------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: March 18, 1996
Issue #364

Noted in Passing:

                There's no reason to prevent someone being in touch
                with the people if they (the government) are confident.
                - Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on the SLORC's stopping
                her trip to Mandalay
                (see NATION: SLORC MOVES SHOW LACK OF
                CONFIDENCE, SAYS SUU KYI)

HEADLINES:
==========
NATION: SLORC MOVES SHOW LACK OF CONFIDENCE, SAYS SUU
THE INDEPENDENT: SUU KYI URGES BRITONS TO BOYCOTT BURMA
ASIA TIMES: DECONSTRUCTING THE YANGON DEFENSE MUSEUM
THE NATION: TRAFFIC BUILDS AS BURMESE OPEN BORDER
BKK POST: PADOE MAHN SHA: BOTH SIDES MUST COMPROMISE
BKK POST: KNU: WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER
THE NATION: RANGOON FISHING BAN TO CONTINUE
ANNOUNCEMENT: BURMESE TELEVISION WEEKEND NEWS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NATION: SLORC MOVES SHOW LACK OF CONFIDENCE, SAYS SUU
KYI       March 17, 1996
Reuter

RANGOON - Burmese dissident leader Aung San Suu Kyi said
yesterday the military government was trying to prevent her
from making contact with the public because it lacks confidence.

Suu Kyi said the government stopped her from travelling to
Mandalay last Wednesday, dismissing an official explanation
that she was forced to cancel her trip because the train
coach she was booked on had a mechanical problem.

"To speak frankly, they did that because they don't want me
to be in touch with the people," she said in a regular
address to crowds at the gates of her Rangoon home.

"There's no reason to prevent someone being in touch with
the people if they (the government) are confident," she said.

Suu Kyi was freed from six years' house arrest in July.
Authorities said at the time she was being freed unconditionally.

The democracy leader and three senior colleagues from her
National League for Democracy  (NLD) party were booked to
travel to Mandalay by train to attend the trial of several
of her supporters, all entertainers arrested by the military
after giving a performance at her house in January.

Just before she arrived at Rangoon station, officials there said the
coach she and her colleagues were booked on had a mechanical problem
and had to be detatched from the rest of the train.

"They have the chance to be in touch with the people every
day, why can't they give others equal opportunity?" she said.

As well as hoping to attend the trial of her supporters, who
were apparently arrested because they poked fun at the
government during their January performance, Suu Kyi had
planned to visit NLD members in the city, one of her aides
said. She has yet to say if she will try to make the trip again.

Since her release in July she has made repeated calls for
dialogue with the government on political reform but the
generals have not responded.

In Edinburgh, Scotland, meanwhile, a senior British
politician said Burma had banned him from visiting Rangoon
to present a freed prize to Suu Kyi.

Sir David Steel, a former leader of Britain's opposition
Liberal Party, said Burmese authorities told him it was "not
convenient" when he sought a visa after Suu Kyi was awarded
the Liberal International Prize for Freedom prize a year ago.

Further requests were also rejected but he was eventually
promised permission for a visit in April. Earlier this week
he was told this was not convenient.

"We cannot be strung along any further," Steel told the
World Council of Liberals. "The Burmese government has
failed to pursue the path of restoring democracy."

Steel said two government-backed British trade missions to
Burma were arranged after Suu Kyi was freed from house
arrest last year. The first was there at present but the
second had been cancelled.

"I trust other governments will similarly restrict
commercial and tourist contact until the Burmese government
show signs of rejoining the civilized international community," he said.

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

THE INDEPENDENT: SUU KYI URGES BRITONS TO BOYCOTT BURMA
March 17, 1996 (England)
From: zni@students.wisc.edu

                *******************************
As the authorities push tourism, resistance symbol Aung San Suu Kyi tells
award-winning travel writer Harriet O'Brien why visitors should stay away.
                *******************************

AUNG SAN SUU KYI, the symbol of resistance to Burma's military regime has
called on British tourists to stay away from the country in a toughening of
her previous stance on foreign investment and tourism.

The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) has declared 1996
"Visit Myanmar Year", Myanmar being the official name for Burma.  But Ms.
Suu Kyi, who had previously taken the attitude  that some foreign
investment and tourism would help to ease the military's grip on the
country, has changed her mind.  "Maybe 1996 a year for not visiting Burma,"
she said in an interview with the Independent on Sunday, at her crumbling
home on the banks of Inya Lake in Rangoon, Burma's capital.

She was appalled that a British trade delegation visited recently visted
Burma, saying:"It is not right for the British government to do all it can
to support human rights here and then to promote trade with Burma against
democracy.  The sort of involvement being suggested won't help to bring
about sustained economic and social development."

The Department of Trade and Industry said it organized the British mission
so that "companies could gauge the market for themselves," and stressed
that the Government had consistently called on Slorc to show greater
respect for human rights. The British-based Burma Action Group, which
campaign for democracy in Burma, maintains that Britain has invested more
than 48 million pound in the Burmese hotel industry.

For most of the 34 years in power Burma's xenophobic military authorities
have sought to isolate the country, actively discouraging tourism.  Ms Suu
Kyi, daughter of Burma's independence hero, Aung San, was placed under six
years of house arrest after a democracy movement was crushed at the cost of
thousands of lives in 1988.  The restrictions on her have been eased as the
price for bringing Burma out of diplomatic quarantime, and the junta is now
actively promoting foreign contacts.

The fanfare for "Visit Myanmar Year" is due to begin when the new tourist
season starts in October, and rangoon, Mandalay and Pagan--Burma's
principal tourist destinations--reverberate with the sound of concrete
mixers as hotels pop up at a frentic rate.

"Burma will always be here," Ms Suu Kyi said.  "Visitors should come
later." Believing that tourism is used to give the appearance of a
thriving, stable country, she is indignant about the amount of money being
pumped into hotels and restaurants rather than schools and hospitals.  "So
much has been concentrated on the tourist industry. . .but beyond the
tourist areas much of it is the same as ever."  Even in the heart of
Rangoon most side streets look depressingly run-down.

"Most materials for hotels are imported," Ms. Suu Kyi explained. "The
result is that each hotel signifies a lot of money, but really only for
overseas suppliers.  Some construction companies have even been bringing in
workers from abroad.  Within the country there's really only one privileged
group making money."

Three years ago tourism hardly existed in Burma.  Mandalay had just three
hotels at the end of 1992.  Today it has 60, and many more under
construction.  Although official figures show that at least 50,000 tourists
are expected this year, compared with only 9,000 in 1992,it seems highly
unlikely that all these will be even half-filled over the next few years.
Many Burmese, however, say that is irrelevant. The aim is to be able to buy
land and ship in foreign goods, such as air-conditioners, fridges, and
furniture, tax-free. "You can import very cheaply far more than you
actually need, and then sell all the surplus for a vast profit," a Rangoon
resident said.  "That way you can recover your building costs, and more,
before the hotel is even completed."

Tourism has rapidly become one of the biggest potential earners, and
doctors and engineers are finding it more profitable to become taxi drivers
and tour operators.

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

ASIA TIMES: DECONSTRUCTING THE YANGON DEFENSE MUSEUM
March 15, 1996
Stephen Brookes

Suggest a trip to the Defense Services Museum, and most
visitors to Yangon balk. They gather their children behind
them and back away warily, muttering about pagodas and tight
schedules. But for anyone really interested in understanding
Myanmar, the museum is an essential stop. It is a direct and
fascinating look into the conflicted heart of the Slorc.

Since the Slorc assumed power after the uprisings of 1988,
it has been trying to present a kinder, friendlier face to
the world and pounding that messages in as often as possible.

There are billboards all over the country singing the praises of the
Tatmadaw and insisting that it will never betray the country.

And the defense museum, which is the junta's forum for
explaining itself to the people, is full of the strange
tension between rigid control and genuine goodwill that
underlies almost everything that the Slorc does.

That tension is clear from the moment you walk in the gates:
Two unsmiling, machine gun-toting guards examine you, peer
into your bag for cameras, then allow you to approach a
small ticket booth. Over the ticket taker's window, there is
a small sign announcing the US$3 entry fee- and it is drawn
in red pencil with a big, red heart.

Despite that charming note, it is clear at first glance that
the museum is meant to be epic in scale and authoritative in
tone a monument to the power of the Tatmadaw. The building
is an exercise in epic International Style, with Mussoliniesque sweeps
of open space and armed guards stationed picturesquely by the doors.

But once through the marble-columned portico and past a
stern photographic gauntlet of the country's military leaders, you
immediately notice that you are alone. Aside from the occasional
bewildered tourist and the ubiquitous cleaning ladies - who look up,
started, as you pass - the museum is almost always empty.

There are, of course, weapons - thousands of them. And there
is an infectious enthusiasm about the weaponry on display,
from Japanese a artillery seized in World War II, to vast
arrays of machine guns and depth charges, to a selection of
armored cars to the deck and cabin of a Myanmar patrol boat
removed whole and mounted on the floor. Another huge room houses
helicopters, complete with exhibits on parachutes and ejection seats.

And the wonderful thing about the displays is that they are
not done in the sober, reflective way they are not done in
the sober reflective way that you find at, for example, the
Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC> The guns are flanked
by lurid dioramas that look as if they were designed by 12 year-old boys.

One shows a gory plane crash, replete with broken bodies,
screaming victims and melted plastic planes. Another has a
mismatched set of tanks rolling through a landscape of
demolished houses - with a perfect pagoda gleaming on a
perfect hill in the background. And a huge aquarium, filled
with greenish water and small plastic boats, depicts an outsized
frogman attaching a mine to the underwater struts of a bridge. On
the front of the aquarium is a sticker that reads: "I Love Tetra."

But the weaponry exhibits out quickly, and the broader, more
complex range of the military begins to reveal itself. Mount
the stairs to the second floor and what looks like a souvenir shop
turns out to be a display of shoes from the Tatmadaw Footwear Factory.
There are combat and jungle boots, of course - but also rows and rows
of furry slippers and three different styles of golf shoe. And a whole
separate case holds what are labeled "experimental products", including
gold high heels and a green suede "shooting vest".

As you move from room to room and from floor to floor, the
width of the Slorc's grasp over almost everything in the
country becomes clear. One large room is given over to
agriculture, complete with dioramas of cows in fields, a
stack of baskets for holding pigs and a case full of cans of
Tatmadaw "Bamboo Shoot and True Pea".

Another room houses detailed displays of the military's
medical; advances, and yet another contains records of the
Slorc's accomplishments in foreign policy.

Nor is the economy neglected. The next floor up houses an
exhibit of credit cards (something not seen until a year
ago) and bank passbooks for foreign currency holders another
novelty. There are displays of the country's exports (including jars
of fish in formaldehyde) and an exhibit showing "export garments
of joint ventures" that highlights shirts bearing the Eddie Bauer logo -
even though that company pulled out of Myanmar last year because
of criticism over the Slorc's human rights policies.

In fact, the government seems to be curiously nonchalant
about outside criticism. Charges that it conscripts labor
and mistreats political prisoners do not seem to worry it.
The top floor of the museum is proudly home to an
informative exhibit the Slorc's philosophy ("to utilize
fully unused prisoners' services in national development
projects") and detailing the Prison Department's operations.

And the whole display is right next to another one explaining the
workings of the Manpower Department, with a huge national map
showing "prisons, breeding work sites, agricultural sites and quarry sites".

But it is not until you climb the last flight of stairs and
make it to the top floor that the meaning of the whole
museum finally becomes clear. For here (after you have found
an attendant and gotten him to turn the lights on for you)
is the government's vision of its own future.

And it has nothing to do with firepower. Laid out in loving
detail under a wide glass case is a vast, detailed model of
the Future of Yangon. There are the old colonial buildings,
the wide streets the green parks, carefully painted and
built to scale. But they only seem to be a backdrop for the
modern new buildings going up- The Traders Hotel, the FMI
Building, the International Business Center and dozens of others.

And as they go up, the neglected city of Yangon is being transformed.

And that could be what the Slorc sees as its next great goal.

For it is now arguing that, with the country stable and at
peace, its new job is to develop the economy and bring
Myanmar up to par with the rest of Southeast Asia. Forget
the guns and the bloody dioramas of the first floor - the
military's new battlefield is the economy. (AT)

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

THE NATION: TRAFFIC BUILDS AS BURMESE OPEN BORDER
March 17, 1996

TENS of thousands of people from both sides of the Thai-
Burmese border, including foreign tourists, passed through
border checkpoints in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district and
Ranong, formally reopened yesterday.

Another checkpoint in Tak's Mae Sot district is expected to
open today when Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa meets Lt
Gen Khin Nyunt.

The reopening of the main border checkpoints signifies a
marked improvement in relations between the two countries.
Burma closed all checkpoints with Thailand in August after
the Thai government ignored Rangoon's compensation claim for
the killing of Burmese citizens early last year.

Rangoon insisted that Thailand must take responsibility for
the killings, which took place along the common border at
Ranong and Burma's Victoria Point.

The checkpoint at Mae Sai reopened at 6 am yesterday, and
the one at Ranong opened half an hour later.

Senior provincial authorities from both sides attend a
reopening ceremony.

Chiang Rai Governor Kamron Booncherd said after meeting
Tachilek Governor Lt Col Khin Saw yesterday morning that the
reopening at Mae Sai will allow cross-border trade to resume.

"But the reopening of the Mae Sai-Tachilek checkpoint will
apply only to citizens of Thailand and Burma. Citizens of
third countries (entering at Tachilek) will not be allowed
into Burma beyond Tachilek at this time," he said.

Kamron said he tried to persuade his Burmese counterpart to
open the checkpoint to foreign tourists and to allow them to
travel beyond the Tachilek area, citing financial income from tourism.

"The Tachilek governor said he would consider allowing foreign
tourists to cross the checkpoint and travel beyond the area," he said.

Open hours at the checkpoint at Mae Sai are 6 am from Sunday
to Thursday, and 6 am to 9 pm Friday to Saturday.

Thai customs officials did not impose pass fees on Thais or
foreign tourists crossing over to Tachilek yesterday, although the
Burmese authorities collected the regular fees of Bt5 per person for
Thai citizens and US$5 (Bt125) for each foreign tourist.

Chiang Rai authorities said tens of thousands of people from both
sides would pass through the checkpoints by closing time yesterday.

In a related issue, Supreme Commander Gen Viroj Saeng sanit,
asked to comment on Rangoon's compensation demand, said he
believed the Burmese authorities were not serious when they
demanded such huge compensation.

"Maybe they were asking for huge compensation while they
were angry. I don't think we could afford to pay hundreds of
millions of dollars in compensation," Viroj said.

Viroj confirmed that he would join Banharn's entourage on a
two-day visit to Rangoon beginning today.

The supreme commander said he didn't think the leaders would
discuss reopening other checkpoints.

However, both sides will discuss bilateral issues, including
joint fishing ventures and the demarcation of some sections
of the border, he added.

Watchara Wiriyachaikul, president of the Mae Hong Son
Chamber of Commerce, said yesterday that local businessmen
have asked the prime minister to try and persuade Burmese
authorities to also consider reopening the three border
passes in Mae Hong Son.

The request was conveyed through Panya Jinakham, adviser to
Deputy Finance Minister Newin Chidchob.

"The closure of the border passes has caused serious
hardships to small traders in Mae Hong Son who used to make
a living doing business with their Burmese counterparts," he said.

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

BKK POST: PADOE MAHN SHA: BOTH SIDES MUST COMPROMISE
March 17, 1996

Following is the opening speech by KNU delegation leader Padoe Mahn
Sha during the recent peace negotiations with the Slorc in Rangoon.

THE ongoing battle between the Slorc and the KNU has been
one of the most serious, devasting and longest, compared to
any other groups in the history of Burma. That we have now
come to the negotiating table is the result of the efforts
exerted by both sides, and also with the help of other
mediators. This is the first step.

If we to have genuine and lasting peace, we need to strive
harder in the future. If we are to remain where we are now,
if the stalemate to achieve lasting peace. Both sides must
learn how to compromise.

Also the ongoing fighting between the KNU and the Slorc is
greatly affecting peace and prosperity of Burma. So if both
sides should come to terms and help achieve genuine peace,
then the outcome of it would tremendously boost the unity,
development and prosperity of this country.

This is why we need to make every effort to achieve this
goal. We should consider it our duty to do so.

If we are to achieve genuine peace Slorc and the KNU should
work at it with great enthusiasm and optimism. We should
also be broad-minded in our negotiations. This means our
stance and beliefs should be objective and not subjective. If we
are to too subjective we would distance ourselves from reality.

He cited the fable of the six blind monks whereby each came
up with interpretations of their own of what an elephant
resembles after each felt the different parts of the anatomy
of the animal. So both and Slorc and the KNU should strive
to maintain objective reality in their negotiations.

Following is what Padoe Mahn Sha had to say about the
opening address of Slorc negotiators:

They didn't really have very much to say. It was the usual.

They stressed about how the people have come to understand
the sincerity and generosity of Slorc. And because of it 15
groups have now returned to the legal fold. And on Slorc's
part it had already spent millions of dollars for the
development of border areas, and that it is continuing with
the good work.

The 12 KNU proposals

The five proposals rejected outright by Slorc are:
1. Slorc declare a nation-wide cease-fire.
2. Villagers forcefully relocated be allowed to return to
their place of abode and to allow NGO's to help resettle
these villagers.
3. To permit open and free discussions, and hold conferences
when necessary with Karens in the country.
4. To allow the UN to supervise and monitor troops of both
sides when the cease-fire is in effect.
5. To discuss basic issues plaguing the country such as
politics, the civil war and national peace and reconciliation
within 30 days after reaching a cease-fire agreement.

The seven proposals Slorc will consider are:
1. To half reinforcement of troops and transporting heavy
weapons to the front-line for offensive purposes.
2. To halt portering and force recruitment of villagers into
the army in Karen territories.
3. To halt the practice of extorting money, property and
livestock from villagers to avoid being taken away as
porters, contributing voluntary labour.
4. To consider forming a joint-committee comprising members
from both sides to oversee and settle disputes which might
arise after the cease-fire takes effect.
5. To reciprocate information of troops movements of both sides.
6. To release all Karen political prisoner, most of whom are
just simple peasants taken in under the "unlawful association" clause.
7. To halt construction of access roads for military offensive purposes.

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

BKK POST: KNU: WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER
March 17, 1996

The KNU is fighting for its rights in Slorc-led Burma and is
finding little compromise. Assistant Editor Ralph Bachoe
talks to the leader of the second KNU peace delegation about
their plight and ways they can come to a peaceful resolution.

SLORC have rejected five of 12 points in a proposal
submitted by the 12-member KNU delegation during last talks
held in Rangoon on Feb 14-23.

But, delegation leader Padoe Mahn Sha said Slorc has
expressed a willingness to discuss the remaining seven.
However, they have set pre-condition to discussing them.
Padoh Mahn Sha is Joint-Secretary 1 of the KNU.

He said: "First, Slorc is prepared to halt all offensives against the KNU
on condition that the KNU returns to the 'legal fold' and abandons the
armed struggle.

"Second, the movements of the KNU troops would be restricted
to areas designated by Slorc."

This is somewhat akin to the Clarendon code adopted in 17th
Century England whereby movement of the populace is
restricted to a radius of five miles of the designated area.

"It also means that the Karen troops would be placed in
virtual isolation where they would have to conduct themselves
strictly by rulers and regulations laid down by  Slorc," he said.

The KNU would however be permitted to conduct business
activities like timber trade or fisheries after going
applying for a license for the ventures.

Padoe Mahn Sha added the Slorc has insisted the KNU promise
to eventually lay down arms. Slorc told the KNU delegation
these were conditions accepted by the 15 groups which had
returned to the "legal fold" before ceasefire agreements were reached.

"Surrender is out of the question," said a senior Karen
official quoting Saw Ba Oo Gyi, one-time leader of the Karen
revolutionary movement.

"We can stop armed resistance and what-not, but no
surrender. When it a amounts to surrender, even if we are
allowed to bear arms...it is meaningless.

"So surrender is out of the question, but still we will have
to discuss (the issue) with our people."

The Karen have been fighting the central government since
1949 for independence, and later for autonomy in a federal Burma.

These preconditions have placed KNU negotiations in a spot.
However, Padoh Mahn Sha insists they must continue negotiations.

He said: "What the KNU desires is form of security ensured
whereby both sides could live safety without fear of attacks
or harassment and with mutual respect for one another. What
we don't need is one side having the 'upper-hand'.

"In our last negotiations. like in the first, there was no
such thing as give and take between the two sides. What we
talked about was our respective stands on the issue."

He said what both sides did was to express their views and
options and will now have to work towards a compromise.

"We would just have to come to a compromise on points for
which we do not see eye-to-eye. This is the nature of
negotiations. And there are many points which we do not
agree upon. So we will have to continue to talk.

"The KNU will always strive to achieve genuine peace. And to
get this we can't do it alone. We need the help of all
parties involved to pull their weight.

As to the next meeting, he said no tentative date has been
set, but preparations will have to be made in the meantime.

The first group, led by Nay Soe, traveled to Burmese coastal
town of Moulmein on Dec 13 last year for the first round of
peace talks with the Slorc since failed negotiations in
1963. They were later flown to Rangoon where they met
military Secretary-1, Gen Khin Nyunt.

Going back to what was the Slorc is striving towards
alleviating the welfare of the minorities; that he's working
toward national peace and harmony; and that he would like to
continue working to achieve this goal.

"He also wants to bring peace and development to Karen
State. He wants the KNU to work together with them."

Padoh Mahn Sha said he wants Khin Nyunt's words transformed
into deeds about bringing peace to the Karen State.

He cited example of Slorc atrocities perpetrated against his
people like forced relocation of villagers, destruction of
crops and livestock in the Karen State districts like
Toungoo, Nyaunglebin, Thaton and Papun to such an extent
that the people are finding it difficult to survive.

"Whether one wants to believe them or not, I would like to
reveal  what Slorc is doing at the moment. And I believe it
should be told especially at a time when we are striving to
restore peace," he said.

He added that the populace in Toungoo district have been
recruited to clear mines and build roads, and in the process
many have been killed. Forced relocation has been conducted
on both the hills and plains areas. Fruits and orchid
plantatios have been put to the torch and destroyed.
Livestock have either being killed or confiscated.

"As for killing people and burning down villages it has
become a common occurrence."

He said: "They want to bring peace and tranquility to the
entire country is what they say. But when we see such
destruction and atrocities being committed, it is hard for
us to comprehend. We just can't understand how peace could
be achieved this way."

Commenting on Gen Tin Oo's (A senior Slorc official) comment
that the on-going peace talks are improving, Padoh Mahn Sha said:

"I don't know how he came to that conclusion, and based on
what factors. As of day, the ceasefire deals with the 15
groups have made no mention of a political settlement."

Padoh Mahn Sha believes an element of danger still lurks
around the corner explaining that tension between other
groups and the Slorc still exists because of the political factor.

"I can't understand how he came to the conclusion that peace
talks are improving," he said.

Talking about the transparency of talks being conducted and
Slorc's tendency to keep negotiations secret whenever
possible, the delegation chief said:

"Where we are concerned, the present discussions involve the
immediate problems that exist between the Karen people and
Slorc and not the KNU and Slorc.

"Therefore we cannot hide anything. The Karen people want to
know. So there is no way we can be secretive about what was
said during our negotiations.

"Likewise, the whole country would like to know what's going
on because the Karen and Slorc issue also concerns them.
That is why, on our part, we cannot afford to be secretive.
We have to tell them what's going on.

"Telling them about it (how the negotiations went) would
enable them to realise the true position of our stand with
Slorc. This is our duty. This is what we believe in."

Talking about the beliefs of the Democratic Karen Buddhist
Organisation which broke away from the Christian-dominated
KNU in 1994, he said.

"Although the DKBO has embraced the word Buddhist in
creating the group, its practice is far from the teachings of Buddhism."

He related the history of two Buddhist organisations called
the BKNA (Buddhist Karen National Association) and the YMBA
(Young Men's Buddhist Association) that existed during the colonial era.

"What's significant in the movements of these two groups is
that they were active in creating political and religious awareness
among the populace and stressing the importance of national unity.
They defied the colonial authorities by peaceful strikes and demonstrations
adhering strictly to the Buddhist teachings of non-violence.

"If we are to compare the DKBO to these two Buddhist groups,
the latter is first disrupting national unity, second it is destroying
political awareness among its people, and third, using Buddhism as
a pretext for creating an army. They have even handed down death
sentences at monasteries. All this goes against the teachings of the Lord
Buddha." Padoe Mahn Sha is a Buddhist.

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

THE NATION: RANGOON FISHING BAN TO CONTINUE
Banharn gets the red carpet treatment in Burma
March 18 1996

Piyanart Srivalo
The Nation, Agencies

RANGOON - Burma yesterday rejected a Thai request to resume
fishing ventures in its waters, but gave visiting Prime
Minister Banharn Silapa-archa a red carpet welcome which
signalled bilateral relations are improving.

All of Burma's top generals were present to welcome Banharn
and his 55-member delegation, which includes Deputy Prime
Minister Somboon Rahong, Deputy Prime Agriculture Minister
Monthol Kraiwatanussorn, Supreme Commander Gen Viroj Saengsanit
and Deputy Army Commander-in-chief Gen Chetta Thanjaro.

Banharn was given the red-carpet treatment and a 19-gun salute on his arrival.

The chairman of Slorc Gen Than Shwe greeted Banharn as he stepped
off his plane and the two leaders then inspected a guard of honour.

Students and workers waving small Thai flags lined stretches
of the route from the airport into the city, greeting the
first Thai prime minister to visit Burma since 1980.

Despite the cordial atmosphere, Thailand was told at a
meeting later yesterday that Burma no longer had a policy of
granting fishing concessions to foreigners.

"The Burmese side said they had no policy of allowing us to
(resume) fishing," said Deputy Agriculture Minister Monthol
after a meeting with senior livestock's and fishery officials of the Slorc.

"This policy also applies to other countries." Burma, whose
1200-trawler fishing fleet will increase to 2000 trawlers
next year, wants to operate the fishing industry by itself."

But Monthol said the Burmese were receptive to a Thai
proposal to operate fishery-related businesses such as cold
storage, dried fish and shrimp farms in Burma.

The "on-land" business would be open to the four Thai
fishing companies which lost the rights to operate in Burma
waters amid several bilateral incidents, including the
murder of Burmese crew in a Thai fishing boat.

"Thai (the Burmese rejection) is absolutely going to affect
Thai fishermen," Monthol said.

He added, however, that there were some hopes the "higher
level" of the Burmese government might change the policy later.

The Thai delegation yesterday tanked Burma for having opened
two key border checkpoints over the weekend and for planning
to open a third tomorrow.

The checkpoint at Mae Sai reopened at 6 am on March 16 and
the one at Ranong opened half an hour later.

Deputy Commerce Minister Montree Danpaibool, also a member
of the Thai delegation, said Slorc had assured the Thais
that another checkpoint ion Tak's Mae Sot district would be
reopened tomorrow.

Lt Gen Khin Nyunt, the influential secretary-general of
Slorc, and his wife paid a call on Banharn and his spouse
shortly after their arrival at the State Guest House.

Banharn said after the meeting the two agreed not to let
"local problem" affect bilateral ties.

"We agreed that for countries that share a 2000 kilometer border,
disputes are unavoidable. We agreed to keep contacts at both local and
government levels to create better understanding," Banharn said.

Today the Prime Minister and his group were to travel to Mandalay,
Burma's second biggest city, before departing from Rangoon tonight.

Early last year Rangoon accused Bangkok of assisting ethnic
minority guerrillas in their armed conflict against the Slorc. Bangkok
has accused Rangoon of supporting and directing rebels blamed for
a series of cross-border raids into Thailand.

Burma, which used to import most of its consumer goods from
Thailand, sealed several border crossings with Thailand in
March last year. By August all crossings had been shut.

Local Burmese authorities also tried to stamp out any
unofficial trade across the frontier, encouraging boycotts
of Thai goods and ordering people to buy Chinese goods instead.

Timber concessions were revoked for all but two Thai companies
and all Thai fishing concessions in Burmese water were canceled.

"Burma has recently adopted a cavalier and haughty stance
with Thailand," one diplomatic source said of relations
between the two countries. "In effect they have been saying,
'we don't need you, we'll trade with China."

While relations at the bilateral level have been fraught
with problems, Thailand has pursued a policy of constructive
engagement with Burma at the international level an has been
instrumental in drawing it back in to the regional area.

In December Gen Than Shwe travelled to Bangkok to attend a ASEM.

Thailand was the fourth-biggest foreign investor in Burma as
of late last year, behind France, the United Kingdom and Singapore,
with interests worth US$ 421 million (Bt 10.5 billion) in 29 projects.

A Bangkok-based human rights group, Forum-Aisa, on Friday
urged Banharn to speak out on "the serious human rights
violations in Burma and China" during his visits later this month.

"In Burma, the welcome release of (opposition leader) Aung
San Suu Kyi has not been accompanied by any meaningful change
in the human rights situation," the group said in an open letter.

Banharn has "both a right and a responsibility to raise these issues
and express the concerns of the Thai people", it said, even though
"certain interest of the Thai business community and elite may not
coincide with the promotion of human rights".

Last Tuesday, Banharn defended his trip, saying it was
intended to promote cooperation with a future member of
Asean, which currently groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia,
the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

"Ideology and the economy will have to go hand in hand," he
said, implying that cooperation leading to economic
development in Burma would eventually bring political change.

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

ANNOUNCEMENT: BURMESE TELEVISION WEEKEND NEWS
PROGRAM IN INDIANA
March 16, 1996
>From iuburma@indiana.edu

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM BURMESE COMMUNITY, FORT WAYNE
        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                         INDIANA
                         ~~~~~~~

There will be a weekly television news broadcasting program in Burmese
language on Channel 10 in Fort Wayne, Indiana in the spring of 1996.

Production Team and Production Director Ko Chan Aye & Friends are
organizing volunteers in Indiana.

All news will be announced in Burmese language for growing Burmese
community in Indiana.

For more information, please contact

1421, Eagle Street
Fort Wayne IN, 46802, U.S.A

Tel & Fax # (219) 426-4040
E-Mail: aksam@fortwayne.infi.net

