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BBC-East Asia Today



East Asia Today
September 9th 1998

Opposition leader determined to continue fight for democracy 

Opposition Leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, Accuses Burmese Generals of Creating
Current Contradiction


According to the Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, one hundred
and ninety MPs elected in 1990, have been detained in the past three
months. Speaking to the BBC, she also said three hundred members of her
National League for Democracy, had been arrested during the same period.

Hundreds of those have been picked up by the military authorities in the
past three days, in a move which has been condemned by the US government.
As Larry Jagan reports, the detentions are in response to a call by Suu
Kyi, for the convening of the parliament, elected in 1990:

The Burma's military rulers are continuing to arrest opposition MPs and
democracy activists in an attempt to prevent the National League for
Democracy holding its own parliament later this month. Aung San Suu Kyi
told the BBC that it was the Burmese generals who were creating the current
confrontation between the opposition and the military government. She said
reports of further arrests throughout the country, were reaching the party
headquarters every hour. At least 190 MPs have been detained, including
those who were picked up by the military authorities after the NLD party
convention in May. The military authorities admit that they have invited
these MPs and NLD members to listen to the government's point of view and
are being held in comfort in several state guesthouses. 

Aung San Suu Kyi told the BBC that if the military had any concerns about
the NLD's plans or wanted to discuss political matters with them they were
more than happy to do so. In fact the party chairman, Aung Shwe had invited
the military to come to meet the NLD central committee at the party
headquarters today (Wednesday) but they had not turned up. The NLD leaders
are continuing to meet there to draw up their plans to convene a
parliament. Aung San Suu Kyi told the BBC that under the current electoral
law - as the party which overwhelmingly won the elections - the NLD was
entitled to call the parliament into session if the government failed to do
so. Now that the military junta had ignored their demand that parliament be
convened by the end of August, Aung San Suu Kyi said, the NLD was
determined to convene its own parliament no matter what the military tried
to do to prevent it. Hundreds of supporters gathered outside the NLD
headquarters today and were carted off by military officers. With Burma's
generals continuing to refuse to talk to Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's
political deadlock is set to worsen.