Troops Raid Embassies in Myanmar : Southeast Asia: The military has reportedly detained native employees at the U.S. and other Western missions.

Myanmar’s troops have entered West German, British and U.S. Embassy compounds and its military government has detained native employees of Western missions for interrogation, a diplomat said today.

The military government, which has refused to turn the government over to an opposition movement that overwhelmingly won election in May, has stepped up arrests and intimidation of dissidents in the past month, the diplomat said.

“The situation on the human rights front is abysmal,” said the diplomat, speaking at a news conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

“An increasing number of governments view with horror what is going on in Burma,” he said, using Myanmar’s old name.

The diplomat said troops entered the West German Embassy compound 10 days ago and have taken similar action against the American and British embassies a number of times previously.

He said Myanmar employees of the U.S., British and Australian embassies had been detained for questioning.

The diplomat did not say why the troops had entered the embassies.

He said an oral protest over the embassy raids and human rights abuses was presented to the government Friday by the 12 members of the European Community, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States.