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NLD still persists despite extreme



Subject: NLD still persists despite extreme harassment, attacks, coersion

and arrests by the dictatorship.
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Reuters
28-FEB-99

               YANGON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Myanmar's opposition and
               military rulers are unlikely to be reconciled while
demands by
               pro-democracy forces for the convening of a People's
               Parliament remain on the table, Yangon-based experts
said. 

               In harsh response to that demand from Aung San Suu Kyi's
               National League for Democracy (NLD), the military has now
               launched a more damaging offensive, striking at the heart
of
               the NLD's membership and core organisational structure,
               they said. 

               "Since the NLD floated the People's Parliament proposal,
the
               regime has stepped up its pressure on the NLD...forcing
               members to resign and dismantling township NLD bodies," a
               diplomat from a Western country told Reuters. 

               "This has been quite effective. It has made it
increasingly
               difficult for the NLD to operate as a political party.
There is a
               lot of pessimism. It is hard to envisage the regime will
at this
               point agree to uphold results of the 1990 elections," he
said. 

               Suu Kyi says about 150 of NLD members of parliament
               elected in the 1990 general election, which the party
swept
               but the military has refused to recognise, are in
detention. 

               The military was coercing members daily, offering them
               bribes and using emotional blackmail to leave the party.
               About 17 MPs had quit, she told visiting correspondents
last
               Friday. 

               A government spokesman said 101 NLD MPs were under
               detention for national security reasons -- to stop them
from
               adhering to NLD demands for assembling of a parallel
               government via the Peoples' Parliament, a proposal flatly
               rejected by the ruling State Peace and Development
               Council. 

               "This call for a parliament may have been a tactical
error.
               Now Suu Kyi and NLD have incurred the wrath of the
military
               and are further away from dialogue or reconciliation than
               ever before. The military just won't have it," said an
Asian
               diplomat. 

               "From what I have heard, even some of the Western
               supporters of the NLD are concerned about this impasse
               caused by the parliament call and about where all this is
               heading," he said. 

               Other analysts said the latest military offensive against
Suu
               Kyi and her party was unlikely to lead to her re-arrest
or
               deportation in the near future as widely rumoured. 

               "The NLD will remain a symbolic expression of popular
               dissatisfaction...of popular desire for change. In that
respect
               even if the NLD is destroyed organisationally, as long as
you
               have Suu Kyi in place, she will play that (symbolic)
role,"
               said the western diplomat. 

               The Asian diplomat said that at some time in the future,
               when the military was confident enough and ready to share
               power, it could hold dialogue with Suu Kyi and her party.
               That is why it needed the Nobel laureate and daughter
               (corrects) of independence hero Aung San to remain as a
               symbolic necessity for now. 

               Despite setbacks, Suu Kyi vows to see through the
People's
               Parliament despite heavier military pressure. The
military
               must honour the results of the 1990 polls and the
people's
               choice. 

               Suu Kyi also believes there will be dialogue between the
two
               sides, sometime in the future, although the political
test of
               wills and stalemate was being painfully prolonged. 

               Government spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Hla Min said the
               People's Parliament card held out by the NLD was
               unacceptable as it meant a parallel government would be
set
               up. That proposal must be dropped before any
reconciliation
               can re-start. 

               Diplomats project a grim political future ahead. 

               One factor that could change the political landscape
would
               be a crack in the ruling military's ranks, they said.
While not
               excluding any military split or coup at any time, they
noted
               the ruling generals have been and remain a tightly knit
               group. 

               Contagion from the Asian economic crisis on Myanmar,
               which some foreign critics believe could sow the seeds of
               mass unrest or uprisings, was seen unlikely. 

               "Poverty has been here for centuries. Food is still
available
               and that is what sets Myanmar apart from some other Asian
               countries (where there has been mass social unrest) like
in
               Indonesia," said another Asian diplomat. 

               Experts said Myanmar's Buddhist culture, which espouses
               tolerance, could also lead to political stagnation
lasting a
               while as the gulf between the military and the NLD
widens.