Military Official Says Arrests ?€?Only for Questioning?€�

A Burmese defense official said on Wednesday his military-ruled country welcomes international assistance in its democratic reforms as long as its sovereignty is not threatened.

Deputy Defense Minister Maj-Gen Aye Myint made the comment at a meeting of Southeast Asian defense ministers, who urged Burma to speed up progress in its reforms.

Aye Myint was responding to reports on Wednesday that Burma's military junta was continuing to detain pro-democracy activists even as it hosted a UN human rights investigator and insisted that all arrests had stopped.

"We took in some persons involved in the violation of law?€”only for questioning. After questioning, most of them are released," Aye Myint said, adding that authorities would take action in accordance with the law.

Aye Myint said 49 people in Yangon and 42 others elsewhere were "under investigation." He did not give further details about the detentions, but said the situation was stable.

A UN human rights envoy is visiting Burma to investigate allegations of abuses since the military junta's violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in September. Envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro has met with Cabinet ministers and says he has been assured he will be able to interview detainees before leaving.

Aye Myint said Burma's military leaders welcomed assistance from international organizations such as the UN and Asean but that his country would protect its national sovereignty.

"We believe that our homegrown principle is viable for the long-term operation of our political process because my opinion is that nobody can understand about Burma [other] than our government and our people," Aye Myint told a news conference at the meeting of Asean defense ministers.

"We are also looking forward to the positive and constructive assistance and understanding from Asean countries and all other countries in the world and also the United Nations. But we will not accept the influences that will harm our sovereignty," Aye Myint said.

Singapore Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean said Aye Myint had briefed his regional counterparts on the situation in Burma, and that they had urged Burma to give UN envoy Pinheiro the access he needs.

"The meeting also expressed the hope that Myanmar [Burma] can progress speedily toward a situation where all the parties come together and seek reconciliation and move forward," Teo said.