Myanmar's Ruling Junta Restores Internet, But Warns 'Traitors'

Via theglobeandmail.com (Canada) -

RANGOON — Myanmar's ruling junta has restored Internet access and relaxed a nighttime curfew, a partial easing of its crackdown as a U.N. envoy headed to Asia on Sunday to rally regional support for help with the country's crisis.

Internet access in Myanmar was cut off Sept. 28, two days after troops opened fire on pro-democracy protesters and images of the crackdown were plastered on Web sites. Internet service was intermittently restored earlier this month for short periods during the day.

The curfew was relaxed to four hours — from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m — starting Saturday night. It initially covered the hours of 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The concessions, however, came amid reports that the government continued detaining dissidents.

Security forces on Saturday arrested four prominent political activists who went into hiding to escape a government manhunt after leading some of the first major marches several weeks ago, Amnesty International said.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the arrests “clearly demonstrate that there needs to be an international presence on the ground,” referring to U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari's trip.

“We're encouraging special envoy Gambari to get back to Burma as soon as possible,” Ms. Rice told reporters aboard her plane as she went from Russia to the Middle East. Myanmar is also known as Burma.

Mr. Gambari's mission was to co-ordinate efforts among key governments to help resolve Myanmar's crisis. He was flying into Bangkok ahead of Monday talks with Thailand's leaders. He was then due to travel to Malaysia, Indonesia, India, China and Japan before returning to Myanmar, where he met with the junta's leaders earlier this month.

Myanmar's military leaders have rebuffed calls for reforms, saying the only way to bring change to the country is to follow the junta's seven-step “road map” to democracy. The stance was reiterated Sunday in The New Light of Myanmar newspaper, a mouthpiece of the junta.

“There will emerge a peaceful, modern and developed democratic nation — according to the state's seven-step road map,” a newspaper editorial said. It added that citizens “who are shouting at full-blast” for U.N. intervention were traitors “trying to hand over their motherland to alien countries.”

“Such national traitors will soon meet their tragic ends,” the editorial said.