The Taungup Township acting secretary U Tin Thein Aung said, "We demanded the military government release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and allow her to participate in the Burmese political arena in the future because she is a Burmese citizen and she was born in Burma."
The demand followed the Taungup Township NLD executive committee meeting on Saturday, which was held with the aim of supporting the NLD Rakhine State on the ensuing referendum.
"The NLD Rakhine State issued a statement on the forthcoming referendum along with two major points on March 13, 2008, denouncing the referendum on the draft constitution," U Tin Thein Aung said.
In the statement published by the NLD Rakhine State, the draft constitution was called unfair and an injustice because the authorities did not allow the people's representatives to write it. The NLD Rakhine State condemned the constitution completely as well as the referendum.
The Taungup Township NLD also requested government employees and public servants to go to the polls to cast ballots but not vote for the draft constitution during the referendum.
During the meeting, the Taungup NLD committee filled two vacancies - one for the post of general secretary and another for the post of joint secretary. The two leaders who previously held the positions are U Khin Hla, general secretary, and Ko Min Aung, joint secretary. They are currently being detained by authorities for their involvement in the Saffron Revolution.
According to a Taungup Township NLD source, U Tin Thein Aung, vice-president of the Taungup NLD, was appointed as acting general secretary and U Tun Kyi, a central committee member, was appointed acting joint secretary.
U Tin Thein Aung said that the Taungup Township NLD vows to protest the ensuing referendum in accordance with the decision of NLD headquarters because the constitution is controversial and does not serve the public interest. The constitution also excludes Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from the Burmese political arena.
