CONFERENCE ON BURMA

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25741, 1 March 1949, Page 5

CONFERENCE ON BURMA

AIMS OF NEW DELHI MEETING POSSIBLE MEDIATION IN CIVIL WAR (N.Z.P.A,—Reuter— Copyright) NEW DELHI, February 27.. The informal Dominions’ conference on the Burmese situation which opens in New Delhi to-morrow is expected to produce peace proposals for Burma Informed quarters emphasise the following points:— (1) The main object of the conference is to devise ways and means of restoring peace to Burma, which presupposes that Thakin Nu’s regime must prevail. (2) Any suggestion of supplying arms or armed intervention on behalf of the present Burmese Government might worsen the situation, and therefore only mediation is contemplated. (3) It is believed that economic assistance to Burma may bring about the desired result. The Prime Minister of Burma (Thakin Nu) said to-day that 30,000 people had so far lost their lives in the insurrection in Burma. He appealed to his countrymen to abandon their terrorist activities and support the Government so that general elections could be held. Thakin Nu added that loss of revenue through the insurrection was nearly £19,000,000. He was addressing a mass rally of the Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League. Ten thousand people at the meeting swore allegiance to the Government and pledged themselves to an all-out effort to restore law and order. Reuter’s correspondent reports that Government troops have launched heavy attacks on the Karen and Communist rebels holding the central Burma railway towns of Meiktila and Thazi.