BBC : Burmese MPs detained for defy

[hlaing@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Thursday, July 16, 1998 Published at 12:12 GMT 13:12 UK 

World: Asia-Pacific

Burmese MPs detained for defying orders 

The National League for Democracy in Burma says about eighty of its elected
members of parliament have been arrested in the last two weeks for defying
restrictions imposed by the military government. 

The NLD vice-president, Tin Oo, told the Reuters news agency the MPs had
refused to comply with an order to report twice daily to police and local
officials. 

There's been no confirmation of the arrests by the Burmese authorities. 

Earlier this month, the military government said it would increase
surveillance of NLD MPs to ensure they would not disrupt the re-opening of
colleges shut in 1996 after student protests. 



>From the newsroom of the BBC World Service