AFP-Pressure on Myanmar junta mount

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Pressure on Myanmar junta mounts for release of activists
Wed 12 Aug 98 - 13:51 GMT 

YANGON, Aug 12 (AFP) - Myanmar's military junta came under increasing
international pressure Wednesday with demands that it immediately release
18 foreign activists detained for allegedly attampting to incite unrest.

The United States, the Philippines, and human rights groups in Thailand and
Indonesia called on Myanmar to free the activists without charge as they
spent a fourth day in detention here after handing out leaflets promoting
democracy and human rights.

"We are now asking for prompt resolution and the release of those
detained," a US embassy official here told AFP.

"We regard the passing out of leaflets as a normal and natural activity and
freedom of expression in our country. These were simply benign statements.

"We hope for their release and that's what we are urging."

The activists arrested Sunday were six Americans, two Filipinos, three
Thais, three Malaysians, three Indonesians and one Australian. Ten were
male and eight female.

Six who were arrested as they prepared to board a flight to Bangkok were
being held at a nearby police station, while the remainder were at police
headquarters.

The activists were handing out pamphlets in Yangon urging people to
remember the 10th anniversary of a bloody military crackdown on
pro-democracy demonstrators on August 8, 1988.

A junta spokesman would not comment on the possible outcome of the case
against the 18, who he said could be charged under three separate laws
allowing for hefty prison terms.

In Manila, Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon said Philippine
ambassador Sonia Brady, was allowed to meet the two Filipinos late Tuesday,
hours after Manila threatened to lodge a diplomatic protest over denial of
access to the detainees.

Manila has asked Yangon to "just release the two Filipinos and the others
in the spirit of ASEAN solidarity and as soon as possible," Siazon said.

President Joseph Estrada also expressed "deep concern over this matter."

"I request the government of Myanmar to respect the rights of the two
Filipinos and ensure their safety and humane treatment," Estrada said in a
statement.

In Jakarta, a small group of protestors picketted the foreign ministry here
to press the government to help secure the release of the activists,
including three Indonesians.

Two of the arrested Indonesian pro-democracy activists were from the Pijar
pro-democracy group, and the third is a journalist.

The 15 protestors, all from Pijar and wearing white headbands, protested
outside the ministry's main building.

On Tuesday, the Thai rights group Asian Forum for Human Rights and
Development, demanded Myanmar's junta respect international treaties on
human rights and guarantee the detainees' safety.

"The Thai government should confirm with the Burmese government and the
international community that all 18 people, particularly the three Thais,
are innocent," it said in a statement.

Thai Premier Chuan Leekpai said Bangkok would monitor the situation.

"This group is likely to receive fair treatment from Myanmar as their
offence was not that great," he told reporters.

"But a country like Myanmar they may see what the group have done as a big
offence. We have to monitor the situation as it develops."

Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan told journalists although many might
sympathise with the protestors, Myanmar law was different to that of
Thailand and other countries and was an internal affair.

"We sympathise with the struggle," he said.

"We wish them well. But we stop at the border," Surin added.

Tensions in Myanmar soared Wednesday as opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
tried to leave the capital to visit provincial supporters.

UN secretary-general Kofi Annan has sent a letter to Aung San Suu Kyi and
hopes to dispatch top envoy Alvaro de Soto to the military-run state, the
UN representative in Yangon said.

UN coordinator in Myanmar Juan Aguilar said the letter was delivered last
Tuesday and "Kofi Annan has proposed the visit of Mr Alvaro de Soto."

"It is up to the government of Myanmar really to accept or not, or decide
when they want to have a UN envoy."