| AUGUST, 1997 - VOLUME 5 NO.4/5 |
January 1997
Slorc arrests in bid to halt unrest
Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt accused Aung San Suu Kyi’s party and Communists of fomenting the unrest.
The general said 56 people were in custody in connection with the protests, including 13 members of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, 34 remnant members of the defunct Communist Party of Burma, and nine people accused of throwing rocks.
Action to affect 50,000 students in run-up to exam period
Burma’s military government will keep some universities closed to prevent a recurrence of student unrest as it continues investigations into last month’s demonstrations and bombings, senior officials said.
The officials told a monthly news conference the ruling Slorc was still trying to determine who was responsible for two bombings on Dec. 25 at a Buddhist shrine. The blasts killed five and wounded 17.
They said the bombings could be linked with demonstrations in early December when thousands of students took to the streets in the biggest anti-government demonstrations in Ran-goon since 1988.
Intelligence officials said restrictions placed on Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition NLD party, would remain in place for her safety until the situation normalised.
Prison term for NLD member
Saw U Rei, a member of Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party was sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly having links to an ethnic rebel groups and publishing illegal documents.
He was given three years in prison on Nov. 29 for contact with the Karenni rebel group and another seven years on Dec. 18 for illegal publishing.
Khun Sa thrives after rebuilding empire
Notorious opium warlord Khun Sa has built a fast-growing business empire in Burma a year after he surrendered to the government in January 1996, sources said.
Khun Sa was leader of a defunct 20,000-strong Mong Tai Army (MTA) that previously sought autonomy for Burma’s eastern Shan State. International drug agencies accused him of using the army as personal guerrilla force to protect his heroin business.
Sources close to Khun Sa said that he has since led what they called a life of luxury in Rangoon, where he oversees his diverse business in hotels, beach resorts and highway construction.
Rangoon in vice crackdown
Burmese police arrested 65 prostitutes and five pimps in downtown Rangoon in November and December in a crackdown on prostitution, official media said.
Prostitution has been the rise in some of Burma’s major cities, where the world’s oldest profession used to be virtually non-existent.
HK investment bank pulls out of Burma
A Hong Kong investment bank has decided to stop its operations in Burma, where a privatisation programme has "not materialized" and its operation have been dogged by controversy.
Peregrine Capital Myanmar Ltd (PCM), a subsidiary of Peregrine Investment Holding Ltd, closed down its office in Rangoon, the company said in a statement from its Hong Kong headquarters.
"Unlike other Asian countries, particularly China, a privatisation programme has not materialized in Myanmar and there is little evidence to suggest when it will take place," the company said. "Furthermore, the anticipated establishment of a securities market has not taken place".
The Burma company was also dogged with problems relating to its former executive chairman Mariam Segal.
Segal was ousted in July after the Hong Kong-based investment bank accused her of trying to set up a competing venture in Burma. She was sued for breach of contract and Peregrine was awarded US$ 4.1 million in New York.
That court success allowed the company to begin operating "free from the external interference that had dogged it," company director Alan Mercer said.
Malaysian MPs against accepting Slorc into Asean
Twelve opposition members of Malaysia’s parliament endorsed an alternative Asean declaration on Burma, calling on member government’s not to accept Rangoon’s application for membership as long as the junta remains in power.
One of the signatories, Lim Kit Siang, Secretary-General of the Democratic Action Party, urged Asean countries to set up a monthly mechanism to monitor democratic reform and drug trafficking in Burma before deciding on the suitability of its membership in the regional grouping. He said Burma had more than doubled its drug exports since 1988. It was estimated that drug money accounted for half of the Burmese economy.
Czechs honour Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi received an honorary doctorate in absentia from Prague’s Charles University. The Nobel laureate’s husband, British professor Michael Aris, accepted the honour for Suu Kyi.
The six centuries-old Czech university awarded a Doctor of Law degree on the 20th anniversary of Prague’s Charter 77 human rights declaration, for Suu Kyi’s "active participation in the fight for democracy, freedom and human rights".
Japan urges Burma to pursue reforms
Japanese Premier Ryutaro Hashimoto urged Burma’s military rulers to pursue democratic reforms and bluntly warned them to play by "international rules" if they gain admission into Asean.
Hashimoto told a news conference on the last leg of a five-nation tour of Asean members that Burma should not use Asean membership as a "smokescreen" for "autocratic rule."
Soros calls for boycott of the junta
US financier George Soros called for an international tourist boycott of Burma and an end to investments there by oil companies.
Soros appealed to the French company Total and the American company Union Oil of California (Unocal) to suspend their investments in the Yadana natural gas field.
The businessman said in a communique, "Nothing would hurt" the Burmese regime "more than the oil companies suspending their operation on the Yadana pipeline under the pressure of public opinion from Europe and the USA.
Hun Sen visits Rangoon
Cambodian Second Prime Minister Hun Sen flew to Burma for a four-day official visit. The two sides discussed their bids to join Asean.
"I think this is an important visit to extend the friendship, understanding and cooperation," Hun Sen told reporters before departing with a delegation of about 30 officials.
The prime minister met Burmese military leader Gen Than Shwe and the two sides signed a cultural agreement.
Pepsi pullout biggest prize for boycotters
The global boycott movement against the military junta and its alleged human rights violations has felled its biggest target yet: PepsiCo, Inc.
The number-two US soft drinks company is one of the lastUS firms to have a significant presence in Burma. In announcing its total withdrawal, the company said it was taking the step "based on our assessment of the spirit of current US government foreign policy".
Pepsi had been one of the primary consumer boycott targets since about 1990, when its move into the country coincided with the junta’s nullification of elections won by the pro-democracy party led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
February 1997
Aung San Suu Kyi murder threat
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi alleged that 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 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.
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.
Suharto also had a "purely private" meeting with retired Burmese leader Gen Ne Win. Indonesia has invested a total of aboutUS$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.
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
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".
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. It is believed he was abetted by authorities on both sides of the border.
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 soil erosion on both sides of the border, the construction of a 400-km road linking Myawa-ddy with Rangoon, and the repatriation of ethnic refugees fleeing a heavy offensive along the border.
KNU arms found
The beleaguered KNU was dealt another blow as the Thai army confiscated a cache of its weapons hidden near the border.
April 1997
Bomb kills Tin Oo's daughter
Cho Lei Oo, the eldest daughter of top military official 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. Burmese in Japan, Thailand and Karen guerillas denied any involvement in the explosion while 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 Tin Oo was unharmed.
Search for weapons in Shan State
Ten Burmese soldiers and 13 Shan United Revolution Army (SURA) soldiers were killed in a one-day clash 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."
Hollywood's appeal for comic's release
Human Rights Watch Asia said that a group of American comedians had signed letters sent to top 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 right 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.
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."
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. 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".
May 1997
Ohn Gyaw thanks Asean
The Slorc has expressed its "sincere appreciation" for the "support and understanding" of Asean in planning to admit Burma to the regional group, the official press said.
Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw made the comments at a meeting of Burmese and Asean officials in Rangoon, a week after the US imposed an investment ban on Burma and appealed to the regional grouping to bar Rangoon’s admittance.
"We are indebted to the Asean secretariat support, as well as to our Asean friends for their support," Ohn Gyaw said.
Ethnic rebels still fighting the military junta appealed to members of the Asean not to admit the regime while it still violates human rights.
"We don’t want Burma admitted now because of continuing human rights violations, especially in ethnic areas, and because the political situation is not resolved," said Ner Dah, assistant secretary of foreign affairs for the KNU.
Opposition accused of terrorism
Burma’s army chief of staff said traitors within the country are turning into "terrorists" with foreign backing, official media reported.
Tin Oo made the comments a week after Washington imposed economic sanctions on Burma, banning all new US investment in the country in protest against reports of continued human rights violations and repression of the democracy movement.
Traders Hotel struck from airline deal
Northwest Airlines has ended a controversial promotion which offered bonus kilometres to frequent flyers who stayed at the Traders Hotel in Rangoon.
The Traders is part-owned by Lo Hsing Han, once known as "King of the Golden Triangle", and now identified by the US State Department as a "narco-trafficker".
Mr. Lo’s son and business partner in the Traders Hotel, Steven Law, is barred from the US due to his suspected involvement in the drug trade.
US Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics Affairs, Robert Gelbard, said in February that drug money was "so pervasive in the Burmese economy," that it tainted legitimate investment. "Since 1988, some 15 percent of foreign investment in Burma and over half of that from Singapore has been tied to the family of narco-trafficker, Lo Hsing Han," Mr. Gelbard said.
Bid welcome for Do Muoi in Rangoon
Vietnamese Communist Party Chief Do Muoi arrived on a three-day official visit seen as a gesture of support for Burma’s Asean entry bid.
Upon arrival at Rangoon airport, Do Muoi’s 65-member delegation was given a red carpet welcome.
Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt later called on Do Muoi, the party secretary-general and the second high-ranking Vietnamese official to visit since 1988. The party chief also met Slorc Chairman Senior Gen Than Shwe.
Clinton signs ban on new US investment in Burma
US President Bill Clinton issued an executive order putting into effect a ban on new American investment in Burma in response to "a deepening pattern of severe repression" by the junta.
Clinton said the junta’s policies and its "large-scale repression of the democratic opposition in Burma" after Sept. 30 last year "continue an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States".
Crackdown on the opposition
Just one day after Clinton’s order, the junta renewed its large-scale crackdown on the NLD ahead of a planned party congress on May 27, the seventh anniversary of the abortive general elections.
About 50 NLD MPs, members and organisers were arrested as they headed to Rangoon to participate in the celebration commemorating the NLD’s victory in the 1990 elections.
Rangoon returns narcotics suspect who jumped bail
The junta delivered major heroin trafficking suspect Li Yun-Chung to Thai authorities, after having earlier denied that he had fled to Burma upon jumping bail in Thailand last February.
Li, who is wanted by the United States on charges of smuggling 486 kilogrammes of heroin — the largest heroin seizure in US history — into Oakland, California, was handed over to Thai authorities during Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh’s official visit to Burma.
It was not immediately clear why Slorc decided to return Li to Thailand despite its earlier denial that he had fled to Burma. When asked by journalists to explain Slorc’s decision, Chavalit only said: "He had Thai nationality. He must be sent to us."
Albright hints at tougher laws against junta
The US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told lawmakers that she will consult with Congress on ways to step up pressure on Burma’s military leaders to listen to its democratic opponents.
Albright told a Senate panel she is concerned by the junta’s widening crackdown on followers of Aung San Suu Kyi.
"It’s clear to me that they have no intention of responding to her efforts at a dialogue," Albright told the panel. "I think what we need to do is access with you and with other sources about how to proceed on this."
The ruling Slorc "genuinely seem to care," she said. "So I think we need to look at how these functions are going to be carried out."
But Albright indicated that she did not hold out much hope of progress in pushing Asean countries to not allow Burma to join.
"They do not seem to be interested in this, because they have a different approach. But this subject will be very much on our minds as we talk to them, and I will relook at whether we should take some further action or in terms of encouraging them further," she said.
Unocal boss holds talks with Suu Kyi
The president of Unocal Corp. held informal talks with Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon on issues including the US energy firm’s involvement in the Yadana gas project.
With the approval of the government, John Imle met Aung San Suu Kyi at her home for several hours on May 16.
Details of the talks, the first of their kind between the two parties, were not disclosed. But a senior Unocal executive confirmed the meeting took place. She said the talks touched on wide ranging issues and involved a free exchange of views.
"We had useful dialogue. We both gained a better understanding of each other’s point of view," the executive said, noting the two sides agreed not to discuss details of the meeting in public.
But Mr. Imle would have tried to explain to the Nobel peace laureate Unocal’s role in the gas project. Suu Kyi has urged the US firm to pull out because she sees its role as tantamount to supporting the ruling Slorc.
Mr. Imle wanted to hear directly from Suu Kyi why she perceived the Yadana gas development scheme as hindering political change in the country, and why it was not seen as a catalyst in boosting the economy.
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. Giuliani’s office had opposed the measure, but a two-thirds majority in the council would have overridden a veto.
"We want to see major changes in Burma," Giuliani said, describing conditions there as "beyond what the human conscience can tolerate".
Critics of the junta have long viewed such a ban in New York City, the US financial capital and seat of the United Nations, as a major symbolic victory.
"This will hurt the dictatorship and encourage democratic forces in Burma who are under severe pressure right now," said May Pyong Maung, a Burmese exile who testified before the mayor, according to a statement from the New York Burma Support Group.
US officials estimate US investment in Burma at about US$240 million (Bt6.24 billion), led by Unocal.
Democracy activist dies
A democracy advocate jailed by Burma’s military government since 1991 has died of heart failure. Tin Shwe, a 67 year-old organiser for NLD, died at Rangoon General Hospital.
The Slorc statement said Tin Shwe was known to suffer from heart disease and his family had visited him just two days before his death.
Tin Shwe, a lawyer and well-known writer, came from Monywa in Mandalay Division. Aside from his membership in the NLD, he was a prominent student activist during the student revolt of 1962.
Mon rebels surrender
More than 300 Mon rebels surrendered to the Burmese force near the Thai border in Prachuab Khiri Khan and handed over some 1,700 pieces of arms and ammunition.
The solemn surrendering ceremony was held at the last Mon stronghold in Chong Chee, an unofficial border pass between Thailand and Burma.
The rebels are now under the complete control of Burma’s 2nd Tactical Command, headed by Col Khin Maung Kyi who disarmed them.
The 300, under the command of Lt-Col Aung Hlaing, and more than 1,000 members of their families had broken away from the mainstream New Mon State Party nearly two years ago.
They had denounced their leader, Nai Shwe Kyin, who is the president of the New Mon State Party and also commander of the Mon forces, for contacting and signing a ceasefire agreement with the Slorc.
Consumers’ organisation urges paraquat ban
A consumers’ organisation has called for a ban on the sale of paraquat, an extremely toxic pesticide currently being marketed in Thailand by a Danish company despite a ban on the agro-chemical in Denmark.
A report by the Southeast Asia Information Network (SAIN) that 10,000 litres of the pesticide were sold in Burma was confirmed by the company involved, but denied by the Slorc.
Saree Angsamwong of the Consumers Foundation said that her organisation has called for a ban on the sale of paraquat — a potent herbicide often used to kill weeds along roadsides, around homes and on rubber, palm and sugar plantations — because of its public health and environmental impact.
Considered one of the "dirty dozen" pesticides, paraquat has already been banned by nine countries, including Denmark, but the Danish firm East Asiatic Co Ltd still sells the agro-chemical in Southeast Asia under the trade name Gramoxone.
Envoy arrives in Rangoon
Japanese envoy Hiroshi Hirabayashi was in Rangoon for talks with Burma leaders to underscore Japan’s concern over the crackdown on the democratic movement in Burma.
The special envoy of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, met Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw and Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt.
It was believed that the envoy delivered a personal message from Hashimoto to the country’s military rulers urging the junta to talk with the NLD.
ATM allots forex coupons
The first automatic teller machine dispensing foreign exchange coupons was opened in Burma by the May Flower Bank.
The privately-owned May Flower Bank operates the only ATMs in Burma, and only has about four or five of them, all in Rangoon.
Japan insurer sets foot in Burma
Yasuda Fire and Marine Insurance Co, Japan’s second-biggest insurance company, has signed a memorandum of understanding to form a joint venture with state-owned Myanma Insurance Co.
The agreement was signed by the managing directors of each company in the presence of Finance Minister Brig-Gen Win Tin, who said the venture was the first in the industry and would "enhance healthy growth of the insurance market."
The agreement will give Myanma Insurance Co, for 30 years the country’s sole insurer, added capacity as market-oriented reforms expand the Burmese economy.
Slorc fails to reopen schools
Schools across Burma remained closed two weeks after the scheduled beginning of the new academic year, but the military government said they would be reopen "very soon".
After the usual three-month vacation from March through May, the hottest months of the year in Burma, the regime told nearly eight million students nationwide not to return to classes.
The reason for the delay remains a mystery for parents and teachers alike, although by most accounts, many students are enjoying the additional time off.
Many Burmese suggested that the government would keep all schools closed to prevent any possible student demonstrations before Burma is formally admitted to the Asean.
"The relevant authorities have mentioned that there has been a slight delay, but the schools will be reopened very soon and preparations are already under way," a Slorc official said.
Slorc dampens birthday celebrations for Suu Kyi
Burmese military police prevented about a hundred of Aung San Suu Kyi’s supporters from visiting her Rangoon home to celebrate her 52nd birthday.
About 20 of Suu Kyi’s relatives and aides, however, were allowed into her compound for a quiet ceremony in which she offered food to five Buddhist monks, a traditional merit-making ritual.
Karenni party vows to continue fight with Slorc
The Karenni National Progressive Party has vowed to continue its fight with the Slorc until the latter withdraws its four battalions from Kayah State.
KNPP commander Maj-Gen Aung Mya said from his jungle base that he would hold talks with the Slorc only after their withdrawal.
The commander recalled the incident when he and other KNPP senior figures were nearly poisoned to death by government officials during their past talks in March 1995. The treatment cost him 200,000 baht.
Ramos says Asean will sway Burma
Burma’s membership of the Asean will draw the military regime back into the international community, Philippine President Fidel Ramos said.
Speaking before diplomats and government officials as part of a "report to the nation", Ramos said, "We are confident that membership in Asean will have an ameliorating effect on [Burma’s] economy and society."
He added membership would "gradually draw the Rangoon regime into the international community", although he did not elaborate.
Ramos also defended the impending extension of Asean membership to Burma saying, "To us in Asean, that [Burma] is part of the Southeast Asian family is reason to bring her into the fold."