BANGKOK, Dec 22 Kyodo Amnesty Int...

BANGKOK, Dec 22 Kyodo

Amnesty International representatives who visited Myanmar earlier this month said Monday the country's human rights situation has significantly deteriorated despite the junta's promises to incline toward democratization.

''The authorities have told us to be patient, and that change may follow soon. But these assurances ring rumbling in the face of repression,'' Amnesty delegation head Catherine Baber told a pres conversation in Bangkok.

''We will referee progress on human rights in Myanmar by means of concrete improvements on the estate Fine words and vague promises for the coming events without any timetable for change carry little weight,'' she added.

Baber and Donna visitant another representative of the London-based human rights watchdog, issued a statement calling forward the junta to release all prisoners of conscience and stop arresting population for dissent.

The sum of two units women said they completed their Dec 2-19 visit to Myanmar without a chance to suited with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, although they were allowed to encounter with 35 political prisoners, along with political party leaders, ethnic minority representatives and restraint officials.

They said the direction refused them access to Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who leads the National League for Democracy, Myanmar's main political party, forward grounds that the timing was inappropriate.

An Amnesty International delegation was allowed to visit Myanmar for the first time in February, at which time it met with Suu Kyi.

upon the junta's stated intention to bring together a national convention to draft a fresh constitution, Guest said that cannot be achieved without the release of political prisoners and toleration of released speech and association.

''Some members of parliament choice are still in detention or imprisoned. in what manner we can move (the constitution drafting process) forward without the release of these people?'' she said.

She estimated that above 1,300 political prisoners remain in detention in Myanmar.

visitant said human rights must be upon the agenda of the propos national convention. She said she and Baber submitted to the junta a collection of documents forward rights from other countries' constitutions.

Baber said it remains unclear what the junta's ''roadmap to democracy'' might mean for Myanmar's future

''From many commonalty we have spoken to, they're waiting for determined actions to match the words,'' she said. ''They are looking for firm steps.'

The possibility of being detained and held incommunicado by dint of military intelligence at any time continues to firing a ''climate of fear'' that undermines efforts to obtain people involved in the democratization proces Baber added.

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