Chronology

February 1997

Aung San Suu Kyi murder threat

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi alleged that Burmese Railways Minister Win Sein had encouraged junta supporters to murder her.

During an up-country address to members of the pro-junta Union Solidarity Development Association (USDA) in late 1996, Win Sein reportedly told the crowd to "weed out" Suu Kyi.

On November 9, Suu Kyi’s motorcade was attacked by a mob which analysts believe was orchestrated by the army and USDA members. The ruling Slorc has repeatedly vowed to "annihilate destructive elements" both inside and outside the country but dismissed Suu Kyi’s allegations saying, "she has been watching too many Alfred Hitchcock movies".

Deportations for two

South Korean opposition member Dr. Kim Sang-woo and Indian journalist Bhuvansewari Sridharan were refused entry into Burma after being detained at Rangoon International Airport.

A Slorc statement o­n Feb. 8 said that Dr. Kim had visited Burma in June 1996 and "blatantly interfered in the internal affairs of Myanmar [Burma] and also collaborated against the country with the antigovernment elements residing abroad."

Dr. Kim planned to meet Aung San Suu Kyi to discuss the situation in Burma after December’s student protests in Rangoon.

Bhuvaneswari was deported for falsely stating her occupation o­n her visa application. Burmese authorities closely monitor the activities of visiting journalists and seek to deport those who do not travel with government-approved journalist visas.

Suharto visits Burma

Indonesian President Suharto visited Burma o­n his tour of the three remaining Asean observer nations.

After visiting Cambodia and Laos, Suharto went to Rangoon to sign two memoranda of understanding o­n Indonesian investment in Burmese industry and an airline services joint venture, as well as a feasibility study o­n investment potential in several sectors ranging from agriculture to manufacturing.

Also o­n the Indonesian President’s agenda was a "purely private" meeting with retired Burmese leader Ne Win. Indonesia has invested a total of about US$200 million in Burma since the junta assumed power in 1988.

Karen offensive

Karen refugees living in Thailand along the 2,500 km border were forced to relocate as a result of attacks from the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and Slorc soldiers.

The domestic and cross-border forays displaced thousands bringing the estimated number of Karen refugees o­n Thai soil to 100,000.

The pro-Slorc splinter group has taken up armed struggle against its Christian counterparts since 1995 in an attempt to lure them back to Burma. But many observers believe the DKBA rebels are merely proxies for the ruling Slorc.

Slorc recently saw a ceasefire agreement with the Karen National Union (KNU) deteriorate, and is eager to finally control the rebel territory to make it safe for foreign investment projects. Moreover, border sources say the junta is keen to bring the refugees back to improve their international image.

DKBA troops easily crossed the Moei River separating the two countries and raided refugee camps in Ban Huay Kalok, Ban Huay Bong, and Mae Hla, located in Thailand’s Tak province.

Despite repeated warnings of the impending attacks, Thai forces were unable to repel DKBA advances drawing heavy criticism from international relief workers and certain Thai government officials. A Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman bemoaned the negligence as a "breakdown in [Thai] military intelligence."

MARCH 1997

Kissinger supports constructive engagement policy

On his nine-day visit to Thailand, former US Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger voiced his disapproval of isolating Burma, supporting its participation in regional affairs.

Mr. Kissinger also endorsed Asean’s "constructive engagement" policy with the Burmese generals explaining, "We should not get ourselves involved in the domestic reforms of any country because we don’t know what that country thinks".

...and so does Nelson Mandela

78 year-old South African President Nelson Mandela urged a greater engagement between his country and the Asean nations. His 10-day visit to Brunei, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia was aimed at boosting economic links in the region regardless of the outcome of July’s official Asean summit which will likely admit Burma to the regional grouping.