Chronology
(Page 6 of 8)
E-MAIL
PRINT
Unocal has a 28.26-percent stake in the US$1.2 billion Yadana project, in the Gulf of Martaban, which has been developed by a consortium led by French Total largely for exporting natural gas to Thailand.
Regime jails NLD official
Burma said it had sentenced a member of Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD to four years in jail on a charge of falsifying documents.
Myo Khin, 39, NLD secretary for Yankin township in Rangoon, was arrested on May 12 and charged with fraudulently altering a family registration list and citizen registration card, the Slorc said in a statement. The court had passed the sentence after a week of hearings.
The statement said Myo Khin’s arrest and sentence had nothing to do with an NLD party gathering.
"Myo Khin coincidently happens to be the secretary of the Yankin township NLD and thus being a political party member of a certain political party does not grant him the right to make any fraudulent alterations on official documents," the statement said.
June 1997
Burma releases Suu Kyi activists
Burma’s military regime freed hundreds of supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi detained to stop her from holding a party congress.
Opposition sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said most of the 316 activists believed to have been detained were released. But the status of several members detained in Irrawaddy Division, just west of Rangoon, was unclear.
Burmese student group disappointed
A Burmese dissident student group said Asean’s decision to admit Burma into the regional grouping was an "historic mistake" which would only encourage the brutal military regime to step up its campaign of terror against the Burmese people.
"Amid the height of repression inside Burma, the ABSDF [All Burma Students’ Democratic Front] is disappointed to learn of its entry into Asean this July.
"We are also extremely disturbed by the decision made in the Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on May 31. The ministers made a conscious choice to blatantly ignore the wishes of the overwhelming majority of Burma’s citizens," it said in statement.
It said the decision had perfectly portrayed the reality of the "unconstructive engagement" policy of the Asean towards the Burmese people and their aspirations for democracy, and the realisation of human rights.
Asean agrees to Burma’s entry
The Asean decided to admit its final three members — Burma, Cambodia and Laos — in July, reaffirming their belief that this was in the best interests of the region and the world community.
The Asean foreign ministers hailed their controversial decision to "complete" the grouping, by expanding it to bring all 10 Southeast Asian nations into its fold, but critics warned that further repression was likely in Burma as a result.
The decision was made on the recommendation of the Asean Secretariat, which reported in detail on the three countries’ readiness to fulfil all technical requirements and economic and non-economic commitments of membership.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, chairman of the Asean Standing Committee, said the three new members would be given 10 years, beginning next year, to join the Asean Free Trade Area.
It was decided to admit all three countries in July despite a strong appeal from the Burmese democratic opposition and regional and international human rights groups. They had called on Asean to delay Burma’s admission until there were political reforms in the country.
The decision also went against the United States’ request that Asean reconsider the junta’s bid for membership this year.
NY joins action to punish firms with Burma links
New York became the eleventh US city to impose sanctions on Burma, as Mayor Rudy Giuliani signed a law barring contracts with companies operating in the military-ruled country.
The "Burma law" passed the city council without dissent on May 15.
« previous 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 next page »
COMMENTS (0)