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NEW ABSDF BOOK DETAILS



Media Release
7 July 1998


NEW ABSDF BOOK DETAILS FATE OF BURMA'S MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

Amid demands by the National League for Democracy (NLD) for the
convening of Parliament, the All Burma Students' Democratic Front
has published a new book which details what has happened to all
of Burma's Members of Parliament (MPs) since they were elected in
the May 1990 election.

In the eight years since the 1990 poll, the State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC), now renamed the State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC), has forced from office well over a
quarter of all MPs from the NLD and jailed, tortured and exiled
many others. The book, To Stand And Be Counted: The Suppression
of Burma's Members of Parliament examines the SLORC/SPDC's
campaign of repression and contains biographies of all 485 MPs.

On 24 June 1998, the NLD sent a letter to SLORC/SPDC demanding
that the Parliament of the elected representatives of 1990 be
convened within 60 days. Following this demand the SLORC/SPDC
instructed township authorities all over Burma to order all NLD
MPs in their area to report to them twice daily. On 27 June more
than 40 MPs were subsequently detained in their respective
townships in connection with the NLD's demand to convene
Parliament.

All NLD MPs are also now required to seek permission to travel
outside of their towns. Last week the SLORC/SPDC also withdrew
visiting rights to all 42 NLD MPs currently under detention.

Many of the 42 NLD MPs currently under detention have been given
heavy sentences for trumped up charges, while others have been
imprisoned for promoting democracy. Rangoon MP Daw San San
recently had her sentence increased from six to 25 years for
doing an interview with international media after she refused to
end her political activity.

Since the 1990 election, the SLORC/SPDC has used threats and
intimidation to force 46 NLD MPs to resign from Parliament, while
the Election Commission has dismissed another 66 from office.
This represents some 28 percent of all NLD MPs.

Following the NLD's landslide win in the 1990 election in which
it gained more than 80 percent of the seats, the SLORC refused to
relinquish power and began a systematic campaign of repression
against the elected representatives. As part of this campaign the
SLORC also banned 20 opposition parties which won seats in the
election, affecting some 48 MPs. Twenty MPs from the NLD and from
other opposition parties are also currently in exile, many
working for the National Coalition Government of the Union of
Burma (NCGUB).

All Burma Students' Democratic Front

For further information please call 01 654 4984 or 01 253 9082.