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AFP-Tensions simmer in Myanmar on 1



Tensions simmer in Myanmar on 10th anniversary of junta takeover
Fri 18 Sep 98 - 08:30 GMT 

YANGON, Sept 18 (AFP) - Ten years on from the Myanmar junta's seizure of
power and launching of a bloody crackdown on dissent, pro-democracy forces
remain defiant and international pressure for change is mounting.

The capital Yangon was quiet Friday on the 10th anniversary of the "coup,"
but political tensions are simmering and the opposition has said it plans
to convene a parliament in defiance of government warnings.



Riot police were deployed at strategic locations around the city, as they
have been since tension began to grow several weeks ago, but they were
keeping a low profile and no incidents were reported, residents said.



"They are dotted around sensitive places, but are fairly discreet," one
Western diplomat said.



"But they are there on standby. There is a heightened readiness, which has
been the case for some time, and they are ready to respond quite rapidly if
there is a hint of problem."



Meanwhile, exiled MPs from Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National
League for Democracy (NLD) party said Myanmar was "in a state of emergency"
and military rule was plunging the country deeper into chaos.



They also confirmed the party's intention to convene this month the
parliament elected in 1990 polls, which the NLD swept but the military has
refused to recognise.



"We are very clear about our commitment to the democratic movement and the
NLD's bid to have parliament convened," said NLD MP Tin Tut.



"Ten years after (the junta's) formation, 10 years after they massacred
thousands and (in) 10 years of utter deceit, nothing has changed," he said
in a statement from exile in Australia.



Pro-democracy students who fled to Bangkok after the junta's 1988 takeover
also issued a statement supporting a parliament, which they described as "a
direct challenge to the generals in Rangoon."



Diplomats in Yangon played down the significance of the anniversary, saying
it may be seen as more important by the military itself than any other
parties.



The State Peace and Development Council, which until recently was known as
the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), assumed power on
September 18, 1988 after months of pro-democracy demonstrations.



The unrest began in March of that year after several students were killed
by riot police and intensified through September as the military cracked
down on protests.



As the demonstrations continued, three heads of state were forced to resign
in quick succession, including Ne Win who had been in power since 1962, in
an effort to quell the uprising. But power remained vested in the military
loyal to the strongman.



On September 18, the military staged a "coup" and established the SLORC,
comprising 19 senior officers loyal to Ne Win. The SLORC immediately
clamped down on the popular movement. 



Estimates of the number killed in the crackdown range into the thousands.



Ne Win ostensibly stepped aside in a bid to placate protestors, but
analysts said 10 years on he still wields great influence in the junta,
despite reportedly suffering ill health.



"You couldn't really say it was a coup," another foreign diplomat in Yangon
said. "We all know it's basically the same players now as in 1988."



The anniversary came a day after Myanmar's government-in-exile said the
NLD's plan to convene parliament could split the military and called on the
international community to support the move.



The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) said
pressure from the opposition was creating serious cracks within the
military which could lead to the collapse of the junta.



The NLD Wednesday announced the formation of a 10-member representative
committee to convene the national assembly sometime this month.



The junta has rounded up hundreds of democracy advocates in recent days in
an effort to stymie the planned parliament, according to the NLD.