Bill for revoking state protection law submitted to Myanmar parliament

A bill aimed at revoking a law safeguarding the state against subversion, enacted over the past 40 years, has been submitted to the House of Representatives (Lower House), parliament sources said on Tuesday.

The Law to Safeguard the State against the Dangers of Those Desiring to Cause Subversive Acts, enacted by the previous military government in 1975, allows declaration of a state of emergency in the country and restriction of a citizen's fundamental rights.

The Lower House has invited proposal to amend the bill not later than Thursday.

A Lower House member of parliament insisted that the law must be withdrawn, saying that it has been used to detain politicians for many years.

State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi was put in house arrest under the law in 1989 when General Saw Maung's military government came into power on Sept. 18, 1988.

Source: XINHUA