Reuters-Myanmar dissidents say mili

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Subject: Reuters-Myanmar dissidents say military arrests four 

Myanmar dissidents say military arrests four
05:25 a.m. Aug 12, 1999 Eastern
BANGKOK, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Myanmar dissidents said on Thursday the military
government had arrested four more political activists in a central town as
part of a crackdown to prevent unrest on anniversaries of a 1988
pro-democracy uprising.

The National Council of the Union of Burma, an umbrella group of dissidents
based on the Thai-Myanmar border, said the four -- three students aged
between 18 and 20 and a trader aged 23 -- were arrested by the military
intelligence in Pegu on August 2.

``According to residents of Pegu several arrests have taken place in Pegu
lately,'' it said in a statement. ``The crackdown seems to be the result of
the fear of the military of a repetition of the countrywide demonstrations
in 1988.''

Pegu is about 80 km (50 miles) north of Yangon and was a centre of
anti-government activism during the 1988 uprising.

The statement said the authorities appeared concerned about the possibility
of plans to mark the 11th anniversary of the killing of 15 students and
demonstrators in Pegu on August 6, 1988.

The statement added that ``according to some sources,'' another 40 activists
from the Pegu area had been detained recently, including members of the main
opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), and were being
held in a military compound.

They included the former chairman of the Pegu township NLD and an NLD MP who
were later released, it said.

A government spokesman could not be reached for comment.

The dissident statement said the crackdown followed the detention of 19
people in Pegu in July in connection with anti-government activity.

Myanmar dissidents in exile have been calling for mass protests to mark
``four nines day'' -- September 9, 1999.

The government has responded by stepping up attacks against the opposition
in the state press in recent weeks. Earlier this month a commentary in
official newspapers accused NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi of ``brazenly
spoiling peace'' and reiterated a call for legal action against her.

Suu Kyi's party won Myanmar's last election in 1990 by a landslide, but the
military ignored the result and has attempted to silence the party through a
long campaign of arrests and intimidation.