Myanmar dissidents vow to continue

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Subject: Myanmar dissidents vow to continue campaign

"Myanmar dissidents vow to continue campaign"

[ABC News.com, 10.9.99]

BANGKOK, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Myanmar dissidents in exile  vowed to keep up
their struggle for democracy on Friday even  though an uprising they
forecast this week failed to  materialise.

"Although the particularly tight security measures imposed  by the military
at this time create additional challenges, the  democracy movement vows to
continue our struggle against the  illegitimate regime," the All Burma
Students' Democratic Front  (ABSDF) said in a statement.

"We will...continue to launch actions until the emergence  of a countrywide
popular democracy movement."

Myanmar's ruling military instituted a nationwide security  clampdown to
prevent the uprising dissidents called for the  numerically significant
"four-nines day" -- Thursday,  September 9, 1999.

A government spokesman told Reuters on Thursday that the  whole country was
"peaceful and stable."

He hoped that a lack of incidents would make the opposition  realise that
"the overwhelming majority of people in Myanmar  want peace, stability and
development, not chaos and anarchy."

The ABSDF said small-scale protests occurred throughout the  country, but
the government said the whole country was quiet.

The dissidents had hoped for a repeat of a nationwide  uprising for
democracy in 1988 which saw millions take to the  street to demand an end to
authoritarian rule.

Troops killed thousands to crush that uprising, creating a  climate of fear
that survives today and which has prevented  unrest despite widespread
anti-government sentiment.

Nine is considered a lucky number by some in Myanmar as well  as in other
countries in Asia and the convergence of nines  especially auspicious.

Dissidents chose the date after 8-8-88, which saw the start  of a nationwide
pro-democracy uprising 11 years ago.

Nine it is also known to be the lucky number of Myanmar's  ageing and
officially retired military strongman Ne Win and  dissidents had been hoping
to turn it against him and his  successors.

The ABSDF said the four-nines campaign had achieved a  "pre-emptive victory
because the authorities have been forced  to react nervously to the actions
of our people."

It said the fact so many people had been arrested recently  showed the
extent of the anti-government mood.

The ABSDF says 500 people have been arrested in connection  with the
four-nines movement. Diplomats estimate at least 100  have been held in
Yangon and others in the provinces while the  government has said there were
fewer than 40 arrests.

While there was no confirmation of protests inside Myanmar  on Thursday,
dissidents staged noisy demonstrations in several  cities abroad, including
Canberra, where a group broke into the  Myanmar embassy compound and tried
to haul down the national  flag.