(Hot Nws)Burma's main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), says it will not take part in the country's first polls in two decades.

Suu Kyi's NLD party to boycott Burma election An NLD spokesman said the party had decided not to register because of "unjust" electoral laws.

The laws recently announced by the junta required the NLD to expel its detained leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, because she has a criminal record.

Its refusal to register means the NLD will no longer be legally recognised.

No date has been set for the elections, but the military has pledged to hold them this year.

The NLD won the last elections in 1990 but was never allowed to take power.

The BBC's South East Asia correspondent, Rachel Harvey, says the party's decision to boycott the coming election, rather than ousting its charismatic leader in order to participate, was largely expected.

But the move will do nothing to ease international concern about the country's already heavily-criticised political standards, she adds.

No compromise

The NLD's decision followed a meeting of more than 100 party members in Rangoon.

NLD spokesman Nyan Win said the party had agreed that it could not participate in the elections under the new laws, which were announced in early March.

BURMA'S ELECTION
Constitution: 25% of seats in parliament reserved for the military
Constitution: More than 75% approval required for any constitutional change
Election law: Those with criminal convictions cannot take part - ruling out many activists
Election law: Members of religious orders cannot take part - ruling out monks
Election commission: Handpicked by Burma's military government
"After a vote of the committee of members, the NLD party has decided not to register as a political party because the election laws are unjust," Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.

The decision did not come as a surprise - last week Nyan Win said Ms Suu Kyi had told him the party should "not even think" of taking part in the polls because of the nature of the election laws.

If the NLD had chosen to take part, it would have implied its acceptance of the military's constitution - something it has so far refused to do.

Some senior NLD leaders had argued the party risked rendering itself irrelevant if it chose not to contest the polls, even though that participation would be constrained by the military.


Aung San Suu Kyi had indicated that she opposed her party taking part
Win Tin, a veteran NLD member and one of Burma's longest-serving political prisoners, described the meeting as a "life-or-death issue".

"If we don't register, we will not have a party and we will be without legs and limbs," he said ahead of the announcement.

But Tin Oo, the party's recently-released deputy leader, said that the decision did not signal the end for the NLD. "There are many peaceful ways to continue our activities," he said.

The new election laws have been condemned by the UN, US and UK, among others.

The laws state that parties cannot have any members with criminal convictions - which rules out many top NLD leaders who have been jailed because of their political activism.

The laws also ban members of religious orders and civil servants from joining political parties. Buddhist monks were the driving force behind anti-junta protests in 2007.

Critics say both the election laws and the constitution under which the elections will be held are designed to ensure that the military retains a firm grip on power in Burma. null

Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition refuses to take first legal step on path to contesting promised national poll

Burma's National League for Democracy fails to register for election
The main Burmese opposition party has decided not to register, meaning it will be unable to contest the country's first election in two decades, it was reported today.

The Voice of Hope: Updated and Revised Edition


Hla Thein, a delegate at today's meeting of the National League for Democracy, said its members had decided against registration.

Perfect Hostage: A Life of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's Prisoner of Conscience

Registration would have been the first legal step needed to take part in the polls, which the country's ruling junta has promised to hold this year. No date has been set.



The detained National League for Democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was quoted last week by her lawyer as saying she opposed registering her party because the junta's restrictions on the vote were "unjust". She stressed that she would let party members decide.

Perfect Hostage: A Life of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's Prisoner of Conscience

A round-up of today's world news stories in brief Daw Aung San-Suu Kyi party NLD not to run in election

YANGON – Burma’s (Myanmar) biggest opposition party said yesterday it would not register for this year’s election, meaning Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s party will have no role in the military-led process.

The National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which won the last election in 1990 by a landslide but was never allowed to rule, said the entire party leadership had agreed not to run. “After a unanimous vote of the central executive committee, the NLD party has decided not to register as a political party because the election laws . . . are unfair and unjust,” it said. – (Reuters)

Mephedrone to be banned in UK

LONDON – Dance drug mephedrone will be banned within weeks, British home secretary Alan Johnson announced yesterday.

The legal high, which has been linked to up to 25 deaths in England and Scotland, will be banned and made a Class B drug, he said. A ban on importing the drug will come into force today.

The announcement came after Mr Johnson was given a report backing a ban on mephedrone – also known as M-Cat or Plant Food – from Prof Les Iversen, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. – (PA)

Relatives of Air France crash sue in US


MIAMI – Relatives of passengers killed in an Air France crash off Brazil have filed almost two dozen wrongful death lawsuits in Miami against Airbus, alleging that the aircraft maker’s A330 crashed because of flaws in the aircraft and its US-made components.

Airbus, a unit of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, called the lawsuits baseless.

“We don’t believe that they are well stated or well founded,” said spokesman Clay McConnell. “We will be moving to have them dismissed.”
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Senior members of the detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party attend the party's central committee meeting at the party's headquarters Monday, March. 29, 2010,

Mixed reaction to Myanmar opposition party boycott..
YANGON, Myanmar — Many residents of Myanmar's largest city Tuesday greeted a decision by the party of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi to boycott elections with rousing approval but others blamed it for leaving them with little choice in the military-organized balloting.

In a bold gamble, the National League for Democracy on Monday decided to opt out of the country's first election in two decades, following the lead of the detained Nobel Prize laureate who had earlier denounced the laws guiding the election as undemocratic.

The decision, approved by an unanimous vote of the 113 executive members, spotlights the question of the polls' credibility. The NLD won the most parliamentary seats in the last election in 1990, whose results the military refused to honor.

"It is devastating that the NLD has chosen to boycott the election. Who should I vote for when the election comes?" said a 46-year-old university teacher Myint Myint Thein.

But others approved of the decision.

"(Suu Kyi) is our icon and our leader and she is the only person who can reflect the feelings of the public. We are with her and we support her decision," said a 55-year-old nurse, Khin Zaw.

The NLD earlier denounced the election laws, noting their provisions would bar Suu Kyi from participating, or even being a member of the party she helped found 22 years ago in the wake of a failed popular uprising against military rule.

"We will continue to pursue, through peaceful means, democracy and human rights with support, understanding and assistance from the people, ethnic nationalities and democratic forces," said party vice chairman Tin Oo.

Although the boycott will probably mean the end of the NLD since parties who fail to register for the election are to be dissolved, the boycott could also undermine the junta's claims that the election represents a step forward in its "roadmap for democracy."

"The majority of the people will follow the decision because of their deep respect for (Suu Kyi), and the legitimacy and credibility of the elections will be thoroughly undermined," said Thakin Chan Tun, a retired ambassador and veteran politician.To Myanmar with Love: A Travel Guide for the Connoisseur (To Asia with Love)

The election date has yet to be announced, and the lineup of the contesting parties is still unclear. But it appears the military will field a party against a number of small ones, some of them pro-military.

"I think the NLD has made a major blunder by not contesting in the election. We are all set to vote for NLD candidates and now we are left without any choice," said Mie Mie, a jewelry shop owner.

Cho Cho Kyaw Nyein, general-secretary of the recently formed Democratic Party, said the best way to serve the people and country was to get as many opposition seats as possible in the new parliament.

The reaction of the international community, which has already expressed doubt over the fairness of the polls, could be crucial in determining whether the election will proceed smoothly. The junta hopes holding the vote will ease pressure for political reforms and accommodation with the country's pro-democracy movement.

At the same time, the party risks being further marginalized. It has been the focal point for opposition to military rule, even though it has faced fierce repression. If it loses its status as a legal party, it may face tighter restrictions.

U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters that U.S. officials "understand and respect" the NLD decision. "This is a reflection of the unwillingness of the government in Burma to take what we thought were the necessary steps to open up the political process and
to engage in serious dialogue," Crowley said.

Senior members of the detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party attend the party's central committee meeting at the party's headquarters Monday, March. 29, 2010, in Yangon, Myanmar. The party was meeting Monday to decide whether to participate in the first election in military-ruled Myanmar in two decades, the party spokesman said. A senior party member called it "a life-or-death" decision. (cripdo Photo/Khin Maung Win)Myanmar (Burma) (Country Guide)