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

The BurmaNet News: January 29, 1996
Issue #333

Noted in Passing:
                
         A Cycle Federation member told me to come next year
        and bring a satellite dish receiver to bribe a general, but I
        said 'no way'! - Diane Guest, cycling group leader on travelling
        to Burma.  (see: BKK POST: VISITORS FIND BURMA'S
        TOURIST-FRIENDLY IMAGE A FACADE)

HEADLINES:
==========
BKK POST: VISITORS FIND BURMA'S TOURIST-FRIENDLY IMAGE
BKK POST: SHAN BANS USE OF THAI MONEY
NATION: BURMESE GOVT WANTS SUU KYI TO STEP DOWN
BKK POST: RANGOON TAKES OVER HO MONG
NATION: ARMY TO SEND CHETTHA FOR BURMA TALKS
U.S. HOUSE: BURMA FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ACT OF 1995
BKK POST: BURMA TO HOST ECONOMIC MEET
NATION: MP RAISES DOUBT OVER BURMESE WOMAN'S TIES
BRC-J: PALI FONTS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

BKK POST: VISITORS FIND BURMA'S TOURIST-FRIENDLY IMAGE
A FACADE
January 28, 1996

As a group of 12 cyclists found, Visit Myanmar Year, promoted as a friendly
time to see a country which has largely been hidden in the past, is not all it is
being made out to be.  L. HURON writes their story.

Visit Myanmar Year has just begun and already some people wish
they hadn't visited. A group of 12 British and American cyclists
have returned from Burma with a harrowing tale of harassment,
lies, and intimidation.

Having cycled through central Burma twice before, Diane Guest and
her fiance Tracy Horsman organised a group of 10 cyclists to join
them on their trip this Winter.

They had been officially invited by the Myanmar Cycle Federation
and were to bike from Rangoon to Mandalay and then on to Pagan.
However, just three days out of Rangoon, they were detained by
the local police and the trouble began.

The journey started out pleasantly enough. The group presented
the Myanmar Cycle Federation in Rangoon with an expensive track
bike and their picture was taken and published in the newspaper.
As they cycled north from Rangoon, they were greeted warmly in
all the towns and villages along the way.

One town even organised a parade in their honour with a marching
band and pom-pom girls in uniform. Throngs of people lined the
streets cheering them on, and letter girls held up cards which
spelled out "welcome".

When the group reached Magwe District, however, they were
received very differently. Police offiers intercepted them and
informed them that they had to return to Rangoon. The group was
taken to the government rest house, and the next day they were
kept locked inside all day.

The licensed guide who was accompanying them spent the day on the
phone trying to negotiate their release. He was told to call the
general in charge in Prome, who told them that the problem was
that they did not have a travel permit.

The fact that their trip had been okayed in Rangoon appeared to
be meaningless. Finally they agreed that the matter could be
settled if the group went down to Prome to meet the general and
fill out the travel permit.

The next day, 11 of the 12 cyclists travelled to Prome only to
find that the general was not there at the appointed hour. They
waited and waited and eventually were told that they would have
to spend the night at the Prome Hotel.

At 11 p.m. they were surprised to see a truck pulling up with all
their bikes, baggage, and the other cyclist. The bikes had not
been packed carefully and many had been damaged. The group
members were mad, but they were even angrier when they were
awakened by loud knocking at midnight.

A local bus filled with passengers had come to pick them up and
take them down to Rangoon. When the group realised that the
general was not there, they refused to get on the bus and went
back to bed.

In the morning, they phoned the Ministry of Tourism and MTT, the
Myanmar tourist organisation. Government authorities agreed to
meet them at the sports stadium in Rangoon to work out the
problems.

They arrived later that day only to find that they had been stood
up yet again.

At this point, six of the 12 cyclists had had enough and flew out
to Bangkok to cycle in Thailand instead. The other six decided to
stay on.

Although they had scheduled an appointment at the MTT for 9.30
a.m. on Monday morning, the MTT and Ministry of Tourism
authorities did not show up until 11.30 a.m. Then they were told
that a law had been put out in April of 1995 curtailing
independent travel.

It turned but that this law was so secret that no one in the
American or British embassies, the Cycle Federation, or even the
MTT knew about it. According to Diane Guest, the tour organiser,
the Cycle Federation representative was so shocked that he
demanded to see it.

It actually was on record and seems to have been promulgated so
the authorities could justify the detention or expulsion of any
tourists for whatever reason.

Yet Ms Guest and her cycling group still could not figure out why
the authorities were after them. Whenever they asked, no one
would give them an answer.

They suspected that the higher authorities may have been upset
that they had not been informed about the group's trip and only
found out by seeing their picture in the paper.

Their guide also accused them of bringing along "agricultural
spies", because they had stopped at an experimental rice station
and asked some questions.

A day later, they were allowed to take the train up to Mandalay.
But they were then held in the train station for an hour before
being escorted to their hotel. That afternoon, they were told
they could not go beyond the city limits.

As they cycled around town, they were followed continually by
sports officers on motorcycles who stopped to phone in the
group's location from time to time. When one pair of cyclists
approached the city limits, they were threatened with police
officers waving handcuffs.

The cyclists were not allowed to bike or even to hire a car to
Maymyo, a colonial hill station 40 kilometres outside Mandalay.
Maymyo has been open to foreign tourists for years and is not a
sensitive area.

That evening they bought boat tickets to Pagan since they were
not permitted to cycle there. They were to leave the next
morning, but at 9.30 p.m. an immigration officer came to their
hotel and told them they could not take the boat after all.

When two of the cyclists went to the Immigration Office the next
morning to find out why, the office staff saw them coming and
hid. Frustrated, the two cyclists went on to the chief
immigration officer's office but the person on duty outside his
office told them, "He's too busy to see you."

At this point, Diane and Tracy began faxing Lieutenant-General
Kyaw Ba, the Hotel and Tourism Minister, and U Htay Aung, the
manager of MTT, in Rangoon. The Rangoon authorities faxed back
saying the group could take the boat, but the Mandalay
authorities were not personally informed, so they continued to
refuse permission.

According to Diane, "many of the local authorities were friendly.
They said they were just following orders."

For the next three days, the cyclists were under constant
surveillance as they biked around the old capital. Although they
were told that this was "for their security", Diane's cousin was
robbed right under the noses of military intelligence.

He had parked his bike just outside the palace walls and gone
inside to take some pictures. After realising he had left his
handlebar pack on the bike, he went back to get it, but it was
already gone.

His wallet, passport, travellers cheques and $500 worth of gems
had been taken, and the group strongly suspected their would-be
security guards were the culprits.

When the police arrived, they said there was no reason to be
upset, because the thieves "would probably mail it back".
Although the police promised to meet Diane's cousin at the hotel
later that day to file a formal report, they never showed up.

Three days later, the group finally made the boat trip to Pagan
only to find themselves again limited to travelling only within
the city boundaries. As in Mandalay, they were not even allowed
to hire a car and an official guide to take them to Mt Popa, a
popular tourist destination not far from Pagan.

Finally they were forced to fly back to Rangoon, even though they
had planned to take the train, which is far cheaper.

Back in Rangoon, Tracy went to see Kyaw Ba again and demanded to
know why they had been prevented from travelling more freely.
Kyaw Ba denied having anything to do with their travel
restrictions, saying they could have gone to any of those places
outside Mandalay and Pagan. According to Diane, "nobody had the
guts to face us."

They also visited officials in the British and American
embassies, ail of whom were stunned but sympathetic. No one could
tell them why they had been treated so harshly.

After reaching Bangkok, Diane said she felt exhausted, "I'm so
tired of being angry every day."

When asked if she would be travelling to Burma again soon, she
answered, "a Cycle Federation member told me to come next year
and bring a satellite dish receiver to bribe a general, but I
said 'no way'!"

Other tourists have also had problems. Earlier this month, a group of
Indian veterans from World War II were expelled from the country half
way through their memorial walk. No explanation was given.

Likewise, an American couple who had official permission to fly
to Myitkyina in Kachin State was detained at the Myitkyina
airport. They were forced to spend the night on tables in the
departure lounge before being sent back to Rangoon on the next
day's flight.

Moreover, a Stanford alumni tour group was denied landing rights,
in Rangoon, because the group's director had written to Aung San
Suu Kyi inviting her to meet with their group.

An official at the American Embassy has warned American
travellers that the United States does not have a consular
protection treaty with the State Law and Order Restoration
Council (Slorc). As a result, embassy staff are not guaranteed
access to Americans who are jailed by the Burmese government.

If Visit Myanmar Year continues in this fashion, the generals
will have a hard time convincing the rest of the world that Burma
is a good place to visit. Assuming everyone in Burma is as happy
as the government claims, what do the authorities have to fear?

------------------------------------------------------------
THE NATION (Burmese security forces harass Western cyclists) on
January 26, 1996 also wrote a story on the cyclists' trip.  ( excerpted here)

Travelling in Burma can be a hair-raising experience, as Yindee
Lerteharoenehok learned from American and British cyclists who
endured a three-week ordeal........

Throughout the ordeal Horsman and'Guest kept both the American
and British embassies informed of the harassment, problems and
difficulties they encountered throughout the trip.

The two tour leaders said they had often asked how the Burmese
junta would promote Visit Myanmar Year if authorities continued
to harass foreign tourists. They said they would not lead any
cycle tours back to Burma under the present regime.

"Why do tourists travelling on tourist visas have to 'suffer all
this? Why have we received no apology or explanation?"  asked
Horsman.

He said the cycle tour was aimed at strengthening ties between
the British Cycle Touring Club, which has about 50,000 members,
with similar clubs existing in Burma, and that guest cyclists
often donated bicycles and other necessities to the Myanmar Cycle
Federation every time they visited Burma.

Horsman said he planned to write a strong letter of protest to
the Burmese government through its embassy in London to seek
clarification for the incident and intended to speak out about
the harassment.

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

BKK POST: SHAN BANS USE OF THAI MONEY
January 28, 1996

BURMESE forces in Shan state have slapped a ban on the use of
Thai currency in business transactions and campaigned against
Thai imports, it was claimed Friday.

A well-informed source in drug war lord Khun Sa's Mong Thai Army
(MTA) said Burmese troops had also imposed stricter regulations
on the travelling of Thai citizens into Ho Mong, Khun Sa's former
headuarters.

It was taken over by Rangoon following his surrender this month.

The source said Thai imports are comparatively more expensive
than the same kinds of goods imported into Shan state from China
and those made locally.

For instance, Thai rice fetches  12- 15 Baht per litre compared
to six to eight Baht for local grains.

An egg from Thailand is priced at five to six baht compared to
only two to three baht from local farms.

Meanwhile, about 500 Karen and Shan civilians have fled across
the border from Shan state into Huay Buk of Mae Hong Son's Muang
District since Burmese forces launched a drive against Karenni
guerrillas this month.

Mae Hong Son Governor Somjet Viriyadamrong said about 2,000
refugees mostly children, women and the aged are now taking
refuge in Huay Buk.

A Thai army officer said Burmese troops based in Na Mon, about
three kilometres from the border of Mae Hong Son's Muang
District, had threatened to occupy Doi King Hon on Thai
territory, claiming the mountain is on Burmese soil.

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

NATION: BURMESE GOVT WANTS SUU KYI TO STEP DOWN
January 27, 1996
Agence France-Presse

RANGOON- The Burmese government said yesterday that Aung San Suu
Kyi should step down as leader of the opposition National League
for Democracy as she had become dictatorial and had ignored the
will of the people.

A commentary appearing in official Burmese-language newspapers
accused the NLD leader of having betrayed the trust of the
party's supporters by becoming dictatorial and misleading them
with her "feminine wiles".

It also suggested that the NLD take steps to find a way out of
its present predicament brought on by a decision to withdraw from
a constitutional convention that reconvened in November.

The commentary, entitled "Give Up Little Sister", was the latest
in a long line of official newspaper commentaries and editorials
to single out Burma's leading pro-democracy activist for criticism.

"With no-one to control or criticize her, the leader, who had
been clearly chosen for her popularity rather than her political
capabilities, had become reckless and overbearing so that
dictatorship now prevails inside the party, the commentary said.

The NLD was one of 10 political parties represented in the
military-run National Convention, which is drawing up a new
constitution for Burma but withdrew in November as the forum was
"unacceptable in the present form".

The commentary described the NLD decision as the "worst crime"
the party could have committed against those who voted for it by
"dashing their hopes and their aspirations".

Since her release from six years of house arrest last July, Suu
Kyi stands out as the most outspoken critic of the ruling
military junta, officially known as the State Law and Order
Restoration Council.

The commentary appeared to be suggesting that the NLD, which made
a clean sweep of military-sponsored elections in 1990, should
consider a political future without Aung San Suu Kyi, analysts said.

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

BKK POST: RANGOON TAKES OVER HO MONG
Mae Hong Son
January 28, 1996

RANGOON has started to take over the administration of Ho Mong,
the former headquarters of drug war lord Khun Sa which was handed
over to the Burmese military regime early this month.

A well-informed Thai Border Patrol Police source said some 5,000
Burmese troops were despatched to Ho Mong and Mong Mai which are
located opposite Muang Mae Hong Son district here, from January 20-25.

Two helicopter landing pads have also been built in the Pang Sua
and Muang Mai camps, said the source adding that about 1,500
Burmese troops have taken over all the former bases of Khun Sa's
Mong Tai Army.

As earlier pledged by Rangoon, more than 30 teachers, doctors and
nurses have arrived in Ho Mong from Rangoon and Tongyee to help
improve the standard of health and education among the Shan people.

The Burmese government plans to declare Ho Mong a district of
Tongyee and might appoint an MTA official as district chief, the source said.

Experts will also be sent there to develop hydro electricity
generation and animal husbandry, while agricultural experts will
follow later to help boost food production so the Shan people
won't have to continue to rely on Thai imports.

Ho Mong, said the source, will be developed into a tounst area as
part of "Visit Burma Year".

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

NATION: ARMY TO SEND CHETTHA FOR BURMA TALKS
January 28, 1996  (abridged)

Assistant Army Chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro said yesterday that
military leaders have instructed him to go to Burma to assess the
progress in efforts to reopen the country's border crossings with Thailand.

"I'm going to Burma just to gather information. There is no
problem. I will examine in detail if efforts by our side have
made progress in keeping with the discussions of the leaders of
both sides," Chettha said.

Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and Army chief Gen
Pramon Phalasin have ordered Chettha to leave early next month
for Rangoon to hold talks with leaders of Burma's ruling junta,
or State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc).

Chettha will present gifts on Chavalit's behalf to the Slorc
leaders, he added.

Chettha yesterday denied media reports that Slorc had imposed
martial law in Myawaddy, saying that according to his sources,
the information was wrong.

Meanwhile, four Karen refugees at Shoklo camp in Tak's Tha Song
Yang district hurt themselves on Thursday, one of them seriously,
after stepping on mines laid near their camp by Thai paratroopers

The seriously injured man was sent to Mae Sot Hospital for
treatment while the others were treated at the camp's hospital.

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

U.S. HOUSE: BURMA FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ACT OF 1995 (HR. 2892 IH)
January 25, 1996
From: Free Burma <freeburma@aol.com>

        HR 2892 IH
          104th CONGRESS, 2d Session
          To impose sanctions on Burma, and for other purposes.
                             IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                                    January 25, 1996
          Mr. ROHRABACHER (for himself, Mr. ROYCE, and Mr. SMITH of New
              Jersey) introduced the following bill; which was referred to
              the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to
              the Committees on Banking and Financial Services, the
              Judiciary, Commerce, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for
              a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each
              case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
              jurisdiction of the committee concerned
                                         A BILL
          To impose sanctions on Burma, and for other purposes.
          Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
          United States of America in Congress assembled,

          SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
          This Act may be cited as the `Burma Freedom and Democracy Act of
          1995'.

        (NOTE: SEC. 2. FINDINGS. and SEC 8. DEFINITIONS cut, full text already
          posted on burmanet-l)

          SEC.  3. DECLARATIONS OF POLICY.
            (a) IN GENERAL- The Congress declares that it is the policy of
          the United States--
              (1) to support actively the prompt transition from a military
              dictatorship to a democratic government in Burma;
              (2) to encourage the State Law and Order Restoration Council
              (SLORC) to immediately and unconditionally release all
              political prisoners and allow them to participate in the
              political process;
              (3) to recognize the individuals who won the 1990 democratic
              election as the legitimate representatives of the Burmese people;
              (4) to expand contact between the democratically elected
              leaders of Burma and the United States mission in Rangoon in
              order to facilitate the democratic process in Burma;
              (5) to encourage the SLORC and friendly governments to permit
              democratically elected leaders of Burma to travel freely;
              (6) to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced persons
              inside Burma and to refugees from Burma along the border
              between  Burma and Thailand;
              (7) to further expand trade sanctions against Burma not later
              than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act
              unless a process of political reconciliation, characterized by
              a substantial and sustained dialogue between the SLORC and Daw
              Aung San Suu Kyi and other elected leaders of the National
              League for Democracy, is established; and
              (8) to encourage friendly nations to adopt trade policies
              similar to the trade policies established by this Act.
             (b) COOPERATION WITH BURMA RELATING TO COUNTERNARCOTICS

           ACTIVITIES- The Congress declares that--
                 (1) cooperation with Burma relating to counternarcotics
              activities should be limited to improving the capability of
              Burma to detect and confiscate narcotics at the international
              airport in Rangoon and at the coastal port facilities in Burma;
                 (2) such cooperation with Burma should be initiated only
              after the President has certified in writing to the Congress
              that such counternarcotics activities are fully consistent With
              United States human rights concerns in Burma and are vitalto
              United States interests; and
                 (3) multilateral cooperation with Burma relating to
              counternarcotics activities should not contribute to violations
              of internationally recognized human rights in Burma.

          SEC. 4. SANCTIONS.
             (a) IN GENERAL- Until such time as the President determines and
           certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that an
           elected government of Burma has been allowed to take power as
           result of the 1990 election or by new free and fair elections--
                 (1) the sanctions described in subsection (b) shall be
               imposed on Burma; and
                 (2) the appropriate Government officials may apply the
               sanctions described in subsection (c) against Burma.
             (b) Mandatory Sanctions-
                 (1) Investment sanction-
                     (A) IN GENERAL- United States nationals shall not make
                   any investment in Burma.
                     (B) EFFECTIVE DATE- The prohibition contained in
                   subparagraph (A) shall not apply to investments initiated
                   on or before January 25, 1996.
                     (C) REGULATORY AUTHORITY- The President shall issue such
                   regulations, licenses, or orders as are necessary to carry
                   out this paragraph.
                 (2) UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE- United States assistance shall
               not be provided for Burma.
                (3) MULTILATERAL ASSISTANCE- The Secretary of the Treasury
               shall instruct the United States executive director of each
               financial institution to vote against any loan or other
               utilization of the funds of the respective bank to or for
        Burma.
                 (4) PROMOTION OF TRADE OR OTHER COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY- None of
               the funds appropriated or otherwise available to any Federal
               department or agency shall be obligated or expended for the
               purpose of promoting trade or other commercial activity etween
               the United States and Burma.
                 (5) ADMISSION TO UNITED STATES OF BURMESE NATIONALS- (A)
               Except as provided in subparagraph (B), any Burmese national
               who formulates, implements, or benefits from policies which
               hinder the transition of Burma to a democratic country, as
               determined by the Attorney General, and any member of the
               immediate family of such a national, shall be ineligible to
               receive a visa and shall be excluded from admission into the
               United States.
                 (B) The Attorney General may waive the application of
               subparagraph (A) with respect to any individual.
                 (6) ADMISSION TO UNITED STATES OF MEMBERS OF SLORC MILITARY
               OR POLICE FORCES- (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B),
               any member, officer, or employee of any military or police
               force of the Burmese military regime, known as the State Law
               and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), as determined by the
               Attorney General, shall be ineligible to receive a visa and
               shall be excluded from admission into the United States.
                 (B) The Attorney General may waive the application of
               subparagraph (A) with respect to any individual.
                 (7) ADMISSION TO UNITED STATES OF CERTAIN OFFICIALS OF THE
               GOVERNMENT OF BURMA AND BURMESE CITIZENS- (A) Except as
               provided in subparagraph (B), any official of the Burmese
               military regime, known as the State Law and Order Restoration
               Council (SLORC), or any citizen of Burma who the Attorney
               General determines has committed acts which constitute the
               essential elements of a violation under chapter 113A of title
               18, United States Code (relating to the Convention Against
               Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
               Punishment) shall be ineligible to receive a visa and shall be
               excluded from admission into the United States.
                 (B) The Attorney General may waive the application of
               subparagraph (A) with respect to any individual.
             (c) Discretionary Sanctions-
                 (1) Travel to burma-
                     (A) TRANSPORTATION TO OR FROM BURMA- The President is
                   authorized to prohibit or limit any transaction by a United
                   States person relating to transportation to or from Burma,
                   the provision of transportation to or from the United
                   States by any vessel or aircraft of Burmese registration,
                   or the sale in the United States by any person holding
                   authority under the Federal Aviation Act of any
                   transportation by air which includes any stop in Burma.
                     (B) TOURISM IN BURMA- Notwithstanding any other rovision
                   of law, the President is authorized to prohibit te use of
                   funds by any agency of the Government of the United States
                   to promote tourism in Burma.
                 (2) DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION- The Congress urges the
               President not to accept diplomatic representation from Burma at
               a level higher than the level of diplomatic representation of
               the United States in Burma.
                 (3) CONTRIBUTIONS TO INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS-
                     (A) WITHHOLDING- The President is authorized to withhold
                   from each international financial institution that funds
                   activities in Burma (other than emergency humanitarian
                   activities described in subparagraph (B)) an amount equal
                   to the United States proportionate share of that funding.
                     (B) EMERGENCY HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES-
                        (i) IN GENERAL- Subject to clause (ii), the emergency
                      humanitarian activities described in this subparagraph
                      are activities to alleviate human suffering caused by
                      natural disasters such as floods, storms, famine, and
                      earthquakes.
                        (ii) ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES- Activities other than
                      activities described in clause (i) shall be considered
                      to be emergency humanitarian activities for purposes of
                      this subparagraph if the President--
             (I) determines that such additional activities support the
           interests of the United States; and
             (II) transmits such determination in writing to the appropriate
           congressional committees.

           SEC. 5. REPORT ON BURMESE LABOR PRACTICES.
             Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
           the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary of
           State, shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional
           committees on--
                 (1) Burmese compliance with international labor standards
               including the use of forced labor, child labor, slave labor,
               and involuntary prison labor by the junta;
                 (2) the degree to which foreign investment in Burma
               contributes to violations of fundamental worker rights;
                 (3) labor practices in support of Burma's foreign tourist
               industry; and
                 (4) efforts by the United States to end violations of
               fundamental labor rights in Burma.

         SEC. 6. REPORT ON ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION IN BURMA.
             Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
           the Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other
           appropriate Federal agencies, shall prepare and submit to the
           appropriate congressional committees a report on the exploitation
           of resources and the degradation of the environment in Burma,
           including--
                 (1) a discussion of the export of timber by Burma, specially
               teak; and
                 (2) a discussion of the specific progress on cooperation by
               Burma with nonprofit nongovernmental organizations that are
               concerned with ecological conservation, management, and
               training programs.

        SEC. 7. REPORT ON STRATEGY SUPPORTING DEMOCRATIC
        TRANSITION IN BURMA.
            Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
          the Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other
          appropriate Federal agencies, shall prepare and submit to the
          appropriate congressional committees a report containing a strategy
          to restore democracy to Burma consistent with the declarations of
          policy contained in section 3 of this Act.

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

BKK POST: BURMA TO HOST ECONOMIC MEET

SENIOR Asian government officials and business leaders will meet
in Rangoon on Monday at a symposium to discuss the prospects of
Burma's economic integration with the dynamic Asian economies.

The symposium is being organised by the United Nations Economic
and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in
collaboration with the Burmese government.

Since the introduction of an open-door economic policy in 1988,
the Rangoon regime has implemented a wide-ranging programme of
reforms aimed at stimulating its economy.

These initiatives have resulted in a recovery of production,
increased trade and brought a significant flow of foreign investment.

An ESCAP study on Burma's export potential to, and investment
opportunities from, the dynamic Asian economies will be presented
at the symposium. It notes that Burma's economy grew steadily at
an average rate of 4.2% from 1990-94. Export growth has rebounded
by over 18%, while foreign investment has totalled US$3 billion.

Participants at the symposium, funded by the Japanese government,
will be from China, India, Indonesia, Japan Malaysia, Singapore
and Thailand, according to ESCAP.

They will share their views on realising Burma's trade potential
with their respective countries. While some obstacles such as
inadequate infrastrueture and policy environment still exist in Burma,
the meeting will look at areas where complementary conditions exist.

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

NATION: MP RAISES DOUBT OVER BURMESE WOMAN'S TIES
WITH GOVT LEADERS
January 27, 1996

AN position MP yesterday demanded Interior and Foreign ministries
clarify a report that a Burmese business-woman had been assigned
by certain Cabinet ministers to handle bilateral relations and
broker personal business deals with leaders of the Burmese junta.

Meanwhile, Deputy Interior Minister Suchart  Tancharoen,
responding to a recent report, described as "strictly business"
the relationship between him and a married Burmese woman named Ma
Khai, who together with her two daughters, are living in his house.

We have information that that woman[Ma Khai] is very influential
and got Deputy Commerce Minister Pairote Suwanchawee to meet four
Burmese Cabinet members at short notice during his_recent visit,"
MP Surin Pitsuwan [Democrat-Nakhon Si Thammarat] said.

" We want the government to specifically explain exactly who the
woman known by the name of Ma Khai is, exactly what she is doing,
whom she is working for and what she is getting in return," he
said .

Surin said the Interior Ministry's Immigration Bureau must
identify who she is what her business is in Thailand, while the
Foreign Ministry must explain whether she had been used as a
lobbyist on issues between Thailand and Burma.

If she actually is a lobbyist in Rangoon for the Thai government,
then does that mean the Foreign Ministry cannot use the normal
diplomatic channel ? " the Democrat MP said.

He said he also suspected that a certain Cabinet member is
engaged in logging with Burma through a deal brokered by Ma Khai.
" What about other Thai investors  wishing to do business with
Rangoon who do not have connections businesswoman?", he added.

Suchart yesterday denied the allegations about his personal
liaison with the Burmese woman and the report about his importing
logs from Burma without paying import duties.

He was referring to reports by Prasong Soonsiri that appeared in
the Thai language Naew Naa newspaper on wednesday and Thursday
stating that Suchart owns a joint-venture timber business with
the Burmese woman.

The articles said Ma Khai's brother, Sor tu, act as liaison on
behalf of Burmese authorities in the business venture.

Prasong, a former foreign minister, said in his column that after
a long-standing affair, Ma Khai finally left her Burmese husband,
Maj Tun Khai,to live with Suchart, who is unmarried, at his
Lardprao home.
    
The article said Ma Khai has not divorced her Burmese husband.

"The reports are not true. This is politically motivated. If they
want to destroy me, why should they involve other innocent
people?" Suchart said.

He insisted that Ma Khai was happily married to her Burmese
husband, adding that Deputy Commerce Minister Pairote
Suwanchawee, who stayed at Ma Khai's home in Burma during his
visit there, could testify to his claim.

Suchart said his family, which runs a timber business, has paid
hundreds of millions of baht in taxes and import duties to the
Thai and Burmese governments.

He said he was prepared to arrange for members of the media to
tour Ma Khai's family home in Burma to prove that he and Ma Khai
are only business partners.

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

BRC-J: PALI FONTS
January 28, 1996
From: brelief@gol.com (Ken and Visakha Kawasaki)

Last year, a friend of ours, Ken Patton,  stayed with us and
created a set of fonts for Windows for typing Romanized
Pali.  These fonts can be easily installed with templates and
macros to have all the special characters immediately
accessible on the keyboard.

Ken donated these fonts to Buddhist Relief Mission with the
hope that they would be of use to scholars.  Buddhist Relief
Mission is now making them available to all who would like
to use them.

Ken Patton also created the template and macros for Word
for Windows 6.0.  BRM has created the keybooard and
macros for WordPerfect 6.1 and WordPerfect 5.2 for
Windows.  When requesting the fonts, please indicate which
program you are using so that the proper macros can be
included.  For any other program, the Character map access
codes will be included so that the user can create his own macros.

If you would like to receive the fonts, please send a message
to Buddhist Relief Mission with your mailing address.  We
are not charging for the fonts themselves, but we would
appreciate a ten-dollar donation to cover the cost of disks
and postage.

All credit for these beautiful fonts goes to Ken Patton.
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

