Campaigners against military conscription hope to meet British MPs visiting Bermuda as part of an inquiry into the governance of the overseas territories.

Bermudians Against the Draft submitted written evidence to the inquiry in November ¿ telling politicians in London they have been met with "ignorance, intransigence and arrogance" concerning the issue in Bermuda.

Spokesman Larry Marshall Sr. asked the British politicians to launch an independent board of inquiry to examine the topic. He also asked them to "put pressure on the present Government to end this madness at once, seeing as they lack the backbone and conscience to do so by themselves".

He asked for the opportunity to travel to London to give evidence in person, but had not heard back. However, it emerged on Wednesday that members of the Foreign Affairs Committee - the cross-party group of MPs hearing the inquiry - will visit Bermuda, possibly as soon as next month. They are expected to seek the views of members of the public and interest groups as well as politicians.

Since three other Bermudians have also written to the inquiry to outline anti-conscription views, Mr. Marshall said he was confident the committee will wish to meet campaign representatives.

"This is obviously great news not only for B.A.D but also for the many Bermudians who oppose conscription. For the committee to come here far exceeds our expectations as it provides opportunities which would not have been possible in Britain. Even if the committee had granted our request to present oral evidence it still would not have done justice to the movement. This way far more individuals can be actively involved and thereby punctuate the claims being made by the group," he said.

Bermudians Against the Draft will launch a 14-strong group action in the Supreme Court later this month aiming to get conscription abolished. A written petition has been circulating for several months urging people to back its campaign and an online version has recently been launched on the website ww.bermudiansagainstthedraft.org.

Mr. Marshall said while it is too early to assess how many signatures have been gained, he hopes to hand the petition over to the committee when it arrives in Bermuda.

Once the inquiry is completed, the Foreign Affairs Committee will hand its report to Meg Munn, Minister for the overseas territories which will be debated in the British House of Commons.