The World - News from July 31, 1988

Burmese authorities have arrested up to 25 people, including a prominent critic of the authoritarian government and a Burmese correspondent for the Associated Press, U.S. and other diplomats said. The arrests came less than a week after Sein Lwin, a former army general known for ruthless suppression of dissidents, replaced Ne Win as Burma’s president. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Nancy Beck said that according to U.S. officials in Burma, as many as 25 were arrested, while a diplomat based in Rangoon, the capital, said there were conflicting reports, with the number arrested ranging from 11 to as many as 20. Beck said that those arrested included retired Brig. Gen. Aung Gyi, a longtime critic of Ne Win’s regime, and AP correspondent Sein Win.