Myanmar opposition demands parliame

[hlaing@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Myanmar opposition demands parliament be convened 
08:52 a.m. Jun 23, 1998 Eastern 
By Aung Hla Tun 
YANGON, June 23 (Reuters) - Myanmar's opposition National League for
Democracy (NLD) on Tuesday launched an offensive to legitimise itself by
sending a letter to the ruling military demanding that parliament be
convened within two months. 
Aung Shwe, NLD chairman, made the request in the letter to the ruling State
Peace and Development Council (SPDC). The NLD won a landslide victory in
the May 1990 election that was never recognised by the military. 
``The authorities had organised free and fair multi-party democracy general
elections on May 27, 1990,'' Aung Swe said in a letter to the SPDC's
chairman Senior General Than Shwe. 
Copies of the letter were handed out at the Yangon Foreign Correspondents
Club. 
``The result of election has been declared where the representative of
people to the parliament had been elected,'' said the letter, dated June 23
and signed by Aung Shwe. 
``And I hereby call on the authorities in accordance with the resolution
made by the NLD at its eighth (elections) anniversary ceremony, to convene
the parliament of multi-parties elected within 60 days from now,'' the
letter added. 
Parliament should convene before August 2, it said. 
The NLD move was seen as defying the SPDC, which has said parliament must
not be convened until a new national constitution has been drafted. The
government and some appointed representatives are in the process of
drafting the new charter. 
``The convening of parliament is impossible without a systematically
drawn-up constitution,'' General David Abel, a minister in the SPDC office,
was quoted as saying recently. 
Myanmar's military government established a national convention comprising
hand-picked delegates from across the nation in early 1993 to draft the new
constitution. 
But the convention has been in recess since late 1996. 
``There is no time frame for drafting the constitution, but at least
two-thirds of the new charter has been completed,'' Abel said. 
Yangon-based political analysts said the NLD's move was aimed at
legitimising itself and boosting sagging morale among its members because
of a stalemate with the junta over political differences, including
movement toward democracy and human rights abuses. 
Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel laureate, had sought the convening of
parliament late last month as the NLD held a celebration to mark the
occasion of its 1990 election victory. 
The NLD and the SPDC have failed to hold a dialogue since Suu Kyi was
released from six years house arrest in mid-1995. The junta has declined to
recognise Suu Kyi as the NLD representative at any dialogue.