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Japanese Reporter Beaten and Arrest



Subject: Japanese Reporter Beaten and Arrested By SLORC Soldiers

JAPANESE REPORTER BEATEN AND ARRESTED BY SLORC SOLDIERS
Daily Yomiuri, December 8, 1996

         Police and soldiers clubbed a Yomiuri Shimbun reporter on the 
head and body as he was covering a student demonstration in Yangon late 
Friday night before taking him into custody for questioning, the reporter 
said by telephone from Myanmar's capital.

        Shigefumi Takasuka, of the Yomiuri's Bangkok bureau, was among 
hundreds of people watching  the demonstration in Yangon when several 
officers began beating him with clubs,  causing serious bruises.

         Takasuka said he was hit about 10 times despite repeated 
explanations that he was a reporter for a Japanese newspaper. The 
commanding military officer at the scene also ignored Takasuka's 
explanation and handed him over to the military intelligence department 
for questioning. Takasuka said he was freed about two hours later, at 
1:30 a.m.

           Officers reportedly later told Takasuka that "It was a very 
dangerous situation" and that the soldiers "had no knowledge about the 
activities of the press."


KT
ISBDA