Burmese government denies involveme

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Subject: Burmese government denies involvement in shootings


Monday, March 15, 1999 Published at 13:06 GMT


World: Asia-Pacific

Burmese government denies involvement in shootings



The Burmese military government has denied that its troops were involved in
the killing of ten immigration officials who were kidnapped by the outlawed
separatist group the Karen National Union - the KNU.

The KNU said the officials died during an attack by government troops but a
government spokesman said that its soldiers weren't in the area when the
shootings took place.

The spokesman said that the KNU had promised to release the officials
unharmed but two days later officials were told that the men had been killed
in a skirmish. Some government officials are reported to believe that the
men died as a result of a split within the KNU, with one faction trying to
create misunderstanding between the rebels and the government.

>From the newsroom of the BBC World Service