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

The BurmaNet News: August 16, 1996
Issue #491

Noted in Passing:
============
                Those people who have blocked the democratization 
                process are indirectly destroying their own system.
                - Rulkmini Sudjono, a former police officer who 
                currently serves on Indonesia's Commission on Civil 
                Rights .(see: WALL STREET JOURNAL: ASIAN 
                GROWTH NEEDS DEMOCRACY)
HEADLINES:
==========
MEDIA RELEASE: MALAYSIAN NGOS OBJECT TO SLORC VISIT
BKK POST: MAHATHIR SHRUGS OFF THREATS
WALL STREET JOURNAL: ASIAN GROWTH NEEDS DEMOCRACY
AP: BURMA'S MINISTERS BRUSH ASIDE INVESTORS PULLING OUT
AP: SINGAPORE'S INFORMATICS TO OPEN BURMA SCHOOL
NATION: 250,000 EXPECTED FOR VISIT MYANMAR YEAR
BKK POST: CUSTOMS OPENED AT MYAWADDY
NATION: BURMA SEEN AS BIGGEST CONCERN
REPORT: CHIN REFUGEES IN MIZORAM (INDIA).
TV MYANMAR: SLORC CHANGES NAMES OF MINISTRIES 
NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: CONCOCTED REPORTS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MEDIA RELEASE: MALAYSIAN NGOS OBJECT TO SLORC VISIT
August 14, 1996
From: 082903@bud.cc.swin.edu.au

Kuala Lumpur, Wed.- Twenty-eight (28) Non-Government Organisations 
today lodged their objection to the state visit of General Than Shwe, head 
of Burma's State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC).

The open letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Abdullah Ahmad Badawi 
said: We are shocked by the apparent willingness of our government to 
consort with a regime notorious for its atrocities and disregard for the 
basic human rights of its citizens.

It is internationally recognized that this is the regime guilty of the 
massacre of thousands of unarmed civilians exactly eight years ago, the 
regime who refuses to honour the results of the 1990 election which it 
organised, the regime who continues to jail, torture, murder and enslave 
thousands of Burmese.

The letter reminded the Minister that General Than Shwe's regime has 
continued to harass and plague the elected representatives of the Burmese 
people, jailing with impunity these elected Members of Parliament and 
their supporters.  In May, more than 260 members of the National League 
for Democracy, including elected MPs, were arrested and detained without 
trial.  Deaths in custody are common, notably, U Hla Than, the elected 
representative from the Cocos Island constituency, who died as a result 
of torture, last week. 

The letter was delivered by a delegation of Burmese and Malaysian 
activists, and was received on the Minister behalf by officials of the 
Department of Foreign Affairs at Wisma Putra this morning.

Later one of the members of the delegation, Mr. Fan Yew Teng said it was 
extremely unfortunate and disappointing that Malaysia has put itself in a 
position to be seen as an accomplice of the SLORC.
Last week, we had an electricity black-out and our Prime Minister said he was
ashamed.  This week, we have a moral black-out and no one talks about it, he
added.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yang Berhormat Datuk Abdullah Ahmad BadawiMinister for Foreign AffairsWisma
PutraKUALA LUMPURAugust 14th, 1996Dear Datuk,STATEMENT OF OBJECTIONWe, the
undersigned organizations, wish to state our concern and lodge 
our objection to the state visit of General Than Shwe, head of Burma's 
State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC).

We are shocked by the apparent willingness of our government to consort 
with a regime notorious for its atrocities and disregard for the basic 
human rights of its citizens.

It is internationally recognized that this is the regime guilty of the 
massacre of thousands of unarmed civilians exactly eight years ago, the 
regime who refuses to honour the results of the 1990 election which it 
organised, the regime who continues to jail, torture, murder and enslave 
thousands of Burmese.

General Than Shwe's regime has refused to honour the outcome of the 1990 
elections, an election which the SLORC itself organised.  Instead, it has 
continued to harass and plague the elected representatives of the Burmese 
people, jailing with impunity these elected Members of Parliament and 
their supporters.  In May, more than 260 members of the National League 
for Democracy, including elected MPs, were arrested and detained without 
trial.  Torture, murder and other atrocities against supporters of the 
will of the Burmese people continue under General Than Shwe's regime. 
Deaths in custody are common, notably, U Hla Than, the elected 
representative from the Cocos Island constituency, who died as a result 
of torture, last week. 

Hundreds of thousands of Burmese citizens continue to be subjected to 
forced labour under hazardous and life-threatening conditions for the 
SLORC's so-called "development" projects.

Tens of thousands of Burmese Muslims continue to be oppressed in 
humiliating and life-threatening ways.  This includes the desperate 
situation of the Rohingyas, who still continue to seek refuge in 
Bangladesh, despite repatriation efforts.  At this time 50,000 Rohingyas 
continue to be refugees in Bangladesh, with more people fleeing the 
brutal SLORC every day.

Therefore, it is extremely unfortunate and disappointing that Malaysia 
has put itself in a position to be seen as an accomplice of the SLORC.

We call upon our government to use this opportunity to express concern at 
the crisis in Burma and encourage the SLORC to cease these atrocities 
against our 47 million neighbors.  It is clear that the situation in 
Burma is not an internal matter.

Malaysia set an excellent example in defending the rights of the people 
of Bosnia and South Africa.  In the case of Burma, Malaysia is in a 
better position to facilitate positive change instead of unconditionally 
supporting a regime smeared with the blood of hundreds of thousands of 
our fellow Asians.

We look forward to your written reply.
Yours sincerely,
1. ABIM (Malaysian Youth Muslim Movement)
2. ALIRAN
3. All Womens Action Society of Malaysia (AWAM)
4. ASA Media Centre
5. Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development
6. Burma Solidarity Group Malaysia
7. CENPEACE
8. Center for Orang Asli Concerns
9. Consumers Association of Penang
10. Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth
11. Ideal Time
12. IIFSO (Islamic Federation of Student Organisations)
13. INSAN
14. Jawatankuasa Sokongan Peneroka Bandar (Support Committee for Urban 
Pioneer Settlers)
15. Jia Chong (United Chinese School Teachers Association)
16. JUST World Trust
17. Labour Resource Centre
18. MSRI (Malaysian Sociological Research Institute)
19. Parti Rakyat Malaysia (Peoples Party Malaysia)
20. PKPIM (National Union of Malaysian Muslim Stdents)
21. Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Friends of the Earth)
22. SEAFDA (Sth E.A. Forum for Development Alternatives Malaysia)
23. Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Youth
24. SUARAM
25. Third World Network
26. WAMY (World Assembly of Muslim Youth)
27. Tamil Support Group for Human Rights
28. World Tamil Relief Fund
Coordinated by:
Fan Yew Teng
CENPEACE
Tel: 603 758 3272
Debbie Stothard
Burma Solidarity Group Malaysia
Fax: 603 732 7325

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

BKK POST: MAHATHIR SHRUGS OFF THREATS
August 15, 1996

The Malaysian prime minister has indicated American threats to
apply sanctions on Burma are empty and likely to be stalled by
its own self-interests.

Malaysia yesterday asserted that ASEAN had nothing to fear from
the United States for accepting Rangoon as a member amid a storm
of protests for hosting Burmese leader Than Shwe.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said ASEAN was
confident Washington would be reluctant to apply punitive action
because of US investments in South East Asia.

"They have large investments in this region, including in Myanmar
[Burma.] When they see oil, they will come," Mr Mahathir said
after bidding farewell to Gen Than Shwe in the capital.

Gen Than Shwe, Burma's premier and chairman of the State Law and
Order Restoration Council  (SLORC), arrived on Monday with five
cabinet ministers for his first official visit to Malaysia.

Washington has repeatedly denounced Rangoon's failure to respect
human rights.

But Rangoon's bid to join ASEAN was given a boost on Monday when
Mr Mahathir said he wanted to see Burma become a member by next year.

Asked whether there were any objection among ASEAN members to
Burma's entry, Mr Mahathir said: "Perhaps there is ... but I
think the objection is not very strong.

"Actually, those attempting to obstruct the entry of Myanmar into
ASEAN are [other] foreign countries."

Mr Mahathir's comments were echoed from Tokyo, where Indonesian
President Suharto gave a rare interview to the Japanese daily
Nihon Keizai Shimbun. 

"ASEAN members are seven countries at present, but they will be
ten next year," he said.

The statements were likely to infuriate banner-waving activists
who yesterday handed a statement to Malaysia's Foreign Ministry
protesting against the visit of Gen Than Shwe.

A coalition of 16 activist groups representing Muslim,
environmental, human rights, labour and other organisations
delivered the protest note to the ministry.

"We are shocked by the apparent willingness of our government to
consort with a regime notorious for its atrocities and disregard
for the basic human rights of its citizens."

The activists also accused the ruling generals of conducting
"forced labour under hazardous and life threatening conditions
for the SLORC's so-called development projects" .

It said Burma's Muslim minorities "continue to be oppressed in
humiliating and life-threatening ways", referring to some 50,000
Rohingya refugees who fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.

"Therefore, it is extremely unfortunate and disappointing that
Malaysia has put itself in a position to be seen as an accomplice
of the SLORC."

Malaysia's opposition leader Lim Kit Siang also slammed Malaysia
Airlines' plan to fly to Rangoon on Nov l 8 to launch the "Visit
Myanmar Year".

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

WALL STREET JOURNAL: ASIAN GROWTH NEEDS DEMOCRACY
August 12, 1996
by Joshua Gordon
(a NY based consultant for the human rights group Freedom House)

Asian authoritarian leaders who have silenced their countries media and 
muzzled their political opposition claim that, according to a 'Asian' way of 
thinking, the absence of civil rights is a fair price to pay for economic
growth. But the crowds of protesters who took to the streets of Jakarta last
month to chant "Democracy", as well as those who did the same in China, 
Burma and South Korea only a few years ago, shows that not everyone 
agrees. In fact more and more Asians are convinced that their government's
repressive habits are not in their countries best interests, economic or 
otherwise.

"Those people who have blocked the democratization process are indirectly 
destroying their own system," observes Rulkmini Sudjono, a former police 
officer who currently serves on Indonesia's Commission on Civil Rights.
Powerful democratic currents in South Korea and Taiwan that recently led 
to those countries first free elections prove that a growing number of East 
Asians agree with this sentiment.

But it's not only because of the social justice that the rising Democratic
tide 
in bodes well for the future of the region. There are also sound economic 
reasons to hope for a more democratic future. A recently released study by 
Freedom House suggests that in addition to it's numerous social evils,
political repression simply does not pay over in the long run.

In the study - World Survey of Economic Freedom 1995-1996, a total of 80
nations, accounting for 90% of the world's population and generating 99%
of the world's wealth, were evaluated based on criteria such as the right to 
own property, operate a business or belong to a trade union.

The results of the survey are conclusive: No country in the world enjoys long 
term economic prosperity without allowing it's citizens freedom to participate
fully in society. With just 17% of the world's population, the countries rated
'free' by the survey, produce $18.8 trillion in goods and services or 81% of 
total world output.

East Asian countries made a poor showing in the Freedom House study. Of
the 13 East Asian nations surveyed, only Japan was ranked 'free.' 
Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, among others, were all shown to 
be nations where the average citizen faces substantial restrictions on his or
her
freedom to operate a business, own land or make a living. Freedom House
also rates those East Asian nations equally poorly at providing the economic 
safeguards fundamental to any free society.

Proponents of the 'Asian Model' often argue that East Asia's current success
is proof enough that freedom is not needed to achieve economic prosperity,
and can even be an impediment to social stability. In fact South Korea and 
Taiwan, the leading Asian Tigers, discovered recently that a single party,
repressive state is incompatible with continued success. The have 
Democratized, held free elections and even prosecuted former leaders for
wrongdoing.

But proponents of the "Asian Model" are not the first to challenge freedom's
value when it comes to the bottom line. Only 40 years ago, the Soviet Union
also defied the principles of democracy and economic freedom. Eschewing the 
right of the individual to freely operate a business, to own land (or much of 
anything), or to invest one's earnings, that totalitarian nation built an 
industrial economy that some argued would eventually outcompete those of the 
flabby, poorly organized Western Democracies. As ludicrous as it may seem 
today, when Nikita Khrushchev boasted "We will bury you", he was 
asserting the ultimate superiority of the repressive state in the economic - 
not military - arena. And many Western experts feared he was right.

But although the USSR generated high growth figures for a limited time
by forcing hands into the factories, sustainable, long term growth eluded
Soviet planners. A key factor in the Soviet Union's economic slow down
and subsequent decline was the fact that communism stifled creative 
entrepreneurship, resulting in an inefficient industrial base that was 
incapable of sustaining it' self in the long run.

Although the rewards of rapid industrialization - high growth rates and
jumps in per capita income - are currently being reaped in East Asia,
these leaps in prosperity cannot be sustained if there is not a
commensurate increase in freedom. After the initial benefits of rapid
industrialization wind down, as they have in Japan, what will be crucial 
to continue success in the global workplace will be the dynamism, creativity
and flexibility that are stifled under repressive regimes.

In spite of the continued attempts by East Asian regimes to repress
democratic activity - witness President Suharto's aggressive treatment of
any Indonesian group that may constitute a challenge to his political
monopoly - South Koreans, Taiwanese, and now Indonesians are rejecting 
the notion that lack of freedom is good for them. Like past excuses for
repressive governments, the "Asian model" is quickly becoming obsolete
as East Asians continue to demand the same basic freedoms enjoyed in
virtually every stable and successful nation. As Fikri Jufri of the government
banned Indonesian magazine Tempo remarked: "There is more wealth but
not more democracy. People are living better and now they are saying
'I want more'." 
 
*********************************************************

AP: BURMA'S MINISTERS BRUSH ASIDE INVESTORS PULLING OUT
August 13, 1996
From: John Scherb <mcs@primenet.com>

KUALA LUMPUR -- Burma isn't worried about the move by some investors 
to withdraw from the country because of alleged violations of human rights 
there, a Burmese minister said Tuesday.

Referring to beer brewers Heineken and Carlsberg's recent pull-out of 
Burma, the minister said, 'There are other producers of world-class beer 
who want to come in, so ... it does not affect us at all.' Brig. Gen. David
Abel, 
head of the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, gave 
a press conference during his visit to Malaysia.

Abel said Burma had planned for $1.5 billion to be invested in the country 
this year and had already tallied up $895 million in direct foreign 
investment in the first four months. Therefore, he said, Burma was well on 
its way to achieve its goal in spite of the withdrawals.

'So it does not worry us much,' Abel said.

So far in 1996, he said, Singapore had invested the most money in Burma 
- $292.63 million. The U.K. was the second largest investor, with 
$211.41 million, followed by Malaysia, which had put in $193 million.

Abel is in Malaysia as part of an official visit led by the chairman of 
Burma's ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), senior 
Gen. Than Shwe. The group's five-day visit began Monday.

Reporters asked Abel whether Burma was planning to buy Malaysia's 
national car, the PROTON. 'When PROTON is ready to supply, we are ready 
to buy,' was all he said.

Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw told the same news conference he objected to 
reports that the Asian Development Bank might withhold aid from Burma. 
The Bank said it might cut aid to Burma if authorities refused to engage in 
dialogue with the opposition, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San 
Suu Kyi.

'We have no opposition in the sense the West is interpreting it, because the 
government is not a political government,' he said. 'Why should (the Asian 
Development Bank) impose restrictions?...They cannot put sudden 
conditions on a country which is a member of the United Nations.'

Calling Suu Kyi 'that particular person,' Ohn Gyaw said the opposition 
leader 'may not have a role' in the country's democratization process 
because her party, the National League for Democracy, had voluntarily 
withdrawn from talks, claiming that no dialogue was taking place.

'They can't simply come back on an equal basis,' he said. 'The one who ties 
the knot will have to untie.'

Ohn Gyaw refused to address Suu Kyi by name. When asked why he referred 
to her as 'Mrs. Michael Aris,' after her husband, or another veiled 
reference, he said, 'Who is she anyway?'

Burma's military junta has long refused to negotiate with Suu Kyi, who is 
leading the country's democracy movement. She has called for economic 
sanctions against Burma.

Both Holland's Heineken and Denmark's Carlsberg pulled out of deals in 
July to open breweries in Burma after European consumers boycotted 
goods produced by companies investing in Burma.

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

AP: SINGAPORE'S INFORMATICS TO OPEN BURMA SCHOOL
August 15, 1996
From: John Scherb <mcs@primenet.com>

SINGAPORE -- Information technology (IT) training provider Informatics 
Holdings Ltd. will set up a joint venture company to operate a business and 
management training school in Burma, the company said Thursday.

The joint venture company, United Info Summit (UIS), will secure a 
Thames International franchise programme to set up a Thames Business 
School in Rangoon, together with Burma-based United Engineering Co. Ltd., 
Informatics said.

Informatics holds 40% of UIS, while its partners Sumitomo Corp. 
(Singapore) Pte. Ltd. and an unidentified Singapore business interest hold 
19% and 41% of UIS respectively, it said.

The venture is part of Informatics' strategy to expand its subsidiary 
Thames' regional network of business training and education centers in the 
region, the company said.

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

NATION: 250,000 EXPECTED FOR VISIT MYANMAR YEAR
August 15, 1996
Rita Patiyasevi

RANGOON - More than 250,000 tourists are expected to travel to
Burma for Visit Myanmar Year, which will be officially launched
this November, Burmese minister for hotels and tourism Lt. Gen
Kyaw Ba said in a recent interview.

Kyaw Ba said while the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council 
(Slorc) prepares to welcome the record-breaking number of tourists with 
new hotel rooms and improved transportation systems, negotiations are 
under way with various airlines for more seating capacity.

"We expect more than the 250,000 targeted [arrivals] but it also
depends on the airlines. At the moment, we don't have enough
airlines," he said.

Last month, Japan's All Nippon Airline (ANA) signed an agreement
to fly twice a week to Rangoon and is expected to increase the
frequency to three or four times a week during the high season.

Royal Brunei also struck a deal to fly to Rangoon on it's
London-Abu Dhabi flights. The inaugural flight will be on Sept 16

Other carriers currently flying to Burma, such as Thai Airways
International, Singapore's Silk Air and the Burmese national
carrier Myanmar Airway International, are expected to see a big
increase in passengers, while carriers from Pakistan, India and
China have less potential.

To benefit from the growing industry, Slorc has also signed
agreements with neighbouring countries for cooperation on
tourism. It has signed memorandums of understanding on tourism
cooperation with Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam and will
soon sign one with China.

Kyaw Ba said the inaugural celebration for Visit Myanmar Year on
Nov 18 may be too early but the government had no choice. "We
have to do it because Myanmar has been closed and isolated for
nearly three decades," he said.

He said the hard currency earnings from foreign visitors enjoyed
by neighbouring countries had encouraged Burma to open up to tourists.

"We want to profit from these tourist  arrivals. That is why we
decided to celebrate Visit Myanmar Year in 1996," he said.

Burma, still a virgin land tourism-wise, offers good potential
for cultural and eco-tourism. The tourism industry, which only
became significant when the ministry was established in 1992, is
vital to Burma's economic development. The tourism sector ranks
second in terms of foreign investment, with major investors
coming from Singapore and Thailand. Eight recent projects agreed
to by the two countries involve a total investment of US$180
million (Bt4.5 billion).

Minister Kyaw Ba also said he was confident that the volatile
political situation in his country would not harm the ongoing
development of the tourism industry.

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

BKK POST: CUSTOMS OPENED AT MYAWADDY
August 15, 1996

Burma reopened customs service at . Myawaddy yesterday to pave
the  way for the resumption of border trade with Thailand which
was halted 17. months ago due to border conflicts.

The reopening at Burma's border town, opposite Mae Sot district
in Tak, followed the agreement made by Deputy; Prime Minister and
Foreign Minister Amnuay Viravan and  his Burmese counterpart Ohn
Gyaw in the Joint Commission meeting early this month in Rangoon.

Director-General of the Burmese Border Trade Department Nay Win
Oo and Deputy Tak Governor Saneh Chalermphol presided over the
ceremony which was welcomed by local businessmen and people from
the two countries.

 The Burmese government closed the Myawaddy border checkpoint on
March 4 last year for security reasons as Rangoon soldiers were
launching attacks on Karen rebels. The closure completely barred
border crossing and trade.

The border was reopened in March this year after Prime Minister
Banharn Silpa-archa paid an official visit to Rangoon, but
imports and exports were not allowed because no customs
authorities appointed at Myawaddy, the town separated from
Thailand by the Moei River.
     
Col Nay Win Oo expressed the hope that the customs service would
promote  Thai-Burmese legal trade activities for their benefit
and they would raise income for his government.
     
Burma has long been suffering from illegal border trade conducted
by local traders. The official trade volume was about 10 billion
baht before the border were sealed last year, but illicit trade
volume was estimated at six times higher. 

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

NATION: BURMA SEEN AS BIGGEST CONCERN
August 15, 1996
Kavi Chongkittavorn

ALTHOUGH there is no imminent threat to Thailand's security in
the 21st century border problems, especially on the Burmese side,
could turn into hot spots in the future a seminar was told yesterday.

"In the next five to 10 years, Thailand's security problem will
shift from its eastern flank to its western one," said Surachat
Bamrungsuk of Chulalongkorn University, referring to the end of
the Cambodian conflict and the ongoing disputes along the 
Thai-Burma border.

Surachat said that as the Burmese forces are consolidating their
hold in minority controlled areas along the border, which
stretches more than 2,400 kilometres chances of armed
confrontations between the two countries will increase. "Given
the ambiguity of the problem of demarcation along Thai-Burmese
border, confrontation could occur at any time," he noted.

Outlining the changes in the post Cold War environment pertaining
to the region and the world, the scholar pointed out that
Thailand is encountering new non-security issues that could have
far-reaching ramifications toward the country's security and the
well-being of its people.

These issues include environmental changes, population
displacement, problems to do with economic development, disease
epidemics, income disparity, the information revolution, and
cultural and ethnic relations which could affect the country's
security. He said there is an urgent need for Thai strategists
and policy makers to map out new security directions towards the
21th century.

Surachat, who has written extensively on Thailand's security
policies, warned that because of the fast changing world due to
the information age, Thailand can no long rely on Yuck" as in the
past.

"If government officials and the public fail to prepare
themselves and create an environment conducive to sustaining this
luck, the country will face security problems in the future," he
said in his paper entitled "Cold War to Cold Peace: Continuity
and Change of Thailand Security Problems into the 2000s", during
a two-day conference organised by the Thailand Research Fund.

In the foreseeable future, there are no imminent threats to
Thailand's security  as the Cold War has ended. Some issues, such
as the arms build-up in the region and China's southward
expansion could, however, affect Thailand's security perceptions.

He said that some military leaders feel that the arms procurement
programs currently under way in neighbouring countries will have
a direct impact on the Thai security. "And also vice versa, the
new weapons systems that Thailand's armed forces have deployed
are also a cause for concern among neighbouring  countries," he said. 
     
Although new weaponry will strengthen the country's armed forces,
it could also reduce the overall national security as neighbouring countries 
are also engaging in defence spending and arms build-ups, he said.
     
Given this backdrop, he said, one of the challenges the Thai
armed forces faces is how to deal effectively with so-called
"defence management". The high price tag of procuring new arms
could undermine the country's economic situation, as well as the
government's stability.

"It is this area that the government still neglects, even though
it has a direct implication toward its capability to manage the
country's future security and defence."

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

REPORT: CHIN REFUGEES IN MIZORAM (INDIA).
August 13, 1996
From: tom!shar@unv.ernet.in

Police terror has forced Chin (Burmese) refugees in Mizoram state to go 
into hiding. In retaliation to the killing of an activist of the Young Mizo 
Association on July 12 allegedly by the Chin National Front (CNF),
Mizoram police have let loose a reign of terror. Nearly fifty Chin refugees 
were picked up and tortured. The state Crime Investigation Department 
(CID) has warned hundreds of Chin refugees to leave Mizoram by August
13, a date announced by the Mizoram Home Minister. It affects an 
estimated 40,000 Chins who have taken shelter in Mizoram state of India 
since the seventies. 

Background:
---------------
The Chin ethnic people, the  majority of whom are Christians, were 
special targets of the programme of Burmanisation of General Ne Win. 
As the Chins put up strong resistance against this cultural and political
onslaught, the Burmese government banned  the use of their  language in 
the local schools. As a result many educated Chins migrated to Mizoram. 
The Chins and the Mizos belong to the same ethnicity and speak a similar
language. Many Chins were able to find jobs as school teachers in Mizoram. 
Chin doctors were allowed to practice in Aizawl. Some Chins were able to 
set up business. 

The real big wave of Chin refugees came into Mizoram after the 1988 crack 
down by the SLORC against democracy movement in Myanmar. Refugee 
camps were set up in Champai and Saiha districts of Mizoram to 
accommodate these Chin refugees by the Mizoram Government. However, 
these camps were closed down in 1994/95 when the Indo-Myanmar border 
trade talks began. One of the main reasons for closing down the camps was
the request of Myanmar government which believed that the Chin National 
Front (CNF) which is fighting for the independence of Chin State, was 
operating from these camps. Since then the Chin refugees have been 
scattered all over Mizoram, forced to find work for their survival.   

Government of India has been following a conscious hands-off policy 
regarding the Chin refugee affair. It has so far allowed the Mizoram 
government to deal with the situation in the remote north eastern state on 
its own. In September 1994 and in June 1995, when the ongoing anti-
foreigner movement in Mizoram targeted the Chins, and statements were 
made by local politicians that all foreigners including the Chins would be 
pushed back, a large number of Chin refugees came to Delhi and requested 
UNHCR for protection and help. UNHCR was unable to decide about the 
status of the Chins  as they had no access to Mizoram. 

UNHCR took up this matter with the Ministry of External Affairs of 
Government of India. However,  in June 1996 UNHCR decided to urge 
the Chin refugees to go back to Mizoram on the assurance of the External 
Affairs Ministry that the Chins would not be pushed back.  This was done 
despite the warning by the Chin refugees and some of the NGOs working 
for the protection of Burmese refugees in the north-eastern states of India. 
It was pointed out to UNHCR that the assurance of the Ministry of External 
Affairs meant very little without a similar assurance from the Home Ministry. 
It was also pointed out that Indian Home Ministry and the government of
Myanmar have already entered into several agreements on border trade and 
military cooperation for control of cross-border insurgency which also meant 
joint campaigns against the CNF in the region. As CNF was going to 
increase its anti-SLORC operations the Chins in Mizoram were certain 
to get caught in anti-insurgency campaigns launched by the Indian and 
Myanmar security forces. This is what has happened now.

Current situation:
------------------
Mr. Lian No Thang a Chin national who owns a photographic studio on 
Zion Road Aizawl told me thismorning on telephone that about a hundred 
Chin and Burmese families staying in Aizwal, the capital city of Mizoram 
state were visited by members of the state government's CID staff on 
August 10 and 11.  According to Mr. Nothang these Chin/Burmese 
families were told to pack up their belongings and leave Mizoram state 
by August 13. He told me that he who has been in Aizawl for about 
twenty years, has also received the same eviction order.

According to another source who must remain unidentified, on August 9,
10 and 11 about 15 Chin nationals, most of whom were employed in 
various schools of Aizawl, were picked up from their homes and taken 
away by the CID and Mizoram police. They have not been formally 
charged with any crime. We have reasons to believe that between July 12 
and August 11, the Mizoram police have detained nearly 50 Chin/Burmese
nationals who had take shelter in the Indian state of Mizoram. Some of 
the arrested persons have been recognised by UNHCR as persons of 
concern. Mr. Leng Mang a Chin refugee, who had returned to Aizwal 
on July 10 on the urging of the UNHCR office in Delhi, was picked up 
by the CID on the night of July 12. He claims that he was severely 
tortured for about seven days to force him to identify CNF activists 
in Aizawl. His UNHCR certificate gave him no protection. After about
seven days of torture he was allowed to go. But according to him more 
than a score of Chin youth who were picked up around the same time as 
him, are still in custody.   

We also have received reports from the kin of some of the Chins in Aizawl 
and Mr Sang Zel ( UNHCR certificate number BU-262) who managed 
to come away to Delhi on August 11. According to our information, 
most of the persons detained were physically manhandled and tortured. 
The detained persons are yet to be charged formally. All are apparently 
being held for "questioning" by the CID. 

Mr. Tawk Cung a Chin refugee who runs a private school under the name 
Evergreen High School in Aizawl and  his brother, Mr. Chan Thawng who 
was employed as a teacher in Government High School in Aizwal were 
arrested on July 12-13. Both are reported to have been severely tortured 
in custody. As it was learnt that these two brothers were in a bad state 
of health, one of their Mizo friends, Mr. Ramawia, a former minister of 
Mizoram and a senior leader of the Mizo National Front (MNF)
intervened on their behalf and requested the CID to release them on his 
personal surety. We are told that this offer of Mr. Ramawia was turned 
down by the Mizoram government. 

This spate of arrests started after July 12, when Mr.C. Lalhmangaiha, 
President of the Khuang Leng village unit of Young Mizo Association 
(YMA) was allegedly shot dead by three members of the Chin National 
Army (CNA) the military wing of the Chin National Front (CNF) of
Myanmar. The CNA or its parent body CNF have not made any statement 
about this killing till date. However Mizo newspapers  reported that the 
killing was done by CNA. This created tension between the Chins and the
local Mizos. The state police and the CID started large scale arrests.  For 
some strange reason, most of the arrests were made in Aizawl which is 
quite far from Khaung Leng village located on the border of Myanmar.
The police and the CID claimed that they were rounding up known 
supporters and sympathizers of CNF in Aizawl for questioning. All these 
arrests were illegal.

On July 25, Mizo youth and students took out rallies in the towns of  
Champai, Lunglei and Aizwal demanding immediate deportation of all 
Chin/Burmese persons from Mizoram. According to the local newspapers 
Mr. Lalsangzuala the Home Minister of the government of Mizoram 
attended the rally in Aizwal and told all the Chins and Burmese to leave 
Mizoram.  

Dr. Za Hlei Thang the Chin MP who has been living in exile in Aizawl 
since 1990, was called to the office of the state CID and told that  he had 
to cooperate with the CID. He was later told if he apologized to the Mizos 
on behalf of the CNF then the expulsion of Chins might be stopped. He 
pointed out that as he was not associated with the CNF and as the CNF 
has not claimed to have killed the YMA activist he could not do so.However 
he offered to do so on behalf of the Chin nationals who had taken shelter 
in Mizoram.

On August 9, 1996, a Mizo pastor was shot in the leg by unknown assailants 
in the village of Buan Tlang in Champai district. After that incident the 
CID arrested another 15 Chin refugees from Aizawl and issued quit
notice to about 100 Chin/Burmese families in Aizwal.Even Dr. Za Hlei 
Than is not sure that his "apology" will be of any help, now as the 
atmosphere is so vitiated.

These arrests are obviously aimed at pressurizing theCNF. The ordinary 
civilian Chin/Burmese rufugees are being used as a hostage by the Mizoram 
government. We will be able to understand the reasons behind this inhuman 
actions of the Mizoram police when we review these developments in the 
context of recent military engagements between the Mizo Armed Police 
(MAP) and CNF in the border areas of Champai-Falam. 

CNF imposed a blockade on the movement of goods across the Indo-
Myanmar border in this sector from July 1, 1996. The Champai road 
connects the towns of Falam and Tidim across the border in Chin state 
of Myanmar. It is the most important border road for trade. The blockade
imposed by CNF virtually stopped the thriving legal and illegal border 
trade in this region.  In June, six Burmese soldiers had defected to CNF 
with all their arms and ammunition. SLORC had requested the Indian
authorities for the arrest and return of these six soldiers to Myanmar as 
they were deserters. A combination of these two factors and the pressure
mounted by the Mizo traders who were badly affected by the CNF 
imposed blockade on border trade led to the deployment of units of  
Mizo Armed Police in a clean-up operation. The objective was to clear 
the area of CNF activists. The SLORC apparently agreed to these military 
operations by Indian security forces inside their territory in the interest of

border trade. There were reports of several clashes between the MAP and 
CNF in the Champai/Falam sector in which two MAP constables and 
several CNF soldiers were killed. Apparently the MAP forces have not 
been able to open up the border road yet.

These transborder operations by Indian forces are a part of the so-called 
"institutional mechanisms" set up the governments of India and Myanmar 
to facilitate ground level cooperation for control of "insurgent groups". 
During the year 1995-96  five sectoral level and three national level 
meetings were held between the designated authorities of Myanmar and 
India to create these mechanisms for "curbing and containing insurgency" 
in the border region and opening up border trade between India and 
Myanmar. Annual Report:  1995-1996, Ministry of Home Affairs, 
Government of India, New Delhi. Page 16 para 3.44)

If these Chin refugees are pushed back into Myanmar they will be arrested 
as aliens as they do not have the new identity cards issued by the SLORC 
since 1994. In September 1994, Mizoram police had pushed back about
300 Chin/Burmese refugees into Myanmar. They were all arrested and 
jailed. Several of them were later shipped to forced labour camps in 
Sagaing region of Myanmar. Mr. Rothla Peng who was pushed back in 
1994 and escaped from a forced labour camp in 1995 reported this to
UNHCR Delhi during his interview in June 1996.

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

TV MYANMAR: SLORC CHANGES NAMES OF MINISTRIES 
August 12, 1996

Change of nomenclature of ministries: 
The SLORC has changed the nomenclature of the following ministries.
1. The Ministry of Agriculture to the Ministry of  Agriculture and Irrigation 
2. The Ministry or Trade to the Ministry of Commerce

By the authority vested in me, Signed: Khin Nyunt, 
Lieutenant General, SLORC Secretary-1. 

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

NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: CONCOCTED REPORTS
August 7, 1996  by Myo Chit Thu   (abridged)

I have attended two Press conferences during this month. The first was 
the News Briefing of the State Law and Order Restoration Council
Information Committee held at Myanma [Burmese] TV and Radio
Department on 1 August. The second was Minister for
National Planning and Economic Development [NPED] Brig-Gen
Abel's Press Conference at the Ministry of NPED on the third.

The Press conferences were also attended by foreign 
correspondents led by Patron of Foreign Correspondents Club 
Kyodo News Agency correspondent U Sein Win. 
At the News Conference on 3 August, Minister Brig Gen
Abel briefed the Press on two reports, namely, "Country 
Commercial Guides: Burma", and "Foreign Economic Trends
Report: Burma". They were prepared and published by the US
Embassy in Yangon [Rangoon] dated 1 August 1996.
In his open clarifications, the minister said he 
received the reports on 2 August evening. He said it was the
 first time he received reports of that kind since he
assumed the responsibilities of the minister.

Minister Brig-Gen Abel presented the points as follows; 
l. The first paragraph of this report clarifies the value and credibility of 
the report. It is not an official statistics.
2. You can see that it has been orchestrated as 
readers are directed to send the inquiry to the Embassy in 
Yangon or even care of State department in Washington.
3. Since the statistics are unofficial, as stated, we
can come to the conclusion that the intention of floating 
such a report is to only seed doubts, to cause mischief and
to discredit the State Law and Order Restoration Council in
its very successful economic endeavour and nation-building
programme. 
4. The essence of the presentation is in nature the 
fictitious political stories trying to convince the public
with unauthentic figures that has no statistical base. lt
can also be deduced from the report as accusations: 
a. The State Law and Order Restoration Council not being transparent. 
b. That the major portions of the budget is being used for the defence. 
c. That the social sectors has been neglected.
d. That sustained growth will be difficult.
e. Forced labour, prison labour is being employed extensively.
f. That narcotics still proved to be problem.
g. That change of government and democracy are 
essential elements for the Myanmar economy.
h. That extra-legal economy has played a considerable
role in the mainstream economy.
i. That the real GDP growth was between 4.6 percent to 6 percent.
j. That the World Bank, IMF, ADB [Asian Development Bank] are being 
pressured by the US not to extend financial help to Myanmar.
k. That there is no microeconomic transparency.
5. Justification of the tax is supported by the tables
which only try to justify the aim of the report but is not
supported by any official documents or studies.
6. There is no real value or credibility in the report as it is not based
solely 
as economic study but is more politically oriented.
7. Transparency in Myanmar has always - been 
maintained and even the World Bank, IMF, and ADB have been
given permission to study whatever they wish to study --open books.
8. Defence spending is a matter which every country 
has to live with. In Myanmar, it is round about 8 percent to
10 percent. Every Army has to be timely trained and
equipped for self-defence purposes. There is no intention
of aggression by Myanmar to its neighbours.
9. The new 5-year plan has come on steam and there is
no problem to sustain present economic growth rate. Even 
during the four-year plan, the performance exceeded what was
 planned. The growth rate annually was 8.2 percent with
present five year plan, it is planned for 6 percent.
10. The social sector has been taken care of without
any sacrifice, spending in the social sector has increased
annually, statistics given. Education: 92-93 4.7 billion
[currency in kyats -- Burmese currency unit], 93-94 5.5
billion, 94-95 5.8 billion, 95-96 2.7 billion, 96-97 planned
 2.5 billion; Health: 92-93 2.07 billion, 93-94 1.9 billion,
 94-95 2.1 billion, 95-96 2.7,billion, 96-97 planned 2.5 billion.
11. Forced labour, Prison labour has not been extensively used. There is 
no forced labour, only work contribution. Prison labour is being used 
according to existing laws.
12. The Ministry of National Planning and Economic 
Development welcome any clarifications on any of its reports
or its statistics. We are also happy to lift the cloud that
has been cast by the foreign economic trends report issued
by the US Embassy, Yangon. You may contact us any time at -
- Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development,
Minister's Office, Theinbyu Road, Yangon. Tel: 282391,
289666, 280816, Fax: 951 243791.

Intentions of the guides and report prepared by US Embassy in Yangon 
were clear. It has been merely a destructive act designed to play down 
successes of Myanmar, make people lose faith in the government, seed 
doubts in the minds of the public. That was an act that should not be
committed by an embassy which represents a big nation. Such acts should 
be put to an end under international practices. The guides and the reports 
prepared and published by the US Embassy are, in fact, done so intentionally 
to discredit Myanmar.

