NEWS- Myanmar Makes Excuses For Del

[Rangoonp@xxxxxxx]

Subject: NEWS- Myanmar Makes Excuses For Delayed Democracy

COMMENTS BY THE RANGOON POST - 2 March, 1999
As Hla Min states that it is "unacceptable to any government to have a
parallel government".  I ask this, since the NLD was the majority winner
of the 1990 elections, then isn't the military SPDC/SLORC/BSPP... the
parallel government ??
  Why does the SPDC regime do everything it can to restrict, harass,
block, etc. the legitamitely elected NLD majority and other elected
parties ??
  Constructive engagement has been tried for 20 of the 30+ years without
any change. The money and equipment given by the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Agency was used to attack villages and surpress ethnic groups, not
drugs. This was witnessed first hand by non-burmese visitors.



Interview-Myanmar Says Democracy Delayed by West

               Reuters
               28-FEB-99

               YANGON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Military-ruled Myanmar said
               tacit Western support for the opposition National League
for
               Democracy (NLD) and other obstacles including sanctions
               placed on the country had delayed the introduction of
               democracy. 

               "We could have gone faster. But with the pressures (from
the
               West), the pace of movement forward has slowed down,"
               government spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Hla Min told
               Reuters. 

               "If the West is serious about having more democracy in
               Myanmar, give us support to achieve this quicker," he
said in
               an interview. "It is not fair for them to ask us to move
faster
               while placing obstacles." 

               The NLD and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi, backed by the
               United States and European nations, have raised the ante
in
               their demands on the ruling military to stop harassing
the
               opposition and allow them to carry out normal political
               activities. 

               The United States in its annual report on Myanmar
released
               on Saturday criticised the country's military government
for
               serious human rights violations, arbitrary detentions and
               forced labour. 

               It said the military held over 1,000 political prisoners. 


               Suu Kyi, who backs economic sanctions placed on Myanmar
               by western nations, incurred the military's wrath after
she
               said the NLD wanted to convene a parliament of members
               elected at the country's last elections in 1990. 

               The ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC),
               flatly rejected the idea and toughened its crackdowns on
               NLD activists, setting back chances of political dialogue
or
               reconciliation between the two sides. 

               The NLD claims about 150 of its MPs elected in the
abortive
               1990 election, which the party won but was ignored by the
               military, were being detained. Hundreds of rank and file
               members had been detained, intimidated and then released. 

               Hla Min said that the MPs detained were being held at
               "government guest houses" to prevent them from trying to
               follow NLD orders to convene a parliament. 

               "This is a grave error...this kind of card is
unacceptable to
               any government...to have a parallel government," he
added. 

               "If they (the MPs) go to set up parliament they will get
into
               serious trouble as it will be an act of treason and the
               government is trying to avoid that by keeping them in its
               guest houses," he said. 

               "If they realise national security is more important than
their
               parliament, then they can go home," he added. 

               But a defiant Suu Kyi said last Friday that the party
would
               press ahead with the proposal despite intensified
               government repression and hardships, because the military
               must honour the results of the 1990 polls. 

               She declined to detail party plans to pursue this
objective but
               said military coercion and blackmail of party members
would
               not keep grassroots support down. 

               Hla Min said Suu Kyi must drop the parliament talk to
start
               political reconciliation. 

               "This (parliament) can never seriously take place. It is
a
               stumbling block. She (Suu Kyi) must drop it to resume the
               dialogue process," he added. 

               On the protracted delays in drawing up a new Myanmar
               constitution, he said the government was in the delicate
               stage of discussing power sharing terms with various
ethnic
               races and former insurgent groups for incorporation in
the
               charter. 

               "On the timeframe, we can't say when this can be
finished.
               But in two to three years time there could be an
election," he
               said. 

               The last time the National Convention met to draw up the
               constitution was in March 1996, when the NLD walked out
               charging the convention had been rigged by the
government.