World IN BRIEF : MYANMAR : 50 Die in Clashes of Troops, Rebels

Government troops repelled attacks by ethnic Mon insurgents on a key town in southern Myanmar (Burma) after six hours of fighting that killed at least 50 people, a military spokesman told reporters in Yangon, the capital. The spokesman said 300 rebels launched simultaneous pre-dawn rocket attacks in the town of Ye, about 150 miles east of Yangon, then tried to blow up a key railroad bridge. Government troops immediately counterattacked, he said. Forty-three Mons, four soldiers and three civilians were reportedly killed. The Mons are among nearly a dozen ethnic minority groups fighting for regional autonomy and protection for their languages and cultures.