New release form Myanmar Embassy in

[OKKAR66129@xxxxxxx]

                     EMBASSY OF THE UNION OF MYANMAR
                                 OTTAWA
                          MYANMAR NEWS RELEASE
   VOL.10                     AUGUST 12, 1998                    NO.19
               Political   Concerts  -  do  they  work ??

 	After  describing the situation in Myanmar as being on the verge of
exploding with civil unrest the senior officials of Western Governments seem
to be trying the worst to make their predictions come true.
                 	When the people of Myanmar refused to be drawn into such
ill- intentioned, self- promoting maneuvres of local politicians , their
foreign conspirators have gone so far as  to import foreign agitators, posing
as tourists, into the capital city of Yangon and incite the peace loving
people into breaching public order.  Even  this desperate effort, financed by
the likes  of illegitimate " Alternative  ASEAN  Network - - -" etc failed
when 18 such foreigners including six Americans were promptly rounded up by
law abiding citizens and handed   them  over to the police.

 	The Globe & Mail ( Page A 8, Aug 11, 1998 ) quoting Agence France - Presse ,
reported that " Although concerned , some diplomats also said the activists
had sought trouble. ' It was a pretty stupid thing to do ' added one whose
embassy  had  no citizens  involved. " This practically sums up the picture.

 	The people of Myanmar fully realizes that their greatest  " prize" has been
the cessation of the 50 year old armed insurgencies that only this government
could bring about . They also saw  that no political party played any
significant role in this historic achievement and thus handing over power to
them as demanded by Western Governments is a sure prescription for disaster.

 	Daily  media reports of recurrent civil wars in the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Angola, Ethiopia, etc. only augments their fear of man- made
catastrophes  related  to too rapid a political change.

    	The present attempts by a political party to create and incite political
unrest with the help of outsiders will only alienate the peace - loving silent
majority further away from any politial movement in which a political party
tries to assume power through  such unscrupulous means.  They have also seen
that there are still countries in the region which are making good economic &
social progress without even having democracy parties in place, and that a
chaotic overnight transition could do more
harm than good.

 	It is ironic that the political parties allowed to legally stand  by the
government as a first step towards democratic transition are being abused by
foreign powers and used as their agents of unrest in a
country  where people have become only too wise to dance to their tune.

 	Ms.Suu Kyi Aris has embarked upon another road-side political demonstration
once again. Her foreign cohorts will, in turn, be using this opportunity to
discredit Myanmar. When they do, the government and the people will again
remain steadfastly impervious to any criticism based on such artificially
manufactured political  " incidents".

 	Although these ill- designed  manipulations are doomed to failure - the
people of Myanmar also knows that democratic change will come - and that it
will come only according to their own national agenda in a peaceful, orderly
manner-  certainly not because of foreigners imposing their will by fair or
foul means.

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