Burmese Authorities Deny Plague Reports

By Wai Moe

Burmese authorities denied on Saturday that there has been an outbreak of the plague in areas east of the Pegu mountain range, saying that the National Health Department has found no evidence of the disease in dead rats taken from areas considered at risk.

An announcement published in the Burmese-language 'Myanmar Ahlin' and 'Kyemon' newspapers on Saturday said that while some areas were affected by an infestation of rats in late June, the situation is now under control following the creation of rat eradication task forces and measures to educate the public.

The announcement did not appear in 'The New Light of Myanmar', the Burmese regime's English-language mouthpiece.

Observers in Rangoon said the announcement contrasted with earlier official statements over the past two weeks warning of a possible plague outbreak.

At the same time as it issued reassurances that there is no danger of an outbreak of the plague, the Burmese junta imposed strict censorship of reports relating to the discovery of dead rats suspected of carrying the disease near the capital, Naypyidaw.

“Some private journals attempted to publish stories about the dead rats and the plague, but they were all rejected by the censorship board, except for one in 'The Voice Weekly',” said an editor with a weekly journal in Rangoon who spoke on condition of anonymity.

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