BKK POST: January 22, 1998: BURMA

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January 22, 1998
BURMA

              Party re-emerges
              in bid to restore
              democratic rights

              PDP to actively resume struggle

              Ralph Bachoe

              Parliamentary Democracy Party, the oldest opposition group to
              the military regime in Rangoon, re-emerged recently with a
              promise to restore democracy in Burma.

              The PDP was founded by former premier U Nu in 1970 with Bo
              Let Ya as chairman and U Thwin as secretary. Both were former
              members of U Nu's government elected in 1958.

              For astrological reasons the name was changed to People's
              Patriotic Party in 1974, four years after it was established in the
              jungles on the Thai-Burmese border.

              The Central Committee decided on December 30, 1997 to
              actively resume its activities in its struggle for democracy under
              the old banner (PDP) after the term of the PPP Central
              Committee, led by U Thant Zin expired a month earlier.

              Bo Aung Din was elected chairman and Bo Aung Kyaw Thein
              as general secretary, with 83 others as members of the new
              Central Committee. The meeting, held on the Thai-Burmese
              border, was attended by over 30 regional representatives.

              Named as patrons to the PDP are U Thant Zin, Saw Shwe
              Saing, vice president of the Karen National Union, and U Ye
              Gaung, a senior Burmese journalist.

              The new chairman, a long-time advocate of democracy and
              former member of the Committee for the Restoration of
              Democracy in Burma (UK branch), pledged to work together
              with the rest of the opposition parties and ethnic groups.

              The PDP claims to have more than 25,000 active members who
              are engaged militarily and politically, and is in the process of
              recruiting new members at the frontline.

              "Although the PDP is the biggest and oldest party struggling for
              the restoration of parliamentary democracy in Burma, without
              any tint of leftist ideology, the world was not aware of its
              activities because assistance was not available from sympathetic
              sources," said Bo Aung Din.

              The group says it was contacted three times by the Slorc, now
              known as State Peace and Development Council, during
              1995-96 and the two sides were said to have met in September
              1996.

              Bo Aung Din said further talks would be needed "for the sake of
              restoring true peace, harmony and democracy in Burma." 




                                     




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