Burmese Activists Plead With Ban To Intervene

In a dramatic letter, the leaders of Burma's pro-democracy movement yesterday pleaded with Secretary-General Ban and the U.N. Security Council to intervene on their behalf.But though he called recent actions by the country's military rulers "abhorrent and unacceptable," Mr. Ban appeared to endorse a plan advanced by the junta, which the opposition leaders, who are in hiding, declared unacceptable.In Burma, the junta announced that despite the demonstrations and the worst unrest in the country since the 1988 coup that led to the imposition of military rule, they did not plan to change course.Japan announced it would cut $4 million in aid to the country."As you know, we are on the run and may be arrested any day," the leaders of a group known as the 88 Generation Students wrote. They called on China and Russia to withdraw their threat to veto any meaningful Security Council action, and they asked Mr. Ban to call the leader of the junta, General Than Shwe, and ask him to release political prisoners."This may be the last letter we send to you before our own arrest and torture and we send it with utmost urgency," the three leaders of the movement who have not yet been captured, Tun Myint Aung, Nilar Thein, and Soe Htun, told Mr. Ban, adding that they remain committed to a peaceful transition to democracy.

http://www.nysun.com/article/64737

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