Information Sheet No. A-0640 (I)

[OKKAR66129@xxxxxxx]

              MYANMAR INFORMATION COMMITTEE
                                      YANGON         

                              Information Sheet

                No. A-0640 (I)                8 Oct,1998

(1) 		(Continuation of yesterday)

		Attitude of the Nationalities Peace Groups 

		Today, a  translation of  the declaration of the Kayan Pyithit Party of
Kayah State Special Region 3   issued on 4-10-98 is stated as follows.   The
declarations of   other peace groups will also be made public

Declaration on the Attitude of the Kayan Pyithit Party
													Date:  4 - 10 - 98

1.		The Kayan Pyithit Party will not support the call of the National League
for Democracy to convene the Pyithu Hluttaw.
2.		The Kayan Pyithit Party will concentrate on implementing regional
development projects in cooperation with the government.

												    Sd  U Than Palan
												       Chief of Staff
								             				   Kayan Pyithit Party
										
		
(2)		Conspiracy between NLD and Myanmar Expatriate Groups and International
Organizations Clarified
		A news briefing on how the National League for Democracy in the country has
been conspiring with Myanmar Expatriate Groups and some international
organizations to destabilise the situation and incite anarchy and uprising
within Myanmar took place at the Defence Services Guest House on Inya Road,
Yangon at  9.30 am on 7 October. It was attended by Patron and President of
the Foreign Correspondents Club and local and foreign journalists. Col Thein
Swe (Air) of the Office of Strategic Studies briefed on the conspiracy between
the National League for Democracy and Myanmar expatriate groups and
international organizations. Afterwards, responsible officials replied to
questions asked by local and foreign journalists. After the news briefing,
local and  foreign journalists viewed provocative documents written to incite
riots in the country, photo copiers, computers and duplicating machines used
to produce those materials, documentary photographs, photographs of houses,
apartments and buildings rented with the funds provided by foreign supporters,
photographs of some foreigners and non-governmental organizations interfering
in Myanmar's internal affairs. 
(3)		Instructor Multiplier Course No 2/98 on Conducting Research Survey of
Group for 	Protection of Women from Violence and Rehabilitation Opens
		Instructor multiplier course No 2/98 on conducting research survey of group
for Protection of Women from Violence and Rehabilitation sponsored by Yangon
Division Women Affairs Committee opened at Yangon Command on 7 October.

OFFICE CALLS IN YANGON ON 7 OCTOBER
(A)		Secretary-2 of the State Peace and Development Council  received Special
Representative of Governor of Yunnan Province and Senior Adviser of the
Government of Yunnan Province of the People's Republic of China Mr Wang Xue
Ren and party, accompanied by Ambassador of PRC, at the International Business
Centre on 6 October morning. They discussed Paunglaung Hydroelectric Power
Project and Mutual interest in investments.
(B)		Minister for Energy received Chairman Mr Peter T Lin of Beijing Hanning
Industries & Trade Co of the People's Republic of China at his office.

SPECIAL FEATURE
		This office is presenting the "Presentation on the Current Political
Situation in Myanmar " by Lieutenant Colonel Hla Min at the news briefing for
diplomatic corps held in Yangon on 7th October for your information.   
Presentation on the Current Political Situation in Myanmar 
by LTC. Hla Min
1.		Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen, Good Afternoon, and thank you for coming
to this briefing. We welcome the opportunity to review the current situation
in Myanmar, and to answer any questions you may have.

2.		As you know, the National League for Democracy formed a committee on
September 16, which it says will act as an interim parliament. Since then, the
committee has been issuing conflicting statements, saying that some laws in
Myanmar are legal and some other laws are illegal. The committee issued a
decree on September 17 invalidating all laws issued since September 18, 1988,
but then it suddenly changed its mind on September 28 and said that some of
those laws were still legal. But then it changed its mind again and decreed
that a number of other laws, dating back as far as 1950, were now suddenly
illegal.

3.		We admit that we are as unclear as you probably are about the NLD's
conflicting and changing  positions.  Since it was formed ten years ago, the
NLD has never put forth any serious, specific ideas on the structure of
government, economic policy, counter-narcotics policy, foreign policy or any
other area of governing.  And on September 28, the Reuters news service
described these new decrees as " a symbolic act that would achieve little. "
The Government agrees with that assessment.

4.		The Government is working hard to develop Myanmar and guide it through the
current regional economic crisis.  We hope the NLD will contribute in a
positive and meaningful way to achieving our common goals: a thriving economy,
and a stable, multiparty democratic system.  Now is the time for responsible,
constructive cooperation, not whimsical and symbolic gestures designed merely
to attract attention.

5.		The Government had hoped that a meeting in August between Lt-Gen Khin
Nyunt, Secretary1 of the SPDC, and U Aung Shwe, Chairman of the NLD, would
launch an era of co-operation that would benefit all the people of Myanmar,
but as you know, the NLD has unilaterally rejected any further meetings.

6.		This is unfortunate, as the NLD had previously stated on several occasions
that it would meet with the Government " with no preconditions. " However, as
you know, the NLD has now made the inclusion of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, an
unelected private citizen, a pre-condition for any further meetings.

7.		While the Government welcomes official meetings with legal representatives
of political parties, it feels that including private citizens in such
official meetings is inappropriate, especially when those private citizens are
also celebrities.  The meetings should be conducted with the aim of doing
serious work on solving Myanmar's challenges, not merely providing a podium
for celebrities.

8.		Talks on Myanmar's future are also continuing with the Peace Groups, which
have recently reaffirmed their commitment to working with the Government for
the benefit of all.  For example, the New Mon State Party stated on September
29 that as the NLD's demand to convene a parliament " is a follow-up matter of
the 1990 General Election, which was organized by the government, it must be
carried out in accord with the government's lawful arrangement.  NLD is not
authorized to do it." 

9.		Much work remains ahead of us.  The regional economic crisis is not
improving, and this is no time for playing politics.  As a country, we need to
work together to develop strong policies on economic development, counter-
narcotics, national security, and the establishment of a National
Constitution.

10.		As you know, a number of NLD members have been staying at Government
guesthouses since September 6, at the Government's invitation.  They are being
comfortably housed and well fed, and they are being treated with courtesy and
respect.  The Government has no wish to house them for any longer than
necessary, and regrets the inconvenience to those involved. Some of the NLD
members have returned home after a successful exchange of views to build a
stable, multiparty democracy and to preserve the prevailing peace that Myanmar
enjoys.  We hope that, with the co-operation and goodwill of the NLD
leadership, more of the NLD members are expected to return home. 

11.		These detentions have raised criticism from some outside observers; a
spokesman for one foreign government said on September 8 that: " Arbitrary
detentions are unjustifiable and will only worsen rather than solve the
political crisis."

12.		Apparently there is some misunderstanding of the situation in Myanmar, so
we would like to clarify some basic points.

13.		Like any government anywhere in the world, the Government of Myanmar has
a fundamental obligation to protect the right of all its citizens to a safe,
secure and stable environment.

14.		Only ten years ago, we experienced first-hand the tragedies that result
from a genuine political crisis.  As you know, we went through months of
riots, looting, social anarchy and even mob executions before safety was
restored.  It was an experience no one in Myanmar wants to go through again,
and an experience I hope no one in any country, including your own, will ever
have to endure.

15.		And yet, as we look at other countries around the world, we can still see
many of these horrors today.  Tragically, political change and social unrest
in some new democracies in recent months have resulted in rioting, looting,
violent death and even civil war.

16.		The Government of Myanmar therefore takes the issue of "political crisis"
very seriously as we move toward our goal of a stable and multiparty
democracy.

17.		There are some observers, both inside and outside Myanmar who are
demanding immediate changes.  They believe that a country can transform itself
into a functioning democracy overnight.  They believe that just holding an
election solves a country's problems.  They believe that slowing Myanmar's
economic development through sanctions and boycotts will hasten the transition
to democracy.

18.		However, history compels us to be more realistic.  New democracies do not
automatically succeed-- in fact, many fail.  They fail when they are built on
fragile foundations and unrealistic expectations.  But they thrive when they
are built on a solid economic base, when there is a constitution suited to the
culture and needs of the country, when the societies are stable, and when
national security is assured.

19.		Myanmar's transition to democracy is very complex, as we have had limited
success with democracy in the past.  In fact, our post-war democratic system
was unable to survive the social and political pressures put on it, and had to
be abandoned in 1962 to avoid the break-up of the country.

20.		Therefore, we must act realistically and responsibly to lay the
foundation of a democratic system that is suited to our culture and national
security, and that will last, we hope, for many years.

21.		Fortunately, Myanmar is now at a point where a stable democracy is
achievable.  Over the past decade, we have signed cease-fire agreements with
all but one of  our former insurgent groups, and laid the groundwork for a
market economy.  We have joined international organizations such as ASEAN.
And, while we are not immune from the effects of the Asian economic crisis,
neither are we facing food shortages or widespread economic collapse.

22.		Nevertheless, the Asian economic crisis is straining political systems in
many countries.  If we lose the basic peace and stability we have achieved,
the groundwork for democracy may be lost. If riots and social chaos break out,
then we will fail in our primary responsibility, which is to protect our
citizens from harm and to maintain national security.

23.		This is why we view with grave concern the expressed intention of the
National League for Democracy  to convene a People's Parliament before the
country has had time to complete a National Convention which will ensure
political stability. Without a Constitution the Parliament would be unable to
govern effectively. That, we fear, would lead not to a stable democracy, but
to institutional confusion, social chaos and genuine political crisis.

24.		And if political crisis leads to a crisis in national security, then
Myanmar's very existence is in danger. There are armed groups in the county
who would like to take advantage of political confusion to split Myanmar into
a number of mini-states. Clearly, we can never allow that to happen.

25.		The Government of Myanmar warmly appreciates the interest, concerns and
opinions of our partners in the international community. Indeed, the support
and understanding of countries which have been through some of our own
experiences has helped us move forward. Their advice as we make this
transition to democracy  has been invaluable, and we are grateful for it.

26.		Our goal is for Myanmar to be a flourishing member of the international
community. We want Myanmar to be an anchor of regional stability. We want
Myanmar to be a source of opportunities for global economic development.

27.		But most of all, we want a better, fuller life for all the people of
Myanmar. As the country's stability and prosperity grow, economic
opportunities will grow and our political system will be able to develop. This
is the goal of all of us, and the understanding, support and  patience of the
international community in achieving that goal will be greatly appreciated by
all Myanmar people, for generations to come.

7th October, 1998
Yangon

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