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ABSDF Position regarding recent arr



Subject: ABSDF Position regarding recent arrest

Position of the ABSDF regarding arbitrary arrests of peoples
representatives and leaders of the NLD

1. The State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), without legal
ground, from 19-21 May 1996, conducted arbitrary arrests on 44 Members of
the parliament from national League for Democracy (NLD) which won a
landslide victory in the multi-party democracy general elections held in
1990. As the campaign is going on, U Win Htein, spokesperson of the NLD,
and another 39 Members of the Parliament have been subjected to further
arrest on 22, May. As of 22 May, it is confirmed that over 80 people have
been arrested. 

2. Slorc military regime, which seized State power by a coup detat in 1988
after cracking down on the democracy uprising, not only refuse to hand
over power to the election-winning party-- NLD-- but also prohibit Members
of the Parliament from convening the Assembly by introducing Slorc Order
1/90 which says that the responsibility of MPs is only to draft the
constitution. When the National Convention for laying down guidelines of
planned constitution was held, the majority of the delegates to the
convention were hand-picked by the military regime. Because of tight rules
and regulations of the convention, Members of the parliament from NLD had
no say no alternative, and finally they walked out on the Convention. 
Afterwards, Slorc military regime has applied various forms of oppressive
measures on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi an many leaders of the NLD. Slorcs latest
rounds of massive arbitrary arrests, with the aim to crackdown in an all -
party conference of the NLD to be held at Daw Aung San Suu Kyis residence
in Rangoon from 26-29 May, clearly reveal that there is an absolute lack
of the rule of law in Burma. 

3. Regarding the aforementioned arbitrary arrests of the NLD leaders and
Members of the Parliament, the ABSDF would like to appeal to all political
parties, ethnic leaders, democracy forces and the people throughout Burma
to support Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and NLD; to patriotic officers and
soldiers from the Burma Army side with the people and defy Slorc if
ordered to use force against the people, to the United Nations and the
international community to respond with immediate condemnation and take
practical actions against the military regime;  and urge all support
groups and patriotic Burmese in overseas to stage anti-Slorc
demonstrations in front of its embassies and denounce the activities of
the military regime. 

Central Committee ABSDF (Dawn Gwin) May 22, 1996