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NLD Statement 87 in English



National League for Democracy
No: (97/b) West Shwegondine Road
Bahan, Rangoon

STATEMENT 87 (10/98)

Contents of the letter dated 14 October 1998 from the Chairman of the 
National League for Democracy to the Chairman of the State Peace and 
Development Council are reproduced below for information. 

(f) " Subject- Violations of law

1. The State Law and Order Restoration Council (now the State Peace and 
Development Council) which proclaimed that it would "restore law and 
order and peace and tranquillity to the country" has been and is 
violating Section 503 of the Penal Code which provides that 
" A person is guilty of criminal intimidation if he threatens to cause 
harm to the body or the character or property of another person or harm 
to the body, character of property of any other person in whom that 
person has an interest in order that the person so threatened perform or 
act as directed, or perform an act forbidden by law to avoid the threat 
against him from being carried out".
2. Instances of such violations are
(a) The parliamentarians-elect of the NLD and other political parties, 
members of the NLD organising committees, and  other ordinary members 
have been illegally arrested and imprisoned. But the facts have been 
distorted by the military strategic department for international 
consumption and they have published that " a great number of NLD members 
have been invited to the government guest house  to give their views as 
to how parliament can be convened without a constitution and to present 
them with the government's position on the matter". Please refer to our 
Statement 71(9/98) dated 23 September 1998.
(b) The truth is that this is a manoeuvre with criminal intent and by 
use of criminal intimidation to abrogate the authority given voluntarily 
and freely by the NLD members and parliamentarians-elect to the Central 
Executive Committee to represent them and to act on their behalf. Our 
information is that those individuals of the NLD who have refused to be 
intimidated are now being dispatched to the Insein jail.
3. Signatures, statements or letters from some NLD members (invitees) 
indicating that they revoke their power of attorney, or that they resign 
from their positions as parliamentarians-elect, or that they will not be 
attending the parliament that will be convened by the NLD have been 
obtained under duress by the authorities and if these are published or 
if reference is made to them in any publication, they will be tainted 
and the military intelligence service that is acting on behalf of the 
government will be held liable to prosecution for criminal intimidation 
which is punishable by 2 years imprisonment, or with fine or with both 
under the existing law.
4. Since the 27 May 1998, NLD parliamentarians-elect and members have 
been forced to sign bonds restricting their movements under 1961 
Habitual Criminal Offenders Act Section 5(1). This is an outright 
affront to their reputation and insult to their esteemed positions in 
society. But it has cast a greater slur on the reputation of the 
authorities  who have exceeded the limits of their jurisdiction in the 
enforcement of their illegal activities.
5. Those who have resisted the authorities by refusing to sign documents 
presented to them have had to face illegal action under the 1950 
Emergency Provisions Law Section 5(a). Because they will not act as 
directed by the authorities, they now face imprisonment.
6. As mentioned above , it is clear that the authorities have 
contravened the provisions of the Penal Code. Obtaining consent through 
"criminal intimidation", "force", "duress", "illegal use of 
authorities", "false representation", "misrepresentation", "mistake" are 
ingredients that cause consent to be void. We wish to inform you that 
consent given without the free will of the person is no consent at all. 
Moreover, using every devise to make parliamentarians resign from their 
positions is illegal. Only when parliament is convened, a 
parliamentarian can present his letter of resignation to the Speaker of 
House and his resignation has to be approved by the House." END


                                                               The 
Central Executive Committee             
                                                                National 
League for Democracy

Rangoon
15 October 1998


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