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Reuters-France demands release of M



France demands release of Myanmar activists 
10:15 a.m. Sep 10, 1998 Eastern 

PARIS, Sept 10 (Reuters) - France on Thursday demanded the immediate
release of members of Myanmar's main opposition party detained at the
weekend, calling for genuine dialogue between government and opposition in
the Asian state. 

``France, which is extremely worried by the situation in Burma (Myanmar),
vigorously condemns the massive and arbitary wave of arrests,'' the French
Foreign Ministry said in a statement. ``We demand the immediate release of
those arrested.'' 

Myanmar's National League for Democracy (NLD) has said 200 of its activists
were detained over the weekend, including 63 elected members of parliament.


The military government has confirmed it has detained an unspecified number
of NLD members to prevent the party carrying out a vow to call a ``People's
Parliament'' this month. 

The party made the pledge after the government ignored its demand to call
parliament in recognition of the result of the 1990 election, which the NLD
won by a landslide.