AFP-White House welcomes Myanmar's

[hlaing@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

White House welcomes Myanmar's release of Americans, warns of abuses
Fri 14 Aug 98 - 15:11 GMT 

WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (AFP) - The White House welcomed Myanmar's release
Friday of American pro-democracy activists but warned that their arrest was
but one example of Yangon's human rights abuses.

"While we are pleased that these American citizens will be returning to the
united states, we think this ought to serve as a reminder that there is an
absence of protection of basic human rights in Burma," said spokesman
Michael McCurry.

Eighteen foreign activists, including six Americans, who were sentenced to
five years hard labor in military-run Myanmar -- also known as Burma -- are
to be deported Saturday, TV Myanmar said in a broadcast monitored in
Bangkok.

The 18 were rounded up Sunday handing out pamphlets urging people to
remember the 10th anniversary of a bloody military crackdown on
pro-democracy demonstrators on August 8, 1988.

The detainees were six US nationals, three Thais, three Malaysians, three
Indonesians, two Filipinos and one Australian, according to Myanmar's
junta. Ten were male and eight female.

McCurry said the whole incident was "a failure of the Burmese government to
allow freedom of expression which underscores all the points that we have
made privately and publicly."