BurmaNet News, February 24-26, 2007

[Editor]

February 24-26, 2007 Issue # 3149

INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: More arrests follow Rangoon demonstration
DVB: Lawyers to lodge final appeal for Shan leaders
Mizzima: Army Transfers Raise Questions
Xinhua: Myanmar top leader meets Chinese state councilor
DVB via BBC: Burma said planning to replace police security kiosks with
USDA members
Reuters: Dash for gas gives Myanmar the bus stop blues - Aung Hla Tun

ON THE BORDER
Irrawaddy: Klity creek villagers seek redress from lead poisoning

HEALTH / AIDS
Xinhua: Japan to help Myanmar fight malaria

DRUGS
Xinhua: Myanmar exposes 229 drug-related cases in January

OPINION / OTHER
South China Morning Post: Suu Kyi - no longer part of the solution

STATEMENT
Strategic Consultation: Revolutionary Forces’ Sixth Strategic Consultation
Meeting Statement

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

February 26, Irrawaddy
More arrests follow Rangoon demonstration - Khun Sam

Burma’s military authorities arrested more people over the weekend in
connection with last Thursday’s Rangoon demonstration demanding better
living conditions.

According to sources close to those arrested, at least eight people are
now being held. One, identified as Win May, was arrested on Saturday
evening at the home in Sanchaung Township, Rangoon, of a National League
for Democracy member, Nyunt Hlaing. Police called while she was visiting
him, Nyunt Hlaing told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

Win May was among about 25 people who marched in downtown Rangoon last
Thursday demanding lower commodities prices, better health care, education
and reliable power supplies.

Police arrested the leader of the protesters, Htin Kyaw, and another
person after the demonstration. Three other people were arrested later on
Thursday.

All those arrested are reportedly being held at Aung Thabye holding center
in Rangoon.

Anti-government protests are rare in military ruled Burma. Thursday’s
demonstration has particularly worried the regime because it attracted the
attention of exile-based and international media.

Support for the protesters and condemnation of the arrests came from
opposition groups, including the National League for Democracy and the
88-Generation Students group.

“This is the government’s discrimination against its own citizens,” said a
statement released by the 88 Generation group on Monday.

Ko Ko Gyi, a prominent former student leader of the group, pointed out
that the junta is arresting anti-government protesters while the
state-owned media praises pro-junta protesters who demonstrated in front
of the US and British embassies against efforts to get a resolution
condemning the military junta adopted by the UN Security Council.

“They praised those who protested against US and Britain, saying they were
acting for the benefit of and on behalf of Burmese citizens,” Ko Ko Gyi
told The Irrawaddy. “These people [who demonstrated in Rangoon last
Thursday] are not making any political statements, they are expressing
themselves peacefully about their daily hardships. We don’t think they
should be arrested.”

____________________________________

February 26, Democratic Voice of Burma
Lawyers to lodge final appeal for Shan leaders

A final special appeal against the detention of eight Shan leaders will be
submitted to the Rangoon Central Court on March 1, according to lawyer U
Aung Thein.

The eight men, including Shan Nationalities League for Democracy chairman
Khun Htun Oo, SNLD secretary Sai Nyunt Lwin and former Shan rebel leader
general Hso Ten, were given sentences ranging up to 106 years in 2005.

Arrested just days before the military’s National Convention was due to
convene in February 2005, the men were tried for a variety of politically
motivated charges by a secret tribunal in Rangoon’s notorious Insein
prison.

U Aung Thein said last week that appeals against 28 of the charges laid
against the men would be lodged in two groups.

“Sai Nyunt Lwin was accused of defaming the state. We need to give
evidence on act 124/A. For Khun Htun Oo . . . I have to give details with
the remaining nine charges,” U Aung Thein said.

“Khun Htun Oo has more cases—about five. And U Kyi Win has three charges
against him,” U Aung Thein said.

The Rangoon Central Court is unlikely to decide whether or not to accept
the appeal until the end of next month. If accepted, the appeal will
provide lawyers with one final chance to argue for the Shan leaders’
release.

____________________________________

February 26, Mizzima News
Army transfers raise questions - Christopher Smith

Recent weeks have seen the army transfer an abnormally large number of
officers to civilian postings. Questions abound as to the significance, if
any, of this spate of transfers.

Though typical of the army to transfer officers ahead of the March 26
commemoration of Armed Forces Day, this year has seen two wholesale
transfers of 500 and 850 officers, respectively.

Additionally last Thursday, February 22, the government announced an
additional class of fifteen officers, from rank of captain to colonel, to
be transferred to civilian ministries.

This comes at a time when the military regime is facing increasing
scrutiny from, among other sources, the United Nations and regional
organizations. It also precedes any reconvening of the national convention
and predicted draft version of a new constitution.

Analysts and those familiar with the military junta offer several reasons
for and potential impact of these transfers.

Besides providing an obvious degree of security for the remaining officers
at the top of the hierarchy, it is thought by some that the moves are also
connected to potential major changes in the political landscape.

Precisely, if it is the army's intention to move forward with a
constitution and, ultimately, a transfer of power to civilian authorities
– then it behooves the army to ensure that there are people in those
postings that can be relied upon.

To this effect, political analyst Aung Naing Oo comments, "If the military
is serious about a road map forward in an attempt to resolve the crisis,
they need protective mechanisms in place."

At one extreme the mass transfers could be a foreshadowing of major
changes at the head of the regime as well. A source inside Burma has told
Mizzima that discussions are underway with regard to a reshuffling of the
leadership and that both Senior General Than Shwe and Vice-Senior General
Maung Aye are expected to step down from their military postings. It
remains unclear as to what, if any, titles they would inherit in a
civilian administration.

Another source inside the country speculated that, "While the purge is an
annual event, the number of people involved this year could signal bigger
plans."

However, there remains a question as to whether this approach, even if
undertaken with the above intent of addressing the political crisis, will
adequately address the problems.

Analysts both inside and outside the country concur that such an influx of
former military personnel into the civil service could potentially have an
adverse effect of further crippling the governments effectiveness.

It is feared that the government would be sacrificing quality of civil
service and, according to Aung Naing Oo risks further alienating public
servants already in those positions.

Additionally, there may be mundane reasons for the transfers, relating to
the basic maintenance of a large army and its adherence to a policy of
rotation.

The most apparent reason on this list is that the army leadership is
simply ridding itself of any unwanted personnel among its ranks. Again,
this could compound the domestic problem by pawning off such persons onto
the civil service.

Then there is the issue of the pure size of the army. With troop strength
estimated near half a million, and large pool of mid ranking officers, it
is an impossibility that all officers of such ranks can be duly promoted.
Thus, the army needs somewhere for them to go where they can be fairly
recognized and compensated. With reference to the most recently announced
transfers, the persons concerned are supposedly unable to be promoted
within the framework of the military.

If there is significance associated with the size of this year's transfers
as part of a much larger political shake-up and transition toward a
semblance of a civilian government, evidence could be forthcoming by this
spring, when a number of analysts believe the national convention and
corresponding draft constitution are expected to be completed.

____________________________________

February 26, Xinhua General News Service
Myanmar top leader meets Chinese state councilor

Chairman of the Myanmar State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)
Senior-General Than Shwe met with visiting Chinese State Councilor Tang
Jiaxuan in the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw Monday.

The two sides exchanged views on the development of Sino-Myanmar friendly
and cooperative ties.

Tang said China and Myanmar are friendly neighbors and through joint
efforts, the two countries' relations have maintained a healthy and steady
development trend.

He noted that leaders of the two countries were in touch frequently and
economic and trade cooperation have achieved considerable progress. The
two sides have made achievements in cooperation in the sectors such as
border administration and drug control, and have maintained close
coordination with regard to international and regional affairs.

He stressed that the Chinese government and people value the Sino-Myanmar
traditional friendship, expressing wishes to strive jointly with Myanmar
to push forward the continuous development of the two countries'
neighborly and friendly ties.

At the meeting, Chairman Than Shwe also said Myanmar and China are
friendly neighbors. Myanmar wishes to enhance cooperation with China in
the sectors including politics, economy and trade.

He emphasized that the Chinese government and people for a long period
have rendered valuable support for Myanmar's national construction and
economic development.

He expressed thanks for this, reiterating that Myanmar will as always
firmly abide by the "one China" policy.

He stressed three major policy objectives of the Myanmar government which
are stability, development and education.

He disclosed that Myanmar is endeavoring for building a peaceful, stable,
prosperous and discipline-flourishing democratic nation, and would
continue to steadily push the roadmap of democratic process domestically.

Tang expressed that China sincerely hopes Myanmar will be politically
stable, economically developed and nationally harmonious as well as its
people be living and working in peace and contentment.

Tang, at the invitation of Myanmar SPDC First Secretary Lieutenant-General
Thein Sein, arrived at the new capital on Sunday on a three-day working
visit to Myanmar. He had talks with Thein Sein later on the day over the
bilateral ties and issues of common concern.

____________________________________

February 26, Democratic Voice of Burma via BBC Monitoring
Burma said planning to replace police security kiosks with USDA members

Dear listeners. DVB [Democratic Voice of Burma] has received news that all
police manning the security kiosks at township police stations in Rangoon
Division have been withdrawn since 24 February and preparations are
underway to replace them with Kyantphut [vernacular acronym for pro-junta
Union Solidarity and Development Association] members, it has been
learned.

An eyewitness told DVB, although it is not exactly known why the police
would be replaced by Kyantphut members, it is quite obvious to notice the
absence of the police at the kiosks.

Furthermore, the sources say news have been spreading in the wards that in
order to closely manage the Kyantphut, about 500 military officers with
the ranks of major and lieutenant colonel were given retirement from the
military and preparations are underway to appoint them as township Union
Solidarity and Development Association [USDA] chairmen.

Although DVB attempted to contact the responsible police stations and the
USDA, as usual, they refrained from entertaining the calls. But
pro-democracy forces said this could be related to the recent protest and
they fear the junta might use the strength of the Kyantphut to intimidate
and harass the pro-democracy forces.

____________________________________

February 25, Reuters
Dash for gas gives Myanmar the bus stop blues - Aung Hla Tun

Yangon: By the standards of the late dictator Ne Win, who decreed on the
advice of an astrologer in 1970 that all traffic should switch to the
right side of the road, it is not such a daft plan.

To cut down on costly imports of petroleum, of which Myanmar does not have
much, its ruling generals want every vehicle in the country to run on
natural gas, of which it has plenty.

However, early signs suggest the scheme is every bit as ill-conceived as
Ne Win's whimsical stand against former colonial master Britain, which
drives on the left.

Since 2005, the junta has managed to get around 11,000 taxis and buses in
Yangon -- most of them decades-old jalopies held together by bits of wire
and the ingenuity of their owners -- to convert to compressed natural gas
(CNG).

Unfortunately, during this time it has installed only 20 filling stations
for a city of five million people.

More unfortunately, the CNG pumps they have installed are so archaic they
can take 30 minutes to fill up one vehicle.

Even more unfortunately, every time a power blackout strikes -- which is
at least once a day -- the pumps grind to a halt.

The result? Buses and taxis are spending longer queuing for fuel than
ferrying around passengers. Waits of up to 10 hours are not uncommon,
leaving the city's public transport system in disarray.

"If you queue late in the afternoon, you get your gas the next morning. If
you queue in the morning, you get it late in the afternoon or early in the
evening but you can't run during the peak hours," bus owner Ko Kyaw Lin
said.

"I'm lucky enough to have two brothers who help me taking turns queuing at
night and driving the next day," he said while playing checkers with his
friends beside the road.

WAITING, WAITING, WAITING

After four decades of military rule and economic mismanagement that have
seen the former Burma slide from one of southeast Asia's richest nations
to an international basket case, Yangon's residents are used to taking it
on the chin.

I spend at least three hours every day at bus stops and on the buses,"
Internet cafe worker Ma Thein Thein said of her 10 km (6 mile) journey to
work.

The long delays are also causing fearful women to stop work or cancel
evening classes to avoid being out late at night.

"We can't stand the looks we get at the bus stop in the evening. Some
people look at us as if we're prostitutes," her friend Moe Moe said.

The truth is that people have few other travel options.

In most other low-income parts of southeast Asia, motorbikes are what keep
populations moving, with drivers in cities such as Phnom Penh able to
carry a family of four on two wheels.

In Yangon, however, motorbikes have been banned since 2001. No explanation
was given, although the main theories were the junta trying to reduce
motorbike traffic accidents or make life difficult for two-wheeled gunmen
or students agitators.

New cars are also impossible to find, due to a virtual ban on private
citizens importing cars. Only a few hundred import permits are issued each
year and go to the military or their business associates.

As result, one of the poorest nations in Asia has some of the most
expensive second-hand cars in the world -- a 1980s Nissan Sunny that would
hardly be sold for scrap in Bangkok fetches more than $20,000 in the
second-hand car bazaars of Yangon.

Myanmar ranks as one of the world's least motorized nations, with two cars
for every 1,000 people, according to figures for 2000 from the Population
Reference Bureau, a Washington research institute. By contrast, Rwanda had
four and Cambodia 47.

According to government data for 2006, there were only 196,000 registered
cars, 54,000 trucks and 18,000 buses in the entire country of 52 million.

NIGHTTIME QUEUES

Not everybody, however, is complaining about Yangon's faltering "dash for
gas."

The long queues of bored, hungry and thirsty drivers are a captive market
for snack vendors -- and the bigger the queue, the richer the pickings.

They have also created a unique job opportunity for insomniacs.

"I wait in line for people who don't want to stay up all night," said
professional queuer Ko Min Aung, who says he can make 2,500 kyat -- around
$2 at black market rates -- a night.

"My only sacrifice is a good night's sleep. Right now, I'm queuing for a
neighbor who needs to get enough sleep to drive his bus tomorrow morning."

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

February 26, Irrawaddy
Klity creek villagers seek redress from lead poisoning - Sai Silp

Victims of lead poisoning from a polluted creek near a Karen village in
Kanchanaburi Province on the Thai-Burmese border continue to suffer
diseases, and Thai authorities are ignoring the problem, environmental
activists say.

Villagers first drew attention to the water quality of Klity Creek in 1998
in a letter of complaint to the Pollution Control Department. Tests that
year found high levels of lead in the water, a nearby mine was shut down
and the mine operator, the Lead Concentrate Company, was fined 2,000 baht
(US $52). No criminal charges were filed.

In August 2006, the Kanchanaburi Provincial Court ordered the same lead
mining company to pay 4 million baht ($100,000) to eight Kilty villagers
who had been poisoned by contaminated water from the stream. The victory
gave hope to other victims of environmental pollution across the country.

Last November, the same eight villagers took their fight a step further,
appealing for more compensation from the company and demanding the creek
be cleaned up.

Surapong Kongjuntuek, a member of the Thai Lawyer Council and Karen
Studies and Development Center, said that after nine years, the Klity
Village case has revealed weaknesses in the process of pollution victims
seeking compensation from responsible parties. In addition, he said, Thai
agencies appear to be reluctant to take remedial action against polluters.

“Beside that, the health ministry has also failed to recognize the
diseases found in the villagers that were caused by lead contamination,”
he said. The ruling makes the court process seeking redress more
difficult, he said.

The Klity case has received widespread publicity recently, marking its
ninth anniversary. A book by a Thai writer has just been released that
documents the villagers' cases and their efforts to win redress.

Meanwhile, Anukun Suthapan of the Pollution Control Department, said Klity
creek and the downstream river areas are contaminated, but the pollution
has not reached a level that warrants an environmental cleanup. Officials
said they believe the watershed will recover naturally.

Surapong  said a provincial medical team last year found that blood
samples from 70 village children had levels of lead above the acceptable
standard. He said a number of children in the area have been born with
lead-related disabilities in recent years.

Another group of Klity villagers have taken their own complaints against
the Pollution Control Department to Thailand’s Administrative Court,
claiming the department has failed in its responsibility to protect
citizens and clean up the creek.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

February 25, Xinhua General News Service
Japan to help Myanmar fight malaria

The Japanese government will help Myanmar fight malaria in the country's
Bago division under its grassroot grant assistance scheme, an official
press media reported Sunday.

Two programs on prevention and control of malaria in the Bago division
covering its eastern and the western parts will be implemented under a
Japanese grant of the 178,822 U.S. dollars, said the New Light of Myanmar.

The projects are aimed at comprehensive approaches to counter malaria,
including medical care, prevention and education, the report added.

Malaria is among the three diseases of national concern which Myanmar has
been fighting. The other two are HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB). Myanmar
treats the three diseases as priority with the main objectives of reducing
the morbidity and mortality in a bid to become no longer a public problem
and meet the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations.

As for malaria, the trend of malaria morbidity and mortality has been
decreasing at present with malaria morbidity per 1,000 population reducing
from 24.5 in 1988-89 to 9.3 in 2005-06, while its mortality down from 10.4
to 3.1 correspondingly.

In its prevention efforts against malaria, the government has distributed
50,000 long lasting insecticidal nets annually since 2000 to hardly
accessible areas of national races with up to 400, 000 existing bed nets
also impregnated with insecticide annually since 2000.

____________________________________
DRUGS

February 25, Xinhua General News Service
Myanmar exposes 229 drug-related cases in January

The Myanmar anti-drug authorities exposed a total of 229
narcotic-drug-related cases in January this year, punishing 331 people
including 54 women, the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported
Sunday.

In connection with the cases, 30.94 kg of heroin, 164.53 kg of opium and
15.17 kg of marijuana as well as 117,345 stimulant tablets were seized by
the armed forces, police force and the customs department, the report
said.

During 2006, the authorities exposed a total of 2,848 drug- related cases,
punishing a total of 4,360 people, including 801 women, according to
official statistics.

That year's seizure included 192.33 kg of heroin, 2,311.34 kg of opium and
1,370.83 kg of brown opium, 1,287.45 kg of ephedrine and 72.73 kg of
marijuana as well as more than 19 million stimulant tablets

As part of its drug control efforts during 2006, the Myanmar authorities
burned up seized narcotic drugs for three times -- two in Kyaingtong of
Shan state and one in Yangon.

Statistics show that 4,151.18 hectares of poppy cultivation were destroyed
during 2005-06 poppy growing season, 165.86 hectares more than 2004-05.
The latest figures also reveal that 775.37 hectares of poppy plantations
in the country have so far been destroyed in the 2006-07 poppy growing
season.

An opium survey report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC) released in last December indicate that the country's opium poppy
cultivation fell 34 percent to 21,500 hectares in 2006, representing a
dramatic 83 percent fall from 130, 300 hectares in 1998 and remaining as
the world's second largest opium poppy grower after Afghanistan.

Myanmar has been implementing a 15-year plan (1999-2014) to totally
eradicate poppy in three phases each running for five years and it is now
in the second five-year phase which began in 2004.

Myanmar declared three regions of Mongla, Kokang and Wa as poppy-free
zones in 1997, 2003 and 2005 respectively.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

February 26, South China Morning Post
Suu Kyi - no longer part of the solution

Myanmar's foreign minister, Major-General Nyan Win, recently paid a
two-day visit to Indonesia on a mission of strengthening relations between
the two countries. General Nyan Win must have impressed his Indonesian
counterpart, Hassan Wirayuda, because Dr Wirayuda told reporters he was
confident that Myanmar's new constitution would be completed this year.

So it seems that 2007 may hold some hope for political reform in Myanmar -
on the surface, at least. The year is the 10th anniversary of Myanmar's
admission into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. And there have
been talks about a possible power transition in the armed forces from
Senior General Than Shwe to General Thura Shwe Mann, the rising star in
the ruling State Peace and Development Council.

But, in their hearts, the generals know they won't ease their strong grip
on power. In Jakarta, General Nyan Win did not even try to hide that fact:
he told Dr Wirayuda that his government could not guarantee when political
detainees, including Aung San Suu Kyi, would be released. The political
stagnation in Myanmar once again signals that international pressure on
the military regime has not come up to scratch. The ruling generals are
increasingly immune to western sanctions.

Thus, a shift in approach is urgently needed. And the focus should not be
on Myanmar's military regime, but on the ordinary people, who have been
suffocated by sanctions. Myanmese activists have called increasingly for
the lifting of the punitive measures. At the same time, they realise this
would be impossible since the sanctions have been intimately tied to
Myanmar's treatment of its own ethnic peoples. The west has argued that
unless the ethnic minorities are granted some autonomy, the drugs trade
eliminated and democracy restored, sanctions must remain in place.

Some Myanmese activists argue that sanctions have undermined every
opportunity for Myanmar to play a larger role in the world community.

Ms Suu Kyi represents another hurdle. Having been in and out of house
arrest for the past 17 years, she has remained an influential figure among
the opposition, most pro-democracy Myanmese and some ethnic factions. Her
uncompromising character has earned her the status of a national hero.

General Than Shwe may be the most powerful man in the state, but Ms Suu
Kyi is no less authoritative among anti-government forces. This explains
why, when she talked about the importance of continued sanctions, the
global community listened.

However, this does not mean she is always right. Her endorsement of
sanctions is based on frustration with the military regime, which can
obscure the needs of the people. Her personality-driven style has been
criticised by some, who say her moment has come and gone.

Indeed, a new generation is moving up. The Burma Digest reported that Ko
Mya Aye, a student leader, was voted Politician of the Year 2006 with
21.52 per cent of the votes. Ms Suu Kyi trailed at 18.83 per cent. New
pro-democracy groups are emerging. The 88 Generation Students group
exemplifies a softer approach to winning over the regime. Its initiatives
- like the Open Heart Programme for freer public discussion, and signature
campaign for the release of political prisoners - were designed to send a
peaceful message on political negotiations.

Ms Suu Kyi is not part of a political solution. Nobody has ever doubted
her good intentions, but it has all gone wrong since the military regime
failed to understand that a lengthy house arrest would make her
increasingly incapable of moderation. It now seems too late to change her
unbending mindset.

Pavin Chachavalpongpun is the author of A Plastic Nation: The Curse of
Thainess in Thai-Burmese Relations.

____________________________________
STATEMENT

February 23, The Sixth Strategic Consultation Meeting
Revolutionary Forces’ Sixth Strategic Consultation Meeting Statement

The Sixth Strategic Consultation Meeting of the revolutionary forces was
held successfully from February 21 to 23, 2007 at a certain place in the
liberated area. Leaders of the NCGUB, NCUB, ENC (Union of Burma), the
democratic forces of Burma, WLB (Burma), SYCB and NY Forum attended the
meeting and, in addition to making an in-depth review of the current
domestic and international situations, the meeting explored and determined
the courses for freeing the country from the crises it is facing.
Subsequently, this Strategic Consultation Meeting would like to state its
positions regarding the current political situations, as follows.

1.	We, the political forces, have been struggling for the emergence of
tripartite dialogue in accordance with our belief that the most
appropriate course for overcoming the general political, economic and
social crises is resolving the various problems of the country peacefully
through negotiation, on the basis of tripartite political dialogue.
However, it is our view that in opposition to the will of the political
forces, the international community and the people, the SPDC military
clique’s implementation of its 7-Step Road Map unilaterally is to avoid
the dialogue process. It is striving and merely working for permanence of
the evil system of military dictatorship. Accordingly, for the emergence
of political dialogue leading towards democratic change and national
reconciliation, it is our earnest conviction that the “SPDC’s Road Map
must be attacked and destroyed at every step by people’s power.”

2.	Since the SPDC’s ongoing plot to annihilate and decimate the democratic
and nationality forces, military campaigns with greater ferocity in the
nationalities’ areas, violence of burning the villages, relocation of
villagers by force, use of forced labor nationwide, conscription by force
of children for the army and use of rape of women as a weapon of war are
totally against establishment of democracy and the approach to national
reconciliation, we strongly condemn them.

3.	We would like to express our gratitude to the International Community,
including the United Nations, for its sympathy and support for the Burmese
democratic movement and we would like to intently urge for unified action,
on the basis of common programs, to hold up the Burmese democratic effort.
Moreover, we would like to state seriously that the neighboring countries
of Burma and regional countries should consult with the International
Community and undertake actions more dynamically.

4.	We seriously call upon the SPDC to abolish its illegitimate National
Convention, release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners
unconditionally, immediately cease its  military offensives against the
indigenous nationalities and killing, immediately stop its repressions of
the people and political parties, and immediately undertake genuine
dialogue.

5.	We urge the people, made up of various nationalities, to work together
for the abolishment of the military clique’s sham National Convention,
which would provide the military clique with license to murder, in a way,
and to courageously struggle for obtaining their basic rights.

6.	We, the forces for freedom, declare to relentlessly struggle on firmly
together with the International Community, the entire people and within
the framework of the forces for the advent of democracy and the federal
union.


Contact Persons - (1) U Thein Oo; Tel: 089 203 2972  (2) Dr. S.
Liangsakong:Tel: 081 129 6100