NEW DELHI, Sept 16, Reuter: The Indian Government on Friday sent an aircraft to Rangoon to evacuate dependents of South Asian diplomats in Burma.

A foreign ministry spokesman said about 50 family members of Indian diplomats and embassy staff would be on the chartered being 737.

The remaining seats on the aircraft, expected back in Delhi by late Friday, have not been offered to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka to pull out their embassy dependents.

The plane was dispatched as opposition leaders in the Burmese Capital called for more mass demonstrations, strikes and hunger strikes to press for the government to resign.

Several other countries have evacuated their nationals since the 25 year rule of the Burma socialist programme party began to crumble in the face of a popular uprising.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 23, 1988