---------------------------- BurmaNet ---------------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: June 6, 1996=20
Issue #435

Noted in Passing:
=09Anybody who really knows what's going on with the Burmese=20
=09economy wouldn't want to invest here.
=09- Aung San Suu Kyi.
(See INVESTOR NEED LOOK BEHIND BURMA SALES PITCH)


HEADLINES:
---------------------------------------------------------------
THE NATIN: BUSINESSMEN IN BURMA
THE NATION: BURMESE JUNTA BLASTS SUU KYI
THE NATION: INAUGURATION OF MONUMENT KEPT LOW-KEY
BKK POST: BANHARN GETS PLEA TO RELEASE BURMA STUDENTS
BKK POST: JOURNALISTS FACE TOUGHER TEST TO GAIN ENTRY VISAS
BKK POST: BURMESE ACCEPT THAILAND'S PROPOSAL ON BORDER TRADE
BKK POST: INVESTOR NEED LOOK BEHIND BURMA SALES PITCH
THE ECONOMIST: A NEW GAME IN MYANMAR
STRAITS TIMES : SUU KYI CAN'T BE TRUSTED
STRAITS TIMES : OBSERVER STATUS WILL GIVE MYANMAR=20
CHANCE OF DIALOGUE=20
AP :BURMA ECONOMY ANOTHER BATTLEGROUND FOR GOVT,=20
OPPOSITION
HONG KONG STANDARD : FREE NATIONS MUST HELP BURMA
DAWN STAR : TOTAL'S PRESIDENT THIERRY DEMAREST FAILS TO=20
SATISFY SHAREHOLDERS OVER BURMA INVESTMENT
------------------------------------------------------------

THE NATION: BUSINESSMEN IN BURMA

June 6, 1996

AFP

A SOUTH Korean business delegation met senior Burmese military=20
junta leaders to discuss investment opportunities in Burma,=20
state-run Radio Rangoon reported.

The delegation, headed by a vice-president of Hyundai Corp, held=20
separate meetings in Rangoon with the Slorc's secretary general,=20
Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt, and its deputy prime minister,=20
Vice-Admiral Maung Maung Khin, the radio said. (TN)

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

THE NATION: BURMESE JUNTA BLASTS SUU KYI

June 6, 1996

Reuter

RANGOON - Burma's government stepped up attacks on democracy=20
leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday with a newspaper commentary=20
saying she could not be trusted to be a leader because she has a=20
British husband.

Referring to Suu Kyi as the "puppet princess", a commentary in=20
the state-run New Light of Myanmar said the 1991 Nobel Peace=20
Laureate could not be trusted to keep state secrets if she were=20
ever to become the country's leader.

"Will the wife not let her husband know in the least matters that=20
are connected with the affairs of the state?" Said the article,=20
written under the pen name "Patriot". "In scrutinising the matter=20
of safeguarding the country from dangers and from the point of=20
view of security of the state, it is quite obvious that she=20
cannot be trusted in the least," the commentary said. Burma's=20
official media is seen as the mouth-piece of the military=20
government.

Suu Kyi has repeatedly been attacked verbally for her marriage to=20
British academic Michael Aris.

The Slorc says she is not a true Burmese because she lived abroad=20
for many years and married a foreigner. Over the last two weeks,=20
Burma has stepped up its attack against foreign interference in=20
the country, calling Suu Kyi and her party "stooges" of=20
imperialists. (TN)

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

THE NATION: INAUGURATION OF MONUMENT KEPT LOW-KEY

June 6, 1996

YINDEE LERTCHAROENCHOK

The Nation

TACHILEK - After several postponements, the Burmese junta last=20
month officially inaugurated a statue of King Bayinnaung, a great=20
ruler who unified the ancient Burmese kingdom and conquered=20
neighbouring states including the former Thai capital of=20
Ayutthaya.

Observers at the May 6 ceremony in Tachilek said it was unusually=20
low-profile, even though it was presided over by junta leader Lt=20
Gen Khin Nyunt.

Burma's state-controlled English-language daily, the New Light of=20
Myanmar, which usually publishes comprehensive reports of the=20
junta's activities, did not mention the event at all. It is not=20
known if state television or any Burmese-language newspapers=20
carried information on it.

By order of Burma's Slorc work on the statue began on March 17,=20
1995, in Rangoon. It was completed in September. The bronze=20
statue, which is two to three times the size of an average man,=20
is located just a few hundred metres from Thailand's Mae Sai=20
district of Chiang Rai. It is the second Bayinnaung monument=20
erected by the Slorc.

The other, located at Victoria Point - the southern most tip of=20
Burma, on  the Adaman Sea - was inaugurated some time earlier,=20
according to Thai authorities. Victoria Point, or Kawthaung, is=20
less than one hour by boat from Thailand's coastal province of=20
Rangoon.

Authorities in Rangoon could not provide the exact date of the=20
first statue's inauguration, but said, "It is so huge that one=20
can see it from Ranong with a pair of binoculars."

The inscription on the Tachilek monument credits sculptor U Han=20
Tin and a team of Burmese engineers for the statue and its=20
surrounding garden.

Thai authorities confirmed yesterday that the Slorc had=20
officially invited Chiang Rai Governor Khamron Booncherd, Mae Sai=20
military district commander Maj Gen Ithipol Sirimonthon and=20
district chief Thavorn Cherdphandhu to attend the ceremony.

Khamron could not participate and let Ithiphol lead the Thai=20
delegation to Tachilek. Local observers said the half-day=20
ceremony lasted about one hour and that Khin Nyunt flew in from=20
Rangoon.

The observers noted that the ceremony was postponed several times=20
in the past year as local Shan people and the Shan nationalist=20
movement strongly opposed construction of a monument to a king=20
who conquered the ancient Shan kingdom.

An article written by a Shan, Khun Sam, and published in the Shan=20
newspaper Independence, queried the Slorc's motives behind=20
placing the statue in such a quite, small location like Tachilek.

However, despite Bayinnaung's conquest of Ayutthaya in 1569, most=20
Thai residents of Mae Sai are undisturbed that the monument has=20
been erected nearby. Thais in general have a positive impression=20
of the Burmese monarch due to a popular historical novel about=20
him written by Jacob, a well-known Thai author.

Bayinnaung earned the title Lord of the White Elephant after he=20
conquered the ancient Siamese kingdom and took away with him four=20
white elephants - a possession which enhances a king's prestige=20
according to Southeast Asian tradition.

He built a new kingdom at the former Mon capital of Hanthawaddy=20
and extended his empire further than any of his predecessors,=20
prompting historians to name him "Conquerer" and "King of Kings".

Sunait Chutintaranond, a Thai academic and Burmese historian at=20
Chulalongkorn University, urged Thais to consider the monument=20
with open hearts and broad minds. He pointed out that it is=20
normal for a country to erect a monument to its historical heroes=20
and heroines as a means of uniting the country and as a symbol=20
for nationalism.

He noted that Thailand has also constructed a number of=20
historical monuments and statues around the country for nation-
building purposes. (TN)

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

BKK POST: BANHARN GETS PLEA TO RELEASE BURMA STUDENTS

June 6, 1996

THE leader of fugitive Burmese students in Thailand has a=20
appealed to Prime Minister Baharn Slipa-archa for the release of=20
28 of their colleague detailed at the Bang Khen Police Private=20
School .

The leader, John Aung, cited His Majesty the King's Golden=20
Jubilee as an auspicious occasion to show mercy to the detainess.

The 28 have been detained since last year after they were found=20
Maneeloy Camp for Burmese students in Ratchaburi.

Mr Aung said those students represented a vital force in their=20
attempt to restore democracy and human rights in Burma. (BP)

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

BKK POST: JOURNALISTS FACE TOUGHER TEST TO GAIN ENTRY VISAS

June 6, 1996

By Nussara Sawatsawang

THE government has tightened visa requirements for foreign=20
journalists after it failed to prevent independent coverage of=20
the opposition NLD congress last week.

Under a new regulation issued yesterday, journalist visas must be=20
directly approved by the Foreign Ministry in Rangoon and=20
journalists must travel within seven days of the visa's issue, an=20
official from the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok said yesterday.

Previously, foreign journalists were able to have their=20
applications for a three-month visa approved by the Burmese=20
ambassador in Bangkok within two days.

But now approval of journalists visas by the Foreign Ministry=20
could take longer, although the process is expected to speed up=20
gradually, the official said.

The new regulation, which applies to nationals of all countries=20
where Burma has embassies, allows journalists only 14-days stay.

Journalists must produce air tickets with fixed arrival and=20
departure dates to secure a visa.

"Journalists will receive a small certificate from the embassy=20
starting their name and the organisation they belong to," the=20
official said.

"Airport officers will check whether they are authorised by that=20
certificate, otherwise they might be deported," he added.

The Burmese embassy in Bangkok rejected applications for=20
journalists visas during the run up to the NLD congress between=20
more than 200 NLD members were arrested.

But a number of journalists who applied for visas in advance of=20
the congress were allowed entry.

The embassy also discovered that about 15 journalists, mostly=20
Japanese, tried to slip into the country on tourist visas but=20
failed, the official added.

The new regulation does not stipulate if visa extensions sought=20
by journalists in Rangoon would be considered. But an informed=20
source said journalists covering the NLD congress were denied=20
visa extension. (BP)

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

BKK POST: BURMESE ACCEPT THAILAND'S PROPOSAL ON BORDER TRADE

June 6, 1996

Mae Sot

BURMESE authorities yesterday accepted Thailand's proposal to=20
resume construction work on the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge=20
and revive cross-border trade between the two countries.

The proposal was made to the local Thai-Burmese Border Committee=20
(TBC), meeting for the 14th time yesterday but the first since=20
Rangoon closed the Mae Sot-Myawaddy border on March 4 last year.

Col Suvit Maenmuan led the Thai side in the talks, while the=20
Burmese team was led by Lt-Col Kyaw Hlaing.

Burma had earlier accused Thailand of illegal encroachment and=20
demanded a halt to all construction work on the Moei River, the=20
site of the friendship bridge.

Talking to reports after the meeting, Col Suvit called the talks=20
a breakthrough and said Lt-Col kyaw Hlaing had promised to inform=20
Rangoon of progress in the latest round of talks.

As for dredging the river channel on the Thai side, he said,=20
Thailand will propose that aerial photographs held by both sides=20
be used to settle the contentious border demarcation issue.

The demarcation issue will be discussed during the 13th meeting=20
of the Regional Thai-Burmese Border Committee in Phisanulok June=20
16-18, he added.

During yesterday's meeting, Thailand also called on Burma to=20
exercise greater control over ethnic groups which have repeatedly=20
crossed the border to rob and kill Thai villagers.

The Burmese delegation asked Thailand to return three rifle=20
seized from its soldiers on March 12 during cross-border fighting=20
between Burmese troops and an unidentified gang.

It also asked the Thai side to warn Thai villagers against=20
transporting and sand from the Myawaddy side of the Moei. (BP)

***********

BKK POST: INVESTOR NEED LOOK BEHIND BURMA SALES PITCH

June 6, 1996

By Robert Horn

Rangoon, Burma, AP

AUNG San Suu Kyi has a message for foreign investors listening to=20
the sales pitch of Burma's military dictatorship and sizing up=20
the country's profit potential: You're being tricked.

"Anybody who really knows what's going on with the Burmese=20
economy wouldn't want to invest here," said Suu Kyi.

The economy has emerged as a battleground between Suu Kyi and the=20
ruling junta, which claims that growth would be jeopardised by=20
"anarchy" if democracy comes to the country, ruled by the=20
military since 1962.

The Slorc needs investment to stay afloat and convince Burmese=20
their lives are improving. Suu Kyi wants investors to stay out -=20
for now - and not finance the regime.

The Slorc says the economy grew 6.8% in 1995. Approved foreign=20
investment has reached $3.3 billion since 1988 - the year troops=20
slaughtered hundreds of pro-democracy activists in the streets -=20
though only about $1billion has actually flowed in.

Suu Kyi contends that he economy, opened slightly by the current=20
dictatorship after 26 years of socialists isolation imposed by=20
the previous one, has already peaked and is slowing down.

A walk around the capital provides a different picture at first=20
glance.

Shiny Japanese cars jam Rangoon's once-deserted streets. New=20
high-rise hotels pierce the pagoda-studded skyline. Imported=20
goods, from electronics goods, from electronics equipment to=20
designer cloths and perfumes, flood dingy shophouses and dusty=20
markets.

But a visit to the country-side or closer look at Rangoon reveals=20
that most of Burma's 45 million potential consumers remain=20
desperately poor. Few people outside cities have plumbing or=20
electricity. In Rangoon, most people still live in run-down=20
apartments above decades-old shops.

Investors argue that foreign money will raise living standards.

World Bank and International Monetary Fund reports show Burma is=20
mired in an economic mess.

Burma wants World Bank and IMF loans to build infrastructure=20
needed to industrialise. The institutions demand that the country=20
first devalue its currency, the kyat, which fetches six for one=20
US dollar at the official rate, but trades for more than 130 on=20
the black market. The government says it needs more time.

The balance sheets submitted to win the loans indicate two other=20
problems: Because the black market is so large, official figures=20
don't measure at least half the economy, and the numbers that do=20
appear don't add up and are incomplete.

What's missing is massive military spending. The generals admit=20
46% of the budget goes to defense. But military imports don't=20
figure into the ledgers, prompting the IMF to warn there are=20
large, unaccounted for expenditures it cannot trace.

In addition, some economists speculate Burma's budget deficit is=20
not the stated 6.3% but anywhere from two to four times as high.

With deficits fueling 35% inflation and interest rates hovering=20
at 18% domestic savings are low. And according to Burma's own=20
numbers, actual direct foreign investment is falling.

Critics say some economic growth in Burma - the world's largest=20
heroin producer - is financed by drug money. (BP)

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

THE ECONOMIST: A NEW GAME IN MYANMAR

June 1, 1996

Yangon

"They are like a chess player who only thinks one or two moves=20
ahead." Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar's political=20
opposition, is not alone in this assessment of the ruling junta's=20
recent performance. For the first time since her release from=20
house arrest, she and her Democracy, seem to have seized the=20
political initiative.

The league achieved this tactical victory by a rather=20
straightforward move: it started to behave like a normal=20
political party. The Slorc has continued to behave much like a=20
normal military dictatorship.

The League called a congress, for May 26th to 28th, of all its=20
members elected to parliament exactly six years earlier. The=20
ruling junta took this amiss. For good reason: in 1990 it refused=20
to honour the result of the election: in which League candidates=20
won 392 out of 485 seats.

There are a number of ways an authoritarian regime can block an=20
unwelcome gathering. The junta tried at least two: it issued=20
fierce warnings about the consequences; and it locked up more=20
than 250 potential participants. But the League went ahead with=20
the meeting, at Suu Kyi's Yangon home. It was attended by 18 of=20
its elected representatives too senior or too elusive to be=20
picked up by the security forces, and by around 400 other party=20
members. They did the sort of things political parties do:=20
discussed policy, passed resolutions and held press conferences.

The junta continues to do some of the things dictators do:=20
publishing diatribes in the papers, and organising mass rallies=20
for thousands of civil servants and others with little choice=20
about attending. There, they engage in "tumultuous chanting" of=20
slogans in denunciation of "subversives" such as the League.

But the junta has not acted the complete dictator. It did not=20
arrest the League's leaders. And it did allow the meeting to go=20
ahead, when a couple of barricades at either end of Suu Kyi's=20
street could have stopped it. On the opening day of the meeting=20
about 10,000 people gathered outside Suu Kyi's house to show=20
support. The authorities allowed them to come and go. One of the=20
League's leaders, U Kyi Maung, awarded the junta "eight out of=20
ten" for its conduct during the meeting.

Two articles in the official Burmese-language newspapers stood=20
out from the usual vitriolic ranting. Unusually, they accorded=20
Suu Kyi a respectful title and her full name. And they referred=20
to the possibility of negotiations between her and the junta - a=20
dialogue she has been requesting since her release with the=20
persistence of a chiming clock, and with about as much hope of a=20
response.

All of this added up, as another League leader put it, to no more=20
than a "glimpse of a glimmer of light", it did raise questions=20
about the junta's consistency. Perhaps the generals disagreed=20
among themselves. Or perhaps, much as they feign indifference to=20
what foreigners think, they were taken back by the strength of=20
international reaction to the detentions of the League members.=20
Hand-wringing in Washington, Canberra and European capitals would=20
be discounted. But even neighbouring Thailand expressed=20
"concern".

Importantly, Japan also protested strongly to Ohn Gyaw, Myanmar's=20
foreign minister, who was visiting at the time. A full resumption=20
of Japanese aid, and an inflow on investment from its trading=20
houses, are among the junta's fondest hopes. The detentions were=20
made as an industrial exhibition were taking place in Yangon,=20
showing the limited effect, especially in Asia, of calls for a=20
boycott of Myanmar. To have stopped the congress altogether,=20
however, might have changed that.

Suu Kyi thinks there may be no "method" in the junta's "madness".=20
She attributed its erratic but heavy-handed behaviour to the=20
"nervousness" of rulers who "know they do not have the support of=20
the people". She also thinks the generals are worried about the=20
economy. Despite the foreign interest, and glowing recent=20
official statistics, there are signs that not all is well.=20
Inflation is running at more than 25% annually; the free-market=20
value of Myanmar's currency, the kyat, fell in late May by 12%.=20
Delegates to the League's conference spoke of widespread rural=20
resentment - at the government 's levies of forced labour, and at=20
its compulsory purchases of a large chunk of agricultural output=20
at well below the market price.

Whatever the reasons for the junta's apparent cackhandedness, it=20
now faces a series of challenges. The League is do draft its own=20
version of a national constitution, to rival that being produced=20
convention intended to entrench a leading  role for the army in=20
Myanmar politics. The League is to hold more congress. The=20
generals, presumably, will try to stop them. More people may be=20
detained. The official newspaper accuse Miss Suu Kyi of using the=20
congress delegates as "pawns", sacrificed in her bid for power.=20
She counters that it is the junta which is doing the arresting.

Both sides insist they want no repeat of the bloodbath that=20
surrounded the junta's seizure of power in 1988. But Miss Suu=20
Kyi's own chess-playing analogy does not augur well for=20
reconciliation. She says the junta is the sort of player who,=20
outwitted, kicks over the table.=20

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

SUU KYI CAN'T BE TRUSTED

Suu Kyi can't be trusted as her hubby is a foreigner: Govt=20

June 6, 1996=20
Straits Times
YANGON -- The Myanmar government broadened recent attacks on
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday with a newspaper
commentary saying that she could not be trusted to be a leader because
she has a British husband.=20

Referring to her as the "puppet princess", a commentary in the state-run
New Light of Myanmar said the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner could not
be trusted to keep state secrets if she were ever to become the country's
leader.=20

"Will the wife not let her husband know in the least matters that are
connected with the affairs of the state?" questioned the article, written
under the pen name "Patriot".=20

"In scrutinising the matter of safeguarding the country from dangers and
from the point of view of security of the state, it is quite obvious that
she cannot be trusted in the least," the commentary said.=20

Myanmar's official media is seen as the mouthpiece of the government.=20

Ms Aung San Suu Kyi has repeatedly been attacked verbally for her
marriage to British academic Michael Aris.=20

The State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) says she is not a
true Myanmar citizen be cause she lived abroad for many years and
married a foreigner.=20

Over the past two weeks, Myanmar has stepped up its propaganda against
foreign interference in the country, calling Ms Aung San Suu Kyi and her
National League for Democracy (NLD) party "stooges" of imperialists.=20

On Tuesday, the New Light of Myanmar carried a veiled warning that the
NLD might be outlawed, attacking the party's recent plan to draft a new
Constitution.=20

The NLD angered the Slorc in November when it pulled out of a
government-controlled convention drafting the guidelines of a
Constitution. It said the convention, meeting intermittently since
January 1993, did not represent the will of the people.=20

The Slorc sees its convention as key to its plans for the country and
directed the delegates attending to enshrine a "leading role" for the
military in future politics.=20

The government's Constitution would also likely prohibit Ms Aung San
Suu Kyi from ever becoming leader of Myanmar since she is married to Mr
Aris and lived outside Myanmar for a long period. -- Reuter.
********************************************

OBSERVER STATUS WILL GIVE MYANMAR CHANCE OF DIALOGUE=20

June 6, 1996=20
Straits Times
BANGKOK -- As an observer of Asean, Myanmar will have opportunities
for international dialogue not limited to just its regional neighbours,
newly appointed Thai Foreign Minister Amnuay Viravan has said.=20

The upcoming ministerial meeting in Jakarta in July will grant Myanmar
the new status of Asean observer and "it will be international dialogue,
not limited to the regional countries, and it will be a better dialogue for
all sides", said Dr Amnuay, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister on
Tuesday as he entered his new office at the foreign ministry for the first
time since his appointment last week.=20

"The constructive engagement policy towards Myanmar adopted by Asean
... we uphold the policy aiming to see Myanmar closely engaged with
Asean for mutual benefits and enhancing regional stability," said Dr
Amnuay.=20

"The constructive engagement is aimed at a clear goal to achieve
regional stability" and to further the collective interests of the region's
people, Dr Amnuay added.=20

As a neighbouring country, Thailand had expressed "amicable concern" to
Myanmar over its detention of pro-democracy activists, but would not
interfere in the internal affairs of its neighbour, Dr Amnuay said.=20

The Myanmar government detained more than 260 members of the
pro-democracy National League for Democracy (NLD) to prevent them
from attending the NLD's Yangon conference held at party leader Aung San
Suu Kyi's home in late May.=20

Some 239 of the NLD members were elected to parliament in the 1990
general election, which were subsequently ignored by the government.=20

Thailand will keep a close watch on any reconciliatory moves in Myanmar
for the sake of regional stability, he added.=20

Meanwhile, instead of putting pressure on Asean to negotiate with the
Myanmar government, Western countries should make direct demands for
human rights improvements and greater democratisation in exchange for
economic assistance or humanitarian aid through development projects,
which would be more effective, said a top Thai foreign affairs official.=20

Mr Thep Devakula, the Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Affairs
Ministry, said Asean had no intention of bargaining with Myanmar, but
would rather see the country join the club as soon as possible.=20

Developed countries, including Japan, should play a vital role in urging
social progress in Myanmar since they are providing economic assistance
or humanitarian aid to the country, Mr Thep said.=20

Australia and New Zealand commented that Asean should press the
government to justify its detention of the NLD members before granting
observer status to Myanmar, he said, quoting senior officials of both
countries whom he recently met in separate official meetings.=20

"Asean has pride and would not like to have pressure from any countries.
However, Asean has already made a resolution to welcome Myanmar to
the South-east Asian 10 nations club," Mr Thep said.=20

Myanmar applied for observer status in Asean in July last year (1995)
and its application is expected to be acted upon soon. It is also one of th=
e
prospective members of a unified Asean comprising all 10 South-east
Asian nations, including Cambodia and Laos. -- Kyodo.
*******************************************

FREE NATIONS MUST HELP BURMA

6/6 Hong Kong Standard
THE meeting of Burma's National League for Democracy recently was a display=
 of
courage that beggars the imagination.=20

The organisation, under the leadership of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu=
 Kyi,
convened in the capital city despite the unwarranted arrests and detentions=
 of 256 of
its legitimately elected representatives, and despite constant threats and =
harassment
by the military dictators who hold Burma captive.=20

The free nations of the world must help these people, or one day we will be=
 sending our
young there as ``peacekeepers''.=20

For almost 30 years, the Burmese people have lived under one of the most re=
pressive
regimes in modern history. Thousands have been put to death, usually for th=
e mere
suspicion that they opposed their ruthless ``leaders''. Hordes have fled in=
to the jungles,
hoping to escape the terror and privation that is daily life under the gene=
rals.=20

These same generals force 13-year-olds into the army. They appropriate priv=
ate
property where and when they please, and pay nothing, leaving the owners im=
poverished
and themselves that much richer.=20

The United Nations General Assembly has condemned Burma, or Myanmar, as the=
 generals
have named it, for ``continued violations of human rights . . . including k=
illing of
civilians . . . restrictions on freedom of expression . . . torture, forced=
 labour''.=20

The more one learns about the generals, the more one feels a primal urge to=
 see them
blasted off the face of the Earth. But we are civilised, and fortunately th=
ere is still a
peaceful way to help restore freedom: Bankrupt the generals.=20

As a result of the ineptitude that often goes hand in hand with megalomania=
, the
Myanmar government is desperate for foreign capital. The sad truth is they =
are getting
it _ from Japan, from other Asian countries, and, worse, from gasoline cred=
it cards,
yours and mine.=20

Two petroleum giants, Los Angeles-based Unocal and Colorado-based Total, ar=
e
investing US$1 billion (HK$7.8 billion) in a pipeline from Myanmar to Thail=
and to
transport natural gas.=20

Who is building this massive project? Slave labour. Peasant families are br=
utally
separated or relocated without recourse and then forced at gunpoint to do h=
ard labour on
the project. Those who cannot maintain the required pace _ the sick, the el=
derly _ are
left to die at the side of the road.=20

Even as Unocal and Total insist that these horrors are fantasy, reliable ob=
servers
operating covertly inside Burma provide ongoing, incontrovertible evidence =
that they are
true. This is not to say that the petroleum giants are lying or even buryin=
g their
corporate heads in the sand. It is doubtful that their Burmese partners adv=
ise them of
every roadside execution, every village levelled, every family destroyed. F=
rom the
generals' point of view, why make anyone uncomfortable? Better to keep thes=
e giant
cash cows in the dark and enjoy the milk themselves.
**********************************************

BURMA ECONOMY ANOTHER BATTLEGROUND FOR GOVT, OPPOSITION
=20
     By Robert Horn=20
=20
RANGOON (AP-Dow Jones)--Aung San Suu Kyi has a message for foreign=20
investors listening to the sales pitch of Burma's military dictatorship and=
 sizing=20
up the country's profit potential: You're being tricked.  'Anybody who real=
ly=20
knows what's going on with the Burmese economy wouldn't want to invest=20
here,' said Suu Kyi, leader of Burma's democracy movement and winner of the=
=20
Nobel Peace Prize.=20

The economy has emerged as a battleground between Suu Kyi and the ruling
junta, which claims that growth would be jeopardized by 'anarchy' if democr=
acy
comes to the country, ruled by the military since 1962.=20

The State Law and Order Restoration Council, or SLORC, needs investment to
stay afloat and convince Burmese their lives are improving. Suu Kyi wants
investors to stay out - for now - and not finance the regime.=20

The SLORC says the economy grew 6.8% in 1995. Approved foreign investment=
=20
has reached $3.3 billion since 1988 - the year troops slaughtered hundreds =
of
pro-democracy activists in the streets - though only about $1 billion has a=
ctually=20
flowed in.=20

Suu Kyi contends that the economy, opened slightly by the current
dictatorship after 26 years of socialist isolation imposed by the previous =
one,
has already peaked and is slowing down.=20

A walk around the capital provides a different picture at first glance.=20
Shiny Japanese cars jam Rangoon's once-deserted streets. New high-rise hote=
ls
pierce the pagoda-studded skyline. Imported goods, from electronics equipme=
nt
to designer clothes and perfumes, flood dingy shophouses and dusty markets.=
=20

'People in Burma are happy now,' said Htein Shwe, a technical school studen=
t.
'They have money.'=20

But a visit to the countryside or closer look at Rangoon reveals that most =
of
Burma's 45 million potential consumers remain desperately poor. Few people
outside cities have plumbing or electricity. In Rangoon, most people still =
live
in run-down apartments above decades-old shops.=20

Investors argue that foreign money will raise living standards. Suu Kyi
claims little trickles down from the already wealthy elite.=20

World Bank and International Monetary Fund reports show Burma is mired in a=
n
economic mess.=20

Burma wants World Bank and IMF loans to build infrastructure needed to
industrialize. The institutions demand that the country first devalue its
currency, the kyat, which fetches six for one U.S. dollar at the official r=
ate,
but trades for more than 130 on the black market. The government says it ne=
eds
more time.=20

The balance sheets submitted to win the loans indicate two other problems:
Because the black market is so large, official figures don't measure at lea=
st
half the economy, and the numbers that do appear don't add up and are
incomplete.=20

What's missing is massive military spending. The generals admit 46% of the
budget goes to defense. But military imports don't figure into the ledgers,
prompting the IMF to warn there are large, unaccounted for expenditures it
cannot trace.=20

In addition, some economists speculate Burma's budget deficit is not the
stated 6.3% of gross domestic product (GDP), but anywhere from two to four
times that proportion.=20

With deficits fueling 35% inflation and interest rates hovering at 18%,
domestic savings are low. And according to Burma's own numbers, actual=20
direct foreign investment is falling.=20

Still, photos in state-run newspapers show a seemingly endless stream of
foreign executives meeting with the generals to cut deals.=20

Critics say some economic growth in Burma - the world's largest heroin
producer - is financed by drug money. The U.S. State Department says the
government is cozy with major drug dealers.=20

And unlike in prosperous nearby countries like Thailand and Malaysia, the
cars and electronics goods on Burma's streets are not made domestically.
Manufacturing in Burma accounts for less than 7% of GDP.=20

Agricultural industries like fisheries and timber hold the best investment
promise for Burma, said Rajan Pillai, who heads up Peregrine Capital Myanma=
r.=20

'The prospects for growth are great, as much as 20 to 25 percent a year,'
Pillai says.=20

But he added that investors need to accept that they won't be able to pull
their money out for at least five years, when he believes a stock market wi=
ll
have been established and the world financial institutions will have opened
their lending windows.=20
   (END) AP-DOW JONES NEWS 05-06-96
   0642GMT
*******************************************

Something more than 9%:=20
TOTAL'S PRESIDENT THIERRY DEMAREST FAILS TO SATISFY=20
SHAREHOLDERS OVER BURMA INVESTMENT

By Dawn Star,  UVI.net / Euro-Burmanet, June 4 1996

Paris - He came, he saw, but he didn't conquer the sceptical minds of=20
the TOTAL shareholders thinking about their 9% growth in 1995 over=20
the previous year, and the 8.70 francs paid to each dividend in their=20
stock portfolios. In a subdued  crowded Paris' La Defense auditorium a=20
stone's throw from the TOTAL TOWER headquarters, TOTAL=20
President and Chief Operation Officer, Thierry Desmarest, looking trim=20
and  younger than his age, assured investors with figures that easily=20
rolled off his lips.=20

But when it came to the question of Burma and the Yadana gas pipeline=20
deal with the anti-democratic military regime, he stumbled, and fell into=
=20
embarrassing contradictions of the company's investment in Burma,=20
mirrored by the ironic publicity campaign mounted in the French=20
national press yesterday.=20

In major french newspapers like Le Monde and Lib=E9ration, TOTAL=20
took out three full pages of ads, starting with the a message " Should a=20
multinational sacrifice its objectives, including respect for human=20
rights?"

Shareholders remained incomprehensible, many of them revolted when=20
interested shareholders criticized TOTAL's president what to them=20
seemed to be a mindless waste of company funds for a message that=20
did not ring with the truth. Mr. Desmarest defended the publicity=20
campaign in the press saying that TOTAL did not want "to submit to=20
the banality of institutional advertising ".=20

At the same time he did not speak about the content of the ads : " In=20
South Africa, TOTAL shareholders discovered how TOTAL =20
implemented a policy of multiracial integration well ahead of the end of=20
apartheid. " TOTAL  South  Africa, founded in 1954, had one black=20
employee in 1990.=20

According to company reports,  "TOTAL has a strong presence in=20
South Africa where it holds a sizable market share."=20

When questioned about the effect of Iraq selling 700,000 barrels of oil=20
on the world market, TOTAL, while admitting it will abide with the US=20
government on  upholding  sanctions, Mr. Desmarest scoffed at the=20
current sanctions move in the US Congress by Senator D'Amato (NY)=20
to which he referred as " political maneuvering during an presidential=20
election year ". Nonetheless, it was international economic pressure=20
brought on by South Africa sanctions that finally ended apartheid.=20

Mr. Desmarest did not appear to remember history, and showed even=20
less respect for it . Following  questions from the shareholder audience=20
over the incoherent publicity campaign of TOTAL South Africa, =20
Dietrich, of UVI/ Euro-Burmanet, asked Mr. Desmarest about the=20
TOTAL  - Burma connection :=20

" Regarding your publicity in the French press yesterday on TOTAL=20
South Africa, let me briefly say that it was the Nobel Peace Prize=20
laureate, Bishop Desmond Tutu, of South Africa, who called Burma "=20
the South Africa of the 90's. TOTAL's investment in Burma raises the=20
question of the company's strategic investment interest on its billion=20
dollar Yadana pipeline project, of which some US$400 million a year is=20
to go to the anti-democratic military regime each year for the next =20
thirty years - actually your own corporate spokesman Joseph Daniel=20
says that the actual sum is 'more or less half that amount'. Now you=20
know that during the last two weeks, the military has arrested hundreds=20
of democratic supporters of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, she too winner of=20
the Nobel Peace Prize. Allegations in the world press - Wall Street=20
Journal, Washington Post, New York Times, AP, ...and press here in=20
France,  over the use of forced forced labor by TOTAL on the pipeline=20
have gone unanswered by TOTAL. "

" Now the world is waiting for you Mr. President, to speak about this=20
alleged use of forced labor, documented by human rights organisations=20
around the world, including the UN Commission for Human Rights. In=20
the face of these allegations, and the appeal by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi=20
to stop foreign investment in Burma, what is the position of TOTAL on=20
the use of forced labor on the TOTAL pipeline project, and are you=20
going to continue investment in the military regime in Burma? "

Mr. Desmarest responded in understatement and contradiction. "We=20
stayed in South Africa when it was not popular to do so," explained=20
TOTAL's president.  "We implemented social programs and community=20
works which have since found an important place there. And I recently=20
met South African leaders who praised our committment and what we=20
did."

"It was expected that the question of Burma would be raised ", he=20
replied to  the packed auditorium near the Great Arch, in Paris, La=20
Defense.  "But we never comment on the internal politics of a country. =20
This is true about Burma or wherever TOTAL is engaged in business.."=20
Neither a denial or affirmation. A no comment with comment response. =20
Shareholders were waiting for more than that as a response. On the=20
esplanade of the entrance to  shareholder convention hall, InfoBirmanie=20
volunteers had passed out "Letter to Total shareholders: What is Total=20
doing in Burma  " citing the crimes and allegations that has engulfed the=
=20
Yadana pipeline in endless controversy.

"Concerning our implmentation, " he added,  "we follow all=20
international laws, and the laws of the country we invest in.  In Burma=20
we have given fair salaries and medical treatment aimed at improving=20
the welfare of the people. " TOTAL's reasoning was that embargoes -  "=20
Cuba and Asia thirty years ago "  -have produced contrary results, and=20
do not contribute to the development of a country. "That never happens=20
to a country left in isolation ". A large part of the shareholder audience=
=20
then exploded in applause, the most enthusiastic uproar from a crowed=20
otherwise muted by the litany of corporate facts and figures.=20

No, Burma was not forgotten today at TOTAL's annual dividend=20
rendezvous between shareholders, journalists and the top corporate=20
management. But while Thierry Desmarest held on to the standard=20
TOTAL line, he went even further away from the truth of allegations of=20
human rights violations and TOTAL complicity in the crimes of the=20
Burmese generals, while the people become more isolated and=20
impoverished under the tyranny of a regime that can count once again=20
on the tacit approval of the french multinational oil company.=20

On leaving the assembly it was apparent that many in the auditorium=20
were not of the opinion of their president. One veteran TOTAL worker,=20
a financial "controller", who participated in the Unocal - TOTAL=20
negotiations, was clearly upset by the failure of Mr. Desmarest to=20
respond openly and clearly to the allegations of forced labor.

When presented with a copy of the TOTAL Denial Report, prepared by=20
the Southeast Asia Information Network (SAIN) and EarthRights=20
International (ERI), he said he had never been to Burma but would read=20
the document closely.  "I am a member of Amnesty International " he=20
said. "It is terrible what is happening in China now. Everyone wants to=20
do business there, but do they remember Tiananmen? "

But he did not know that China had sold over two billion dollars of=20
arms to Burma.

" What is the name of that woman? "

" Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, " I said.

" She must be very courageous to stand up against those generals? ",=20
said the TOTAL worker.

" She is courageous and wise and she speaks the truth. That is why the=20
Burmese military are afraid of her. You should read her book, 'Freedom=20
from Fear'.  She wrote it for you, and your President. Maybe you will=20
then understand what the struggle for freedom in Burma is really about.=20
"

" I will look for the book. Thank you. I will, " said the Total worker,=20
who smiled, then turned and  left the hall enriched by something he=20
knew was priceless, and that which could not be sold to a hall of=20
shareholders interested in only 9%..

----------------------------------------------------------
BURMANET SUBJECT-MATTER RESOURCE LIST

BurmaNet regularly receives enquiries on a number of different=20
topics related to Burma. If you have questions on any of the=20
following subjects, please direct email to the following volunteer=20
coordinators, who will either answer your question or try to put you=20
in contact with someone who can:

Campus activism: =09zni@students.wisc.edu
Boycott campaigns: [Pepsi] ai268@freenet.carleton.ca    =20
Buddhism:                    Buddhist Relief Mission:  brelief@gol.com
Chin history/culture:        [volunteer temporarily away]
Fonts:                  =09=09tom@cs.colgate.edu
High School Activism:     nculwell@facstaff.wisc.edu
History of Burma:            zni@students.wisc.edu
International Affairs: =09 Julien Moe: JulienMoe@aol.com
Kachin history/culture:      74750.1267@compuserve.com=20
Karen history/culture: =09Karen Historical Society: 102113.2571@Compuserve.=
com
Mon history/culture:         [volunteer needed]
Naga history/culture: =09Wungram Shishak:  z954001@oats.farm.niu.edu
Burma-India border            [volunteer needed]
Pali literature:            =09 "Palmleaf":  c/o burmanet@igc.apc.org
Resettlement info:=09an400642@anon.penet.fi=20
Rohingya culture=09=09volunteer needed
Shan history/culture: =09Sao Hpa Han: burma@ix.netcom.com
Shareholder activism:       simon_billenness@mail.cybercom.net=20
Total/Pipeline=09=09Dawn Star: cd@utopia.EUnet.fr =20
Tourism campaigns:      =09bagp@gn.apc.org     "Attn. S.Sutcliffe"  =20
volunteering: =09=09an400642@anon.penet.fi=20
World Wide Web:              FreeBurma@POBox.com

[Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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services and the Internet as well as original material are published.  =20
It is produced with the support of the Burma Information Group=20
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The BurmaNet News is e-mailed directly to subscribers and is
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