Burma confirms sentencing of democr

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Subject: Burma confirms sentencing of democracy activists

	*** Burma confirms sentencing of democracy activists ***
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	RANGOON, Aug 28 (Reuter) - Burma's military government
	confirmed the recent sentencing of nine democracy activists,
	saying they were charged for attempting to destroy the peace and
	stability of the state, official media reported on Wednesday.
    	State-run media announced the names of nine members of the
	National League for Democracy (NLD) party, including the
	personal assistant and a bodyguard for Nobel Peace laureate Aung
	San Suu Kyi.
    
	Burma's tightly controlled official media is considered the
	mouthpiece of the ruling military State Law and Order
	Restoration Council (SLORC).
    	NLD officials said earlier this month 11 pro-democracy
	activists had been sentenced to seven-year prison sentences at
	Rangoon's Insein Prison. They included Suu Kyi's assistant Win
	Htein, a Buddhist monk and a woman.
    ###
	The official media mentioned only nine, and said six of
	them, including Win Htein and one of Suu Kyi's bodyguards, Tin
	Hlaing, alias Eva, were given seven years under section five of
	the Emergency Provisions Act.
    
	Three others -- Hlaing Myint, Kyaw Khin and Maung Maung Win
    ###	-- were given the same seven-year term and three additional ###
	years for violating the 1985 Television and Video Act.
    
	'Win Htein and the others were sentenced for malicious acts
	aimed at destruction of the peace and stability of the state,'
	newspapers and television said. 'Win Htein agitated and
	organised members of the NLD...to provide news and figures that
	would be detrimental to the agricultural plans of the state.'
   
	Newspapers said Win Htein pursuaded some NLD members to
	videotape some unsuccessful rice paddy plots to show to Suu Kyi
	and eventually to send to the United Nations Human Rights
	Committee.
    	
	'They helped Aung San Suu Kyi fuel rumours and false news to
	those who gathered in front of her house on weekends,' the
	newspapers said.
    	
	Suu Kyi regularly gives speeches to her supporters outside
	the front gates of her house on weekends.
    	The government also accused Tin Hlaing of speaking to a
	foreign journalist at Suu Kyi's house earlier this year.
    	'Eva is reported to have said that political prisoners have
	been tortured in jail, and other false and fabricated events.'
    	The media said the three given the extra three-year
	sentences were guilty of organising youths to carry out
	anti-government activities and distributing illegal cassettes
	and videotapes.
    ###	
	The nine activists were among more than 250 NLD members
	arrested by the SLORC in a crackdown on democracy politicians in
	May. ###
    	Most of those arrested were later released. The SLORC said
	at the time, the arrests were made to prevent anarchy as a
	result of the meeting.
 REUTER
0250 280896 GMT