Fugitive Myanmar dissident appeals to UN chief

BANGKOK, Sep 7 (Reuters) A dissident leader on the run from Myanmar's crackdown on protests triggered by huge fuel price rises appealed to the head of the United Nations today to refer the military junta to the Security Council.

In a letter written from hiding to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, activist Htay Kywe said he feared the suppression of a rare string of protests could turn bloody, as it did in 1988 when up to 3,000 people are thought to have been killed.

''As you are aware, demonstrations are growing in many parts of the country in spite of the violent crackdowns and continuing abduction of protesters by the authorities,'' Htay Kwye said.

''These violent responses must be seen as early warnings of more brutal violence,'' he said in the signed letter obtained by Reuters in Bangkok.

Htay Kwye, a prominent member of the so-called ''88 Generation Students Group'', has been on the run since police arrested 13 of his colleagues in midnight raids in Yangon two weeks ago.

''We urgently need your practical support this time to prevent the real possibility of further violence and urge you as head of the United Nations to take prompt action with preventive measures by taking accounts of these early warning signs,'' he said.

International condemnation of the junta's suppression of the protests has mounted this week, with US President George W Bush and the European Union calling for the release of all those arrested.

Even China, the former Burma's main trading partner and the closest the generals have to a friend, has appeared frustrated, saying it wanted reconciliation and ''improvement in the situation''.

The United States and Britain referred Myanmar to the UN Security Council in January, but China and Russia cast a rare joint veto against a motion calling for an end to the persecution of ethnic minorities and opposition groups.

REUTERS ARB SSC1305