Foreign Evil

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Burma general warns of destructive foreign forces
    RANGOON, July 2 (Reuter) - A top Burmese general has accused
international social and religious organisations of interfering
in the country's internal affairs, official media reported on
Tuesday.
    Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, Secretary One of the ruling
State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and head of
military intelligence, made the comments at a refresher course
for local Red Cross Society executives, state-run media said.
    "Under the facade of 'international'...so-called
international religious and social organisations are assisting
the group opposing the state, interfering in internal affairs,"
he said.
    Khin Nyunt did not identify any international organisations
and did not say which group was opposing the state.
    But the government has regularly attacked the National
League for Democracy (NLD) headed by Nobel peace laureate Aung
San Suu Kyi for trying to destabilise the country.
    Khin Nyunt said the Red Cross Society needed to cooperate
with international organisations that have "pure goodwill" to
protect it from being used by "unscrupulous organisations".
    "All are aware of the destructive acts to hamper national
development and jeapordise peace and stability with the
assistance of external elements," he said.
    "People from all walks of life who are enjoying the fruits
of development are disgusted with destructive acts jeopardising
the stability of the state and have expressed their desire to
ostracise and crush the axe-handles (traitors)," he said.
    Over the past month, the government has staged mass rallies
nearly every day across the country to denounce the NLD and call
for an end to foreign interference.
    Burmese citizens say they are called up and told to attend
the rallies. Diplomats and opposition leaders say the military
enforces the request.
    The rallies have been held since a controversial congress of
the NLD in late May. Just before the congress, the SLORC
arrested more than 250 NLD politicians planning to attend the
meeting in an effort to avoid unrest and "anarchy".
    Official media on Tuesday also said two more elected NLD
members had resigned, bringing the total number to 15. It said
Kyin Thein and Sai Aung Than resigned of their own free will.
    Suu Kyi said the SLORC has told many elected NLD
representatives who were arrested in May to resign.
    "NLD workers are often 'reminded' of the possible
consequences of continued involvement in politics," she said in
her syndicated newspaper column published in Bangkok on Tuesday.
 REUTER
0614 020796 GMT