Reuter: Khin Nyunt Attacks Foreign

[ktint@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Reuter: Khin Nyunt Attacks Foreign Organizations

Khin Nyunt Attacks Foreign Organizations

    RANGOON, July 2 (Reuter) - A top Burmese general has accused
international social and religious organisations of interfering in the
country's internal affairs, official media reported on Tuesday.
     Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, Secretary One of the ruling State Law
and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and head of military intelligence,
made the comments at a refresher course for local Red Cross Society
executives, state-run media said.
     "Under the facade of 'international'...so-called international
religious and social organisations are assisting the group opposing the
state, interfering in internal affairs," he said.
     Khin Nyunt did not identify any international organisations and did
not say which group was opposing the state.
     But the government has regularly attacked the National League for
Democracy (NLD) headed by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi for trying
to destabilise the country.
     Khin Nyunt said the Red Cross Society needed to cooperate with
international organisations that have "pure goodwill" to protect it from
being used by "unscrupulous organisations."
     "All are aware of the destructive acts to hamper national development
and jeapordise peace and stability with the assistance of external
elements," he said.
     "People from all walks of life who are enjoying the fruits of
development are disgusted with destructive acts jeopardising the stability
of the state and have expressed their desire to ostracise and crush the
axe-handles (traitors)," he said.
     Over the past month, the government has staged mass rallies nearly
every day across the country to denounce the NLD and call for an end to
foreign interference.
     Burmese citizens say they are called up and told to attend the
rallies. Diplomats and opposition leaders say the military enforces the
request.
     The rallies have been held since a controversial congress of the NLD
in late May. Just before the congress, the SLORC arrested more than 250 NLD
politicians planning to attend the meeting in an effort to avoid unrest and
"anarchy."
     Official media on Tuesday also said two more elected NLD members had
resigned, bringing the total number to 15. It said Kyin Thein and Sai Aung
Than resigned of their own free will.
     Suu Kyi said the SLORC has told many elected NLD representatives who
were arrested in May to resign.
     "NLD workers are often 'reminded' of the possible consequences of
continued involvement in politics," she said in her syndicated newspaper
column published in Bangkok on Tuesday.
  REUTER
KT
ISBDA