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YANGON : Myanmar's pro-democracy party on Friday called for dialogue with the ruling military after a string of rare protests led to a government crackdown and the arrest of dozens of its members.
The statement by the National League for Democracy, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, comes after the military on Sunday threatened action against democracy activists and accused the party of inciting national unrest.
"The expectations of the people, who hope for a change here, will survive if we cooperate by quickly building national reconciliation after holding dialogue," the NLD said in a statement.
The party also denied it was the driving force behind recent protests, sparked by a surprise hike in fuel prices on August 15.
"These demonstrations occurred because the authorities were unable to reach a peaceful resolution, as proposed by the NLD," the group said.
Opposition party members have in the past urged the military to enter into a dialogue with them to address social and economic hardships in Myanmar, which has been ruled by the military since 1962.
Amnesty International estimates that up to 150 people have been rounded up in the crackdown since the start of the rallies, the largest in Myanmar in nearly a decade.
The crackdown on dissent has led to an international outcry, with US President George W. Bush labelling the military "tyrannical" and the United Nations human rights chief calling for the release of all peaceful protesters.
Since Sunday's warning from the military, which was published in state-run media, dozens of NLD members and other social activists have had their mobile phone signals cut.
A party spokesman told AFP on Friday that the landline to the NLD's Yangon headquarters was also apparently disconnected.
Telecommunications sources have said that more than 50 phone services -- mostly mobile phones used by NLD members and other activists -- have been cut to try to curb the spread of information about rallies.
The NLD won elections in 1990, but the military did not recognise the result and has kept Aung San Suu Kyi locked in her lakeside home for extended periods of time, despite fierce international criticism.
- AFP /ls
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