Asia

Asia

Myanmar court upholds dissolution of Suu Kyi party

28 January 2011 20:30 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. A special appeals court in army-ruled Myanmar on Friday rejected a move by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to have her political party reinstated after it was dissolved for boycotting last year’s election, APA reports quoting â€œReutersâ€.
The Special Appellant Court in Naypyitaw ruled that the National League for Democracy (NLD), whose 1990 election victory was ignored by the military junta, will remain an "unlawful association" for its failure to register for the November 7 poll.
The decision leaves Myanmar’s biggest opposition force on the sidelines of a new, army-dominated political system and raises questions about the hugely popular Nobel laureate’s ability to initiate any change in the former British colony, despite her release on November 13 from a seven-year stint of detention.
The NLD shunned the election because of what it said were "unfair and unjust" rules that prohibited hundreds of its detained members from running for seats in a parliament due to hold its first session on Monday.
The special appeal was submitted on January 13 following a Supreme Court ruling on November 22 that the NLD was an illegal organization because it failed to re-register as a party to contest the nationwide polls, which were the first since 1990.
"Since it was the last legal avenue, the right to appeal has finished here," Nyan Win, an NLD lawyer and spokesman of the now-defunct party said by telephone.
"We will do whatever we can after discussing with our leaders as soon as we get back to Yangon," he said.
Many experts believe the NLD might serve as some kind of social organization but warn any moves against a new government due to be formed in the next few weeks could result in the re-arrest of many of its members, including Suu Kyi.
A bicameral national parliament will convene on Monday and will be dominated by the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party and middle-ranking army personnel appointed by junta strongman, Senior General Than Shwe, to serve as lawmakers.
The composition of the legislature suggests there will be little change to the status quo and analysts expect the government to be heavily influenced, or even led directly, by Than Shwe.