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Burmese junta sees signs of social
- Subject: Burmese junta sees signs of social
- From: suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1998 17:18:00
Headlines
Burmese junta sees signs
of social breakdown,
rioting as political
tensions mount
RANGOON -- Burma is concerned about
the potential for social breakdown and
rioting as the Asian economic crisis hits
home and political tensions between the
junta and opposition groups mount, an
official said.
''Tragically, political change and social
unrest in some new democracies in recent
months have resulted in rioting, looting,
death and even civil war,'' junta spokesman
Lieutenant Colonel Hla Min said in a
statement yesterday.
''The government of Myanmar therefore
takes the issue of 'political crisis' very
seriously as we move towards our goal of a
stable, multi-party democracy.''
Hla Min was speaking in Rangoon on
Wednesday, when the junta announced the
arrest of 54 people, including 23 from the
National League for Democracy (NLD)
opposition party, in connection with an
alleged plot to ''incite anarchy''.
He said democracy was ''achievable'' in
Burma, citing recent ceasefire agreements
with ethnic rebel groups, efforts to liberalise
the economy and the country's entry into the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
last year.
''Nevertheless, the Asian economic crisis is
straining political systems in many
countries. If we lose the basic peace and
stability we have achieved, the groundwork
for democracy may be lost,'' Hla Min said.
The junta has refused to recognise the
results of 1990 elections which the NLD,
led by Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu
Kyi, won in a landslide.
Opposition groups say they are being
subjected to the most severe crackdown on
dissidents since the crushing of student
demonstrations in 1988. Hundreds of
opposition supporters and NLD members
are reported detained or arrested since
May.
The junta denies it keeps political
prisoners.
UN high commissioner for human rights,
Mary Robinson, on Wednesday stepped up
criticism of Rangoon following the 54
arrests announced this week.
''The latest detentions of opposition
activists in Myanmar are very worrying,
indicating that the government continues to
ignore basic human rights standards and
the concern of the international community,''
Robinson said in a statement, her second
condemning the junta in successive days.
Agence France-Presse