Military backed former NLD members against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

DVB (2 August 2003)

Two months after the arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi subsequent to the Tabayin incident, the Military Intelligence has started taking an unexpected move.

The new move believed to have been initiated by the Military Intelligence was the convening of a meeting involving elected representatives, who had already been dismissed by the National League for Democracy (NLD) headquarters, with the expectation they could oppose Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

That meeting was held at the residence of Daw Khin Aye Myint, representative of Yankin Township Constituency in Rangoon Division, who was also dismissed by the NLD. An eye witness at that meeting told DVB that about 20 people, including party members and elected representatives who had been dismissed by the NLD, attended the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting was to expel Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from Burma's political scene and for the dismissed representatives to form an independent organization.

People are watching the development with interest and political circles in Rangoon are critically saying that it could be a new tactical move by the Military Intelligence.

Earlier this year, a similar initiative led by dismissed representative Dr Soe Lin was taken in Mandalay. On that occasion, those dismissed from the party and about 300 outsiders were invited to the event which was grandly held at the Mandalay Institute of Technology under the title, "Mass resignation from the National League for Democracy". (BBC Monitoring Service)