| MAY, 1997 - VOLUME 5 NO.2 |
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.
Mandela told a news conference that "We [South Africa] are willing to deal with any region irrespective of the internal policies of those regions."
But Mandela also added that South Africa "will be willing to play our part" if the international community decides on concerted action against the military regime.
However, Thailand’s two major English-language dailies were critical of Mr. Mandela’s Asean policy accusing him of "biting the hand that liberated, fed and nurtured him".
Thai-Burmese army chiefs meet
Thai army chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro and his Burmese counterpart Gen Maung Aye, met in Mae Sot, Thailand to discuss completion of the of the Thai-Burmese friendship bridge.
The bridge, which was 95 percent complete when construction was halted almost two years ago, crosses the Moei River linking Mae Sot with Myawaddy in Burma and may be completed by May, said Gen Chettha.
The two sides also discussed the dredging of the Moei River’s water channel which is changing the course of the river causing serious soil erosion on both sides of the border, the construction of a 400-km road linking Myawaddy with Rangoon, and the repatriation of ethnic refugees fleeing a heavy offensive along the border.
KNU arms found
The beleaguered Karen National Union (KNU) was dealt another blow as the Thai army confiscated a cache of its weapons hidden near the border. Among the seized weapons were 87 rocket launchers, 11 recoilless rifles, nine machine guns and over 1200 other rifles.
A Thai officer who participated in the operation said the move was to prevent the KNU from regrouping on Thai soil and using it as a springboard to wage guerrilla warfare against Burma.
Drug suspect jumps bail
Li Yun-chung, an international drug suspect indicted in the United States on charges of importing 486 kg of heroin, jumped bail and fled to Burma.
Li, with multiple aliases was indicted over his alleged involvement in the biggest heroin shipment ever to the US which was intercepted by customs officials in Hayward, California in May 1991.
The escape has caused Thai authorities to investigate Mr. Somchai Udomwong, the judge who granted Mr. Li bail on Feb.7. Mr. Somchai defended his decision on the grounds that Li was a Thai citizen, owned a business, and the surety was sufficient for him to believe he would not escape. It is believed to have been abetted by authorities on both sides of the border.
Meanwhile, two former Khun Sa associates targeted by a joint Thai-US operation codenamed "Tiger Trap" have been arrested by Thai police.
The capture of Chang Zinchian and Liu Wei Ming bring the total of arrested drug suspects to 31 since the operation against Khun Sa’s associates was launched in 1994. Nine suspects have already been extradited to the US.
Muslim aggression
Religious unrest between Muslims and the Buddhist majority in Mandalay resulted in the vandalism of Muslim property and left at least one monk dead of gunshot wounds, diplomatic sources in Rangoon said.
The clashes, sparked by the alleged rape of a Buddhist girl by a Muslim spread to other areas within the country including Rangoon, causing the government to impose curfews and heighten security in several of the troubled areas.
However, some analysts reported that the real cause for the unrest was Slorc’s systematic looting of treasures at several temples in upper Burma, particularly the Maha Myat Muni Buddha statue in Mandalay. Others have suggested that some of the monks are being manipulated by the generals themselves.
But, Burmese intelligence sources suggested that the unrest was caused by destructive elements intent on sabotaging Burma’s Asean bid set for July.
"The main reason for this tension...[is] to create unrest in the country by creating disturbances wherever and whenever opportunity arises, to create misunderstanding between Myanmar and her Asean friends, especially with Indonesia and Malaysia which are both Islamic nations."
Animosity between the Buddhist majority and the sizeable Muslim minority originates from when the British imported skilled labour from India to serve the colonial administration.
April 1997
Bomb kills General's daughter
Cho Lei Oo, the eldest daughter of one of Burma’s top military officials Lt-Gen Tin Oo, was killed by a parcel bomb delivered to their home on April 6.
The parcel, which had Japanese stamps, caused the government to accuse anti-Slorc groups in Japan for the attack. Exiled Burmese in Japan, Thailand and ethnic Karen guerillas denied any involvement in the explosion while opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi condemned the attack as "cowardly." The parcel was the second bomb attempt in recent months for which Tin Oo had been the target. In December, a bomb blast at Kaba Aye Pagoda killed 5 and injured 17, but Gen Tin Oo was unharmed.
Search for weapons in Shan State
Burmese soldiers clashed with the Shan United Revolution Army (SURA) over rumours of hidden treasures and weapons near Khun Sa’s former stronghold of Ho Mong. Located about 25 km from the Thai border, Ho Mong used to house more than 20,000 Mong Tai Army (MTA) guerillas and Khun Sa’s massive drug operations before he capitulated to Slorc in January of 1996.
But a SURA source claims that Khun Sa hid weapons, jewellery and gold in Ho Mong before surrendering. "Khun Sa does not totally trust the Burmese so he hid valuables and weapons before his surrender, and reliable sources say most of his money is still in banks in Thailand."
According to reports of the clash, ten Burmese and 13 SURA members were killed in the day-long fighting about 25 km northeast of Ho Mong.
Junta delays news briefing after unrest
SLORC announced that it had postponed its monthly news conference after outbreak of unrest earlier this month.
The April media briefing was postponed "due to unforeseen circumstances", a government statement issued from Rangoon said.
The situation in Rangoon appeared to have stabilized after at least 100 Buddhist monks were detained for questioning last week. Groups of monks vandalised mosques and private Muslim homes.
Hollywood's appeal for comic's release
Human Rights Watch Asia said in a statement that a group of top American comedians had signed letters sent to top Burmese military government officials urging the release of Burmese comic Par Par Lay.
The letters, signed by actors including Carl Reiner, Ted Danson, Paul Reiser, Mike Farrell and Mary Steenburgen, argued Par Par Lay had been jailed for exercising his internationally guaranteed rights to freedom of expression. In letters sent to Burmese Prime Minister Gen Than Shwe and top junta official Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, the Hollywood comedians urged Par Par Lay’s immediate release.
US Sanctions
US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright announced a ban on new investment by American businesses in Burma.
The decision was approved by President Bill Clinton based on the view that "repression by the military authorities of the democratic opposition in Burma has deepened since enactment of the Cohen-Feinstein provisions this past Sept. 30; and that a state of large-scale repression exists," Mrs. Albright said.
The Cohen-Feinstein law, sponsored by Californian Senator Dianne Feinstein (D), and the now Secretary of Defence William Cohen of Maine, authorised the administration to outlaw new investments if the junta arrests, harms, or exiles Aung San Suu Kyi or her followers on a large-scale.
The ban is not retroactive so it will not affect existing investment projects in Burma, including Unocal’s US$1.2 billion pipeline which is Burma’s largest investment project and will bring gas from the Andaman Sea to an electricity generating plant in Thailand. However, under the new sanctions Unocal will not be allowed to commit to new investment opportunities in Burma.
But as the Burmese have become increasingly dependent on its Asian trading partners, US sanctions will be unlikely to have a major impact on the Burmese economy nor will it delay the military regime’s entry into the Asean. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad explained, "We’re going to work very hard to get Myanmar [Burma] into Asean".
Slorc continues offensive against Karen
Burmese government forces targeting KNU guerillas continued to attack Karen settlements and rice supplies as they tried to flush out guerillas in eastern Burma. Refugee camps in Thailand were also attacked, displacing thousands of Karen and other ethnic minority groups along the border.
KNU joint First General Secretary Mahn Sha said the offensives are "not just operations against the KNU, but against Karen people and all people inside Burma."
The KNU has lost control of its remaining territories in Burma in a major offensive by government forces which began in February, causing the KNU to adopt new military strategies in its ongoing struggle for autonomy from the military regime.
KNU president Bo Mya agreed to decentralize his control over the ethnic military force and vowed to emphasize the use of guerilla tactics while dismantling unnecessary military bases that could easily be captured by Burmese troops.