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The BurmaNet News: July 12, 1996 
Issue #465

Noted in Passing:
                As long as the government  is not acceptable to the 
                people of  it's country, it can never be legitimised, said 
                ASSK. (see: BKK POST: UNSTABLE BURMA IS 
                WORTHLESS TO ASEAN)
HEADLINES:
=========
BKK POST: UNSTABLE BURMA IS WORTHLESS TO ASEAN
BKK POST: DOUBTS CAST OVER LETTER TO ASEAN 
VOA: SECRETARY OF STATE REVIEWS BURMA SANCTIONS 
US STATE DEPT.: DAILY PRESS BRIEFING ON BURMA
VOA: US SANCTIONS TO BE USED AS AN OPTION AGAINST BURMA
NATION: UNIFIED STANCE AGAINST BURMESE JUNTA URGED
REUTERS: BURMA TO HAVE MORE INVESTMENT SETBACKS
BKK POST: CARLSBERG DROPS PLAN FOR BREWERY IN BURMA
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: LETTER - INVESTING IN BURMA
PRESS RELEASE:  AI- REPRESSION INCREASES IN BURMA
REUTER: UNCLE LEO DIED IN PRISON, NOT IN THE HOSPITAL!
MDN: SCORING POINTS WITH BURMA'S FASCIST JUNTA?
NATION: MYAWADDY OFFICIALS PROTEST INTRUSION
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BKK POST: UNSTABLE BURMA IS WORTHLESS TO ASEAN
July 11, 1996
by Nussara Sawatsawang and Saritdet Marukatat

BURMA'S pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday voiced
strong opposition to ASEAN's decision to integrate Burma? saying
the country's unresolved internal problems would not advance
regional stability.

"This is a country where there is no rule of law, there's no
justice, there's no stability. How can such a country be a credit
to the region?" she said.

"I think they [ASEAN states] should care about how far the
government is capable of achieving peace and stability because
unless the government is capable of achieving peace and
stability, it cannot do the region any good at all," she added.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has argued that the
integration of Burma would bring stability to the.

Foreign ministers of the seven ASEAN states are preparing to
receive Burma as an "observer" to their 29th annual meeting in
Jakarta on July 20. Three days later, Burma will for the first
time join the ASEAN states and l 3 other countries in regional
security discussions under the three year-old AS AN Regional
Forum (ARF).

Mrs Suu Kyi said Burma under present circumstances was in no
position to contribute to peace or prosperity within the ASEAN region.

Burma's membership of ASEAN would bring no benefits to the
Burmese people who are struggling for democracy in their country,
she added.

"Internal problems of Burma should be settled first and I do not
think this. can be done through suppression," she said.

"Suppression is not the way to resolve the problems," she stressed.

But the pro-democracy leader made clear she would not ask ASEAN
to set preconditions for Burma's admission into the grouping.

"That is, of course, for ASEAN to decide. It is for them to study
the situation and decide whether or not Burma is fit to be a
member of ASEAN under these circumstances."

ASEAN insists Burma's problems are its own affairs and maintains
"constructive engagement" with the ruling military junta is a way
of improving the situation for the people of that country.

But Mrs Suu Kyi countered that the internal affairs of a country
included politics as well as business, and that g ASEAN countries
were building business links with SLORC.

"If they say that it's only an internal affair of Burma, how
about the economy?" she said.

"As long as ASEAN is involved in [the] economy, then they are
involved in the internal affairs of the country," she said.

Analysts have said the integration of Burma into ASEAN including
Burma's participation in the ARF, would bring legitimacy to the
ruling military junta.

But Mrs Suu Kyi maintained the military leadership did not enjoy
legitimacy.

"Ultimately, the legitimacy of the government will be decided by
its people," she said.

"As long as the government  is not acceptable to the people of 
it's country, it can never be legitimised."

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

BKK POST: DOUBTS CAST OVER LETTER TO ASEAN 
July 11, 1996

PRO-DEMOCRACY leader Aung San Suu Kyi denied yesterday that she
had written to  the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

She told the Bangkok post she would not write letters to ASEAN or
other international  organisations.

"I do not want to make suggestions to people or organisations
because I do not think it's the right way," she said when asked
about a report that she had written to ASEAN outlining the
political situation in Burma and expressing a wish to see ASEAN
play a role in encouraging dialogue..

She said she was unaware of the report. But she added that
winning the support of the people was most important to her goal
of bringing democracy to Burma.

She noted that about six elected members of her National League
for Democracy remained in prison.

They were among the estimated 262 arrested in May the run-up to
the congress.

If the elected NLD members were being held merely for
questioning, as Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw has told ASEAN
countries, the process was taking "quite a long time," Mrs Suu Kyi said.

An NLD source said a total of 33 NLD supporters, including
non-elected members of the opposition party remained in detention
as of yesterday.

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

VOA: SECRETARY OF STATE REVIEWS BURMA SANCTIONS 
July 1, 1996
From: John Scherb <mcs@primenet.com>

The subject of economic sanctions against Burma has been raised in a 
Washington meeting between Secretary of State Warren Christopher and 
Danish foreign minister Niels Helveg Petersen.  

Secretary of  State Christopher says he will discuss economic sanctions 
against Burma with Southeast Asian ministers later this month at the 
ASEAN meeting in Jakarta.  

A Burmese minister will be in Jakarta, but US officials say Mr. Christopher 
has no plans for a separate meeting with a representative of the 
military regime.

Speaking at a State Department news conference with Denmark's foreign 
minister, the secretary of state says he wants Burma's neighbors to increase 
pressure against Burma's military rulers.

         "From our standpoint I think we are going to be pursuing 
         actively with the countries in the region, getting them 
         to use their good offices, getting them to use their 
         influence on Burma, to see if we can not stem this new 
         tide of repression in Burma to try to keep them from 
         taking steps that would cause the international 
         community to be even more deeply concerned than they are
         at the present time.  I share the minister's appraisal 
         that economic sanctions are unlikely at the present 
         time, but it is a subject that is under active 
         consideration." Christopher said

The Danish foreign minister says he will pursue measures against 
Burma, short of economic sanctions.

         "I think we should activate, for example, the United 
         Nations possibilities of making use of the offices of 
         the high commissioner for human rights, of sending the 
         United Nations representatives from the commission on 
         the tension down there and study the human rights 
         situation.  There is a whole range of possibilities that
         I would like to discuss with Mr. Christopher and which 
         we will be discussing within the European Union Monday."

The Clinton administration does not oppose economic sanctions 
against Burma, but prefers to work with congress on any sanctions
legislation.  A sanctions measure is to be considered shortly by 
the US senate, but no similar action has been taken within the 
house of representatives.  

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

US STATE DEPT.: DAILY PRESS BRIEFING ON BURMA
July 10, 1996
From: John Scherb <mcs@primenet.com>

Briefer: Nicholas Burns

Q:  Have you done Burma yet?

MR. BURNS:  We have not.

Q: Do you have anything on the possibility of sanctions against them?

MR. BURNS: I don't have anything new to say. I would just note that
Aung San Suu Kyi continues to exercise her basic political right to
speak out about the constitution of her country, about the future of
her country, and we fully support her and the National League for
Democracy. But nothing would change in our position, and that is that
it is a possibility. We have some discussions with Congress underway,
but we've made no decisions on that issue.

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

VOA: US SANCTIONS TO BE USED AS AN OPTION AGAINST BURMA
July 11, 1996
From: John Scherb <mcs@primenet.com>

President Clinton's National Security advisor, Anthony Lake, says the 
Clinton administration would like to have the option of leveling sanctions 
against Burma.  However, he does not say they would actually be used.  

The National security advisor says the administration   
would like to have sanctions as an option to be used against 
Burma. But -- echoing previous administration statements -- he
sidestepped the question of whether they would actually be 
invoked.  

" Our view is that sanctions could be a useful tool and, obviously, the 
question of whether that tool would ever be used depends on events within 
Burma.  We already do place some restrictions on our relations with Burma
 -- for example -- with regards to arms flows into the  country.  We do
believe 
that is is very important to the future of  the people of burma, as well as to

the future of the region, that  there be a resolution of  the crisis there."  
                           

Pressure has been building within the US congress for stiff action such as 
sanctions to be applied against Burma.  Some US firms having investments 
in Burma are opposed to sanctions.  However, they are finding themselves 
under public pressure to withdraw from  Burma.   While backing sanctions 
as one weapon in the diplomatic arsenal, the administration at the same 
time opposes any mandatory action imposed on it by congress.  

The United States has pursued a policy of isolating Burma. However, 
it has had little effect on Burma's regional neighbors. Burma's status in 
the association of Southeast Asian Nations will be upgraded in the 
upcoming ASEAN meeting in Jakarta and, Burma is  expected to become 
a full ASEAN member within the next couple of  years.  

Mr. Lake was asked why the United States does not pursue a policy of 
constructive engagement with Burma -- as it does with China --as a  way 
of trying to get an improvement in human rights.  He replied that, unlike 
China, Burma has a democratically-elected leader in Aung San Suu Kyi 
who has not been allowed to fulfill her role.  

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

NATION: UNIFIED STANCE AGAINST BURMESE JUNTA URGED
July 11, 1996

BURMESE opposition members, Thai academics and non-governmental
organisations urged Asean and the West yesterday to develop a
"unified and assertive" stance to pressurise Burma into human
rights and democratic reforms.

They said one year after the release of pro-democracy leader Aung
San Suu Kyi from house arrest last July, the overall political
and human rights situation, as well as the economics and social
well being of the Burmese people, have evidently deteriorated in
all aspects.

The Burmese junta, known as the State Law and Order Restoration
Council (Slorc), has not only introduced tougher laws, such as
Decree 5/96 which bans the public from expressing political
opinions, but also intensified its repressive rule and harassment
of the prodemocracy movement, especially Suu Kyi's National
League for Democracy (NLD).

At a seminar yesterday entitled "One Year After the Release of
Aung San Suu Kyi" at Chulalongkorn University, speakers strongly
criticised Asean's "constructive engagement" policy of failing to
help bring about political and human rights reform in Burma.

Naing Aung from the All Burma Student's Democratic Front said
Asean countries had devised the policy purely to serve its own
economic interests in Burma, while deliberately ignoring the fact
that its was Slorc and not the Burmese people who were
benefitting from such investment.

While the Burmese student leader urged Asean to truly apply its
policy by engaging not only the military regime but also Suu Kyi
and the NLD, Kavi Chongkittavorn, executive editor for The
Nation, said "unified" and "continuous" pressure from Asean and
the West would help force Slorc to adopt political reform.

Although the West and Asean shared the same objectives concerning
democratic and human rights improvements in Burma, both differed
in their approach on how to achieve their goal, Kavi said.

He said it was necessary for Asean and Western countries, such as
Australia, Canada, the United States and the European Union, to
discuss and work out a common stance and adopt similar measures
to pressure Slorc into opening dialogue with Suu Kyi.

As an Asean member, Thailand, which has failed over the past six
to seven years to use its geographical proximity and
understanding of Burma to help bring about positive political
change, should play a more active and central role in Burma's
reconciliation, Kavi said.

But he said Thailand has first to unify its policy over Burma and enforce 
it in a concerted manner.

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

REUTERS: BURMA TO HAVE MORE INVESTMENT SETBACKS
July 11, 1996
From: John Scherb <mcs@primenet.com>

RANGOON, Burma (Reuter) - The decision by two European beer
giants to pull out of Burma shows public opinion matters, and
Burma's military regime is likely to suffer more setbacks to its
foreign investment drive, analysts said on Thursday.

After months of protest by human-rights activists and
threats to boycott its beer, Dutch brewer Heineken NV on
Wednesday announced the withdrawal of its $30 million investment
in Burma.

Danish beer maker Carlsberg on Tuesday responded to threats
of a boycott or industrial action and said it was dropping its
plans to invest in a new brewery in Burma.

Both said public opinion and recent media attention on
human-rights abuses in Burma prompted their decision.

Financial analysts said increased public pressure on companies not to 
invest in Burma and the government's recent crackdown on the pro-
democracy movement would also have an impact on future foreign 
investment.

``It's not going to help,'' said Peter Brimble, president of The Brooker 
Group, a Bangkok-based consulting firm that works for firms interested 
in investing in Burma.

``Maybe some companies who were looking at Burma as a possibility will 
just scratch it off their lists. Maybe some others will pull out,'' he said.

Foreign investment has been a key element of the military government's 
efforts to liberalize the economy, which was hurt by more than a quarter 
century of socialist isolationism.

Analysts and diplomats said although the beer makers' move may not spur 
companies that are already in Burma to pull out, it could prompt potential 
investors to stay away.

``It will draw attention to the issue,'' said Brimble. ``It will slow things
down.''
He said larger companies who had to worry about shareholder opinion 
would be most likely to stay away.
         
Pressure groups, mostly in Europe and North America, have
criticized Burma's military government, set up in 1988 after
violently suppressing nationwide pro-democracy protests, for
human-rights abuses.

Several U.S. apparel firms decided not to renew contracts
with Burmese suppliers because of rights abuses and the
suppression of the democracy movement in Burma, the U.S.-based
Free Burma coalition said in a statement in late May.

         These include Oshkosh B'Gosh Inc., Liz Clairborne, Eddie
Bauer, Levi Strauss and Macy's.

In addition to lobbying by pressure groups, the United States and the 
European Union are now debating possible economic sanctions or a 
boycott against Burma.

Burmese officials and businessmen were not immediately
available for comment on the impact of the Heineken pullout. But Tourism 
Minister Lieutenant-General Kyaw Ba, a member of  the ruling State Law 
and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), told Reuters on Wednesday the 
Rangoon government was not worried about a boycott.
    
In April, after U.S. soft drink giant PepsiCo Inc. bent to pressure and sold 
its 40 percent stake in Pepsi Cola Products Myanmar (Burma), Burmese 
officials said it would not have any major impact on their economy.
        
Analysts like Brimble agreed, saying although the Heineken
pullout could stop some potential investors from coming in, the
economy is strong enough to survive.
      
``There is enough investment that it is not going to damage
the economy irreparably,'' he said.

Rangoon says it has approved about $3.3 billion in potential foreign 
investments since 1988. Diplomats say the amount of actual investments 
is only about one third to one half that amount.

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

BKK POST: CARLSBERG DROPS PLAN FOR BREWERY IN BURMA
July 11, 1996 (abridged)

THE Danish brewing giant Carlsberg has dropped plans to build a
brewery in Burma. 

It says its partners, the Burmese government and a private
businessman, have pulled out.

"We have held talks with our Burmese partners on a joint venture
project for some time. But the signature of an accord was delayed
for several months on our side for various commercial and other
reasons," spokeswoman Monica Ritterband said.

"Our partners decided it was unacceptable to delay further the
finalisation of this project and are looking towards other
investors," Ritterband added.

Tuesday's announcement was excellent news for the Danish-Burmese
Committee, a Danish pressure group, which had said it would
boycott at Carlsberg products if the company did not scrap
immediately the brewery plan.

Anton Johannsen, the committee's president, praised the 
"wise and reasonable decision," stressing that investment in a
dictatorship that ignored the most basic human rights was
"immoral". 

The committee, formed at the time of pro-democracy leader Aung
San Suu Kyi's Nobel Peace Prize Award in 1992, delivered the
ultimatum after the death in Rangoon of Denmark's honorary consul
and a close family friend of  Suu Kyi, James Leander Nichols.

Danish Foreign Affairs Minister Niels Helveg Petersen said on
Monday that he hoped the EU meeting in Brussels on July 15 would
result in a stronger stance against continuing violations against
human rights in Burma.

Petersen is in favour of international sanctions against the country.

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

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: LETTER - INVESTING IN BURMA
July 2, 1996
From: strider@igc.apc.org

     George Dunbar raises an interesting point about the ethical 
ambiguity of selling shares in a firm to protest its immoral 
behaviour (Letter, July 2).  But he fails to note that there is an
alternative:  Shareholders can get their companies to leave Burma. 
Despite the attempts by Texaco, PepsiCo and other companies to
block shareholder votes, Burma has already been the subject of
considerable shareholder activism, using democratic means to
further democratic ends.

     Merely informing senior management of the situation under 
Burma's dictatorship. the State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC), has been sufficient to convince some companies to leave
the country.  When this fails, shareholders can propose and vote on
resolutions requiring ethical conduct from the business they own
and (theoretically) ultimately control.  They can also vote out
directors who, whether because of incompetence or indifference,
took no steps to ensure their company was not dealing with Burma's
notorious dictatorship.
     Unlike other totalitarian regimes, SLORC takes active steps to
neutralize the potentially liberalizing effect of trade.  This 
convinced Burma's elected leaders to take the unusual step of
calling for sanctions against their own country.  Especially given 
how the regime makes businesses complicit in its abuses,
shareholders who believe in democracy should respect Aung San Suu 
Kyi's request that firms not enter Burma now.

Corinne Baumgarten, Reid Cooper, Terry Cottam
Burma-Tibet Group, Ottawa

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

PRESS RELEASE:  AI- REPRESSION INCREASES IN BURMA
July 11, 1996 (Amnesty International)
From: boilley@ganac4.in2p3.fr

ONE YEAR AFTER  ASSK's  RELEASE REPRESSION INCREASES

On the first anniversary of the release of Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi on 10 July 1995, Amnesty International today condemned
the Myanmar government for dramatically heightening
repression in recent months, and its lack of progress towards
improving human rights over the past year.

      ~The release of Daw Aung Sang Suu Kyi raised real hopes
of an improvement in Myanmar,~ Amnesty International said.
~Unfortunately, the events over the past year have dashed any
optimism that the government intended anything other than a
cosmetic exercise to gain some international favour.~

      ~In reality, the recent arrests of hundreds of members
of the National League for Democracy indicate that the
government is willing to take any measures it sees fit to
intimidate and threaten an opposition party which won more
than 80% of the seats in the 1990 general election.~

      At least 1,000 political prisoners remain behind bars,
forced labour and portering continues throughout the country,
torture and ill-treatment is commonplace, and the government
is continuing its campaign of fear and intimidation against
opposition supporters, the human rights organization said. 

      When Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was released, the State Law
and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) stated that she was
released unconditionally. However, since then she and other
National League for Democracy (NLD) members have been subject
to restriction of movement and intense surveillance.

      In June 1996, SLORC threatened to ban the NLD
completely, and then arrest its members for belonging to an
~illegal association~. This threat was backed up by the
sinister statement that those arrested would be detained in
Insein Prison -- where Amnesty International has documented
dozens of cases of torture, ill-treatment and deaths. On 7
June SLORC issued law 5/96 -- under which anyone who
expresses their political views publicly can receive a 20-
year prison sentence. 

      ~This draconian measure effectively outlaws free speech
in Myanmar and it should be repealed immediately,~ Amnesty
International said. ~However, it is just the latest threat in
an increasing pattern of intimidation since Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi~s release.~

~     In March 1996, U Pa Pa Lay and U Lu Zaw, two members
      of a comedy troupe, were given seven year jail
      sentences after an independence day performance which
      included dances, songs and jokes satirizing the
      authorities. Their trial was conducted inside Mandalay
      prison and they were denied any legal representation.
      Both were sent to labour
      camps and forced to work long hours breaking rocks
      whilst shackled with iron bars across their legs.
~     In March 1996, Sein Hla Aung and Zaw Zaw Myaing were
      sentenced to three and two years in prison respectively
      for distributing videotapes of Aung San Suu Kyi~s
      speeches -- Amnesty International considers both to be
      prisoners of conscience.  At about the same time local
      officials reportedly began arresting people for
      watching the videos in private homes.

~     Later the same month, NLD member U Saw Hlaing was
      arrested on 15 March after the car he was driving hit a
      trishaw in Bago Division, hurting three of its
      occupants.
      Neither his family nor lawyers were allowed to provide
      him with legal assistance or accompany him to court,
      where he was subsequently sentenced to five years~
      imprisonment for ~grievous bodily harm~. According to
      the NLD, the police forced the three people in the
      trishaw to remain in hospital for 22 days, even though
      one of them had only dislocated a thumb and the other
      one had received two stiches on the chin. Under Myanmar
      law in order for an injury to be considered ~grievous
      bodily harm~ the individual concerned must have
      remained in the hospital for at least 21 days.

~     In May 1996, the authorities arrested more than 300 NLD
      members following an announcement by the party that it
      would hold a weekend meeting to commemorate the sixth
      anniversary of their election victory. Despite the
      release of most of the detainees, Amnesty International
      is concerned that about 31 are still in prison. Among
      those arrested were Daw Aung San Suu Kyi~s bodyguard --
      Maung San Hlaing.

While incarcerated, political prisoners suffer conditions
which fall far short of international minimum standards, with
lack of access to proper medical treatment, overcrowding, and
insufficient food all commonplace. Political prisoners are
subjected to ill-treatment both during interrogation and
after sentencing, Amnesty International said. 

      In November 1995 prison authorities at Insein Prison
began to subject a group of 29 political prisoners to severe
and prolonged ill-treatment as a punishment for attempting to
send a letter about prison conditions to the UN. They were
placed in tiny cells meant to house military dogs, forced to
sleep on cold concrete floors with no bedding and forbidden
any family visits. Following a report by the UN Special
Rapporteur for Myanmar about the human rights situation,
which included details about the group in Insein prison, 21
of the prisoners were given additional prison terms.

      Amnesty International is calling on the SLORC to
release all prisoners of conscience immediately and
unconditionally, ensure that political prisoners receive
prompt and fair trials, and guarantee that political
prisoners are not subjected to cruel, inhuman, or degrading
treatment.

The organization is also calling on governments attending the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in
Indonesia in July to raise these human rights concerns with
the SLORC, who will be present at the meeting.

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

REUTER: UNCLE LEO DIED IN PRISON, NOT IN THE HOSPITAL!
July 11, 1996
From: nin@ihe.nl

Norway had evidence its honorary consul in Burma was 
tortured before he died in a Rangoon prison last month. 

``He was subjected to sleep deprivation in prison and he 
was not given adequate medical treatment,'' 

``Sleep deprivation is a commonly known torture technique. 

Norway also had evidence that Nichols died in jail and not in a hospital.

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

MDN: SCORING POINTS WITH BURMA'S FASCIST JUNTA?
July 8, 1996 (Mainichi Daily News)
From: carol@gol.com
With Respect by Peter Hadfield

NHK is not the only media organization to start sucking up to the military
government in Burma.  For some reason, the English-language Daily
Yomiuri has also decided it is time to gain some brownie points with 
the generals.

The Daily Yomiuri kicked things off with a full page article in its 'Style'
section of June 8 headed 'Yangon spruces up.' There was no advisory at 
the top of the page marked 'advertisement,' so presumably this story was
not paid for by the State Law and Order Council (SLORC) which rules 
Burma.  Why, then, did the story go to such lengths to pain a rosy picture 
of one of the world's slimiest dictatorships?

"The country of 43 million is opening up," writes Daily Yomiuri hack Martin
Robinson.  "Shortages of everyday items are a thing of the past, international

brand-name goods are everywhere, and Yangon's first shopping
malls and luxury hotels will open soon.

"The genuine helpfulness and friendliness of the people ensure that every
visitor returns home with plenty of good memories."

And possibly a few not-so-good ones if the visitor dares to look a bit
further than the shopping malls, the temples and the hotel swimming 
pool. At the time the article appeared, hundreds of delegates from Burma's 
elected parliament were languishing in jail, and Burma's 43 million people 
were being denied a government that the overwhelming majority had voted 
for in 1990.

Tourists are whisked along new roads and through new airports thanks
largely to a mass army of forced labor (it doesn't take much effort to stop
anywhere along Highway One from Rangoon to the ancient capital at
Pegu, as I did, and talk to some of the 10- or 12-year-old children who are 
hauling stones for a government road-widening project.)  Robinson's only 
complaint was that Burmese television was boring.  Gee, I hope that didn't 
spoil the trip.

The full-page travelogue might have been a one-off oddity if it hadn't been
for another sympathetic article that appeared just a few weeks later.  On
July 3, business columnist Ikuo Anai published a half-page interview with
Burmese tycoon Thein Tun, who owns the giant trading company 
Myanma Golden Star.

One of the few references to repression came in a softball question that
was not even a question.  "People outside Myanmar (sic) almost always hear
only bad news about your government's negative attitude toward opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi and PepsiCo's withdrawal," laments Anai.
        
Tun agrees. Burma, he says, is a place where "people can go anywhere 
and do business anywhere.  This is a very good opportunity for businessmen."

When Thein Tun turns the tables on his interviewer and asks "What is 
your opinion of our country?" Anai suggests that Burma's military 
government should immediately do something about the appalling 
traffic jams in Rangoon.

Presumably with all that freedom to do business there are not many 
other pressing issues to worry about. Anai tells me that he has no 
political agenda, and despite the softball questions in the interview I 
am sure that is true.

But the same may not be said for the Yomiuri Shimbun, which 
approved and paid for his trip -- the only one of Anai's weekly interviews
to be conducted abroad.

The interview was not reprinted in the Japanese-language Yomiuri 
Shimbun,which means that its readership was limited to the relatively
small-circulation Daily Yomiuri.

Hardly cost-effective -- unless, of course, a flattering article in the
English-language Daily Yomiuri serves to please the SLORC and to help
Yomiuri journalists get visas to Burma more easily, thus gaining an
advantage over competitors in reporting events there.  Surely that is far
too sleazy a motive to contemplate.

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

NATION: MYAWADDY OFFICIALS PROTEST INTRUSION
11.7.96/The Nation

BURMA'S Mywaddy provincial authorities yesterday submitted a
protest note to Thai officials complaining about an incident in
which a group of Thais had allegedly crossed the Moei River and
cut down trees.

The note, sent through the Thai-Burma local border committee in
Tak's Mae Sot district, urged Thai officials to ensure that such
an incident did not  recur.

A local Thai committee official confirmed yesterday that a
Burmese patrol had found a group of 20 Thais with chainsaws
cutting trees on July 5 while patrolling the border close to the river.

The troops failed to arrest the group, who managed to return to
Thai territory, the official said.

In a separate incident, an informed source in the Agriculture
Ministry said Burmese fishery officials shot dead a Thai
fisherman and arrested two others who were on board a fishing
vessel, the Sinthongkham Tour.

The vessel was alleged to have been plying in Burmese waters, the
source said, adding that the ministry was still to obtain the
exact location where the incident occurred.

Also aboard the vessel were 14 Burmese fishermen, who jumped into
the sea to escape arrest. The source said six of them were
assisted by Thai vessels, while the fate of the rest is unknown.

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

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

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

[Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage]
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The BurmaNet News is an electronic newspaper covering Burma.
Articles from newspapers, magazines, newsletters, the wire
services and the Internet as well as original material are published.   
It is produced with the support of the Burma Information Group 
(B.I.G) and the Research Department of the ABSDF {MTZ}              

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