BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Nearly 100 opposition leaders warned Saturday that they would urge Myanmar's citizens to vote against a "sham" constitution being drafted unless they were allowed to take part in the process.

In a letter to United Nation's Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the 92 leaders also called on the international body to urge the junta to enter talks with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy and ethnic political parties on bringing democracy to the country.

"If the (junta) continues to implement its seven-step road map without cooperating with the peoples' representatives and without listening to the real desire of the people of Myanmar and repeated requests from the international community, (its) orchestrated constitution would be surely challenged by the people," according to the letter sent to The Associated Press Saturday.

"We will be joining with them to oppose this sham-constitution and leading to educate and organize the people to vote against it in the referendum," the leaders said. "We promise to the people who voted for us that we will not let them down."

The 92 signers were elected to parliament in 1990, a vote which the National League For Democracy, or NLD, won in a landslide. But the junta, which took power in 1988 after crushing pro-democracy demonstrations, refused to hand over power. Eight-four of the 92 are members of the NLD.

Amid international pressure to swiftly restore democracy, the junta launched what it said was a seven-step "road map" to democracy that is supposed to culminate in free elections, although no timetable has been announced. Last month, the military junta started what it said would be the final session of the national convention which is tasked with drawing up guidelines for a new constitution. It is expected to be finished by September.

Critics say the proceedings are flawed because the junta hand-picked most of the delegates and because Suu Kyi -- currently under house arrest -- cannot attend.

Acting Prime Minister Thein Sein, also the chairman of the National Convention Convening Commission, said the majority of the population supports the ongoing convention, but that a small "negative-looking group" opposes it.

He warned legal action would be taken against anyone who tries to derail the process. Violators face up to 20 years in jail.

In their letter, the opposition leaders proposed a series of measures they said were necessary to avoid "a national crisis."

Among them are finishing the convention as soon as possible, and then entering talks with the NLD and other opposition parties on a timetable for completion of the democracy process and the role of parliament members during the transition to elections.

They also called for the NLD and other political parties to be given a central role in drafting the constitution, which then would lead to fresh elections and the abolishment of the junta which is also known as the State Peace and Development Council.

Neither the United Nations nor a spokesperson for the government of Myanmar, also known as Burma, could be reached for comment.

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