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NEWS - Myanmar Says Foreign Activis



Myanmar Says Foreign Activists Part of Plot

            Reuters
            11-AUG-98

            YANGON, Aug 11 (Reuters)- The fate of 18 foreign activists
held in
            Myanmar for distributing pro-democracy leaflets was unclear
on
            Tuesday as the military government accused the group of
being part of
            a plot. 

            Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said in Bangkok that he
thought
            the activists, detained on Sunday after handing out
thousands of
            leaflets at Yangon tourist sites, might be charged. 

            But a government spokesman declined to confirm rumours that
the
            activists would be tried, saying only that ``the legal
process is
            underway and (it would) be premature to give comment on the
            outcome at this moment.'' 

            Reporting the detention of the activists for the first time,
all three of
            Myanmar's state-owned newspapers said the group had colluded
with
            ``internal axe-handles,'' the term by which the government
commonly
            refers to traitors. 

            They said the ``plot'' was arranged outside Myanmar. 

            ``Their premeditated acts to the detriment of Myanmar and
its people
            are evident,'' said the newspapers, which carried identical
reports and
            commentaries attacking the activists as well as pictures and
brief
            biographies of each of the group. 

            ``The authorities are planning to take necessary actions
against them,''
            the newspapers said. 

            Myanmar police detained six Americans, an Australian, three
Thais,
            three Malaysians, three Indonesians and two Philippine
citizens on
            Sunday. 

            Activists said they handed out about 10,000 red, palm-sized
leaflets
            reminding the Myanmar people not to forget a crackdown on
            opposition demonstrators 10 years ago. The leaflets carried
the
            message: ``8888-- Don't forget-- Don't give up.'' 

            On August 8, 1988, soldiers fired on a pro-democracy
demonstration
            near Yangon city hall, killing many civilians. Opposition
supporters say
            thousands of people died in the unrest that followed. The
military puts
            the death toll at a few dozen. 

            Diplomats representing the activists in Yangon said they had
still not
            been told what would happen to their nationals. 

            The Thai Foreign Minister told Reuters in Bangkok that his
government
            had not yet seen its nationals. 

            ``We should give them (Myanmar) some time to perform the
legal
            procedure. I understand that they might be charged in
accordance with
            the existing laws,'' Surin said. 

            ``What we can do is ask for lenience and (legal) practice in
            accordance with international standards,'' he said. 

            Several diplomats said they believed the government would
like to
            expel the detainees quickly rather than risk a protracted
and probably
            high-profile incident. 

            But others said they thought the activists could be held for
some time
            before being deported. 

            This was how the authorities treated a foreign activist,
James
            Mawdsley, who was detained in September 1997 for chaining
himself
            to a fence and shouting anti-government slogans. 

            He was sentenced to five years jail and fined for entering
the country
            illegally but was released and deported on August 6. 

            Sunday's leaflet drop was organised by the Alternative ASEAN
            (Association of South East Asian Nations) Network on Burma
            (Altsean-Burma), which supports Myanmar's democracy
movement. 

            Altsean-Burma has said the activists included lawyers,
academics,
            business people and students who had gone to Myanmar to
            commemorate the anniversary with a ``goodwill message.'' 

            Tension between the government and the opposition National
League
            for Democracy (NLD) has risen in recent weeks ahead of an
NLD
            deadline for the government to convene by August 21 a
parliament of
            members elected in May 1990. 

            The NLD, led by 1991 Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi,
won that
            election but the government has ignored the result. 

            Suu Kyi, the daughter of Myanmar's national hero and
founding father
            Aung San, was released from six years of house arrest in
July 1995,
            but still faces restrictions on her movements and all
visitors to her
            home are monitored carefully.