Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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December 7, 2007

Human Rights Watch: Burmese Government Lies About Crackdown Death Toll
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1A80640:A6F02AD83191E160DFDD4C179DD890882E7CA1C1B166B639& Rights group says
at least 20 people died when soldiers broke up peaceful pro-democracy
demonstrations in September, and there is reason to believe the toll
is higher The U.S. group Human Rights Watch accuses Burma's military
government of lying about the number of people killed when soldiers
used guns and batons to disperse peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators
in September. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from our Southeast Asia
Bureau in Bangkok.







Hundreds of monks march down the streets of Rangoon, defying the
military regime in the biggest anti-junta rally in a decade, 18 Sep
2007Human Rights Watch says it has documented evidence that
considerably more people were killed in the crackdown than Burma's
ruling generals admit.

The specific numbers being given are still small. The generals say
only 10 people died. Last month, U.N. human rights envoy Paulo Sergio
Pinheiro visited Burma and said official information showed at least
15 people had been killed. Human Rights Watch now says that at the
very least, the number killed is 20.

However, Human Rights Watch, along with diplomats in Burma at the time
of the crackdown and Pinheiro afterward, all say there is reason to
believe the real death toll is much higher.

In a statement Friday, Human Rights Watch Asia director Brad Adams
says the crackdown is far from over. He says harsh repression
continues and the Burmese government is still "lying about the extent
of the deaths and detentions."

Burma's rulers say only 80 people remain in prison following the
September crackdown, but diplomats and the families of those detained
again say the figure is far higher.







Shari VillarosaThe U.S. Chargé d'Affaires in Burma, Shari Villarosa,
told reporters in Bangkok last week that she is still getting reports
of people being picked up on an almost-daily basis. The U.S. diplomat
says the continuing arrests indicate the military government is not
interested in true reconciliation.

"It seems to me that if you wanted a real dialogue, instead of
arresting people you would be releasing them and talking to them,"
said Villarosa. "I do know that the people they arrested were
peaceful, nonviolent people who are very patriotic, believe in their
country, and want a better country, and they have some ideas, and they
want to talk about them."

Burma's national police chief on Monday said 2,927 people, including
596 Buddhist monks, were arrested during and after the protests. He
said 80 people, including 21 monks, were still in prison.

In her remarks last week, however, Villarosa said the streets of
Rangoon and its monasteries remain devoid of monks, and the government
has yet to account for their absence. Witnesses in the country say
many are in hiding, but a large number remain in prison.


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