NLD Party Proposing Talks With The Goverment,Parliament And Military For Amending Constiution

Yangon, Nov 23 (IANS) A Myanmar opposition party, the National League for Democracy, Saturday proposed talks with the government, parliament and military for amending the 2008 constitution, the party said.

The decision came at the party's central executive committee meeting here to send a request for talks to President U Thein Sein, the party said.

The party has been collecting public opinion on the constitutional amendment region-wise and state-wise since mid-October.

According to earlier announcement by the party, the majority of the public prefer the amendment of the constitution, while few people prefer re-drawing.

The 109-member constitution review joint committee set up by Myanmar's Parliament in July, has extended the deadline for submission of such advice and assessment till Dec 31.

The National League for Democracy also formed a constitution amendment committee.

The 194-page, 15-chapter Republic of the Union of Myanmar Constitution 2008, drafted in accordance with the detailed basic principles laid down by the national convention, was promulgated in May 2008 after a nationwide referendum.

Under that constitution, a multi-party democratic general election was held in November 2010, in which the Union Solidarity and Development Party won the majority of the seats with its then chairman U Thein Sein being elected as president of the new government who took office in March 2011.

In 2012, the government amended the party registration law, re-legalising the opposition, the National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

The National League for Democracy took part in the by-elections in April, winning 43 out of 45 open parliamentary seats.

Myanmar rebels shun peace initiative

Ta Phone Kwaw, a leader of the rebel Ta'ang National Liberation Army, said Wednesday his group rejected a peace deal drafted by Myanmar's government.

Myanmar's government called on the various ethnic groups fighting for more autonomy in the country to form political parties and disarm before moving any further with a national reconciliation agenda.

"It will be difficult for our ethnic groups to agree to disarm," the rebel leader told Thai newspaper The Irrawaddy. "For our group, we totally reject this draft."

He said there was still "heavy fighting" with the government forces under way in the mountains of the northern part of Shan state, where its estimated 1,500 fighters are based.

"We could not meet again with [mediators] to negotiate because there is more fighting in our area," he said.

Myanmar since 2012 has brokered peace agreements with more than a dozen armed ethnic groups in the country.

Myanmar earned international praise for the series of political reforms that began with general elections in 2010. National security challenges have overshadowed some of those reforms.