Danes call for sanctions

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 Denmark Wants EU, US Sanctions Against Burma After Consul's Death
 With BC-Burma 
   COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) _ Denmark on Thursday said it will seek
international support for sanctions against Burma following the
death of a former Nordic honorary consul.
   James Leander Nichols, a close friend of Burma's pro-democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, died in prison last Saturday, reportedly
of a stroke.
   Danish Foreign Minister Niels Helveg Petersen said Denmark had
put sanctions against Burma on the agenda for the July 15 meeting
of the European Union foreign ministers.
   ``We're ready to call for economic sanctions,'' he said after
receiving full support from the Danish Parliament on Thursday.
   He said he also will discuss sanctions with the Clinton
Administration during a one-day visit to the United States on July
11.
   Nichols, 65, a businessman who held a British passport, had
served Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Switzerland as honorary
consul until 1978. He had worked for several of the countries in an
unofficial capacity in recent years.
   On Thursday, Burma's military regime downplayed Nichols' death,
omitting from an obituary published in state newspapers that he
died in prison and gave no cause of death.
   Amnesty International already has demanded an investigation,
saying Nichols was mistreated. The human rights group said Nichols
reportedly had been deprived of sleep for several days before
dying.
   According to news reports, Nichols was arrested in April for
illegally possessing two fax machines and a telephone switchboard.
He received a three-year prison term.
   Analysts believe he was really punished for his friendship with
Mrs. Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her
non-violent promotion of democracy.
   (jo-jh)
   
271246 Jun GMT


 Consul's Death Downplayed; Denmark Seeks Sanctions 
 Eds: UPDATES with Danish foreign minister seeking support for
international sanctions against Burma 
   RANGOON, Burma (AP) _ Burma's military regime on Thursday
downplayed the controversial death of a former honorary consul,
omitting from an obituary published in state newspapers that he
died in prison.
   Government sources, meanwhile, claimed that all but three of 262
supporters of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi rounded up last
month in efforts to prevent a key party congress had been freed.
But Suu Kyi's party said that 69 were still believed detained.
   The death in prison of James Leander Nichols, 65, who served as
an honorary consul until 1978 for Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden
and Switzerland, has turned into the latest public relations fiasco
for the government.
   Danish Foreign Minister Niels Helveg Petersen said in Copenhagen
that Denmark had put sanctions against Burma on the agenda for the
July 15 meeting of the European Union foreign ministers.
   ``We're ready to call for economic sanctions,'' Helveg Petersen
said after receiving full support from the Danish Parliament.
   He said he would discuss sanctions with the Clinton
administration July 11 during a visit to Washington. The United
States and other nations have condemned the jailing and death of a
man known to suffer heart trouble and diabetes.
   Amnesty International, 5th graf 
   
271320 Jun GMT