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Under Fire, Myanmar General Says To



Under Fire, Myanmar General Says To Stick To Goals
                           07:51 a.m. Sep 09, 1998 Eastern

 YANGON, Myanmar (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government, facing
international criticism for its latest crackdown on the pro-democracy
opposition, said it will stick to its goals despite efforts of
``neo-colonialists'' to dominate the country.

``The neo-colonialists and their lackeys are using different ways and means
to dominate  Myanmar,'' Wednesday's New Light of Myanmar quoted Lieutenant
General Khin Nyunt, a  senior member of the ruling military council, as
saying.

``However much destructive elements cause disturbances, embargoes and
destructive acts the (government) will strive for the realization of the
national goal that has been set,'' he said.

Khin Nyunt, the head of military intelligence, is officially number three in
the government but is widely believed to wield the most power. He spoke at a
ceremony to mark  international literacy day at Yangon University Tuesday.

 The government has come under fire from the United States and international
human rights  groups after the opposition National League for Democracy said
Tuesday that authorities had detained 220 of its members since the weekend.

 The government has confirmed it has detained an unspecified number of NLD
members to prevent the party carrying out a vow to call a ``People's
Parliament'' this month.

The NLD said the members included 63 who won seats in the country's last
election eight years ago. The NLD won the poll by a landslide but the
military ignored the result.

Tuesday, the United States said it was seeking ways to increase pressure on
Myanmar.

``We're looking at this issue with great concern. We're looking at ways to
ratchet up the pressure on the government,'' State Department spokesman
James Rubin said.

Washington already maintains strict sanctions on Myanmar and has urged other
regional states to follow suit, although they have been reluctant to do so.

Rubin condemned calls in Myanmar's official media for NLD leader Aung San
Suu Kyi to be deported, saying any such decision ``would only ratchet up the
international response.''

 Human Rights Watch said the detentions marked a ``major new clampdown.''

It called on Japan, the European Union and the Association of South East
Asian Nations, whose foreign ministers are to meet in New York on September
23 and 24, to condemn the  detentions and urge Myanmar to allow free
participation in politics.

 Amnesty International called for the immediate release of those detained.

They included Thakin Khin Nyunt, the 84-year-old chairman of the Rakhine
League for  Democracy and one of the leaders of Myanmar's struggle for
independence from Britain.

``In view of his age, Amnesty International is particularly concerned about
his health while  in detention,'' the London-based human rights group said
in a statement received  Wednesday.

A source in Thakin Khin Nyunt's family contacted in Yangon told Reuters:
``He was called  in on September 6. The respective authorities informed us
that he was being kept well.''

In his speech, General Khin Nyunt hit back at critics of Myanmar's
educational system and  accused ``evil elements'' and foreign news agencies
of enticing youths with false   information, rumors and lies.

Last month students staged a rare pro-democracy protest close to the campus
where Khin Nyunt spoke. Yangon University was a hotbed of student activism
during a student-led  national uprising for democracy 10 years ago which the
military ruthlessly crushed.

There were further protests last week at campuses of Yangon Institute of
Technology  against educational conditions and plans to relocate courses far
from the current northern  Yangon site.