Rangoon - Eighteen foreign activists, including six from the US, are to stand trial in Burma for allegedly seeking to incite unrest, the Burmese junta yesterday. "Action will be taken against them according to the law. They will be charged and tried," the junta said in a statement.
The detainees were six US nationals, three Thais, three Malaysians, three Indonesians, two Filipinos and one Australian, the junta said. Ten of them were men and eight were women.
Diplomats expressed shock at the announcement, though some thought it a token display to deter other foreigners from attempting similar protests.