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Reuters-FOCUS-Myanmar pledges acces



Reply-To: "TIN KYI" <tinkyi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Reuters-FOCUS-Myanmar pledges access to detained Britons 

FOCUS-Myanmar pledges access to detained Britons
06:46 a.m. Sep 10, 1999 Eastern
BANGKOK, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government said on Friday it
would grant consular access to two Britons arrested this month for
pro-democracy activism.

The British embassy said it had been told it would be allowed access early
next week to James Mawdsley, a 26-year-old from Lancashire jailed on
September 1 for 17 years for illegal entry and distributing leaflets.

However, the embassy said the government had not responded to a similar
request on behalf of Rachel Goldwyn, 28, from London, arrested this week
after tying herself to a lamp-post in Yangon and shouting pro-democracy
slogans.

The government spokesman told Reuters earlier access would be granted in
both cases.

``Information on the foreigners who have been detained for breaching the
laws and regulations intended to maintain security, peace and stability of
the nation will be released in due course,'' he said in a faxed statement.

``Consular access will also be given and the ministries concerned are
working towards the process. It is just a matter of timing.''

The British embassy has said it was ``very disappointed'' its consul was
denied access to Mawdsley last weekend after travelling to see him in jail
in the remote northeastern town of Kengtung.

It said the government had still not told the embassy why Goldwyn was
arrested, where she was being held, whether she had been charged and whether
she would be legally represented.

A spokesperson for the embassy said a consular officer would be granted
access to Mawdsley along with a representative from the Australian embassy,
since he held dual nationality.

``On Rachel, our charge d'affaires went into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
this afternoon and pressed once again for consular access to her. But there
hasn't been any substantive response from the authorities,'' the
spokesperson said.

Both Britons were campaigning in support of the pro-democracy opposition and
against human rights abuses. Mawdsley was given his stiff sentence after
what was his third arrest in Myanmar.

Diplomats estimate the government has arrested more than 100 activists in
Yangon and others in the provinces over the past month to prevent an
uprising called by dissidents for this week.

Dissidents put the number of arrests around 500, while the government has
reported fewer than 40 arrests.

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

The government ignored the result of the last general election in 1990 when
the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, won by a
landslide.