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NEWS - Burma's generals challenge o
Burma's generals challenge opposition - BBC
Burmese pro-democracy activists continue their struggle in
exile
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.