Monday's Washington Post Article -

[TheTruth@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Burma Crackdown

              Monday, September 14, 1998; Page A18 

              WITH THE ECONOMY deteriorating and its political control
              slipping, Burma's military regime has responded in the
only way it
              seems to understand -- with more repression. Some 700
              members of the National League for Democracy, including
194
              elected members of parliament, have been detained in
recent
              months, many in the past week. Some, including an
octogenarian,
              were rousted from their beds. The regime says the
democrats
              were "invited" into custody so the regime could "present
the
              government's view." Even before the latest roundup, three
elected
              members had died in custody, and scores more were being
held
              in often deplorable conditions.

              Burma -- or, as the current regime calls it, Myanmar -- is
a
              Southeast Asian nation of 46 million people with great
natural
              wealth and beauty, a strategic location and a tragic
modern
              history. In 1990, its military rulers permitted a
parliamentary
              election, which they lost overwhelmingly to the National
League
              for Democracy. They never have permitted the parliament --
              which is Burma's only legitimate government -- to meet.

              Just last month a commission of the International Labor
              Organization concluded after a yearlong study that Burma's
              regime -- in particular its military -- engages in forced
labor on a
              massive scale. This "gross denial of human rights"
involves
              pressing women and children to walk ahead through
suspected
              minefields, build roads and perform other dangerous and
unpaid
              tasks. Resistance is met with torture, rape, beatings and
murder.

              At the same time, because of the regime's incompetence and
              increasing isolation brought about by U.S. economic
sanctions,
              Burma's economy is declining rapidly. The World Bank
recently
              declared the country ineligible for new loans because it
has not
              repaid past ones, a signal to other lenders to steer
clear, and is
              reconsidering a loan to neighboring Thailand for a power
plant
              that would depend on natural gas from Burma.

              Students recently staged their largest demonstration in
years,
              despite obvious risks, and Buddhist monks have protested
and
              been arrested. Instead of the dialogue requested by the
              democrats, the regime responds with more arrests. The
United
              States has spoken out clearly against the regime. Japan
and
              Burma's neighbors in Southeast Asia should likewise make
clear
              that more repression can only increase Burma's isolation.