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Bangkok Post News (10/9/98)



Junta seizes more members, Suu Kyi claims


<italic>108 more arrests as condemnation grows

</italic>

Burma's opposition said yesterday the military had arrested 108 more of
its members as international condemnation of the detentions in creased.
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) said in a
statement the latest arrests brought the number of members detained since
Sunday to 328.

"There are innocent people who have not broken any laws and the NLD,
which condemns these unlawful arrests, urges the government to desist and
release them," the statement said.

It said that eight of those arrested in the past 24 hours were members of
parliament elected in 1990 polls which were won in landslide by the
NLD-led political opposition.

The military refused to hand over power after the election and has
rejected repeated demands that the 1990 parliament be convened.

	The opposition statement said 521 party members, including 187 members
of parliament, had been arrested since May this year following the
commemoration of the eight anniversary of the 1990 polls.

A separate statement from the NLD said the party had called on the junta
to meet its representatives to discuss the detentions and work out a
solution.

	"But the authorities have not responded to the overture until this time
of reporting," it said.

	Overseas criticism of the arrests intensified. The United States said it
"deplores in the strongest of terms" the detentions while Britain said it
"wholly condemns" the arrests.

	Foreign Office Minister Derek Fatchett said Britain and its European
Union allies were considering a visit by an EU ministerial troika to
Rangoon to meet Aung San Suu Kyi.

London also urged its EU partners to adopt its position of discouraging
tourism, trade or investment in Burma.

	Germany condemned "the fresh wave of repression and intimidation" by the
junta while Japan called for the detainees to be freed.

	Observers in Rangoon said the arrests appeared to be a preemptive strike
following the NLD's announcement that it intends unilaterally to convene
by the end of September the parliament elected in 1990.

	The junta said in a statement on Tuesday the party members had merely
been invited for a political discussion, were being housed in government
guest houses and had not been arrested.

	But the US embassy in Rangoon said military officials had admitted they
were being detained to thwart the convening of parliament.

	US charge d'affaires Kent Widedmann held high-level talk with military
officials in Rangoon on Monday to demand the detainees be freed. 

	The junta yesterday repeated its denials that anyone had been arrested
and lashed out at Washington for criticising the detentions.

"No member of the National League for Democracy has been arrested of
charged with any crime," a statement said.

	Meanwhile, state-run media accused the opposition of supporting
"terrorists" and hiding weapon and ammunition.

	A commentary in the official New light of Myanmar said such activities
called into question whether the NLD was a legitimate political party.

	"In fact the National League for Democracy --- are engaged in
organizational activities in their attempt to foolishly follow the path
of confrontation.


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