************

US IS DEEPLY CONCERNED ARRESTS IN BURMA

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Arrest by Burmese authorities of dozens of
pro-democracy activists is an ominous development typical of the Asian
country's military rulers, the State Department said Tuesday.
   Spokesman Nicholas Burns said as many as 44 activists were detained.
>From Rangoon, the Burmese capital, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
telephoned The Associated Press in Bangkok, Thailand, and reported that 46
of her supporters were rounded up. Her National League for Democracy is to
begin a three-day meeting on Sunday.
   "We are deeply concerned," Burns said. "We've made the strongest
possible representations to the Burmese authorities in Rangoon and also
here in Washington."
   He called the arrests "yet another in a series of oppressive actions by
the military regime" to block democratic rule in Burma.
   Burns also appealed to Thailand and other of Burma's neighbors to use
their influence on Burmese authorities to promote respect for pro-democracy
forces.
   
********************************************
U. S. SENATE COMMITTEE
     ON BANKING, HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

     Testimony on Burma, 22 May 1996
     Submitted by George Soros, Chairman, Soros Foundations
     & President, Soros Fund Management

     As a general rule I am not in favor of sanctions.   Their purpose is
     to impose certain universally recognized standards of behavior on
     recalcitrant governments, but their immediate effect is to isolate the
     countries concerned even further.  Investment sanctions may be useful
     as a means of applying pressure, but when implemented they are liable
     to be counter-productive.  In the darkness of an isolated closed
     society all kinds of atrocities can be committed and various forms of
     repression used that would not be tolerated in an open society.

     I am all for constructive engagement_and I have practiced it in many
     countries.   I established the Open Society Fund in 1979 and a
     foundation in my native country Hungary in 1984.  Hungary had at that
     time a communist government hostile to the concept of open society.
     Nevertheless, we managed to find a modus vivendi with the government
     and the foundation was very successful.  I have now a network of
     foundations covering 24 countries, which include most of the former
     Soviet Empire, South Africa and Haiti.  The foundations support the
     essential requirements of an open society, especially the freedom of
     expression and association.  I have also established The Burma Project
     and would be only too happy to set up a foundation inside Burma, or
     Myanmar as it was renamed by the regime, if only the generals would
     permit me.  As an advocate of open society I would endorse any type of
     economic sanctions only as a last resort.
     
     But Burma is a case where desperate measures are needed because the
     situation is so desperate. The people of Burma gave the National
     League for Democracy, the party led by Aung San Suu Kyi, 60% of the
     votes and 82% of the seats in the 1990 elections.  This mandate is
     still ignored by those who lost in the polls_the military, the same
     people who crushed a popular movement for democracy two years earlier,
     killing thousands of civilians in the process.  Aung San Suu Kyi was
     placed under house arrest where she was kept in almost complete
     isolation for six years.

     The whole world condemned the Burmese junta, the repressive regime
     known as the State Law & Order Restoration Council (SLORC), but slowly
     the restrictions placed on Burma were relaxed_all in the name of
     constructive engagement.  When Aung San Suu Kyi was finally released
     last July, we all hoped that this was the beginning of a genuine
     national reconciliation similar to what happened in South Africa after
     the release of Nelson Mandela.  But what the world considered the
     beginning of a necessary process, the SLORC apparently considers the
     end of the concessions it is willing to make.

     Human rights conditions have not changed much since she was released.
     The UN Commission on Human Rights, in its latest resolution, cited the
     SLORC's continued practice of torture, summary and arbitrary
     executions, forced labor, including forced portering for the military,
     and abuse of women, among the litany of offenses against its own
     citizens.

     The SLORC introduced superficial economic reforms that helped justify
     the relaxation of restrictions by those who wished to engage with the
     junta.  They brought no economic freedom. According to a study just
     released by Freedom House, Burma still ranks at bottom, along with
     Iraq and North Korea.  In Burma:
     Property rights are non-existent.
     Trade unions and collective bargaining are illegal.
     There are no formal regulations governing business formation, and no
     guaranteed rights to operate a business.
      The government sets a cap to interest rates.
      The nominal tariffs range from 15 to 300 percent, but a complicated
     system of application results in an effective tariff of about 10
     percent.
     The government dominates the economy, although no accurate figures
     exist on the number of state-owned enterprises or on the government's
     share of Gross Domestic Product.  Most businesses in the formal sector
     are owned by the government or by the military officials.

     It should be noted that Freedom House's annual survey of political and
     civil liberties also gave Burma the lowest rating.

     Burmese economist Professor Khin Maung Kyi says:  "While certain
     limited sections of the economy enjoy the fruits of the opening, the
     great majority suffer from low-productivity, inflation and high
     informal taxation."   Burma,  with a population of 45 million, has a
     ratio of expenditures for defense versus health and education of 155%,
     compared to 5.1% for Indonesia, with its population of 170 million.
     Professor Khin Maung Kyi views the Burmese army's insistence on
     dominating the government forever to be  "in direct conflict, in terms
     of both philosophy implied and actions demanded of such an objective,
     with the tenets and requirements of free market institutions."   One
     of the major impediments to genuine economic reform  is a currency
     that is grossly overvalued by 2,000%.  One dollar is worth only six
     kyats,  but fetches over 120 kyats on the open market.  This means
     that the favored few with access to hard currency get a huge free
     gift, which is subsidized by the rest of the population.

     And the common person has nowhere to turn.  Article 19, a well-known
     London-based organization dedicated to the promotion of free
     expression, states in a new report that "the manifest unfairness of
     Burmese laws and the grossly arbitrary manner in which they are
     applied_often compound[s] the inaccessibility and vagueness of the
     statutory instruments, and the glaring inconsistencies in unofficial
     pronouncements concerning the status of certain laws."     The law is,
     in effect, whatever the generals say it is from day to day.

     The regime appears to have tightened its grip in recent months.  It
     has arbitrarily extended the sentences of 21 political prisoners who
     dared to communicate with the outside world about the appalling
     conditions inside the jails.   Just last month, Aung San Suu Kyi
     reported that the junta appeared intent on crushing Burma's
     beleaguered democracy movement in every way it can, employing tactics
     of strong-arm street thugs reminiscent of Nazi leader Hitler's brown
     shirts.

     Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy have spoken out
     clearly against further foreign investments:  "Our policy is that any
     investment made now is not going to bring any long-term profits for
     those who are investing, and certainly it is very much against the
     interests of the people of Burma because most of the investments
     coming in are coming in through the same privileged group which is
     getting richer and richer, and more and more intent upon_clinging to
     power."

     International pressure can make a big difference.  Without it Aung San
     Suu Kyi would not have been released.  Now that she has appealed to
     the international community for further pressure, the international
     community must respond.  If we have any commitment to universal human
     rights, now is the occasion to show it.   In a complex world where
     most political decisions involve various shades of gray, this is a
     black and white case:

     It will be argued that free trade promotes free societies.  That is
     a well-sounding slogan without any basis in fact.  Regimes may remain
     repressive even as they grow rich.  After all, China and Singapore
     have not  become havens of human rights.
     Sanctions are said to hurt the population, but in Burma, the people
     are already as downtrodden as they could be.  Sanctions would hit
     almost exclusively the governing elite.
     Sanctions are said to hurt U.S. business interests, but at the
     moment the amount of American investment in Burma is relatively
     insignificant, so we can still afford to live up to our moral
     principles.  More investment does not necessarily mean more leverage.
     On the contrary, special interests often take precedence over general
     principles.

     Sanctions have been successful elsewhere.  South Africa is the best
     known example.  Sanctions have also worked in Poland and Chile, where
     we tied certain benefits directly to the removal of specific rights
     abuses.  International solidarity is extremely important in making
     sanctions effective, but absent that, a firm stand by America would
     send a strong moral and political message which is likely to be
     heeded.

     Europe is paying more attention to Burma too.  The European
     Commission,  reacting to charges of forced labor practices in Burma
     filed by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the
     International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), has begun an
     investigation that threatens Burma's Generalised System of Preferences
     (GSP) on its exports into countries belonging to the European Union.

     Japan and the countries of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian
     Nations) ought to be reminded of their role as neighbors of Burma, and
     this Bill will do so.  Japan, in particular, has special historic
     links to Burma.  On the one hand, Burma's independence heroes,
     including General Aung San, the father of Aung San Suu Kyi, were
     trained by Japan.  On the other hand, the current Burmese army, under
     the rule of the SLORC,  seem to be imitating some of the worst
     features of the Japanese in the Second World War.

     Japan today is a major economic power in the world_and also a leader
     of constructive engagement with Burma.  It must take responsibility
     for its actions, especially if these actions are prolonging the
     suffering of  millions of Burmese who are denied fundamental freedoms.

     Is Burma the new South Africa_as claimed by the groundswell of young
     activists and supporters of a democratic Burma all around the world?
     Morally, yes.  The main difference is that the blacks of South Africa
     had a large constituency sympathetic to them in the United States,
     while Burma does not have such a local constituency.  Only the
     principles of human rights are involved in Burma. It is all the more
     important, therefore, that we respond.  We can start by supporting
     this Bill.

***********************************
 Senator D'Amato's Statement at the today hearing

S E N A T E   B A N K I N G   C O M M I T T E E
News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 1996
CONTACT: Richard Mills (202)224-0894


   Prepared Statement of U.S. Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato (R - NY)
         Chairman, Senate Banking Committee
                Hearing on S.1511,
    "Burma Freedom and Democracy Act of 1995"
         Wednesday, May 22, 1996


This morning the Committee will conduct a hearing on S. 1511, the "Burma
Freedom and Democracy Act of 1995." I want to commend Senator McConnell for
his leadership and his initiative on this important human-rights legislation.
I am pleased to be a co-sponsor of this important legislation along with
Senators Moynihan and Leahy.

This legislation uses sanctions to send a clear message to the ruling
military junta in Burma -- the State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC) -- that its record on human rights, in counter-narcotics, and its
refusal to let the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD)
assume office is immoral and unacceptable to the United States.

Burma's human rights record is horrendous. For example, in 1988, the SLORC
killed an estimated 3,000 pro-democracy demonstrators. Thousands more have
been jailed since then. And just yesterday, roughly forty-five members of the
NLD were arrested for attempting to peacefully assemble.

The junta's record in counter-narcotics is also unacceptable. In 1994, Burma
was responsible for 94% of the opium produced worldwide and is the supplier
of 60% of the heroin found in the U.S. A State Department concluded that
Burma was not taking adequate steps to control the narcotics produced there.
The drug trafficking groups involved in the heroin trade seemingly have
complete autonomy to produce and distribute center in the U.S. for Southeast
Asian heroin.

It is obvious that current U.S. policy toward Burma is NOT working and
increased pressure on the SLORC is needed. We must recognize that sanctions
will force the SLORC to clean up. I fully agree with Nobel Peace Prize winner
Desmond Tutu when he stated that, "Five years of constructive engagement has
only given the SLORC the confidence to maintain its repressive rule."

This legislation will help send a clear message that the United States will
not tolerate such outrageous behavior. U.S. companies such as PepsiCo, Levi
Strauss, and Macy's, among others, have put moral responsibility ahead of
their bottom line by starting to serve their ties with Burma. The U.S.
Government should also assume a more aggressive and activist policy. The
Administration has not exercised such leadership; Congress must provide it
and that is the purpose of Senator MCConnell's bill.

It is important fot the United States to send a strong signal that we will
not accept the current situation in Burma. Today's hearing is only the first
step in sending this loud and clear message.

**************************************************

AMBASSADOR IN MEDIATION

Daily Yomiuri
May 22, 1996
Yangon (Kyodo) -- The Japanese ambassador to Myanmar is acting as mediator
between the ruling military junta and pro - democracy leader Aung San Suu
Kyi in a bid to pave the way for political dialogue, a diplomatic source
said Tuesday.

Ambassador Yoichi Yamaguchi met with Suu Kyi for talks at her lakeside home
Friday and again at the Japanese Embassy on Monday after asking permission
from the junta, known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council, the
source said.

****************************

RECENT ARRESTS SEEN HAMPERING INVESTMENT DRIVE

    RANGOON, May 22 [INTELASIA] - Sweeping arrests of pro-democracy
politicians could set back efforts by Burma's military government to improve
its image and attract foreign investors, diplomats and analysts said on
Wednesday.

    Burma's ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) has
detained at least 90 activists over the past few days, apparently in a bid
to stop a meeting of opposition politicians on Sunday, sources told Reuters.

    News of the arrests led to international condemnation, with some of the
world's richest countries and possible investors calling on the military
council to start talks with Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy
(NLD) party.

    Japanese prime minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said the arrests ``run counter
to democratisation'' and said he was closely following developments.

    Japanese government spokesman Seiroku Kajiyama said Tokyo ``strongly
hopes that the Myanmar (Burmese) government will strive for democratisation
while holding dialogue with ... the NLD.''

    However, Burmese Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw denied that scores of
pro-democracy politicians had been detained, Japan's Kyodo news agency
reported. ``The reports were fabricated,'' Kyodo quoted Ohn Gyaw as telling
a local governor near Tokyo while on a visit there.

    The NLD is due to hold a congress of elected representatives on Sunday.
It won a landslide victory in a 1990 election but never assumed power
because the SLORC did not recognise the result of the poll.

    Some diplomats said the timing of the congress and the arrests could not
be worse for the military rulers, who are scrambling to pull themselves out
of decades of political isolation and economic doldrums partly by enticing
foreign investors.

    ``I am sure there are people in the government who are ticked off, and
are saying to the NLD, 'look what you made us do at precisely the wrong
moment','' one diplomat said.

    The Japanese were at the top of the military council's list of potental
investors, and scores of businessmen have visited resource-rich Burma over
the past few months.

    Japanese diplomats have also played a key mediating role between the NLD
and the military council, striving to help find a way to open talks which
could pave the way for investment, diplomats said.

    ``So if the Japanese are upset, it could hurt Burma,'' one diplomat said.

    Most countries cut financial aid to Burma, one of the world's poorest
countries, after the military supressed a pro-democracy uprising in 1988 in
which thousands died or where jailed. But investors seemed more willing to
return and Tokyo partially lifted a freeze on aid to Burma after Nobel
laureate Suu Kyi was released from six years of house arrest last July.

    Although the United States and many Western nations followed Suu Kyi's
suggestion of waiting to resume formal aid until there had been democratic
change in Burma, several southeast Asian nations have adopted an approach
similar to that of Japan.

    But analysts said the recent arrests could hurt, especially since they
came on the eve of a large conference for foreign investors in Rangoon.

    As news was filtering out about the scores of arrests, businessmen were
arriving at Rangoon's airport to explore opportunities in the country.

    ``It's too early to say what the impact might be,'' a diplomat said.
``If these people are all released after a few days and everything returns
to normal, that is unlikely to have much of a negative impact.''

    But another said the arrests could result in fiercer lobbying by human
rights activists against investing in Burma.

************************************

NINE PEOPLE KILLED BY LANDMINE THAT EXPLODED UNDER TRAIN

   RANGOON, May 22 INTELASIA - Nine people were killed when a landmine
planted by ethnic minority guerrillas, exploded under a train in central
Burma, state television reported on Wednesday.

    The report said the attack on Tuesday night was the responsibility of
Karen National Union (KNU) guerrillas who have been fighting the central
government for autonomy since 1949, one year after Burma gained independence
from Britian.

    The blast was on the main railway line between Rangoon and Burma's second
biggest city Mandalay, near the town of Kanyutkwin, in Pegu Divison, some 160
km (100 miles) north of Rangoon.

    Seven people were injured in the explosion, the television reported.

    The KNU is the last major ethnic minority guerrilla army yet to sign a
ceasefire with the military government.

    Based in pockets of territory in southeastern Burma near the border with
Thailand, the guerrillas have not launched attacks in central Burma for
several years.

    State television made no mention of a continuing crackdown against
supporters of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in which at least 90 people
have been detained.

    The KNU and allied dissident groups on Wednesday issued a statement in
Thailand condemning the sweep against Suu Kyi's supporters and expressing
their support for her National League for Democracy party.

****************************************

BURMA FOREIGN MINISTER DENIES ARRESTS

   TOKYO, May 22 INTELASIA - Burmese Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw on Wednesday
denied reports that Rangoon's military authorities had detained scores of
pro-democracy politicians, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.

    ``The reports were fabricated,'' Kyodo quoted visiting Ohn Gyaw as
telling a local governor near Tokyo.

    A source close to Burma's democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi told Reuters
on Wednesday at least 90 Burmese pro-democracy politicians had been detained
since Monday ahead of this weekend's congress meeting.

    ``It's difficult to verify what leaders of the (opposition) party
including Aung San Suu Kyi are saying,'' Ohn Gyaw, in Japan to attend an
Asia-Pacific environment conference in Gunma prefecture, northwest of Tokyo,
was quoted as saying.

    The news of the arrests came just hours after Kyodo reported that Tokyo's
ambassador to Burma was working to bring about talks between Suu Kyi and
Rangoon's ruling military junta, the State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC).

    Ambassador Yoichi Yamaguchi had twice met Suu Kyi with SLORC's
permission, Kyodo reported.

    Yamaguchi's initiative was designed to remove obstacles to the resumption
of Japanese aid to Burma, a move keenly desired by Japanese businesses, it
said.

    Tokyo last year partially lifted a freeze on aid to Burma which it
imposed in 1988, prompting Japanese trading houses to flock to the
resource-rich Southeast Asian country.

    Suu Kyi has urged foreign countries and companies to wait for democratic
change in Burma before providing aid or making investments.

    Her party won a 1990 general election by a landslide but the junta has
refused to honour the result.

*********************************************

CRACKDOWN ON SUU KYI SUPPORTERS
SHOWDOWN OVER NLD MEETING
22.5.96/The Nation

RANGOON - Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi said yesterday
that Burma's ruling military junta had arrested 44 of her key
supporters to prevent the most important opposition meeting since
her release from house arrest last year.

Suu Kyi said that the three-day meeting of her National League
for Democracy (NLD) would, however, proceed on Sunday at her home
in Rangoon despite increasing government pressure to derail it.

A diplomat speaking from the Burmese capital said Suu Kyi and the
military were now on a collision course: "It's fairly clear that
both sides are heading for a showdown on Sunday."

"So far, 44 NLD elected representatives and two wives have been
arrested," Suu Kyi said.

Arrests around the country started late on Monday, Suu Kyi added.

The wives, from the southern province of Bassein, were arrested
when authorities didn't find their husbands at home.

"This won't affect plans to hold the conference," Suu Kyi said.
"Everyone is calm .... I expect the people of Rangoon will behave
very sensibly. They know how we will want them to act. Every
person knows how to do their duty."

She said more arrests of her party members were likely and she
did not rule out the authorities taking action against her and
other NLD leaders.

"Anything is possible in an- authoritarian state," she said.

Amnesty International, the Londonbased human rights organisation,
issued a statement expressing fear that
those detained may face torture and ill treatment in custody.

It said they may have been arrested "solely for exercising their
rights to freedom of expression and association."

Burma's military rulers killed thousands of pro-democracy
activists in suppressing demonstrations in 1988, and opposition
leaders are keen to avoid a new bloodbath.

The gathering would be the most important opposition meeting in
years and the biggest since Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1991 for her non-violent promotion of democracy, was
freed last July from six years of house arrest.

It coincides with the sixth anniversary of democratic elections
in 1990, when Suu Kyi's movement won an overwhelming majority of
parliamentary seats.

The junta, known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council,
never allowed Parliament to convene, and the meeting is seen as a
challenge to the junta's legitimacy.

The meeting was to bring together those who won seats and who had
not yet been killed, arrested or driven into exile.

"I think it's because they know we have the support of the people
and they're not confident in their own position," Suu Kyi said.
"If they were confident in their own position a meeting of two or
three hundred people would not worry them:"

Gen Maung Aye, army commander and deputy chairman of the military
junta, warned in remarks published yesterday in state-run
newspapers that the government would "annihilate" anyone who
disturbs Burma's peace and tranquility.

*****************************************************************

SLORC 'HUMANS'
22.5.96/The Nation/Letter

MY opinion article published last week was intended to challenge
Burma activists to explore their own motives for boycotting Pepsi
and to remember that the situation, like all human situations, is
more complex than a simple standoff between good and evil. I do
not support Slorc, I make no definitive claims, and I still hope
to read an intelligent well-argued rebuttal.

The letters my piece have elicited to date have been
disappointing, resorting as they all have done to sarcasm and
personal attacks. The letter from "Another dissident" (The
Nation, May 19) compels me to respond.

To call the Burmese generals "monsters" does not aid
understanding. Pol Pot murdered a million of his own compatriots,
but he too was human. The unhappy truth about human potential is
that his actions, like those of the Slorc, illustrate all too
vividly something we all must face.

I have visited Burma twice not once, and have followed it as
closely as most people over several years. I have spent many
weeks in Haiti, Kashmir, Karachi and other troubled places, three
years in Asia, and 30 years on this earth. People I have known
and respected, such as Kashmiri human rights activist Jalil
Andrabi, have died. How much experience must one have before one
is qualified to express an opinion?

I don't think Robert Kaplan has been to Burma, but he has been to
Uzbekistan. In his important new book "The Ends of the Earth",
Kaplan cites Uzbek President Islam Karimov's ugly human rights
record, and then notes: "It is questionable, however, how much
Karimov cares what America thinks, given that European and Asian
businessmen in Uzbekistan show little interest in his human
rights record." Shades, of course, of the Slorc.

But like any real writer, instead of flinching when faced with
tough questions, Kaplan articulates them. "Karimov, the Nigerian
generals, and others like them are betting that democracy is not
the final word in political evolution," he writes. "The West
believes they are wrong. But what if they are right, or even
partly right - in their cases? For us it's a matter of principle;
for tens of millions threatened by the spectre of civil conflict,
it is a matter of life and death. "

The Slorc may be bad, but it does not follow that those who
oppose it are always in the right. I would be delighted to read a
thoughtful response to my article that refrains from personal
attacks.

Ethan Casey
Bangkok

*************************************************
AT LEAST 90 HELD AS BURMA CRACKDOWN CONTINUES. 11:59 GMT
(Updates total number of detentions)

22May96
RANGOON, May 22 (Reuter) - Burma's military rulers detained another 10
opposition politicians on Wednesday, bringing the total to at least 90 in
a crackdown designed to scuttle this weekend's opposition meeting, an
opposition source said.  Most of those detained were elected members of
the National League for Democracy (NLD), headed by Nobel peace prize
winner Aung San Suu Kyi, which plans this weekend to hold its first
congress since a sweeping election victory in 1990.

"The number has gone up to 90, the additional ones are also from Rangoon,"
a source close to Aung San Suu Kyi told Reuters. He said the figure could
be higher as news of the detentions across the country slowly trickled in.
The army has run Burma with an iron grip since the 1960s, crushing an
uprising in 1988 and since then terrorising or jailing democracy
activists. But after releasing Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest last
July it has been more circumspect.  The state-run media did not report the
crackdown and government officials declined to comment.  "We're not
supposed to say anthing on such a story. Why don't you approach the NLD
people," senior information ministry official Major Hla Tun told Reuters.

Suu Kyi and other NLD members spent the day preparing for the three-day
congress of top party members to start at her house on Sunday. The NLD
source said the crackdown, the worst since Suu Kyi's release, was
expected. At least 44 of those taken were from travelling or preparing to
travel to Rangoon for the meeting, the source said.  The rest, including
Suu Kyi's secretary Win Htein, were mostly arrested late on Tuesday and on
Wednesday in Rangoon.

"They come to peoples' homes and detain them, in some cases they are put
under house arrest. Some are taken from their cars or buses -- officials
get on the bus and tell them to get off, then arrest them," the source
said in an interview at Suu Kyi's residence earlier on Wednesday.
Diplomats in Rangoon said the stage was set for a fresh confrontation
between Suu Kyi and the military government but added it was unclear how
far the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council would push its
crackdown against the NLD.  "She's not the sort of person to back down,"
one diplomat said of Suu Kyi, who led the 1988 uprising against the army.

The street outside Suu Kyi's house was quiet, but plainclothes security
officers openly snapped pictures of reporters going into her lakeside
residence. The source said the meeting would continue as planned, despite
the fact that nearly a third of 300 pro-democracy politicians expected to
attend had been detained. "Some foreign media and businessmen like to
think the NLD is effectively sidelined. This shows we are not," he said.
But a defiant Suu Kyi said on Tuesday the party was determined to hold its
meeting, and the source said on Wednesday she was busy planning the agenda
despite the sweeping arrests.

"This is a police state. We are used to it. We are conditioned to this
kind of atmosphere," he said.

(c) Reuters Limited 1996
REUTER NEWS SERVICE

*************************************************

THAILAND: BURMA'S EXILED OPPOSITION CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL ACTION.
22May96 10:56 GMT

BANGKOK, May 22 (Reuter) - Exiled opponents of Burma's military government
on Wednesday condemned the lastest crackdown against Aung San Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy (NLD) and called for international pressure
on the ruling military.

"The recent abitrary arrest of NLD representatives and members is a clear
indication that there have been no genuine improvements in the political
situation," the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) said in a
statement.

"The entire people of Burma continue to suffer under the oppressive SLORC
military regime," the dissident group said, referring to the ruling
military body, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC).

At least 80 NLD members have been rounded up since Monday and the number
could rise as the military rulers moved to stop them from holding a
weekend congress, an opposition source told Reuters in the Burmese
capital. "We call on the international community, and all democratic
forces both inside the country and throughout the world ... to condemn
these arrests and to struggle with all possible means for the immediate
release of these individuals," the ABSDF said.

Burma's dissident government in exile, the National Coalition Government
of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), said the arrests were an act of
lawlessness. "Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD have since 1988 stressed the
need to have a dialogue with the military in order to resolve differences
of opinion," the NCGUB said in a statement.

"Instead, the generals' response has been to arrest elected
representatives merely for planning to attend a conference. This is a
clear act of lawlessness on the part of the SLORC. "Strong international
pressure is needed to make clear to the generals that they must work
together with the people to resolve Burma's many serious and critical
problems," it added.

The NCGUB was formed in late 1990 by Suu Kyi's cousin, Sein Win, and a
small group of pro-democracy polticians who won seats in the 1990
election. The NLD won more than 80 percent of the seats in the May 1990
polls but the militawry rulers refused to recognise the result and instead
launched a crackdown against the NLD, its supporters and all other
opposition. Thousands of people were detained and imprisoned.

Sein Win and his colleagues fled from their homes and set up the NCGUB in
an anti-government guerrilla zone in southeastern Burma.

He was due to testify to the U.S. senate later on Wednesday in support of
proposed legislation which, if passed, would require the U.S. government
to impose sanctions on Burma, the NCGUB said.

The NLD was formed in September 1988 by Suu Kyi and other leaders of a
democracy uprising which swept the country that year. The SLORC was formed
just days earlier as the military finally manged to crush the street
protests. Hundreds of people died, or even thousands according to some
estimates, as troops opened fire on crowds to crush the months-long
uprising against the country's military rulers who have held power since a
1962 coup.  (c) Reuters Limited 1996

*****************************************

SENATOR D'AMATO'S STATEMENT AT THE TODAY HEARING

S E N A T E   B A N K I N G   C O M M I T T E E
News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 1996
CONTACT: Richard Mills (202)224-0894

   Prepared Statement of U.S. Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato (R - NY)
         Chairman, Senate Banking Committee
                Hearing on S.1511,
    "Burma Freedom and Democracy Act of 1995"
         Wednesday, May 22, 1996

This morning the Committee will conduct a hearing on S. 1511, the "Burma
Freedom and Democracy Act of 1995." I want to commend Senator McConnell for
his leadership and his initiative on this important human-rights legislation.
I am pleased to be a co-sponsor of this important legislation along with
Senators Moynihan and Leahy.

This legislation uses sanctions to send a clear message to the ruling
military junta in Burma -- the State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC) -- that its record on human rights, in counter-narcotics, and its
refusal to let the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD)
assume office is immoral and unacceptable to the United States.

Burma's human rights record is horrendous. For example, in 1988, the SLORC
killed an estimated 3,000 pro-democracy demonstrators. Thousands more have
been jailed since then. And just yesterday, roughly forty-five members of the
NLD were arrested for attempting to peacefully assemble.

The junta's record in counter-narcotics is also unacceptable. In 1994, Burma
was responsible for 94% of the opium produced worldwide and is the supplier
of 60% of the heroin found in the U.S. A State Department concluded that
Burma was not taking adequate steps to control the narcotics produced there.
The drug trafficking groups involved in the heroin trade seemingly have
complete autonomy to produce and distribute center in the U.S. for Southeast
Asian heroin.

It is obvious that current U.S. policy toward Burma is NOT working and
increased pressure on the SLORC is needed. We must recognize that sanctions
will force the SLORC to clean up. I fully agree with Nobel Peace Prize winner
Desmond Tutu when he stated that, "Five years of constructive engagement has
only given the SLORC the confidence to maintain its repressive rule."

This legislation will help send a clear message that the United States will
not tolerate such outrageous behavior. U.S. companies such as PepsiCo, Levi
Strauss, and Macy's, among others, have put moral responsibility ahead of
their bottom line by starting to serve their ties with Burma. The U.S.
Government should also assume a more aggressive and activist policy. The
Administration has not exercised such leadership; Congress must provide it
and that is the purpose of Senator MCConnell's bill.

It is important fot the United States to send a strong signal that we will
not accept the current situation in Burma. Today's hearing is only the first
step in sending this loud and clear message.

*********************************************

MYANMARESE STUDENTS SEEK AN END TO BORDER TRADE
The Hindu, May 22,1996. (New Delhi)
 
IMPHAL, May 21.
 
The pro-democratic Myanmarese students who have been living in
refugee camps in Minipur and other undisclosed places in the country,
are hopeful that the BJP-led government may put an end to the
legalised border trade between India and Myanmar. After an inordinate
delay, the border trade agreement was signed in 1994 and it became
operational only 1995. From the very beginning, the pro-democratic
Myanmarese students have been critical of the trade agreement.
 
In a statement, the students said it was unbecoming of the Indian
Government, to enter into trade agreement with the military rulers. The
students said taking advantage of the trade agreement, the military
rulers were sending huge quantities of heroine and other contraband
goods. Though larger chunks of the sales proceeds are pocketed by
some corrupt element, enough military equipment has been purchased
to suppress the pro-democratic movement in Myanmar. It is alleged that
most of the costly items are not reflected in the official records. The
military rulers might have taken into consideration the vitriolic
criticisms by the exiled students when they levelled serious charges
while demanding the handing over of these students. They had said that
the students who are lodged in Manipur were wanted in Myanmar in
connection
with some specific charges. Over 500 students and other activists had
come to Moreh, the border town in Manipur, when the military rulers
launched a crackdown on the pro-democratic students leaders. The
students were lodged near the police station. However, army intelligence
personnel came to Moreh by mingling with the common smugglers and
shouted at the refugees that unless they voluntarily come back their
family members would face the music in Myanmar. Fearing that there
may be rescue, these refugees were shifted to the 8 Bn Manipur Rifles
battalion at Leikhun well inside the Chandel district. That this too was
not safe was seen from the way police arrested an agent who might have
been trying to kill student leaders. The Indian government declared
them refugees and adequate funds were sanctioned. However there are
reports that the refugees were exploited and an embarrassed Chief
Minister, Mr. R. K. Dorendra had assured the Manipur Assembly that
action would be taken against the official who had misappropriated the
funds. In due course some of the students went back to Myanmar while
others vanished somewhere in India.
 
One team of students led by a martial arts instructor, were nabbed after
crossing the international border; they were believed to have been
executed on the charge that they had trained some guerrillas. During a
flag meeting, the military rulers are said to have told Indian Army that
the students activists on Myanmar are being imparted guerrilla warfare
which was denied. It was now been made clear that the legalised trade
has benefited some of the military rulers of Myanmar. Since India is not
benefited by the border trade indications are that it may not be renewed
after the expire of the present agreement.

**************************************************

 JAPAN CALLS FOR DIALOGUE AFTER BURMA CRACKDOWN

    TOKYO, May 22 (Reuter) - Japan on Wednesday expressed concern over
Burma's arrests of democracy activists and urged dialogue between the
country's military rulers and pro-democracy camp.

    Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said the arrests of scores of members
of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD)
``run counter to democratisation.''

    ``I am closely following developments,'' he told reporters.

    Government spokesman Seiroku Kajiyama told a news conference that Tokyo
``strongly hopes that the Myanmar (Burmese) government will strive for
democratisation while holding dialogue with officials from the NLD.''

    A source close to Suu Kyi told Reuters on Wednesday that Burma's
military authorities had rounded up 71 NLD members since Monday, apparently
to thwart a party congress planned from Sunday.

    The news came just hours after a Japanese news agency reported that
Tokyo's ambassador to Burma was working to bring about talks between Suu Kyi
and Rangoon's ruling military junta, the State Law and Order Restoration
Council (SLORC).

    Ambassador Yoichi Yamaguchi had met twice with Suu Kyi with SLORC's
permission, Kyodo news agency reported.

    Yamaguchi's initiative was designed to remove obstacles to resumption of
Japan's official aid for Burma, a move keenly desired by Japanese
businesses, it said.

    Tokyo last year partially lifted a freeze on aid to Burma it imposed in
1988, prompting Japanese trading houses to flock to the resource-rich
Southeast Asian country.

    Suu Kyi has urged foreign countries and companies to wait for real
democratic change in Burma to before providing aid or making investments.

    Her party won a 1990 general election by a landslide but the junta has
refused to honour the result.

01:56 05-22-96



