Reuters-Myanmar News

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( 1 )Myanmar 9-9-99 dissidents see victory of sorts
( 2 )Myanmar holds woman over lamp-post protest
( 3 )Britain says British woman arrested in Myanmar
( 4 )Dissidents say Myanmar plans 9-9-99 provocateurs
( 5 )Myanmar hits at ``rumours'' after mass arrest report
( 6 )FOCUS-British woman quizzed over Myanmar protest
( 7 )Myanmar border guards kill Bangladeshi fisherman
( 8 )FOCUS-Embassy denied access to Briton in Myanmar
( 9 )Myanmar questions British woman over protest
(10) Protesters storm Myanmar embassy in Canberra

Myanmar 9-9-99 dissidents see victory of sorts
03:34 a.m. Sep 07, 1999 Eastern
By David Brunnstrom

BANGKOK, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Calls for a mass uprising in Myanmar this week
may not bring many onto the streets, but dissidents are already hailing a
victory of sorts against military rule.

Dissidents in exile have been hoping for a repeat of huge protests in 1988
that shook the foundations of authoritarian rule. They have called Thursday,
September 9, 1999 -- the so-called ``four nines day'' -- their country's
date with destiny.

Diplomats and other independent observers in Myanmar can envisage some
isolated protests but doubt many people will be willing to risk getting on
the wrong side again of an army that shot thousands to crush the last
uprising.

They say the military has tightened up security and surveillance nationwide
and imposed an unofficial curfew in provincial cities to prevent unrest.

On Monday the government warned of ``severe and effective action'' against
attempts to disrupting law and order.

``Everyone has been given the message -- not officially, there is no
official order -- but everyone has been told that they should be off the
streets at nine o'clock and there are trucks full of soldiers to make sure
they do that,'' said a Yangon resident who visited northern towns at the
weekend.

``It seems that most of the major towns are under curfew.''

On Tuesday the government denied towns were under ``official curfew'' but
said long-standing preventive steps were being implemented against
``terrorism'' in border areas.

Diplomats in Yangon say anti-government sentiment remains strong and
widespread and the economy a mess. But one said:

``People are still too scared to risk anything. And although things like
rice prices have risen, I'm not sure there is the level of desperation
needed to launch some great movement.''

Some worried about provocateurs, the diplomat said.

``They worry the government will actually try to stir it up themselves so
they can see who comes out to join in so they can arrest them.''

On Monday, deputy foreign minister Khin Maung Win told envoys from fellow
Association of South East Asian Nations the uprising call was a vain one
despite extensive foreign media coverage.

``The people of Myanmar do not wish to see a repeat of the anarchic
conditions of 1988,'' he said, warning of ``severe and effective action''
against anyone disrupting law and order.

Last week the government jailed for 17 years a British activist detained in
a border town with pro-democracy leaflets.

Dissidents say 500 local activists have been arrested in the past month
since the 9-9-99 uprising call, although the government has admitted to
fewer than 40 detentions.

Exile groups like the All Burma Students' Democratic Front,

made up of dissidents who fled the 1988 massacres, remain unperturbed. They
say the small-scale demonstrations that have taken place and the military
response show the extent of anti-government sentiment.

``It's not like a national uprising but there's been a call to action to on
the 9-9-99,'' said ABSDF general secretary Aung Thu Nyein. ``I am very
optimistic, because we have seen a lot of activities despite the harsh
pressure of the authorities.''

``We can't say we have failed -- we still have to wait and see. I'm very
pleased our action call has been started, that the people have responded.
The fact the government has had to take such overt action shows a lot of
activists are still active.

``We have the momentum and if we continue we will achieve our aims,'' he
said.

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Myanmar holds woman over lamp-post protest
01:21 p.m Sep 07, 1999 Eastern
YANGON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Myanmar police on Tuesday detained a Western
women who tied her hand to a lamp-post at a key intersection in the capital
Yangon and started shouting pro-democracy slogans, eyewitnesses said.

About 100 passers-by gathered to watch the protest by the middle-aged
Caucasian woman clad in a traditional Myanmar sarong.

Police arrived shortly afterwards and took her away to an unknown
destination, they told Reuters.

``She tied her hands with a cord to the lamp-post and shouted pro-democracy
slogans in the local language until police came to take her away about 20
minutes later,'' said one eyewitness who declined to be identified.

Government security officials were unavailable for comment on the incident
or on the fate of the woman.

Myanmar exiles and opposition have called for a mass uprising on September 9
against the ruling military which has been accused of abusing human rights
and curbing democracy.
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Britain says British woman arrested in Myanmar
06:10 p.m Sep 07, 1999 Eastern
LONDON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Britain said on Tuesday a British woman had been
arrested in Myanmar and it was trying to establish why she had been seized.

A BBC report said Rachel Goldwyn, a human rights worker, was arrested for
singing a revolutionary song at a pro-democracy demonstration.

``We can confirm that Rachel Goldwyn has been arrested by the Burmese
authorities,'' a Foreign Office spokesman told Reuters.

He said British officials had been in touch with Myanmar's Foreign Ministry
to try to find out more details and ask for immediate consular access.

Earlier on Tuesday, the British embassy in Myanmar said it was ``concerned''
after its consul was denied access to a British man jailed last week for 17
years for pro-democracy activism.

The British consul in Yangon had travelled to Myanmar's remote Shan State on
Saturday in the hope of getting access to James Mawdsley, 26, who was
arrested on August 31 and sentenced in a summary trial the following day.

Article 36 of the Vienna Convention gives consular officers the right to
visit and contact nationals in prison, custody or detention and to arrange
legal representation.

Yangon said access was being arranged. ``Official access will be granted
soon,'' the government spokesman said in a statement.

Myanmar has said Mawdsley, who also holds an Australian passport, was being
held in prison in the northeastern town of Kengtung, not far from Tachilek
on the Thai border where he was arrested carrying pro-democracy leaflets.

It is the third time Mawdsley has been detained in Myanmar for pro-democracy
activism.

Mawdsley's arrest came as dissidents stepped up activity after calling for a
mass uprising on the numerically significant ``four nines day'' -- September
9, 1999.

Diplomats estimate the government has arrested more than 100 activists to
thwart the campaign in the past month.

Myanmar's military has been criticised worldwide for human rights abuses
since taking direct power in 1988 by killing thousands to crush a
pro-democracy uprising.

It ignored the result of the last election in 1990 when the National League
for Democracy won by a landslide and has since tried to silence dissent
through arrests and intimidation.
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Dissidents say Myanmar plans 9-9-99 provocateurs
06:35 a.m. Sep 08, 1999 Eastern
BANGKOK, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Myanmar dissidents in exile have accused the
military government of planning to stir up violence to justify using force
to prevent a popular uprising called for Thursday.

The National Council of the Union of Burma, an umbrella group of dissidents
based on the Thai-Myanmar border, said the military had a four-point plan to
thwart their so-called ``four nines day'' movement.

It said this involved confining students to school compounds and using
auxiliary defence forces, including the local Red Cross and fire brigades,
to crackdown on unrest.

It said that if a mass movement did break out, plain-clothes military
intelligence personnel would try to instigate violence to allow the military
to use force.

``(The) purpose is to ruthlessly destroy any opposition by the people,
including by violent means,'' the statement said, calling on those in
auxiliary defence forces not to cooperate.

The government, which has vowed ``severe'' action against any unrest, did
not immediately comment on the report.

Diplomats and other independent observers envisage some isolated protests on
September 9 but doubt many will be willing to risk getting on the wrong side
again of an army that shot thousands to crush Myanmar's last pro-democracy
uprising in 1988.

The military has tightened security countrywide in recent weeks and
diplomats say it has imposed unofficial curfews in provincial towns and
parts of Yangon.

Diplomats in Yangon say some inside the country are worried the authorities
might try to stir up protests themselves so they could arrest those who
joined them.

Diplomats estimate authorities had detained at more than 100 people in
Yangon and others in the provinces in the past month.

Dissidents in exile say more than 500 people have been arrested countrywide
in the past month. The government has admitted fewer than 40 arrests.

Those held include two Britons arrested separately this week and last for
protesting in support of the pro-democracy movement.

Last week, James Mawdsley, 26, from Lancashire, was sentenced to 17 years in
jail after a third arrest in Myanmar. On Tuesday, 28-year-old Rachel Goldwyn
was arrested after tying herself to a lamp-post at a key Yangon intersection
and shouting pro-democracy slogans.

Myanmar's military does not tolerate protests and has been widely criticised
for rights abuses. It ignored the result of the last election in 1990 when
the National League for Democracy won by a landslide and has since tried to
silence dissent through arrests and intimidation.
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--------
Myanmar hits at ``rumours'' after mass arrest report
09:56 a.m. Sep 05, 1999 Eastern
BANGKOK, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Myanmar's ruling military on Sunday accused
dissidents in exile of ``spreading malicious rumours'' after they said
authorities had arrested about 500 people to thwart an uprising called for
this week.

The All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF), an exile group based on
the Thai-Myanmar border, said in a weekend statement that the military had
recently arrested about 500 people, including 140 people in Yangon.

``There have been a lot of rumours being created...to falsely portray a
picture where Myanmar is about to explode politically,'' the military said
in a statement which did not specifically deny the reported arrests.

Opposition groups should contribute to national development ``instead of
spreading malicious rumours,'' it added.

The ABSDF statement said among those arrested were high school students and
dissidents who were prominent student leaders in Myanmar's 1988 uprising for
democracy. The military killed thousands to crush that uprising.

Dissidents who fled that crackdown to the Thai border have called for a
repeat of the uprising on the ``four nines day'' -- September 9, 1999. Nine
is considered an auspicious number by some in Myanmar.

The ABSDF said the four nines movement, ridiculed by the military as
``numerically obsessed,'' had been gaining momentum.

``The military has been reacting to the atmosphere of potential they know is
there. If they did not really care or believe the potential existed, why
have they prepared road blockades and checkpoints? Why have they arrested so
many people?,'' the group said.

The government has admitted arresting 36 people in the provinces to thwart
the uprising call.

Diplomats in Yangon say at least dozens more have been detained and that the
authorities have stepped up security measures including highway checkpoints
and random searches and questioning of travellers.

On Thursday, the government said a British activist arrested last week was
being jailed for 17 years for illegally entering the country to demonstrate
for democracy. James Mawdsley, 26, from Lancashire who also holds an
Australian passport, was arrested with anti-government leaflets.

Myanmar's military has been criticised worldwide for human rights abuses
since crushing the 1988 uprising and ignoring the result of a 1990 election
when the opposition National League for Democracy won by a landslide.

Anti-government sentiment remains strong but diplomats doubt many ordinary
people will be willing to risk open street protest this week for fear of a
repeat of the 1988 bloodshed.
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FOCUS-British woman quizzed over Myanmar protest
07:26 a.m. Sep 08, 1999 Eastern
BANGKOK, Sept 8 (Reuters) - A 28-year-old British woman arrested for
protesting against Myanmar's military rulers in central Yangon was
questioned by authorities on Wednesday but diplomats were not allowed to see
her, the British embassy said.

Witnesses said human rights worker Rachel Goldwyn, the second British
activist arrested in Myanmar in a week, was detained on Tuesday afternoon
after tying herself to a lamp-post at a key intersection and shouting
pro-democracy slogans.

The British embassy said it had asked for immediate consular access to
Goldwyn but received no reply.

``We have asked why she was arrested, what the charges were and whether she
will appear in court and whether she will have legal representation if and
when she does. But we haven't had any answers yet,'' an embassy spokesman
said.

The embassy said it had still not been able to get access to James Mawdsley,
26, a Briton jailed last week for 17 years for pro-democracy activism. The
British consul travelled to the remote northeastern town of Kengtung at the
weekend where he was in jail but was not allowed to see him.

``We are very disappointed at this reaction and concerned at the length of
time it is taking to obtain consular access to Mr Mawdsley,'' the spokesman
said. ``We will continue to press for access until we obtain it.''

In a statement released by the All Burma Students' Democratic Front, a
dissident group in exile, Goldwyn said her protest was against human rights
abuses and in solidarity with the dissidents' call for a national uprising
starting on Thursday.

She called on Britain to enact unilateral economic sanctions on Myanmar and
criticised British firms doing business there.

She said her concern about the rights situation in Myanmar was ignited when
she worked in a refugee camp on the Thai-Myanmar border. ``I saw people who
had been forced off their land into concentration camps, people who had been
tortured...women who had been raped and landmine victims,'' her statement
said.

Government officials have yet to comment on the arrest. It has said access
to Mawdsley, who had been arrested twice before in Myanmar for
anti-government protests, would be granted soon.

Opponents of the military government living outside the country have stepped
up activity in recent weeks since calling for a mass uprising on ``four
nines day'' -- Thursday, September 9, 1999.

Diplomats estimate the government has arrested more than 100 activists in
Yangon and others in the provinces in the past month to thwart the campaign.
Dissidents put the figure at about 500 while the government has reported
fewer than 40 arrests.

Myanmar's military does not tolerate protests and has been criticised
worldwide for rights abuses since taking direct power in 1988 by killing
thousands to crush a pro-democracy uprising.

It ignored the result of the last election in 1990 when the National League
for Democracy won by a landslide and has since tried to silence dissent
through arrests and intimidation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Myanmar border guards kill Bangladeshi fisherman
03:19 a.m. Sep 08, 1999 Eastern
COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Myanmar border guards killed a
Bangladeshi fisherman and injured another near Saint Martin's island in the
Bay of Bengal, officials said on Wednesday.

``Myanmar forces patrolling along their country's coast opened fire on a
Bangladeshi boat fishing inside our territorial waters and killed one
person,'' Colonel Waliullah of Bangladesh Rifles border security force told
Reuters.

He said nine other crewmen jumped overboard to escape arrest by the Myanmar
guards, who seized the boat with nets and catches.

Other Bangladeshi boats fishing nearby recovered the body of the victim and
rescued the others.

``We have sent a protest note to Myanmar,'' Waliullah said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOCUS-Embassy denied access to Briton in Myanmar
04:54 a.m. Sep 07, 1999 Eastern
By David Brunnstrom

BANGKOK, Sept 7 (Reuters) - The British embassy in Myanmar said on Tuesday
it was ``concerned'' after its consul was denied access to a Briton jailed
last week for 17 years for pro-democracy activism.

The British consul in Yangon travelled to Myanmar's remote Shan State on
Saturday in the hope of getting access to James Mawdsley, a 26-year-old from
Lancashire arrested there on August 31 and sentenced in a summary trial the
following day.

``I was not able to see him,'' the diplomat told Reuters. ``No reason was
given. We are continuing to press for access.''

The embassy said it was ``concerned about the length of time it has taken to
get access.'' ``Under the Vienna Convention we have the right to visit and
it's now been a week since he was arrested,'' a spokesperson said.

Article 36 of the Vienna Convention gives consular officers the right to
visit and contact nationals in prison, custody or detention and to arrange
legal representation.

Yangon said access was being arranged. ``Official access will be granted
soon,'' the government spokesman said in a statement.

Myanmar has said Mawdsley, who also holds an Australian passport, was being
held in prison in the northeastern town of Kengtung, not far from Tachilek
on the Thai border where he was arrested carrying pro-democracy leaflets.

The embassy said authorities in Kengtung refused to accept a bag containing
toothpaste, vitamins, soap, biscuits, beef extract and a mosquito net
brought for Mawdsley by the consul.

It is the third time Mawdsley has been detained in Myanmar for pro-democracy
activism. He was arrested last year and sentenced to five years jail for
illegal entry but released after 99 days on condition he would not return.

His 17-year term includes that five year sentence, which was reactivated,
another five years for the same offence and seven years for contravening the
publications law.

Mawdsley was first arrested in Yangon in 1997 and deported after chaining
himself to the gate of a school as a protest and distributing
anti-government leaflets.

The Australian embassy has been seeking access to him along with the
British. ``We would hope to have that access...we want to have consular
access,'' an Australian diplomat said.

Mawdsley's arrest came as dissidents have stepped up activity since calling
for a mass uprising on the numerically significant ``four nines day'' --
September 9, 1999.

Diplomats estimate the government has arrested more than 100 activists to
thwart the campaign in the past month. Mawdsley is the only foreigner.

In Bangkok on Tuesday, the Myanmar embassy said it had stopped issuing
tourist visas for individual travellers. The ban was likely to remain for at
least two weeks, an embassy official said.

Myanmar's military has been criticised worldwide for human rights abuses
since taking direct power in 1988 by killing thousands to crush a
pro-democracy uprising.

It ignored the result of the last election in 1990 when the National League
for Democracy won by a landslide and has since tried to silence dissent
through arrests and intimidation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Myanmar questions British woman over protest
02:03 a.m. Sep 08, 1999 Eastern
BANGKOK, Sept 8 (Reuters) - A 28-year-old British woman arrested for
protesting against Myanmar's military rulers in central Yangon was being
questioned by authorities on Wednesday, the British embassy said.

Witnesses said human rights worker Rachel Goldwyn was detained on Tuesday
afternoon after tying her hand to a lamp-post at a key intersection and
shouting pro-democracy slogans.

``She's being questioned...at the moment we are just finding out as much as
we can,'' said a spokesperson for the British embassy in Yangon.

In a statement released by the All Burma Students' Democratic Front, a
dissident group in exile, Goldwyn said she had made her protest against
human rights abuses and in solidarity with the dissidents' call for a
national uprising starting on Thursday.

She called on Britain to enact unilateral economic sanctions on Myanmar and
criticised British firms doing businesses there.

She said her concern about the rights situation in Myanmar was ignited when
she worked in a refugee camp on the Thai-Myanmar border. ``I saw people who
had been forced off their land into concentration camps, people who had been
tortured...women who had been raped and landmine victims,'' her statement
said.

Government officials have yet to comment on the arrest. Britain's Foreign
Office said on Tuesday officials had been in touch with Myanmar's Foreign
Ministry to ask for consular access.

The incident was the second in a week in Myanmar involving British
pro-democracy activists.

The British embassy said it was ``concerned'' on Tuesday after its consul
was denied access to James Mawdsley, 26, a Briton jailed last week for 17
years for pro-democracy activism.

The British consul had travelled to Myanmar's remote Shan State on Saturday
in the hope of getting access to Mawdsley, who was arrested on August 31 and
sentenced the following day.

Yangon said on Tuesday that access to Mawdsley, who was being held in prison
in the remote northeastern town of Kengtung, was being arranged and would be
granted soon. Mawdsley had been detained in Myanmar twice before for
pro-democracy activism.

The arrests came as dissidents stepped up activity after calling for a mass
uprising on the numerically significant ``four nines day'' -- Thursday,
September 9, 1999.

Diplomats estimate the government has arrested more than 100 activists in
Yangon and more in the provinces in the past month to thwart the campaign.

Myanmar's military does not tolerate protests and has been criticised
worldwide for rights abuses since taking direct power in 1988 by killing
thousands to crush a pro-democracy uprising.

It ignored the result of the last election in 1990 when the National League
for Democracy won by a landslide and has since tried to silence dissent
through arrests and intimidation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Protesters storm Myanmar embassy in Canberra
02:57 a.m. Sep 09, 1999 Eastern
CANBERRA, Sept 9 (Reuters) - About 100 protesters broke into the Myanmar
embassy in Australia on Thursday after smashing fences and overpowering
police.

Australian Federal Police spokesman Daryl Webb told Reuters the protesters
overwhelmed around 15 police officers and smashed fences to get inside the
compound where they burned a Burmese flag and tried to tear down the embassy
flagpole.

The protest followed a worldwide call from exiled dissidents for an uprising
against the military government in Yangon on ``four nines'' day. Similar
protests were held in other Australian cities.

September 9, 1999, was chosen for its numerical significance after the first
uprising 11 years ago on August 8, 1988 in which thousands of pro-democracy
demonstrators were killed.

Webb said two protesters were arrested, one for breaching the peace. He was
later released after agreeing not to return to the protest. The second was
arrested for assaulting a police officer.

``The most disturbing fact about it is that people tried to target police.
They decided to vent their anger at police.''

One police officer was injured when a clod of dirt was thrown into his eye
and another was kicked in the groin. Several police received minor cuts and
bruises in the skirmish, he said.

The protesters, cleared from the embassy compound, are now staging a sit-on
on the footpath outside the embassy.

In Melbourne, about 90 people, mostly Burmese exiles with red armbands,
chanted and sang on the steps of Victoria's state parliament.

``We wanted to organise something public as a gesture to express we oppose
military rule,'' said Lynn Shwe, a member of the All Burma Student
Democratic Front, one of the organisers.