NEWS- Myanmar Urges Pro-Govt. A

[Philip.Mccracken@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Myanmar Urges Pro-Govt. Activists to Guard Nation

               Reuters
               15-JAN-98

               YANGON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Prime
               Minister and Senior General Than
               Shwe has called on millions of
               pro-government activists to guard
               Myanmar from false propaganda
               directed against the country,
               state-owned media reported on
               Thursday. 

               ``Neo-colonialists have been making
               misleading allegations and
               irresponsible remarks to make the
               world misunderstand Myanmar, and
               are inciting their lackeys inside the
               country,'' he said told Union Solidarity
               and Development Association
               (USDA) activists on the outskirts of
               Yangon on Wednesday. 

               The general was apparently referring
               to Western charges that the ruling
               military junta has violated human
               rights and curbed the political
               activities of the opposition led by
               Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu
               Kyi. 

               The junta formed pro-government
               USDA in 1993 to counter opposition
               parties and foreign agencies. It now
               has more than eight million members

               USDA activists have labelled Suu
               Kyi's National League for Democracy
               (NLD) a destructive internal element
               and international agencies and
               foreign media as external destructive
               groups. 

               The NLD overwhelmingly won the
               1990 national elections, but the
               military ignored the results and has
               continued to rule with an iron hand.