BurmaNet News, Feb 18, 2004

[editor at burmanet.org]

Feb 18, 2004 Issue # 2424


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: NUP says National Convention Should Include NLD
Irrawaddy: KNU-Junta Talks to Continue
Irrawaddy: Junta Denounces Western Sanctions
DVB: NLD deputy chairman U Tin Oo has no contact with members
DVB: SSA always opens door for dialogue with Burmese junta
Mizzima: Another rock band had tour abroad cancelled
Xinhua: Myanmar to launch second mangrove forest regeneration project

BUSINESS / MONEY
Korea Herald: Daewoo stocks shine on improved earnings
Asia Pulse: Made-in-India show starts in Myanmar from Feb 19
FT: Yunnan business study delegation to visit 5 Asean nations

INTERNATIONAL
AFX: USAID earmarks 55.9 mln usd for southeast Asia, China projects
Bua News: SA Offers to Help Politically Volatile Myanmar

OPINION / OTHER
In These Times: Unocal Off the Hook?
Shan: Generals swear by Thai spells



INSIDE BURMA
___________________________________

Feb 18, Irrawaddy
NUP says National Convention Should Include NLD - by Kyaw Zwa Moe

National Unity Party spokesman said that every political group, including
the National League for Democracy, should be included in a restarted
National Convention.

"We want all groups to be included in the National Convention," said Khin
Maung Gyi, a National Unity Party, or NUP, spokesman, by telephone from
Rangoon.

Interference by a third party is a main obstacle for the National
Convention. —Khin Maung Gyi

The NUP was formerly the Burma Socialist Program Party, or BSPP, which
ruled Burma for 26 years until 1988, when the military assumed control.
The BSPP was renamed the National Unity Party to contest the 1990
elections.

Khin Maung Gyi, who served as a trade minister in the BSPP government,
said whether or not the National League for Democracy, or NLD,
participates would depend on both the government and opposition leaders.

The junta has yet to invite the NLD to the convention, but reportedly said
that the NLD should inform them if it wants to attend. The NLD walked out
of the first National Convention in November 1995.

The National Convention was opened in 1993 to draw up a new constitution,
then suspended by the government in March 1996.

Khin Maung Gyi said the NUP will attend the Convention, but has not yet
been invited. "At the moment the government is busy with ethnic groups,"
he said, adding that he believed the NUP would be asked to participate.

He remains "optimistic" that the convention will be a success.

"Interference by a third party is a main obstacle for the National
Convention. Currently there is a lot of interference in the country," said
Khin Maung Gyi. He warned that third parties outside Burma should not to
interfere with the country’s internal affairs, as their involvement would
worsen existing problems.
____________________________

Feb 18, Irrawaddy
KNU-Junta Talks to Continue - by Kyaw Kyaw Moe

The largest ethnic Karen rebel group will continue its talks with the
military government next week, said a senior Karen official.

A delegation from the Karen National Union, or KNU, will discuss military
positions and the fate of displaced Karen people with senior
representatives of the ruling junta, said David Taw, head of the KNU
foreign affairs department.

The KNU and Burma Army agreed to a informal ceasefire agreement last month.

The meeting will take place in either Pa’an or Myawaddy in Karen State
next week, but the exact date is not yet fixed, said David Taw. He added
that a KNU secretary will head the delegation and neither the chairman nor
vice chairman will attend the talks. He has not been notified who will
attend from the government side.

Both sides will have to withdraw some of their military positions.
Otherwise, we can’t solve the issue of internally displaced people. —David
Taw

The two sides resumed talks in December, when KNU and junta leaders met
for the first time since 1996. On January 15, Gen Bo Mya, vice chairman of
the KNU, traveled to Rangoon for the first time for historic talks with
Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt.

The KNU has fought successive Burmese governments for autonomy since 1949,
and is one of only a few ethnic groups which have not signed an official
ceasefire accord. The current junta has reached ceasefire agreements with
17 ethnic armed groups since it took power in 1988.

David Taw said that the next round of talks would focus on the withdrawal
of both sides’ military positions and the resettling of Karen people who
were forced to relocate because of fighting.

"These issues are like a coin with two faces," said David Taw, who was a
member of the delegation which traveled to Rangoon last month.

"Both sides will have to withdraw some of their military positions," he
added. "Otherwise, we can’t solve the issue of internally displaced
people."

More than 100,000 Karen refugees live along the Thai border. Tens of
thousands more have fled their villages inside Karen State and are
classified as internally displaced persons.

David Taw said that the delegation may not sign a formal ceasefire
agreement during the next round of talks and political issues are not on
the agenda. He expects the two sides will discuss Gen Khin Nyunt’s road
map proposal on the sidelines of the official talks.

The KNU has not yet decided if it will attend the National Convention, the
first step of the junta’s road map, said David Taw. The junta announced it
would reconvene the constitution-drafting body this year. The previous
Convention was halted in 1996 when the National League for Democracy, or
NLD, walked out, saying delegates were not free to express their opinions
during the proceedings.

According to the ruling junta, all but four of Burma’s 17 ceasefire groups
have pledged to attend the National Convention. But the NLD and several
opposition groups in exile have criticized the junta’s plan.
____________________________

Feb 16, Democratic Voice of Burma
NLD deputy chairman U Tin Oo has no contact with members

U Tin Oo, the vice chairman of National League for Democracy (NLD) who was
recently shifted from Kale Prison in northwest Burma to house arrest is
still not allowed to see anyone.

His home is being guarded by armed security personnel and his phone
connection cut off.

According to U Thein Nyunt, elected representative of Thingangyun Township
and a member of the NLD legal assistance group, U Tin Oo is still not
charged with anything and he is being detained unfairly according to the
law of the country.

U Tin Oo was ‘delivered’ to his home in Rangoon by military intelligence
personnel of the country’s junta State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC) on 14 February after his family members had expressed concern that
poor conditions at Kale prison near the Indian border and severe winter
weather would lead to a deterioration of his health.

On 30 May 2003, NLD supporters and leaders including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
were brutally attacked by SPDC-sponsored thugs at Dipeyin in upper Burma.
Scores were killed and hundreds were wounded and imprisoned.
____________________________

Feb 16, Democratic Voice of Burma
SSA always opens door for dialogue with Burmese junta

While armed ethnic national groups, Karen National Union (KNU) and Karenni
National Progressive Party (KNPP) are preparing to have ceasefire talks
with Burma military junta, State Peace and Development Council (SPDC),
another military ally of the organisations stated that it has always been
keeping the door open for dialogue with the junta.

The spokeswoman of Shan State Army (SSA), Nang Kher Seng said that her
group has been fighting against the junta to pressurise it to come to the
political table for dialogues.

She also claimed that if a ceasefire agreement is reached between the KNU
and the SPDC, the action would not affect the military alliance because
the SSA has been facing many kinds of attack from the Burmese army.

She also confirmed that the SSA is ready, willing and determined to solve
the problems of Burma by peaceful means with dialogues.
____________________________

Feb 18, Irrawaddy
Junta Denounces Western Sanctions

Burma’s military government today attacked the US and its allies for
sanctioning the country, saying the punitive economic meaures do not
foster democracy.

The criticism appeared in an article by the state-run daily The New Light
of Myanmar titled, "Economic Sanctions not Conducive to Flourishing of
Democracy."

The article states that sanctions are "like a poison" and drive Burma away
from democracy.

Washington placed tough sanctions on Burma last July after the junta’s
violent crackdown on opposition supporters on May 30. Washington banned
Burmese imports to the US, froze the American assets of the junta and
imposed a visa ban on junta members, their families and close associates.

Before the sanctions, Burma exported around US $400 million worth of goods
to the US annually.

According to a statement released by the US State Department last July,
the ban on imports led to an estimated 100,000 garment workers, mostly
young women, to lose their jobs. It claimed that some entered the sex
trade after being laid off.

The measures have also complicated financial transactions by effectively
banning the use of US currency in Burma.

In November, the US government also designated Burma a center for money
laundering, naming two of the country’s biggest banks as the main
culprits. The reprimand for money laundering forced American banks to
cease all financial dealings with Burma.

The article states that the US’s moves will have a negative impact on the
process of tranforming Burma into a democratic state.

"It is clear that the US government’s sanctions are not meant for the
public interest or for the democracy cause," the article says.
____________________________

Feb 18, Xinhua

Another new project of regenerating mangrove forests in Myanmar is due to
be launched later this month in southern Ayeyawaddy division, the local
Myanmar Times reported in this week's issue.

The second project of its kind, to be implemented by the Forest Resource
Environment Development and and Conservation Association (FREDA) of
Myanmar and the Action for Mangrove Reforestation of Japan, will cover
planting of 12 major species in abandoned paddy field and denuded forest
areas by villagers, the FREDA was quoted as saying.

The project is introduced as more than 82 percent of mangrove forests in
the division have been depleted out of felling of mangroves for use as
firewood and charcoal and for creating extra arable land, the FREDA said.

During a five-year period from 1999 to 2003, the first such project was
successfully launched, in which 10 species of mangrove trees were
cultivated on 607 hectares in the division.

Mangroves are known as important for both the ecology and the economy as
many fish and crustaceans are bred in the mangroves and if the breeding
grounds are destroyed, the fishing industry can be adversely affected.

According a US media report, there are about 1.27 million hectares of
mangroves in Myanmar, taking up about 4 percent of the country's forest
areas.

Myanmar's forests cover 50 percent of its total land area.
____________________________

Feb 18, Mizzima
Another rock band had tour abroad cancelled

The Burmese rock band, Emperor had its Australia tour, planned for 7 to 20
February, cancelled by the Burmese authorities.

Zaw Win Htut, Ringo, Tun Eindra Bo and Tint Tint Tun had been sponsored by
the Culture and Arts Developers (CAD).

Lead singer Zaw Win Htut comments to Mizzima: “We were all ready to go but
the authorities cancelled it. I don’t know why. We needed a letter from
the Burmese Embassy in Australia to be allowed to leave the country. Now
we need to start all over again if we are allowed to go”.

Burmese in Australia are excited to see Emperor. Tickets  sales have been
excellent, according to the  organizer’s webpage. In Sydney, almost all
the tickets have been sold. Now all ticket holders need to be refunded.

This is the second ban by the authorities on Burmese entertainers within
one week. Iron Cross, another rock band, had the continuation of its tour
from the US to England cancelled. The Burmese authorities gave no public
announcement of the cancellation.

Apparently, Iron Cross’ cancellation is not related to the Emperor case.
Some musicians in Rangoon suggest that the military junta may be concerned
that the bands were going to entertain opposition supporters in the US.

Emperor, founded in 1983, was to tour Malaysia and Australia marking its
twentieth anniversary. Zaw Win Htut , whose grandfather and mother were
both popular musicians, recorded at least three dozen albums in two
decades and is a music hero to the youth.

Prohibitions on musicians are not unusual inside Burma. Lyrics need to be
approved by the Press Scrutiny Board before songs are recorded. Moreover,
even the musicians’ and singers’ appearance (features such as long hair)
can lead authorities to ban their albums and live performances for a
period of time.



BUSINESS / MONEY
_____________________________________

Feb 19, Korea Herald
Daewoo stocks shine on improved earnings: Former units of defunct
conglomerate post sharply higher operating profits

Shares of former Daewoo Group affiliates rose sharply following
better-than-expected corporate results released yesterday.

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., the world's second-largest
shipbuilder, posted sales of 4.3 trillion won ($3.6 billion), a
28.6-percent increase over 2002, and an operating profit of 345.4 billion
won, a 27.5-percent increase.

However, earnings fell 1.9 percent as it set aside provisions for
severance packages.

"We posted record-high operating profits and sales last year, helped by
sales of high-end ships, such as LNG carriers and large offshore
platforms," said Shim Kyu-sang, the company's chief finance officer.
"Although our net profits declined as the shipbuilding aside 93 billion
won of provisions for severance package, it will help us eliminate
uncertainties in regard to our relationship with employees," Shim added.

Buoyed by its sales performance despite a drop in earnings, investors
snatched up shares of the shipbuilder and pushed its share price up 150
won to 15,300 won per share as of 2:30 p.m. yesterday.

Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. also released its earnings results
yesterday that attracted investors. Its share price shot up 2.36 percent
to 5.200 won per share as of 2:30 p.m.

The construction company said its sales and net profit last year reached
4.2 trillion won and 163.7 billion won, respectively. That was a sales
increase of 22.6 percent and 34.6-percent rise in net profit, thanks to
the boom in the nation's real estate market last year.

Daewoo Heavy Industries & Machinery Ltd., the nation's leading machinery
maker, which released its last year's results earlier with a 23-percent
increase in sales and 62-percent rise in net profit compared with a
year-earlier, yesterday announced that monthly sales exceeded $100 million
for the first time in January.

The nation's largest maker of construction equipment said its sales in
January rose to 219.1 billion won, up 2.6 percent from the previous month,
and its operating profit surged to 25.5 billion won from a loss of 12.7
billion won in the same period.

"Our performance improved greatly thanks to strong exports," a company
official said. He also added the company benefited from lower interest
payments as it makes efforts to reduce debts.

The machinery maker rose 1.67 percent to 9,150 won per share yesterday on
the local bourse.

Daewoo International Corp., the former trading arm of now-defunct Daewoo
Group, rose by its 15-percent daily limit on news that it is expected to
win a bid to explore for gas off Myanmar.

Daewoo International, which led a group that found gas in Block A-1 off
Myanmar last month, bid for the right to explore the gas fields in the
adjacent Block-3. The Herald Business reported yesterday that Daewoo
International may be named the winner when the government of Myanmar
announces the result of the bidding as early as tonight.

Maeil Business Newspaper also reported that Daewoo International is
expected to post annual profits of more than 100 billion won from 2010
from the development of gas fields.

The four Daewoo companies are former units of now-defunct Daewoo Group,
which collapsed under a mounting of debt after the 1997-98 Asian financial
crisis. All of them are expected to put up for sale, following completion
of their multi-year, debt workout programs.

The Ministry of Finance said last month that it would divide 47 million
worth of shares of Daewoo Heavy Industries & Machinery Co. into defense
and private investment portion and pursue M&A either through a packaged or
concurrent bidding.

"But we will exclude foreign investors in the bidding for the defense
division since it is concerned with national security," an official at the
ministry said.

The ministry will also seek to sell its stake in Daewoo Shipbuilding and
Marine Engineering Co., which graduated from corporate workout in 2001.

"But if finding an appropriate buyer for the shipbuilder proves difficult
an overseas Global Depository Receipt issuance will be executed," said the
ministry.

Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. and Daewoo International, both of
which completed workout programs in December last year, are also
anticipated to put be on sale this year by industry watchers.

Many analysts say that sales of government stake in Daewoo companies that
once had been in trouble are welcomed in terms that it would advance the
nation's efforts to recoup the 161.1 trillion won of public funds used to
bail out the country's ailing companies since the 1997-98 Asian financial
crisis.

"But collection of public funds should be preceded by a thorough
examination of expected buyers. The government should take heed not to
sell its stake hurriedly under the pressure that it should collect public
funds as soon as possible. Selling it at a fair price is more important
than selling it earlier with a lower-than-fair price," said Park Kun-yong,
an official at People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, a major
civic group of the nation.
____________________________

Feb 18, Asia Pulse
Made-in-India show starts in Myanmar from Feb 19

ndian companies will showcase their businesses at a 4-day 'Made-in-India'
show in Myanmar starting February 19 in a bid to promote trade and
economic relations between the two countries.

The companies would cover sectors like construction, steel, engineering
and electrical, solar energy, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment,
cosmetics and garments.

The show would have a special focus on the Northeast and the increasing
opportunities for trade and investment between Myanmar and the
Northeastern states of India.

Various items from the Northeast would be featured, including handicrafts,
leather wares, farming equipment, furniture, home furnishings, carpets and
shawls and kitchen items.

Trade between India and Myanmar stood at US $440.13 million in 2002, which
is expected to increase to $1 billion by 2007.

India is Myanmar's fourth largest trading partner after Thailand, China
and Singapore.

India has also become the second largest export market after Thailand
comprising 25 per cent of its exports.

The show would be organised jointly by the Confederation of Indian
Industry and the Embassy of India in Yangon.

Myanmarese Commerce Minister Brig Gen Pyi Sone and Secretary, Department
of Industrial Policy and Promotion Lakshmi Chand would inaugurate the
exhibition, a CII release said.

A 34-member business delegation led by Rajive Kaul, Past President CII and
Managing Director Nicco Corporation would visit Myanmar during the show.
__________________________

Feb 18, AFX News Limited
Yunnan business study delegation to visit 5 Asean nations

Southwest China's Yunnan Province is organizing a 350-member business
study delegation for an 18-day tour of five Southeast Asian countries in
April, according to a source with the provincial government on February
18. Initiated by a local company called Yunnan Shibo Group, the 1,000-km
trip will set off on April 23, and participants are expected to traverse
Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and Singapore to reach the Strait of
Malacca, said Hua Zefei, president of the group. The whole trip to cover
major cities of the target countries will end in Xishuang Banna in Yunnan
on May 10, and approximately 350 members, mostly entrepreneurs, and some
governmental functionaries, reporters and celebrities in the fields of
culture, sports and tourism, will drive in 50 to 100 cross-country
vehicles. The members of the delegation will have a wide-ranging contact
and discuss business-related issues with them with personalities from
political, industrial and commercial spheres of these countries, Hua said.
The visit, added Hua, would help boost economic cooperation between China
and the Southeast Asian nations. According to Chinese Customs, China's
trade with the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) hit a record high of US $ 78.25 billion in 2003, surging by 42.8
percent year-on-year.


INTERNATIONAL
_____________________________________

Feb 18, AFX News Ltd.
USAID earmarks 55.9 mln USD for southeast Asia, China projects

The United States plans to provide 55.9 mln usd in aid to Southeast Asia
and China this year, the US embassy said as it opened a new Agency for
International Development regional office.

The funding, to be coordinated through USAID's new regional development
mission for Asia, will support programs in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand
and Vietnam, the embassy said in a statement.

"These programs include efforts aimed at halting the spread of HIV/AIDS
and other infectious diseases, protecting the environment, protecting
vulnerable populations and promoting economic growth and democracy," it
said.

The opening of the office was finalized under an economic and technical
cooperation agreement between Thailand and the US signed by Thai Foreign
Minister Surakiart Sathirathai and US Ambassador Darryl Johnson.

While the USAID's bilateral assistance program in Thailand ended in 1995,
"USAID never really went away," Johnson said at the signing ceremony.

"In the intervening years, the US and Thailand have continued to work
together on a wide variety of important topics" including "responding to
the needs of refugees and other displaced persons and reacting to the
Asian financial crisis," the envoy said.

USAID, with missions in more than 100 countries and a total budget for
fiscal year 2004 of 10.2 bln usd, announced earlier this month it was
providing 250,000 usd in aid to the World Health Organization to assist in
combatting the current bird flu crisis ravaging parts of Asia.

The agency's largest current mission is in Iraq, where it has spent 2.1
bln usd since Saddam Hussein's regime fell last April.
__________________________

Feb 17, Bua News
SA Offers to Help Politically Volatile Myanmar - Thabo Mokgola
Pretoria: South Africa has offered its intervention in the ongoing
political crisis in the volatile Myanmar and has urged the newly appointed
ambassador to the country to actively engage government in finding a way
forward.

President Thabo Mbeki made the pledge in Pretoria today, while accepting a
letter of credence from ambassador U Ohn Thwin of Myanmar.

Myanmar has been experiencing a political crisis since a military junta
came to power in 1988 after crushing a pro-democracy movement.

The military rulers called elections in 1990, but refused to transfer
power when the National League for Democracy led by Nobel Peace Prize
winner Aung San Suu Kyi's party won.

The latter has been under house arrest a number of times, the latest since
May, last year.

However recently, Myanmar's leadership have reportedly initiated secret
talks with Suu Kyi on the country's political future thus raising hopes
inside and outside the country that the move may eventually lead to some
form of democracy.

"It really is our hope that these processes would continue to a successful
conclusion and to the extent that South Africa can contribute to the
resolution of those political problems, certainly, we will do that," he
said.

President Mbeki said the South African government, including the United
Nations (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Association of South
East Asian Nations (ASEAN), was closely following processes to bring about
peace in that country.

Earlier during the day, President Mbeki accepted letters of credence from
ambassadors of Pakistan, Botswana, Mali and Iran.

He called for an intensified effort in ensuring that bilateral relations
between South Africa and the accredited countries, saying their presence
in the country ought to be utilised as a platform through which the move
could be achieved.


OPINION / OTHER
_____________________________________

Feb 17, In These Times
Unocal Off the Hook? - by Daniel J. Hughes

For now, California energy giant Unocal Corp. is not liable for the rape,
murder, torture and forced labor that occurred during construction of the
$1.2 billion, 40-mile Yadana natural gas pipeline in Burma, now Myanmar.
On January 23, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Victoria Chaney
concluded that Unocal could not be held accountable for the actions of its
subsidiaries—but ruled that the case could move forward if plaintiff
attorneys used other means to prove libability.

The court found that victims’ testimony was well documented and that “the
evidence does suggest that Unocal knew that forced labor was being
utilized and that they benefited from the practice.” The notoriously
brutal Burmese military was contracted to act as security on the project
for its builders: Unocal, French company Total and subsidiaries of both.

The federal case Doe v. Unocal was filed in 1996 under the Alien Tort
Claims Act (ATCA) of 1789 on behalf of 15 villagers. They charged that
Unocal understood the tactics being used by Burma’s violent military
regime when collaborating on the project.

A Los Angeles federal district court agreed to hear the case a year later,
determining that corporations could be held liable under ATCA for human
rights abuses on foreign soil. After three years of discovery the case was
dismissed in 2000, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it
could be heard in civil court. Twenty-five cases have been filed using
ATCA since 1980, but Unocal was the first company to stand trial in a
civil suit on U.S. soil.

Villagers testified in “Entrenched,” an investigative report by
EarthRights International, that they were forced to relocate to the
pipeline area, quarter soldiers, assist in sweeping for landmines, carry
supplies and ammunition, and stand sentry duty to watch for insurgent
attacks—labor referred to as “peoples’ contributions” by the Burmese army.
Threats and intimidation were used to gain compliance. A village headman
reportedly met weekly with the military officers, offering gifts and
receiving new orders for his village.

Non-compliance with military orders led to shocking abuses. One
uncooperative headman was buried up to his neck while fellow villagers
were forced at gunpoint to kick and stomp on his head.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) described the situation at the
pipeline as “a saga of untold misery and suffering, oppression and
exploitation of large sections of the population inhabiting Myanmar by the
Government, military, and other public officers.” The ILO’s most recent
assessment confirmed that the situation continues to worsen.

Since the State Peace and Development Council government of Burma forcibly
took power in 1988, profits from the use of forced labor and environmental
destruction have been used to keep the regime in power. Statistics from
the Burmese military reveal that “peoples’ contributions” to rural
development projects increased 25-fold between 1990 and 1996.

Judge Chaney concluded that the subsidiaries were “common and legitimate”
and that parent company Unocal is not liable because the subsidiaries have
the financial resources to be held accountable under California law. But
Anne Richardson, an attorney for the plaintiffs, argued that Unocal’s
subsidiaries did not have sufficient financial resources at the time the
cases were filed.

If the court had ruled in favor of the villagers in the first phase of the
trial, Unocal faced $1 billion in restitution monies. Dan Stromer,
attorney for the plaintiffs, vowed to continue the fight for compensation
even though Unocal lawyer Daniel Petrocelli lauded the ruling as a
“complete victory and vindicaton.”

Judith Chomsky, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said, “If the case can go to a
jury, the layers and layers of companies Unocal created to hide its
responsibilities will be meaningless.”

Litigants revived ATCA amid rising human rights abuses perpetrated by U.S.
companies on foreign soil. The act was passed in 1789 as part of the
original Judiciary Act and asserted that “district courts shall have
original jurisdiction of any civil action by an alien for a tort (crime)
only, committed in violation of the law of nations or a treaty of the
United States.” The Torture Victim Prevention Act, passed by Congress,
bolstered the ATCA, which has been used to sue many U.S. corporations
abroad, including Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Coca-Cola, Texaco and Gap.
__________________________

Feb 18, Shan
Generals swear by Thai spells

Burmese generals may retain their mistrust of Thailand's intention on
their country, as evidenced by their continued compulsory teaching of
"hate Thai" history in schools, but that has not stopped them from using
incantations originating from the kingdom to ward off their imagined
disasters, according to businessmen and monks coming from Kengtung, 160 km
north of Maesai, Thailand's northernmost town.

"The introduction preceding the Uppata Santi Gatha (recited nation-wide
since last August under orders from Rangoon) acknowledges that the prayer
was imported from Thailand," said S.H.A.N.'s source, a Kengtung-born
naturalized Thai citizen who was back from a recent visit to his home
town.

His story was supported by two monks who said they saw copies of the
mantra distributed in several Shan towns and villages.

The first incantations began on 30 August, coinciding with the declaration
of Rangoon's seven-point roadmap, 9 hours a day, 9 days a month,
reportedly to counter both internal and external reactions to the 30 May
massacre in northern Burma.

According to a Thai booklet distributed in commemoration of the 700th
anniversary of the founding of Chiangmai in 1996, the mantra, known as
Uppata Santi or Maha Santing Luang, was composed by a revered Buddhist
monk, Maha Mangala Silawamsa, during the reign of King Tilokaraj
(1442-1489). It has 271 stanzas, each stanza with 4 lines, each line with
8 sacred Pali words. The mantra was taken to Burma during the Burmese
occupation that lasted two hundred years from 16th to 18th century. A copy
of it, written in Burmese script, was given by Rev Baddanta Dhammananda of
Wat Tha Ma-O, a Burmese temple in Lampang, 100 km south of Chiangmai, to
be re written in Thai script. (The original was written in northern Thai
script, also used in Kengtung, China's Xixuangbanna and Laos by the
Laotian clergy.)

The mantra, says the booklet, brings calm and harmony to all evil
incidents, defends oneself against inhuman beings and untimely death,
subdues one's enemies, graces the king with glory and victory and expels
all things that are disagreeable to one.
____________________________