HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Thu, 9 Apr 1992 14:10:24 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      Further Muslim Massacre Report
X-To:         seasia-l@msu.edu

   DPA, Teknaf, Bangladesh, April 8 - Scores of Moslems were killed in a
mosque in a Burmese town during the Islamic Eid al-Fitr festival on
Sunday, refugees arriving in southern Bangladesh claimed Wednesday.
   Burmese Moslems in Dhuapanoff Refugee Camp in the Bangladesh border
town of Teknaf said about 300 people died and over 150 others were badly
injured in the carnage in the main mosque of Mangdaw town close to the
Bangladesh-Burma border on Sunday.
   The official Bangladesh news agency BSS quoted intelligence reports
saying at least 100 people were massacred on the first day of the
festival in the town's Sikderpara Moslem district.
   Refugee sources said troops surrounded the mosque with heavy
artillery guns after Moslems broke the lock of the prayer hall to hold
an Eid congregation inside. The mosque had been sealed by the
authorities in November after allegations that it was being used as a
hideout by Moslem rebels fighting for autonomy in Arakan province.
   Ali Zoha, 45, a Moslem refugee who crossed the border into Bangladesh
said troops opened fire on the praying Moslems with field guns and
lobbed three grenades inside the mosque. Many children were among the
3,000 persons who were present in the mosque.
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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Sun, 12 Apr 1992 11:50:22 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      More Rohingyas Flee
X-To:         seasia-l@msu.edu

    Reuter, Anis Ahmed, Dhaka, April 12 - More than 3,000 Burmese Moslems
are arriving in Bangladesh daily, saying Burmese troops have stepped up
attacks on them, officials monitoring the refugee influx said on Sunday.
    "Tortures on Moslems suddenly came to a halt before the visit to
Burma by U.N. Under Secretary-General Jan Eliasson but resumed after he
left," said an official in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar town near the
Burmese border.
    "This has caused a new spurt in the refugees arrival," said the
official who declined to be identified.
    Eliasson, now back at U.N. headquarters, is to submit a report on
his Burma tour preceded by a three-day visit to Bangladesh where he
personally saw the plight of the refugees.
    Officials at Cox's Bazar said on Sunday the number of refugees,
known as Rohingyas, had passed 200,000. Relief officials put the number
higher, saying at least 20,000 had fled to jungles for fear of being
forcibly repatriated.
    "It appears as though they (Burma) want to push out all the
Rohingyas before they start negotiating their repatriation," one Cox's
Bazar official said on Sunday.
    Nearly 15,000 Rohingya families were left in Bangladesh when Rangoon
repatriated nearly 300,000 Rohingyas from southeastern Bangladesh in
1978.
    "This might happen again," the official said.
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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Thu, 9 Apr 1992 15:28:59 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      Muslims Mass at Thai Border!
X-To:         seasia-l@msu.edu

Remark: Scanned from FBIS.

20,000 Muslims Gather on Thai Border

BKO704020792 Bangkok - BANGKOK POST in English 7 Apr 92 p 1

[Text] About 20,000 Burmese Muslims fleeing persecution by Burmese forces
have massed on the Thai-Burmese border, apparently in a desperate bid to win
outside help.

Col Tin Muang That, chairman of the All Burma Muslim Union, a rebel
organisation under the Democratic Alliance of Burma, said yesterday the
plight of Muslims in eastern Burma is as serious as that confronting the
Rohingyas in Arakan State to the west.

Tens of thousands of Muslim Rohingyas have sought sanctuary in Bangladesh
where their plight has gained worldwide attention.

The exodus to Bangladesh has also provoked expressions of concern in some
ASEAN capitals.

Col Tin said the Burmese Muslims, assembled in separate groups in
Karen-controlled areas on the Burma-Thai border, had been deprived of basic
rights and their houses were raided and set ablaze by Burmese soldiers.

He said he was deeply disappointed with the poor response from Muslim
countries, especially Saudi Arabia, towards the suffering of the Muslim
refugees.
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Organization: Vietnam Insight
Editor: Chan Tran
Address: PO Box 7826, San Jose, CA 95150, USA
Phone: (408) 226-2261
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11]
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Thu, 16 Apr 1992 14:14:36 PDT
From:         Vietnam Insight <vinsight%netcom.com@HUSC6.BITNET>
Subject:      Flag Of Freedom Raised In Vietnam

FLAG OF FREEDOM RAISED IN HO CHI MINH CITY
(Vietnam Insight March 1992)

Trying to show a friendlier face to the world, the Vietnamese Communist
regime held the first international marathon on Feb. 15 in Ho Chi Minh
City (Saigon), where some 340 foreigners from 26 countries ranging from
New Zealand to Norway to Nicaragua participated along with about 600
Vietnamese from 29 provinces.

There were a handful of runners once fought against each other in the
Vietnam War, including about ten U.S. veterans, according to organizers.

The event was part of Hanoi's marathon campaign to end a U.S. embargo on
Vietnam and in search for tourism revenue. Public relations giant Hill
and Knowlton was hired to help, as were some former American GIs and
American-owned sports promotion company, Sports Asia Ltd. of Hong Kong.

Hill and Knowlton has taken on controversial clients before, among them
China after its crackdown on the democracy movement in 1989.

As thousands of spectators anxiously waited for the rare event to start,
suddenly a young Vietnamese man in a brown outfit appeared on top of a
parked car, waving high the three-stripe yellow flag of the former free
South Vietnam. This fearless man was immediately taken down by several
secret policemen and brutally whisked away, according to AFP and AP.

The ugly and unexpected scene was captured by many foreign press'
cameras but all negatives were promptly confiscated. Security agents and
secret police immediately overwhelmed the area in search for possible
accomplices and to seize suspected films. The Saigon Floating Hotel
located nearby, where many tourists and foreign reporters stayed, was
thoroughly searched for hidden negatives.


--
Vietnam Insight (vinsight@netcom.com)
Chan Tran, editor
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Organization: Vietnam Insight
Editor: Chan Tran
Address: PO Box 7826, San Jose, CA 95150, USA
Phone: (408) 226-2261
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11]
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Thu, 16 Apr 1992 13:48:42 PDT
From:         Vietnam Insight <vinsight%netcom.com@HUSC6.BITNET>
Subject:      Vietnamese Protest Trading With Hanoi

VIETNAMESE PROTEST TRADING WITH HANOI

MELBOURNE, Australia (March 3-5, 1992): The Vietnamese community here
have successfully demonstrated the people's stand against foreign
trading with the Vietnamese Communist government. In three consecutive
days of March 3-5, the large crowd of Vietnamese marching in protest
outside the Trade World Centre in Melbourne have turned the Vietnam
Trade Display into disaster: only 80 participants showed up in the first
day, a smaller turnout on the second, and only organizers of the
display left on the third.

The Vietnamese protestors have friendly explained their points of how
trading with Hanoi is not only risky with the current political situation
in Vietnam but also helps maintain the regime's oppressive rule against
its citizens. A delegate was also sent inside the trade centre to
explain the people's point, carrying with them a symbol of freedom: the
three-stripe yellow flag of the former free South Vietnam. Many
potential participants of the trade event changed their mind after
talking to the Vietnamese protestors, taking away with them messages for
Vietnam's democracy.

--
Vietnam Insight (vinsight@netcom.com)
Chan Tran, editor
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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Sun, 12 Apr 1992 11:48:31 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      ADB on Burma Economy
X-To:         seasia-l@msu.edu

    Reuter, Manila, April 11 - The ADB's Asian Development Outlook 1992
said Burma's economy posted modest growth of 3.7 per cent in 1991, but
emphasised the need to restore stability in the authoritarian nation
if an economic reform programme is to take off.
    "Though a programme of reform to liberalise the economy began in
1989, the results have so far been rather limited," the ADB said, adding
"macroeconomic imbalances (have) worsened."
    Rangoon has failed to resolve critical issues like the "severely
distorted price system and inefficient state enterprises that absorb
public funds that could otherwise finance much-needed investment in
infrastructure," the ADB said.
    The "enormous overvaluation of the official exchange rate has become
the major factor distorting the price system," it said urging quick
adoption of a foreign exchange rate system which would reflect market
conditions.
    Managers of state enterprises should likewise be given full autonomy
on production, investment, employment and pricing decisions, it said,
adding "enterprises should be rewarded for good performance and
penalised for failure."
    While the economy, as measured by gross domestic product, is
expected to grow by 4.0 per cent in 1992 and by 4.1 per cent in 1993,
the bank warned that growth prospects may be jeopardised if Burmese
authorities renege on pledges to step up the pace of reform.
    "Given the existence of these fundamental economic imbalances, the
prospects for the next two years are not propitious," the bank said.
    "There are also long delays between the announcement of reforms and
their implementation...(and they have) been greatly hampered by raw
material and energy shortages, and high inflation," it concluded.
    The private sector reflected this lack of confidence in the
government by sticking to small-scale trading activities marked by low
risk and quick recovery of capital.
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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Tue, 7 Apr 1992 18:02:42 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      Suchinda Welcomes Opposition
X-To:         seasia-l@msu.edu

   AP, Bangkok, Grant Peck, April 7 - Gen. Suchinda Kraprayoon, the army
commander who was appointed Thailand's 19th prime minister on Tuesday,
said he welcomes the prospect of a strong parliamentary opposition.
   But it was unclear whether the 58-year-old general had the full
support of the five pro-military parties with which he apparently plans
to form a government. Only several hours after his appointment did party
leaders hold a news conference to issue subdued statements of support.
   Suchinda said he would meet with representatives of the five parties
Wednesday. He said he had not yet thought about Cabinet appointments,
but that potential ministers would have to meet certain conditions,
which he did not specify.
   "I believe an opposition that is strong is a good thing, so the
cabinet has to work harder," he told reporters.
   Suchinda said the political parties should confine their campaign for
an elected prime minister to Parliament, and not bring the issue to the
steets.
   Suchinda has been army commander-in-chief since 1990, making him in
effect the country's most powerful figure because of the military's
dominance in Thai society. By law, he must resign as army chief and from
his second post, supreme military commander, before becoming prime
minister.
   Aside from Anand, all of Thailand's prime ministers since 1977 have
been retired generals.
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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Wed, 15 Apr 1992 07:59:11 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      Burma Genocide Charge!
X-To:         seasia-l@msu.edu

    Reuter, Dhaka, Anis Ahmed, April 15 - A Saudi general, accusing Burma of
genocide, has recommended the United Nations use its full weight to
pressure Rangoon to take back Moslem nationals who are fleeing in their
tens of thousands to Bangladesh.
    The United Nations should employ the same resolve it used in
opposing Iraq's invasion of Kuwait to solve the Burmese refugee crisis,
said Prince Khaled Bin Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, commander of the Saudi
army contingent of U.N. forces in the Gulf War.
    "I think the United Nations should do for them just what it did to
liberate Kuwait," he said.
    Khaled left Dhaka on Tuesday after a four-day trip to Bangladesh
during which he visited refugee camps where more than 200,000 Burmese
Moslems, known as Rohingyas, have taken shelter after fleeing alleged
torture by Rangoon's army.
    Khaled, who visited several military installations during his visit
to Bangladesh, described the persecution of the Rohingyas by Rangoon as
genocide.
    "Saudi Arabia condemns the forced labour, imprisonment and genocide
being committed against Moslems in Myanmar (Burma)," BSS quoted him as
saying.
    The prince demanded an immediate end to the tragedy, saying: "It is
not too much to ask that all Rohingyas be repatriated, their civil and
political rights as full citizens of Burma be recognised and they be
compensated for the losses due to forcible eviction.
    "Burma has deployed thousands of troops on its border with
Bangladesh to prevent the return of Rohingyas to their rightful homes."
    Dhaka has handed over to Rangoon lists of more than 87,000 Rohingyas
to prepare for their repatriation, a foreign ministry official said on
Monday.
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Organization: Vietnam Insight
Editor: Chan Tran
Address: PO Box 7826, San Jose, CA 95150, USA
Phone: (408) 226-2261
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11]
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Thu, 16 Apr 1992 13:44:09 PDT
From:         Vietnam Insight <vinsight%netcom.com@HUSC6.BITNET>
Subject:      Self-intro

Hi everyone:

I am Chan Tran, editor of the monthly publication "Vietnam Insight."

I am glad to have this opportunity to introduce to you the voice of
opposition against the oppressive regime in Vietnam on behalf of our
beloved countrymen. Vietnam Insight provides information on the
Vietnamese struggle for freedom and democracy, insight of Vietnam's
situation and Hanoi's maneuvers that are often misrepresented by
communist propaganda, and a forum for the Vietnamese aspirations.

In its sole purpose and effort of furthering the Vietnamese democratic
cause and the reconstruction of a free Vietnam after communism, Vietnam
Insight welcomes all constructive comments and ideas, and will be glad
to respond to your questions and comments in the first week of each
month.

Sicerely,
Chan Tran.


--
Vietnam Insight (vinsight@netcom.com)
Chan Tran, editor
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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Tue, 7 Apr 1992 18:24:31 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      Heng Samrin Says No
X-To:         seasia-l@msu.edu

   UPI, Phnom Penh, Sue Downie, April 7 - Cambodia's communist leader Heng
Samrin said Tuesday he will not resign as President despite reports the
58-year-old leader has been replaced by the National Assembly president.
   "I will keep my position as president of the State of Cambodia. I
will be responsible for everything in the state of Cambodia," the
president told reporters after seeing off government and opposition
leaders bound for Beijing.
   Earlier reports said Heng Samrin had been replaced on Monday by
hard-line National Assembly President Chea Sim through an amendment to
the Constitution.
   There have also been widespread rumors that Heng Samrin would retire.
   Chea Sim replaced Heng Samrin as head of the ruling party last year
when the party changed its name to the People' s Party and officially
dropped its communist ideology.
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X-Envelope-to: seasia-l@MSU.BITNET
X-VMS-To: IN%"seasia-l@msu.bitnet"
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Thu, 9 Apr 1992 15:46:00 EDT
From:         SangHwa Lee <LEES@NKUVAX.BITNET>
Subject:      To Bandoola

you have all rights to exercise your right of freedom of speech
but can a democratic right better be served by a violation of
basic human rights; Or a transmission of accurate informations.
Give credit to those who sent it for god's sake.

HTIN KYAW
NKU
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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Sun, 12 Apr 1992 11:45:56 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      Timor Video/Speakers Available
X-To:         seasia-l@msu.edu

Association of Asian Studies Annual Meeting April 2-5, 1992
flyer:

New Video

From Yorkshire Television, UK
Producer: Peter Gordon
55 minutes

Cold Blood: The Massacre in East Timor

Filming of this documentary on the human rights tragedy in East
Timor began in September, 1991.  In November, a Yorkshire
Television cameraman returned to cover a Portuguese parliamentary
delegation that was to have visited under U.N. auspices, but the
delegation's investigation of the human rights situation in East
Timor was postponed indefinitely.

The cameraman, along with two American journalists and an
Australian student, was caught in the November 12, 1991
lndonesian army attack on unarmed Timorese civilians gathered for
a memorial service outside a cemetery.  The cameraman captured the
massacre in part on film, burying the tape and returning later to
take it out of the country.

Scheduled to be shown on the Discovery Channel in April or May
1992.

Copies for educational showings:  Contact Arnold Kohen.
Phone: 202/363-1649.  Fax: 202/363-3658.



SPEAKERS AVAILABLE

The two American journalists who witnessed the massacre are
available to speak at your campus.

Allan Nairn, the New Yorker.  Phone/fax: 212/662-3649

Amy Goodman, WBAI Radio, New York, and Pacifica Radio.
0: 212/594-3246  H: 212/242-0180
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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Thu, 9 Apr 1992 14:09:20 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      Rohingyas Coming Home?
X-To:         seasia-l@msu.edu

    Reuter, Dhaka, Atiqul, April 9 - Burma has told a senior United Nations
official that it will take back all its nationals who have fled to
Bangladesh to escape alleged torture by Rangoon's army, a senior Dhaka
official said on Thursday.
    Burma's decision came on Monday in a meeting between Rangoon's
military leaders and visiting U.N. Under Secretary General Jan Eliasson,
said A.H. Mahmud Ali, additional foreign secretary in charge of Burmese
affairs.
    Eliasson visited Burma from April 2 to 6 after a three-day trip to
Bangladesh to investigate the plight of more than 215,000 Burmese
Moslems, known as Rohingyas, who have fled to Bangladesh from alleged
brutalities by Rangoon's army.
    "This is a positive sign and we welcome this development," Ali said.
     Burmese Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw would visit Bangladesh from April
23 to 28 at the head of a 14-man team to discuss the repatriation of
refugees, he said. The team would include Information Minister
Brigadier-General Myo Thant and a senior immigration official.
    Earlier, Burma's junta said the Rohingyas were illegal aliens who
would not be allowed to return.
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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Tue, 14 Apr 1992 06:28:55 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      EP Timor Hearings
X-To:         seasia-l@msu.edu

Forwarded from GreenNet reg.easttimor conference:
Topic 352EuroParliament hearing on Timor
gn:tapolreg.easttimor 9:44 pm  Apr 13, 1992

European Parliament Hearing on East Timor

TAPOL Report, 12 April 1992

The Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security of the European
Parliament will hold a public hearing on "Respect for Human
Rights in East Timor" on Thursday, 23 April 1992 at the
European Parliament Building, 89-91 rue Belliard, Brussels.

Testimony will be given by:

John Taylor, author of "Indonesia's Foregotten War", who will
speak on "The political and historical context of the
situation in East Timor".

Sidney Jones, Director of Asia Watch, who recently visited
East Timor, who will give "An overview of the principal human
rights issues of concern".

Russell Anderson, Australian journalist, who will give "An
eye-witness account of the massacre in Dili on 12 November
1991".

Donaciano Gomes, an East Timorese refugee who took part in the
demonstration in Dili at the time of the Pope's visit, who
will speak on "The role of the church in the struggle for
human rights".

Jose Ramos-Horta, international spokesperson for the National
Council of Maubere Resistance, who will speak on "The right to
self-determination".

Jose Evaristo Madeira Soares, an East Timorese refugee in
Macau, who left East Timor early this year, who will speak on
"Relations between the Indonesian authorities and the Timor
people".

Sebastiana Saldhana, a civil servant in Lisbon, whose son and
brother-in-law have been victims of recent persecution, who
will speak on "Disappearances and family reunification
problems - a personal experience".

Liem Soei Liong, of TAPOL and the Indonesian Democratic Front,
who will speak on "The campaign for human rights and democracy
in East Timor by human rights activists in Indonesia".

Another East Timorese who recently arrived in Europe from
Jakarta, Jose Antonio Amorim Dias, who arrived too late to be
included on the official list of witnesses, may also be given
an opportunity to speak.
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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Tue, 7 Apr 1992 17:22:03 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.ORG>
Subject:      Asian Summits?
X-To:         seasia-l@msu.edu

    Reuter, Sydney, April, 7 - Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating
called on Tuesday for regular summits of heads of governments in Asia
and the Pacific, saying they would promote co-operation in the region.
    "The absence of such a process is conspicuous in a region whose
weight in global affairs is steadily increasing,"  Keating said in an
address to the Asia-Australia Institute, his first major speech on
Asia-Pacific relations.
    Keating said he discussed the idea with U.S. President George Bush
during his visit to Australia in January and hoped to pursue it with
other Asia-Pacific leaders.
    Keating, who became prime minister in December, said the summits
could be held every two or three years, and would upgrade the role of
the Asia Pacific Economic Forum (APEC).
    "As I see it, the quality of Australia's future relationship with
Asia very much depends on what happens with regard to trade alignments
in the Pacific," Keating said.
    Australia spearheaded the creation of APEC in 1989 to promote
regional economic co-operation embracing North America and East Asia.
    It groups the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia,
New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and ASEAN.
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