U.S. Raps Burma for Arrests

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U.S. Raps Burma for Arrests

                         The United States said yesterday Burma's arrest of
about 60
                         senior opposition figures demonstrated the
"perfidious and
                         inhumane nature" of the Asian country's military
government.

                         An official of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu
Kyi's National
                         League for Democracy said in Rangoon the arrests
had been
                         carried out ahead of a May 27 celebration of the
party's 1990
                         election victory, ignored by the government.

                         "This is yet one more example of the perfidious and
inhumane
                         nature of the Burmese regime," said State Department
                         spokesman Nicholas Burns. "It's another reason why
we don't
                         think that Burma ought to be treated as a normal
country."

                         President Clinton imposed sanctions on Burma on Tuesday
                         because of "serious abuses" by the government
against political
                         opponents. He also complained about the flow of
illegal drugs
                         through Burma.

                         Burns said the aim of the sanctions was to
"convince the
                         Burmese government that they're going to be more
and more
                         isolated by the United States if they continue this
inhumane
                         treatment of their own people."

                         -- Reuter