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NEWS - 18 activists to be deported



18 activists to be deported from Myanmar

            Their crime: Handing out
            pro-democracy leaflets 

            August 14, 1998
            Web posted at: 9:47 a.m. EDT (1347 GMT) 

            YANGON, Myanmar (CNN) -- Eighteen
            international activists arrested last week for
            handing out pro-democracy leaflets in
            Myanmar were sentenced to five years
            hard labor Friday after pleading guilty to
            violating sedition laws but will be deported
            by Saturday morning. 

            Moments after a judge sentenced the
            activists to prison, an official from the
            Ministry of Home Affairs read an order reducing the
sentences and
            saying the activists would be deported on condition they do
not violate
            Myanmar laws again. 

            The six Americans, three Malaysians, three Indonesians,
three Thais,
            two Filipinos and one Australian had been questioned for six
days
            after being charged with violating the 1950 Emergency
Provision Act. 

            The sweeping law allows authorities
            to hand out maximum 20-year prison
            sentences for attempting to incite
            unrest or disrupt the peace and
            stability of the state. 

            A U.S. diplomat who visited the
            American activists Thursday said
            embassies were not informed of the
            trial until Friday morning. 

            Before the verdict was read, the defendants and
international
            diplomats who attended the trial appeared relaxed and jovial
as the
            judge read out the charges and asked for pleas from the
accused after
            listening to testimony for most of the day from nine
prosecution
            witnesses. 

                                    Various diplomats had asked
                                    during the day to consult with the
                                    defendants, but were denied
                                    permission. A single judge, Khang
                                    Gyi, presided. There was no jury.
                                    The trial was open to diplomats and
                                    journalists. 

                                    The activists were detained
                                    Sunday, the day after the 10th
                                    anniversary of a failed nationwide
            democracy uprising, for handing out small cards to Myanmar
citizens
            telling them the outside world supported their struggle and
to not give
            up. 

            Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962. 

            The detention of the activists has sparked an international
campaign
            and led the United States to urge their release. It has also
focused
            world attention on the campaign by opposition leader Aung
San Suu
            Kyi for democracy and human rights in the country. 

               The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this
report.