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Burma Sentences Seven NLDs Long Ter



RANGOON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Burma's military government has sentenced seven
members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) to long
prison terms, a government statement said on Wednesday. 

The statement said seven NLD members, including two who were elected as
members of parliament for the NLD in an annulled 1990 election, were sentenced
on Tuesday. 

It said they were charged under section 5 (J) of the Emergency Act of 1950.
The statement said the section deals with any act seen as disturbing the
public or law and order. 

``The court found the accused six persons guilty of Section 5 (J) of the
Emergency Act of 1950 and U Khin Maung Myint of both Section 5 (J)...and
Section 16 (A) of the 1986 Gambling Act,'' it said, without giving further
details. 

A second statement said the six were sentenced to six-year terms, and King
Maung Myint to eight years. 

The seven charged men and women and one other woman -- Daw San San -- were
detained last month in connection with organisational trips planned by Suu Kyi
to NLD offices in townships on the outskirts of Rangoon. 

The statement did not say what happened to San San. 

One of the meetings was allowed to take place, but the former ruling State Law
and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) stopped several others. Club-wielding
officers pushed away supporters, set up barricades and trucked away dozens of
NLD members and supporters to prevent the meetings from taking place. 

The NLD has issued statements accusing the State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC), which replaced SLORC after a sudden reshuffle last month, of
preventing the detained NLD members of being represented by lawyers. 

``Authorities brazenly violated the law by continuing the hearings without
allowing the lawyers to plead and family members to meet the detainees,'' said
an NLD statement issued on Tuesday, which was thought to be the third and
final day of hearings of the accused. 

One of the elected NLD officials charged to six years was Dr Than Nyein, who
is also Deputy Chairman of the Rangoon Division NLD Organising Committee. He
is the brother-in-law of the powerful Secretary One of the SPDC, Lieutenant-
General Khin Nyunt. 

NLD officials were not immediately available to comment. 

The NLD won more than 80 percent of the seats in the 1990 election but the
SLORC, which seized power in 1988 to quell pro-democracy protests, refused to
recognise the results. 

14:22 12-10-97