Suu Kyi's party set to boycott Burma parliament

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy will not attend opening session in dispute over wording of MPs' oath

The democracy leader and other members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) will not travel to the capital Naypyidaw to enter parliament on Monday , party spokesman Ohn Kyaing said, following a dispute over the swearing-in oath. 

Aung San Suu Kyi won a place in the Burmese lower house when her party took 43 of the 45 available seats in the 1 April election.

Burma's main opposition movement says Aung San Suu Kyi and the rest of her party's newly elected MPs will not attend Monday's opening session of parliament because of a disagreement over the wording of the oath of office.

The National League for Democracy rejects the part of the MPs' oath that says they must safeguard the constitution, which it wants to see amended in part because it says it places too much power in the hands of the military.

"We are not boycotting, but we are just waiting for the right time to go," said Ms Suu Kyi, who won her first-ever seat in parliament in landmark April 1 by-elections, after a meeting on the issue in Yangon.

The NLD has baulked at the wording of the oath, which requires them to protect a constitution that was drawn up by the country's former junta.

Aung San Suu Kyi's absence was expected, as the party had already said it would not attend the assembly until the issue was resolved.

Opposition MP Ohn Kyaing confirmed the refusal to attend on Sunday, but said he believed the issue would be overcome quickly.

Authorities have rejected the party's appeal to change the wording of the oath from "safeguard" to "respect" the constitution and a letter to the office of Burma's reformist President Thein Sein on the issue was sent too late for the row to be resolved before the next session of parliament begins on Monday.

The NLD, which boycotted a controversial 2010 election, agreed to rejoin the political mainstream last year after authorities changed a similar phrase in party registration documents.