Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Poland sends copters to Burma in deal begun under communists Date: Mon, 9 Nov 92 14:59:57 EST Message-ID: \SE A;WORLD \HD Poland sends copters to Burma in deal begun under communists \BY Richard Ehrlich \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES \DT BANGKOK BANGKOK - Ignoring international condemnation of Burma's military junta, Poland has continued a communist-era weapons contract by delivering at least 12 helicopters to help the Rangoon regime crush a pro-democracy movement. "Polish Prime Minister Jan Olszewski is stupid; he is being just like [communist-era President] Wojciech Jaruzelski to continue this contract," a European diplomat said in an interview. "Frankly speaking, it is a dirty business. It is terrible." Polish officials confirmed the diplomat's report of the helicopter sales. Burma suffers one of the world's worst human rights records. It has been criticized by the United States, the European Parliament, Australia, Amnesty International and others for killing more than 1,000 pro-democracy demonstrators and hundreds of members of ethnic minorities and for torturing opponents. Burma's elected leader, 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, has been under house arrest since she won a landslide victory in elections called by the military rulers in 1989. The results of the election were canceled. Poland's helicopters will help the military against Karen guerrillas, a mainly Christian ethnic minority along the Thai border, and against pro-democracy student activists who have taken refuge in the same area, the European diplomat said. An elected government-in-exile - led by Mrs. Suu Kyi - is allied with the Karens and uses their eastern Burma jungle base at Manerplaw as its headquarters and window on the outside world. As a result, Rangoon is obsessed with capturing Manerplaw. It is expected to use the newly delivered Polish helicopters when its dry-season offensive begins in several weeks, the diplomat said. "I can confirm 12 Mi-1 and Sokol helicopters were delivered in July," said the European diplomat, who asked not to be identified. The diplomat said the Mi-1 was designed by the Russians but has been modified by the Poles. "Four years ago, Poland was at that time a communist regime and it signed an agreement with Burma. More than 10 helicopters were delivered three or four years ago. This new delivery of 12 helicopters was the continuation of that contract, which was authorized by President Jaruzelski." The Karens and several other ethnic minorities have been fighting for 40 years to either receive greater autonomy or to become independent nations. But all the insurgent groups have lost ground in the past year. The government has splurged on major weapons deals with China and other nations and launched successful offensives against the jungle-based guerrillas and urban-based democracy movement. "The helicopters were used already, and they will use them again because there are no roads and no railways," the diplomat said. "The most important means of transportation for the army are the helicopters. . . . "There are two or three Polish technicians who are in Burma maintaining the helicopters," he added. The diplomat said Warsaw seemed willing to ignore Rangoon's repressive record because of problems in Poland's helicopter industry, including a strike in the factory that makes them and intense competition from other arms dealers. Nevertheless, he denounced the deal as immoral. "This is the Jaruzelski regime shaking hands with Burma's regime," he said. "According to my reports, Prime Minister Jan Olszewski also authorized this agreement so it could continue. . . . "This Olszewski was looked up to in the salons of Warsaw. Everyone looked up to him, he fought the communists, and then he does this." In 1988, Burmese troops killed more than 1,000 pro-democracy activists who vainly pressed for an end to the dictatorship. Today, all signs of public dissent have been silenced and most people have lost hope of gaining democracy or human rights in the near future. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM