BBC-Burmese opposition members arre

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Monday, September 7, 1998 Published at 13:51 GMT 14:51 UK 

Burmese opposition members arrested 

More than 100 members of Aung San Sui Kyi's party detained 

Burma's National League for Democracy, the opposition party led by Aung San
Suu Kyi, has announced that more than 100 of its members have been detained
in the past two days. 

According to residents in the capital, Rangoon, they are being held
together at the State Guest House. 

The party puts the number arrested by the military government at 110, and
said 50 of those detained were members of a parliament from an election the
opposition won by a landslide 8 years ago. 

The parliament was never allowed to convene by the military authorities. 

MPs in 'preventative detention' 

More than 100 NLD MPs are now in military custody - more than 50 other NLD
MPs have been detained since May when the opposition met and demanded that
the government convene the parliament by the end of August. 

The military junta ignored the appeal and threatened to imprison anyone
they believed was endangering the country's security. 

The NLD says 60 other of its members - including regional organisers and
members of the youth wing - have also been detained outside the capital in
the last two days. 

A spokesman for the military government confirmed it had arrested NLD
members in what the authorities describe as "preventative detention" but
declined to give numbers. 

He said they were detained for questioning over the NLD's vow to call a
"People's Parliament" this month. 

Burmese military authorities warned Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD that any
attempt to form a parliament would be met with stiff penalties. 

The BBC's Burma specialist, Larry Jagan says Burma's military generals have
wasted little time in implementing their threat to prevent Aung San Suu Kyi
and her party from holding their planned Congress. 

Aung San Suu Kyi and her party have been planning their next step with a
series of strategic meetings. 

According to NLD sources, all MPs were expected to attend a meeting on
Wednesday which Burma's military junta may have been trying to prevent
taking place.