Burma’s National Convention Adjourns
April 1, 2003

The Kachin Post

Burma’s military junta led national convention, which aims to draft a new state constitution, has adjourned yesterday, according to official mouthpiece Myanmar News Agency.

Lieutenant-General Thein Sein, Chairman of the National Convention Convening Commission, announced that the national convention will be temporarily suspended until it resumes at the end of this year. Thein Sein is also the First Secretary of the State Peace and Development Council, the ruling military regime.

Thein Sein said the adjournment is due to the need of review period for the proposal submitted by the delegate groups over the principles for sharing the executive and judicial powers, as well as for the sake of farmers’ farming season which begins from May to October.

The national convention—which initially began in 1993 and paused in 1996 after the opposition National League for Democracy party walked out from the meeting—first resumed on May 17 last year and came to recess on July 9, but resume again on February 17, 2005.

Over 1,000 invited delegates mostly are junta’s handpicked people attended this episode of national convention. Delegates came from eight categories delegate groups including ceasefire and ethnic armed organization.

During this section of meeting, the National Convention Convening Commission has approved the detailed principles for sharing of legislative power in 11 sectors which include defense and security; foreign affairs; financing and planning; economic; agriculture and livestock breeding, energy, electricity.

The national convention is designated to implementing the first step of military government’s seven-point road map to democracy announced in August 2003. The later steps are undergoing a national referendum to legitimize the draft constitution, holding a general election to elect members of parliament and forming a new democratic government.