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NEWS-Myanmar Ethnic Leaders Want Pa



Myanmar Ethnic Leaders Want Parliament Covened

            Reuters
            09-JUN-98

            YANGON, June 9 (Reuters) - Four
            ethnic leaders in Myanmar, elected in
            the 1990 general elections ignored by
            the ruling military, on Tuesday
            appealed to the government to
            convene parliament based on the poll
            results. 

            They were the latest to support a
            similar call made by the main
            opposition National League for
            Democracy (NLD) party led by Aung
            San Suu Kyi late last month. 

            The elected ethnic parliamentarians
            making the call in an open letter were
            Saw Mra Aung from Rakhine
            (Arakan) State, Khun Tun Oo from
            the Shan state, Naing Tun Thein
            from the Mon state and Kyin Cin Htan
            from the Chin state. 

            The opposition, led by the NLD,
            swept the 1990 polls but the result
            was never recognised by the military
            government, which also dissolved 83
            political parties after the election. 

            Saw Mra Aung represents the now
            dissolved Arakan (Rakhine) League
            for Democracy and Naing Tun Thein
            the now-dissolved Mon National
            League for Democracy. Kyin Cin
            Htan was chairman of the dissolved
            Zomi National Congress and Khun
            Tun Too is chairman of Shan
            Nationalities' League for Democracy,
            which is still registered as a legal
            party. 

            ``It was a noble performance
            directing towards democracy of the
            Tatmadaw (the armed forces) to
            allow formation of political parties
            and to hold free and fair general
            elections,'' their letter said. 

            ``However, being still unable to
            implement the result of the elections
            remains as a black mark in the
            history of Myanmar.'' 

            ``To erase that black mark, there is
            no other way but to implement the
            result of the elections and to
            summon people's parliament.'' 

            The letter said: ``With the existing
            political, economic, social and
            national races affairs remaining
            unsolved, the Union of Myanmar at
            present is facing various difficulties.'' 

            ``We are firmly convinced that the
            only way to overcome these
            difficulties is to hold politically
            significant talks among the
            Tatmadaw group (present
            government), democratic forces,
            including the National League for
            Democracy and ethnic groups,
            comprising ethnic parties that won in
            the general elections and ethnic
            armed groups,'' the letter added. 

            The major opposition NLD held a
            two-day special gathering to mark its
            unrecognised 1990 polls victory on
            May 27-28 and also sought the
            convening of parliament based on the
            poll results. 

            State-owned newspapers in
            Myanmar, usually considered as the
            mouthpiece of the ruling State Peace
            and Development Council, hinted in a
            commentary on June 7 that
            convening parliament would be
            impossible without a systematically
            drafted constitution. 

            The SPDC and the opposition have
            been at political loggerheads ever
            since the aborted election. The
            opposition charges the military with
            abusing human rights and curbing its
            political activities, and has sought
            dialogue with it. 

            But the SPDC has said that it will not
            hold talks with the opposition so long
            as Suu Kyi represents the party in
            any dialogue.