Army major defects in Burma, telecom connections patchy

Swedish radio news and Oslo daily Aftenposten published the interview with Major Win and his son who arrived in Bangkok Tuesday after five days on the run from Burma.

"If he had refused to obey orders, he would have been killed," the major's 17-year-old son said.

Father and son said they hoped to seek asylum in Norway or Sweden.

Win said he had heard rumours of some 200 killed during the protests, but had not witnessed any killings and could not confirm the numbers.

The Oslo-based opposition radio station Democratic Voice of Burma on Tuesday said it had received accounts suggesting some 200 people were killed but underlined that the figures were difficult to check.

Official Burma tallies suggest some 10 people were killed.

Earlier, the Oslo-based station's news editor Moe Aye told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that telephone connections with Burma were difficult.

Some telephone numbers in the former capital Rangoon were out of order while it was not possible to get through to other cities, he said, adding that the internet connection was irregular.

Another development was that the army was trying to force people to give food and money.

"They raid markets for pork and chickens," he said, adding that shopowners were afraid to open their shops.

Raids included a market in Hlaingthayar on the outskirts of Rangoon.//dpa