Burma authorities say arrest group

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Subject: Burma authorities say arrest group plotting unrest

Repost to BurmaNet
 RANGOON, Aug 21 (Reuter) - Military authorities in Burma announced on
Wednesday they had arrested a group of plotters, including two members of
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party, who were conspiring to create
political unrest. 

    The anti-government group was collaborating with exiled members of Suu
Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) based on the Burma-India border,
state-run television announced. 

    ``Action was taken according to the law against 19 people, including two
NLD members .... who were collaborating with exiled groups in India,'' the
television said. 

    ``The NLD exile group based in India made contacts with some NLD members
in the country and made plans to disrupt peace and stability of the state
and create unrest,'' it said. 

    The two NLD members arrested were identified as Doe Daung, from Sagaing
Division in northwestern Burma, and Khun Myint Tun, from Mon state in
southern Burma. 

    The television said the group conspired to send members for training in
political defiance with their exiled colleagues in India led by Tint Swe.
They distributed propaganda leaflets attacking military-organised
constitutional talks and had made plans to open a secret office in the town
of Monywa. 

    Thousands of democracy activists fled from Burma in the wake of the
crushing of a pro-democracy uprising in 1988 and later crackdowns by the
military government. 

    The exiled anti-government dissidents have made little, if any, headway
in their campaign to restore democracy while their colleagues inside the
country, led by the 1991 Nobel Peace prize winner Suu Kyi, have been
virtually muzzled by sweeping security laws. 

    Earlier on Wednesday, in a separate case, NLD sources in Rangoon said a
total of 11 democracy activists had been sentenced to seven-year prison
terms under security laws. 

    The military government never announces sentences imposed on dissidents,
but reports that three activists had been sentenced to prison terms,
including Suu Kyi's personal assistant Win Htein, filtered out earlier this
week. 

    The NLD sources said on Wednesday that eight other activists were
sentenced to prison terms at the same time. 

    ``There were a total of 11 sentenced,'' an NLD source at Suu Kyi's house
told Reuters. The source said all 11 were sentenced last week and were being
held at Insein prison. 

    Win Htein and two of the others NLD members were charged with ``taking
part in a video conspiracy fabricating the poor situation of the farmers,''
NLD sources said on Tuesday. 

    The 11 were among more than 250 NLD members arrested by the ruling State
Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) in a crackdown on democracy
politicians ahead of a May 26 party congress at Suu Kyi's house. 

    Most of the NLD politicians arrested by the SLORC were released after
the May 26-28 party meeting took place. The government said at the time the
arrests were made to prevent anarchy arising as a result of the meeting. 

11:59 08-21-96