Reuters-Suu Kyi vows to fight Myanm

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Subject: Reuters-Suu Kyi vows to fight Myanmar govt pressure

Suu Kyi vows to fight Myanmar govt pressure
03:46 a.m. Nov 23, 1998 Eastern

By Aung Hla Tun

YANGON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi vowed
on Monday to keep campaigning for the convening of a parliament of elected
representatives despite intense pressure from the military government.

The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner told a news conference her National League
for Democracy (NLD) would not dissolve a committee set up in September to
represent members elected at the country's last elections in 1990.

The NLD won that poll by a huge margin but the result was ignored by the
military.

``The committee representing parliament will not dissolve until a parliament
is convened with the representatives-elect from the 1990 election,'' Suu Kyi
said.

She said the NLD would not back down despite attempts by the government to
disable the party.

The pro-democracy party has come under intense pressure in recent months
after it announced the formation of the committee.

The military have rounded up and detained hundreds of NLD members and
representatives elected at the 1990 polls to prevent them from carrying out
a threat to convene the parliament.

The government said on Sunday it had detained 851 NLD members since early
October. Of these, 384 had since been released because they ``undertook not
to participate'' in illegal activities, it said in a statement.

The military added that at least 10 NLD offices had been closed voluntarily
by their members and 1,259 NLD members had resigned from the party because
they disagreed ``with the NLD leadership's policy of confrontation and
divisiveness.''

The government has indicated it may be prepared to release the detainees,
which it says are its ``guests'' in state accommodation, if the party
withdraws its call for a parliament and disbands the committee.

But Suu Kyi rejected this and said the closures and resignations were a
result of coercion by the government.

``We don't accept the resignation under coercion because it is illegal and
against the law,'' she said.  ``Obviously they are trying to shut down all
NLD offices. But I don't think this will paralyse the work of the party,''
she added.

``We have been making clear time and time again that even if they deregister
the NLD, we shall continue our work.''

She said the political climate in Myanmar was not good but was hopeful that
change would come eventually.

``The winds are in our favour,'' she said.

``The economy is deteriorating but the authorities are doing nothing
effectively to stop the deterioration,'' she said.

She said the announcement last week that Myanmar would introduce a 1,000
kyat banknote, was another sign of thecountry's spiralling inflation.

She said the NLD wanted a dialogue with the government but that did not mean
the party was prepared to put up with every injustice.

``We have always tried to be as cooperative as possible for the matter of
dialogue,'' she said.