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posted message from scb (8)



Subject:	Detainees in 'good spirits' (2)
>From:	soba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Myanmar No O Tomotashitashi)
Date:	Fri, 14 Aug 1998 04:36:25 GMT



Instigator foreigners looked after properly on humanitarian grounds
during interrogation

YANGON, 11 Aug- Eighteen foreigners dropped from taxis and distributed
small instigative leaflets they had smuggled into the country at busy
public places in Yangon to destabilize and cause public concern and
panic on the morning of 9 August and the public seized and sent them
to the nearest police stations since they
wished to live in peace and could not stand the acts of foreigners.
The authorities concerned had already brought this to the attention of
the Press and diplomats at a news briefing yesterday. Security
officials are now interrogating the foreigners to ensure peace and
tranquillity and thc rule of Law.

As the interrogation continues, the 18 foreigners-six US citizens,
three Thais, three Malaysians, three Indonesian, two Fillipinos and
one Australian are being looked after properly on humanitarian
grounds.

To view with photos please visit URL at
http://www.myanmar.com/nlm/aug11.html

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Excerpts from Reuters

Americans held in Myanmar said to be in good health 
12:45 a.m. Aug 12, 1998 Eastern 

WASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department called on
Tuesday for the prompt release of six Americans detained in Myanmar
and said the six appeared to be in good health. 

A U.S. diplomat visited the Americans on Tuesday and found them ``in
good health. They had no complaint about their treatment and appear to
have been treated humanely,'' deputy spokesman James Foley said. 

Foley said the United States does not believe the six have been
charged and has no information on possible charges. ``And again, we
continue to urge the Burmese government to release the detainees
promptly,'' he said. 

The Americans were among 18 foreigners detained by Myanmar's military
government last Sunday pending an
investigation. 

The detentions took place after foreign activists handed out leaflets
at prominent tourist sites across Yangon calling on Myanmar's citizens
to remember a 1988 uprising.

The U.S. embassy in the capital Yangon made gaining release of the
detainees a priority and said a U.S. consular officer intended to
visit the detainees regularly, Foley said. 

He said the State Department did not have complete information about
the activities of the Americans or their purpose in travelling to
Myanmar, formerly called Burma. 

``We're really concerned about getting them out. And we've made that
very clear to the Burmese authorities,'' he said. 

The State Department did not release the names of the detained
Americans, but the prisoners were identified in press reports. 

The Washington Post said four of them -- Nisha Marie Anand, 21,
Anjannette Hamilton, 20, Michele Keegan, 19, and Sapna Chhatpar, 20 --
were students at American University in Washington D.C., where Myanmar
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's husband spoke earlier this year.
The other two were identified as Tyler Giannini, 28, and Joel Greer,
34. 

Hamilton was able to fax a letter to her parents via the U.S. enbassy
in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in which she said was fine. 

``They are treating us well, but I miss you,'' Hamilton wrote in the
letter, according to WRC-TV. 

Her mother, Alison Hamilton, told the local NBC affiliate, she had not
known whether her daughter was dead or alive until she received the
letter. 

``This morning after getting her fax, we heard from the lady over in
the embassy in Rangoon who had actually been the person who went to
see these kids, so she reassured us that the kids were being treated
very well,'' Hamilton said.

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Excerpts from Reuters

Thailand won't press Myanmar over detainees 
11:14 p.m. Aug 12, 1998 Eastern 

BANGKOK, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Thailand said on Thursday it will not
pressure Myanmar's military government to release a group of foreign
pro-democracy activists detained for distributing leaflets in Yangon. 

Three Thais were among 18 foreign activists seized on Sunday in the
Myanmar capital for giving out thousands of palm-sized red cards
calling on the Myanmar people to remember an uprising of opposition
supporters on August 8, 1988. 

Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan told reporters Thailand did not
interfere in the affairs of other countries. 

``Our assessment of the situation is that (the three Thais) may have
broken Myanmar's law on the possession and distribution of documents
without permission,'' Surin said. 

``Our policy is crystal clear. We oppose interference in the affairs
of other countries, but as a democratic country we also praise and
support anyone who acts in favour of democracy and against the abuse
of human rights,'' he added. 

------------------------------------------------
Excerpts from Reuters

Filipinos held in Myanmar said they treated well 
12:07 a.m. Aug 12, 1998 Eastern 

MANILA, Aug 12 (Reuters) - The Philippines on Wednesday pressed for
the release of two Filipino activists held in Myanmar, and the pair
told diplomats allowed to see them that Yangon's police were treating
them well. 

President Joseph Estrada, in a statement released by the Foreign
Office, expressed ``deep concern'' over the detention of the two
Filipinos, who were among 18 foreign activists detained on Sunday by
the Myanmar police. 

``I request the government of Myanmar to respect the rights of the two
Filipinos and ensure their safety and humane treatment,'' Estrada
said. 

``I also enjoin the concerned authorities to release them accordingly
as warranted by the situation,'' he added. 

Philippine ambassador Sonia Brady said in a report to Manila the
Filipinos ``were in good health and they admitted being treated
well.'' 

Brady was allowed by Myanmar officials to visit the pair on Tuesday
for the first time since their detention on Sunday. 

The detentions took place after foreign activists handed out leaflets
at prominent tourist sites across Yangon calling on
Myanmar's citizens to remember a 1988 .

Philippine diplomats said Myanmar appeared to be in a quandary over
what to do with the activists. 

``They can them deport them right away to prevent this from becoming
an international diplomatic issue,'' one diplomat said. 

``But if they deport them right away, this might send a wrong message,
like, 'we are letting these people go after coming here and violating
our laws and making a fool of us','' the diplomat, asking not to be
identified, told Reuters.

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RELATED HOMEPAGES

DISTURBANCES IN  TEN YEARS AGO IN MYANMAR?

To get the true picture of August 1988 disturbances in Myanmar please
visit to the  "Burma Communist Party's Conspiracy to take over State
Power" Home Page. Then you can compare with today's events.


In this home page, how the National Intelligence Bureau had exposed
and arrested those connected with the underground work of the Burma
Communist Party (BCP), the attempt made by the underground BCP members
to seize State power by causing disturbances in the country and the
infiltration of BCP underground members into the respective political
parties and their seizing of positions in them. 

Rumours during the disturbances, violent lootings, barricades set up
supposedly for urban guerilla warfare and the anarchism that reigned
with cold-blooded murder and beheadings, was frequently declared to be
like the tactics of the BCP. 

More details at;

http://www.twics.com/~yangon/press/bcp.htm

-----------------------------------------------------------
Also you will find that conspiracies and machinations to do great harm
to Myanmar (Burma) perpetrated by party organizations, rightist
forces, some diplomats, some foreign broadcasting stations, some
foreign publications and anti-government forces outside the country
who were carrying out both underground and above-ground activities
using the students and simple and honest people as explained.

More details at;

http://www.twics.com/~yangon/nobcp.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------
The unscrupulous persons and  unsavoury elements bad instigated the
students throughout the period of disturbances in Myanmar history by
using such phrases as "the leaders of the revolution", "the vanguard
of the revolution", "the democratic revolution launched by the
students" and 'the revolution which will open a glorious chapter in
the history of the world" and so on. Those who instigated the
students lost neither a drop of sweat nor a drop of blood as they
stayed in the safe   confines of their homes but the students and
yoouths used lot a of sweat and a lot of blood and had to run away
from their homes and ended up in the jungle with their   lives in
ruin.   A Myanmar parent's contribution  to prevent such agitations in
furture and not to put the students and youths into more trouble by
unscrupulous persons and unsavoury elements with   rumours and
fabricated stories and news can be found at 

http://www.twics.com/~yangon/to