[JURIST] Six opposition members and former constitutional delegates have criticized the efforts of the military government of Myanmar to reconvene negotiations on a new constitution [JURIST news archive]. The six accused the military junta Sunday of handpicking most of the delegates to the country's National Convention to ensure it remains in power. Khun Myint Tun, a National League for Democracy (NLD) [Wikipedia backgrounder] member and former delegate who fled to Thailand to boycott the convention, says that only 12 delegates were democratically elected members of parliament. Another delegate said he was forced to participate by the military regime to "represent" farmers despite being a teacher with no knowledge of farming or the law.

The latest constitutional convention, slated to resume on July 18 [JURIST report], comes amid international criticism [JURIST report] of Myanmar's political situation and the continued house arrest [JURIST report] of NLD opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi [advocacy website; BBC profile]. Myanmar [JURIST news archive] has been governed without a constitution since the military regime took power in 1988. AP has more.