BANGKOK. Oct 9 Burma s military Junta has fired large numbers of clvfj servants after testing their loyalty with writ ten questionnaires. a Western resident of Rangoon said Wednesday

The move reflects the juntas stepped up attempt to suppress all dissent among the intelligentsia. middle classes and civil servants he said

The resident, who is highly reliable but spoke on condition of anonyngty. said he learned a

few days earlier that about GOO civil servants tn the two ministries of industry had been fired, with no reason given.

A few weeks before that about 200 lecturers and middle ranking officers of Rangoon universities were similarly sacked They liuially would come tn on a Monday morning and be told to clear their desks by that evening,' he said

As a result of Inadequate

answers being given to (the) questionnaires, the purge is now proceeding.x.. Certainly the pressure is very intense," he added.

The Stale Law and Order Restoration Council seised power In September 1988, when sokilers kilkd hundreds, perhaps thousands of pcopk . to crush nationwide rallies for democracy. It has refused to transfer power to pro-democracy parlies that swept lhe May 1990 elections, and

through arrests and Intlmida tion has silenced all ove rt dis sent.

Last Friday, the No 2 man In the junta. Maj Ocn Khin Nyunt. said action had been taken against disloyal civil servants He did not specify the lime franx but said 2.972 civil scr vants had been dismissed, suspended or retired and 1,573 had been demoted, had their annual pay raises suspended, transk-rred or warned

Ac tion was taken against

another 10,518 civil servants for corruption and violating regulations, the stdle radio quoted him as saying In a speech to officials of ministries

Khln Nyunt said that on September 24, the military commander ordered all minis ters io give a "final warning" lo their subordinates that conlln ued forms of opposition In words, deeds behavior and though Is despite the warning

being issued will no lunger lx tolerated.

lie said employees of state media, including newspapers and broadcast stations. haw is sued fifise news and made "tnsllgalions '

At the UN General Assembly. Burmese dissidents who formed an opposition government arc challenging the country's scat and tnc world body is lo consider possible condcmnaikm of the junta.