ˇˇˇˇYANGON, Sept. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Myanmar's Committee Representing the People's
Parliament (CRPP) elected in the 1990 General Election, formed by the opposition
National League for Democracy (NLD), held a ceremony at the NLD headquarters
Monday to mark its fourth anniversary.
ˇˇˇˇCRPP Secretary U Aye Thar Aung, who was released on August 16 by the
military government, attended the ceremony. He was given a 21-year prison
sentence in April 2000 for allegedly violating political emergency and
publishing laws.
ˇˇˇˇThe 10-member CRPP , an alliance comprising the NLD, Shan NLD, Arakan
Democracy League, Mon Democracy Party, Zomi National Congress and individual
elected representatives, was unilaterally formed by the NLD on Sept. 16, 1998
with NLD chairman U Aung Shwe as chairman and U Aye Thar Aung as secretary.
ˇˇˇˇThe CRPP declared that it would perform parliamentary function until a
formal parliament is convened and stated that all laws, degrees, orders and
directives issued since the present military government took power on Sept. 18,
1988 shall be approved by the people's parliament.
ˇˇˇˇHowever, the government declared the CRPP as illegal and insisted that it
must be abolished, otherwise it will take severe action against the
organization.
ˇˇˇˇThe Myanmar military took over the power of state on Sept. 18, 1988 and
sponsored the multi-party general election in May 1990, in which the NLD won a
landslide victory with 396 parliamentary seats out of 485.
ˇˇˇˇThe NLD complains that no parliament has emerged yet since the end of the
election.
ˇˇˇˇMeanwhile, since October 2000, the government and the opposition had held
confidence-building talks until Aung San Suu Kyi, NLD general secretary, was
released on May 6 from 19-month house arrest and no further substantive talks
continued since then.
ˇˇˇˇIn the meantime, the government has been releasing NLD members and the
number of the detained party members and its activists hascome to 316 since
January 2001, including 62 released after restriction on Aung San Suu Kyi was
lifted. Enditem
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