| BBC-Tuesday, 4 January, 2000, 12:29 GMT
Divisions in Burma at birthday celebrations Events held to mark independence day in Burma have reflected the continued divisions within the country. The Burmese military leader, General Than Shwe, has again called for the removal of what he called foreign-backed destructive groups -- a term often used to describe democracy activists and rebel ethnic minority groups. Meanwhile the leader of the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, called on the Burmese generals to step back from politics. And a veteran of the fight for independence from Britain more than fifty years ago, Bohmu Aung, called on the military to hold reconciliation talks with the NLD, which overwhelmingly won the last general election almost ten years ago, but was never allowed to assume power. From the newsroom of the BBC World Service |