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BKK POST: January 22, 1998: BURMA
- Subject: BKK POST: January 22, 1998: BURMA
- From: suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 03:39:00
January 22, 1998
BURMA
Party re-emerges
in bid to restore
democratic rights
PDP to actively resume struggle
Ralph Bachoe
Parliamentary Democracy Party, the oldest opposition group to
the military regime in Rangoon, re-emerged recently with a
promise to restore democracy in Burma.
The PDP was founded by former premier U Nu in 1970 with Bo
Let Ya as chairman and U Thwin as secretary. Both were former
members of U Nu's government elected in 1958.
For astrological reasons the name was changed to People's
Patriotic Party in 1974, four years after it was established in the
jungles on the Thai-Burmese border.
The Central Committee decided on December 30, 1997 to
actively resume its activities in its struggle for democracy under
the old banner (PDP) after the term of the PPP Central
Committee, led by U Thant Zin expired a month earlier.
Bo Aung Din was elected chairman and Bo Aung Kyaw Thein
as general secretary, with 83 others as members of the new
Central Committee. The meeting, held on the Thai-Burmese
border, was attended by over 30 regional representatives.
Named as patrons to the PDP are U Thant Zin, Saw Shwe
Saing, vice president of the Karen National Union, and U Ye
Gaung, a senior Burmese journalist.
The new chairman, a long-time advocate of democracy and
former member of the Committee for the Restoration of
Democracy in Burma (UK branch), pledged to work together
with the rest of the opposition parties and ethnic groups.
The PDP claims to have more than 25,000 active members who
are engaged militarily and politically, and is in the process of
recruiting new members at the frontline.
"Although the PDP is the biggest and oldest party struggling for
the restoration of parliamentary democracy in Burma, without
any tint of leftist ideology, the world was not aware of its
activities because assistance was not available from sympathetic
sources," said Bo Aung Din.
The group says it was contacted three times by the Slorc, now
known as State Peace and Development Council, during
1995-96 and the two sides were said to have met in September
1996.
Bo Aung Din said further talks would be needed "for the sake of
restoring true peace, harmony and democracy in Burma."
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Last Modified: Thu, Jan 22, 1998