BBC-Burma's generals challenge oppo

[hlaing@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Friday, September 18, 1998 Published at 16:32 GMT 17:32 UK 

Burma's generals challenge opposition 

The military government in Burma has accused the opposition National League
for Democracy of trying to provoke it into harsh measures by setting up a
committee to act on behalf of parliament. 


The formation of the committee and the NLD's declaration that all laws
passed during 10 years of military rule have no legal basis, has prompted a
sardonic response from the authorities in Rangoon. 

A government statement said the committee's formation had been noted with
interest, and challenged the NLD to demonstrate its ability to govern the
country. 

The statement added that while the NLD committee puzzled over such issues,
the current government would continue to shoulder the real responsibilities
of governing the country. 

The BBC South-East Asia Correspondent, Simon Ingram, says the government's
cool reaction may be a sign of its confidence that, with more than 800
opposition members currently in detention, the formation of the committee
is an act of political symbolism rather than substance. 

UN criticism 

In part it also reflects a determination not to be provoked into harsher
measures in advance of the forthcoming UN General Assembly meeting, where
strong criticism of Burma's military government is in any case a certainty.


The man named as parliamentary chairman, Saw Mra Aung, is already in
custody, while another committee member, the NLD leader, Aung San Suu Kyi,
is under effective house arrest. 

The government's statement came on the tenth anniversary of the coup which
confirmed the military's hold on power in Burma. 

Election victory 

Although the NLD scored an overwhelming victory in a general election held
in 1990, the military authorities annulled the ballot and have refused to
recognise their claim as the legitmate government of Burma. 

As the symbolic tenth anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy
demonstrators passes, there is mounting speculation that the NLD will
shortly announce the formation of a provisional government. 

Such a move will probably attract support in the West, but is unlikely to
make much impact on a regime which seems as little inclined as ever to
surrender its grip on power.