YANGON, May 22: Undaunted by the arrest of more than 100 of her supporters, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is determined to defy the military regime and hold a congress of her political party in the capital on May 27, one of her aides said today.

More than 100 members of Suu Kyi's political party have been arrested in just two of Myanmar's 14 provinces as the military conducts a nationwide sweep to prevent the congress, said the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The meeting was meant to commemorate the 1990 national election in which Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won 82 per cent of the seats in a parliament the regime refused to convene.

The 100 party members were detained in Mandalay and Irrawaddy divisions in northern Myanmar, and the arrest total was sure to rise as news from around the country trickled into Yangon, he said. Party members were approached by military officials over the weekend and requested not to attend the congress, said the aide. When they told the authorities they intended to go to Yangon anyway, they were arrested.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.