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INFORMATION SHEET No.A-0560(I)



                MYANMAR INFORMATION COMMITTEE ( YANGON )
                                  INFORMATION SHEET 

                     No.A-0560(I)                       15th August 1998

(1)		Organizations Carrying out Nefarious Acts in the Guise of Social Work
Condemned in the Strongest Terms 
	
		Legal action has been taken against 18 foreigners who dropped from taxis and
distributed small instigative leaflets they had smuggled into the country at
busy places in Yangon on 9 August morning with the aim of disrupting the peace
and  tranquillity of the nation, creating civil unrest and causing panic among
the public. According to the confession of instigator foreigners, they had
been organized and sent by International Organization of Democracy in Burma of
the USA, Alternative Asean Network on Burma and Union for Civil Liberty of
Thailand and Initiative for International Dialogue of the Philippines. A
meeting had been held in Siam Beverly Hotel, Thailand, on 6 August. At this
meeting, Miss Debbie Stothard and officials of Alternative Asean Network on
Burma of Thailand had given detailed instructions to be carried out. They had
also arranged leaflets to be distributed and fixed the places and time to
distribute the leaflets. Their main purpose was to distribute instigative
leaflets at busy places in Yangon on 8 August with the aim of causing panic
among the public and creating unrest. This organization had defrayed
travelling and food expenses. It has been found that International
Organization of Democracy in Burma of the USA, Alternative Asean  Net-Work on
Burma and Union for Civil Liberty of Thailand and Initiative International
Dialogue of the Philippines are organizations interfering in the internal
affairs of other countries and under the pretext of social ground and
democracy; the intent of the premeditated and synchronized incident which had
happened recently, was to disrupt the peace and tranquillity of the nation and
to use those who had not had any knowledge of Myanmar by deception. Regarding
this, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a statement that International
Organization of Democracy in Burma of the USA, Alternative Asean Network on
Burma and Union for Civil Liberty of Thailand and Initiative International
Dialogue of the Philippines, which had interfered in the internal affairs of
Myanmar b
g out nefarious acts in the guise of social work under the
pretext of democracy, protesting and condemning such acts in the strongest
terms.

(2)		Detained Foreigners Systematically Handed Over to Respective  Embassies 

		Eighteen foreigners who distributed instigative leaflets at busy places on 9
August morning with the aim of creating public commotion, were put on trial in
accord with the laws at the court of Insein Township on 14 August, and the
court handed down sentences. The arrested foreigners, while being questioned
in accord with the laws, were looked after properly on humanitarian grounds.
They were charged with distributing instigative leaflets with the intention of
disrupting the peace and tranquillity of Myanmar and creating civil unrest in
contravention of Section 5 (e) of the Emergency Provisions Act, 1950, and
tried at the special court of Insein Township on 14 August. The court handed
down five years? imprisonment to each on conviction that they had violated the
existing law of Myanmar. Under Section 401 (a) of the Criminal Procedural Law,
the punishments handed down on them were cancelled, and the Ministry of Home
Affairs passed a decision for them to leave here on 15 August in consideration
of the fact that most of them were from neighbouring nations, members of
ASEAN, that their countries and Myanmar are on an existing friendly terms,
that they had not had any knowledge of Myanmar, that they had been organized
and deceived into committing crime by Alternative Asean Network on Burma and
that they confessed to having committed the offence and requests were made by
their families and officials of respective governments. The 18 foreigners were
systematically handed over to the respective embassies.

OFFICE CALLS IN YANGON ON 14 AUGUST

(A)		Secretary of Myanmar Investment Commission  received Chairman Mr
Shigehiro Yamauchi and party of Able- Yamauchi Co. Ltd of Japan at the
commission office.
(B) 		Chairman of Myanmar Investment Commission  received Managing Director Mr
Koslip Patara Teeranond and party of Advanced Stainless Steel Co. Ltd of
Thailand at his office.
(C)		Minister for Energy received General Manager Mr Jong Kyu Kim of Hyundai
Corporation of Republic of Korea and General Manager Mr T Takayama of Sumitomo
Corporation of Japan at his office separately.
(D)		Deputy Minister for Health  received Dr Christophe Mathoulin of France at
his office. They discussed cooperation and exchange in medical education
between the two countries.

Government of Myanmar Continues to  Provide Assistance to  Ms. Su Kyi and
Assistants

		Ms. Su Kyi, U Hla Pe and their two chauffers continued to rest  in a camping
vehicle near Anyarsu village outside Yangon today, while the Government of
Myanmar continues to make every effort  to ensure their comfort and safety.
		Yesterday evening Ms. Su Kyi and her companions were provided with a
cassette tape recorder and some religious sermon tapes and a selections of
tapes including Madonna and Michael Jackson in addition to the journals to
help pass the time.
		This morning government officials provided bottles of mineral water and soft
drinks in order to provide for their comfort and welfare. 

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