Myanmar's Suu Kyi appeals conviction
Fri Sep 18, 6:07 am ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Lawyers for detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi appealed the recent conviction that extended her yearslong house arrest Friday, a day after the ruling junta announced it was releasing thousands of prisoners.
The Yangon Divisional Court said it would deliver its verdict Oct. 2, lawyer Nyan Win said.
"I have done my best. I have done my duty," chief defense lawyer Kyi Win said after the one-day, closed-door hearing that Suu Kyi and reporters were barred from attending.
Late Thursday, the junta announced on state television that 7,114 convicts at prisons across the country would be released for good behavior and on humanitarian grounds. It was not immediately known if they included political detainees. They were expected to be freed Friday.
A mass release had been anticipated for months but the timing appeared to be partially aimed at distracting attention from Suu Kyi's hearing.
The 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner was convicted on Aug. 11 for breaking the terms of her house arrest when an American intruder stayed at her home. A three-year sentence was commuted to 18 months of house arrest by the junta chief, Senior Gen. Than Shwe. Two of Suu Kyi's live-in companions received the same sentence.
"I am optimistic that we will win our appeal and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will be released," Nyan Win said. Daw is a term of respect in Myanmar.
Lawyers said earlier the main point of Suu Kyi's appeal was that the law authorities used against her is invalid because it applies to a constitution abolished two decades ago.
Suu Kyi has been detained for 14 of the past 20 years, mostly under house arrest.
Her three-month trial and subsequent conviction sparked global outrage and revived long-standing calls for the release of the country's estimated 2,200 political prisoners, of which Suu Kyi is the most famous.
The American, John Yettaw, was sentenced to seven years in prison but was released on humanitarian grounds and deported on Aug. 16.
Prison amnesties such as the one announced Thursday usually mark important national days or are intended to deflect criticism ahead of high-profile international gatherings.
Friday marked the 21st anniversary of the 1988 seizure of power by the current junta to quash vast pro-democracy demonstrations.
The amnesty also comes just ahead of the opening of this year's U.N. General Assembly session, which will be attended by Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein, the highest-ranking Myanmar government leader in more than a decade to participate.
Previous mass releases have involved mostly petty criminals with a handful of political detainees. The government insists that all detainees in its prisons have been convicted of criminal offenses.
An amnesty had been expected since July, when Myanmar's envoy to the United Nations told the Security Council that the government was preparing such a move to allow prisoners to participate in elections next year, the first in two decades.
Suu Kyi's sentence ensures she cannot participate in the elections. Her party swept the last elections in 1990 but the results were never honored by the military, which has ruled the country since 1962.
Fri Sep 18, 6:07 am ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Lawyers for detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi appealed the recent conviction that extended her yearslong house arrest Friday, a day after the ruling junta announced it was releasing thousands of prisoners.
The Yangon Divisional Court said it would deliver its verdict Oct. 2, lawyer Nyan Win said.
"I have done my best. I have done my duty," chief defense lawyer Kyi Win said after the one-day, closed-door hearing that Suu Kyi and reporters were barred from attending.
Late Thursday, the junta announced on state television that 7,114 convicts at prisons across the country would be released for good behavior and on humanitarian grounds. It was not immediately known if they included political detainees. They were expected to be freed Friday.
A mass release had been anticipated for months but the timing appeared to be partially aimed at distracting attention from Suu Kyi's hearing.
The 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner was convicted on Aug. 11 for breaking the terms of her house arrest when an American intruder stayed at her home. A three-year sentence was commuted to 18 months of house arrest by the junta chief, Senior Gen. Than Shwe. Two of Suu Kyi's live-in companions received the same sentence.
"I am optimistic that we will win our appeal and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will be released," Nyan Win said. Daw is a term of respect in Myanmar.
Lawyers said earlier the main point of Suu Kyi's appeal was that the law authorities used against her is invalid because it applies to a constitution abolished two decades ago.
Suu Kyi has been detained for 14 of the past 20 years, mostly under house arrest.
Her three-month trial and subsequent conviction sparked global outrage and revived long-standing calls for the release of the country's estimated 2,200 political prisoners, of which Suu Kyi is the most famous.
The American, John Yettaw, was sentenced to seven years in prison but was released on humanitarian grounds and deported on Aug. 16.
Prison amnesties such as the one announced Thursday usually mark important national days or are intended to deflect criticism ahead of high-profile international gatherings.
Friday marked the 21st anniversary of the 1988 seizure of power by the current junta to quash vast pro-democracy demonstrations.
The amnesty also comes just ahead of the opening of this year's U.N. General Assembly session, which will be attended by Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein, the highest-ranking Myanmar government leader in more than a decade to participate.
Previous mass releases have involved mostly petty criminals with a handful of political detainees. The government insists that all detainees in its prisons have been convicted of criminal offenses.
An amnesty had been expected since July, when Myanmar's envoy to the United Nations told the Security Council that the government was preparing such a move to allow prisoners to participate in elections next year, the first in two decades.
Suu Kyi's sentence ensures she cannot participate in the elections. Her party swept the last elections in 1990 but the results were never honored by the military, which has ruled the country since 1962.
***************************************************************
Some Myanmar political prisoners receive amnesty
AP - Saturday, September 19
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – At least 25 political detainees were released Friday as part of an amnesty for prisoners in Myanmar, just over 1 percent of the total number of political prisoners believed to be held by its military government.
Win Naing, a spokesman for the opposition National League for Democracy, said the freed political detainees included 16 members of his party as well as activists from other pro-democracy groups. Two journalists were also freed.
Myanmar's junta announced Thursday that it was granting amnesty to 7,114 prisoners for good behavior and on humanitarian grounds. The country is believed to hold roughly 65,000 prisoners, including more than 2,200 political detainees, according to estimates by human rights groups.
The amnesty did not include the country's best-known political prisoner, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who is head of the National League for Democracy and remains under house arrest.
"We don't know the exact number of political prisoners released under the amnesty immediately. We will know gradually," Win Naing said. Many prisoners are held in remote areas of the country where communications are difficult.
Insein Prison director Zaw Win denied that Myanmar had any political dissidents. He told a news briefing inside the prison that about 250 prisoners sentenced under security laws — under which many political prisoners are convicted — would be released.
The junta has repeatedly denied holding any political prisoners, saying all inmates have been found guilty of criminal offenses.
Win Naing said those released included two members of the 88 Generation Students, a group at the forefront of a 1988 pro-democracy uprising which has revived its struggle against military rule in the past decade. Most of its members are in prison, in hiding or in exile.
Myanmar is due to have elections next year under rules set down by the military.
Speaking after his release from Insein Prison, U Nine Nine — who was elected to parliament from the National League for Democracy in 1990 elections which were voided by the military — said "I will continue with my political activities but I have no faith in the elections."
Also released from Insein Prison were journalists Eint Khaing Oo, a reporter for the weekly magazine Eco Vision, and Kyaw Kyaw Thant, a former reporter for the Weekly Eleven journal, who were arrested in June last year while covering a demonstration in front of a U.N. office by about 20 victims of a devastating cyclone. The protesters were seeking assistance because the government was not helping them.
Kyaw Kyaw Thant said he would continue his work as a journalist.
Human Rights Watch launched a campaign Wednesday for Myanmar's military government to release all political prisoners before the elections.
The New York-based rights group said the number of political prisoners has more than doubled in the past two years, and more than 100 have been jailed in recent months.
Among those imprisoned in the past two years include people involved in peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations in 2007 and some who assisted victims of the cyclone in 2008. The group said some were handed decades-long sentences.
It said the country has 43 known prisons holding political activists and more than 50 labor camps.
AP - Saturday, September 19
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – At least 25 political detainees were released Friday as part of an amnesty for prisoners in Myanmar, just over 1 percent of the total number of political prisoners believed to be held by its military government.
Win Naing, a spokesman for the opposition National League for Democracy, said the freed political detainees included 16 members of his party as well as activists from other pro-democracy groups. Two journalists were also freed.
Myanmar's junta announced Thursday that it was granting amnesty to 7,114 prisoners for good behavior and on humanitarian grounds. The country is believed to hold roughly 65,000 prisoners, including more than 2,200 political detainees, according to estimates by human rights groups.
The amnesty did not include the country's best-known political prisoner, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who is head of the National League for Democracy and remains under house arrest.
"We don't know the exact number of political prisoners released under the amnesty immediately. We will know gradually," Win Naing said. Many prisoners are held in remote areas of the country where communications are difficult.
Insein Prison director Zaw Win denied that Myanmar had any political dissidents. He told a news briefing inside the prison that about 250 prisoners sentenced under security laws — under which many political prisoners are convicted — would be released.
The junta has repeatedly denied holding any political prisoners, saying all inmates have been found guilty of criminal offenses.
Win Naing said those released included two members of the 88 Generation Students, a group at the forefront of a 1988 pro-democracy uprising which has revived its struggle against military rule in the past decade. Most of its members are in prison, in hiding or in exile.
Myanmar is due to have elections next year under rules set down by the military.
Speaking after his release from Insein Prison, U Nine Nine — who was elected to parliament from the National League for Democracy in 1990 elections which were voided by the military — said "I will continue with my political activities but I have no faith in the elections."
Also released from Insein Prison were journalists Eint Khaing Oo, a reporter for the weekly magazine Eco Vision, and Kyaw Kyaw Thant, a former reporter for the Weekly Eleven journal, who were arrested in June last year while covering a demonstration in front of a U.N. office by about 20 victims of a devastating cyclone. The protesters were seeking assistance because the government was not helping them.
Kyaw Kyaw Thant said he would continue his work as a journalist.
Human Rights Watch launched a campaign Wednesday for Myanmar's military government to release all political prisoners before the elections.
The New York-based rights group said the number of political prisoners has more than doubled in the past two years, and more than 100 have been jailed in recent months.
Among those imprisoned in the past two years include people involved in peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations in 2007 and some who assisted victims of the cyclone in 2008. The group said some were handed decades-long sentences.
It said the country has 43 known prisons holding political activists and more than 50 labor camps.
***************************************************************
Myanmar's Suu Kyi to hear appeal result in October
AFP - Saturday, September 19
YANGON (AFP) - – A Myanmar court will rule next month on Aung San Suu Kyi's appeal against her extended house arrest, lawyers said Friday, as the junta released several activists amid growing foreign pressure.
Judges will announce on October 2 whether they will uphold the pro-democracy icon's conviction over an incident in which an American man swam to her house, earning her an extra 18 months detention.
The 64-year-old Nobel Peace laureate was denied permission to attend court on Friday as government and defence lawyers gave their final arguments in the appeal against the internationally condemned verdict.
"We are expecting her unconditional release," Suu Kyi's lawyer Nyan Win said after the hearing at Yangon divisional court, confirming that it would hand down its judgment on October 2 at 10am (0430 GMT).
Myanmar's iron-fisted generals have kept the frail Suu Kyi locked up for 14 of the past 20 years. Her National League for Democracy (NLD) won the country's last elections in 1990 but the regime refused to acknowledge the result.
Her extended house arrest now keeps her off the scene for elections promised by the regime some time in 2010, adding to widespread criticism that the polls are a sham designed to legitimise the junta's grip on power.
The trial court at Yangon's notorious Insein prison originally sentenced her to three years of hard labour but junta chief Than Shwe reduced the sentence to 18 months of house arrest.
Two female assistants living with Suu Kyi received the same sentence and have also appealed.
John Yettaw, the eccentric American who triggered the debacle by swimming to her lakeside mansion in May, was sentenced to seven years hard labour but the regime freed him last month following a visit by US Senator Jim Webb.
On Thursday the junta freed two journalists who helped victims of devastating Cyclone Nargis in 2008. Authorities also released several NLD activists as part of an amnesty for more than 7,000 prisoners.
One of the freed journalists was Eint Khaing Oo, 28, who earlier this year became the first recipient of an award set up in memory of a Japanese video reporter who was killed in monk-led protests in Myanmar in 2007.
"I am happy that I am free. I will continue working as a journalist," Eint Khaing Oo, who worked for the Myanmar-based journal Ecovision, told reporters after she was released from Insein Prison.
The other journalist was Kyaw Kyaw Thant, who was arrested at the same time as her after they took a group of survivors of the May 2008 cyclone to the United Nations head offices in Yangon.
Both were mentioned in a Human Rights Watch report published on Wednesday which said that the number of political prisoners in Myanmar had doubled to more than 2,200 in the two years since the protest crackdown.
Nargis killed around 138,000 people and left thousands more homeless after battering southwestern Myanmar. The military regime's slow response to the disaster drew international criticism.
Also freed on Friday was leading NLD member Nine Nine, who won a seat in the 1990 elections. He was serving a 21-year sentence and had been in jail since September 2000.
"I will continue to be a politician," said Nine Nine. "I will join the NLD again because I will always be an NLD member."
Another leading member of the NLD, Than Than Htay, was also freed.
Myanmar's director general of prisons, Zaw Win, said the regime had announced the amnesty as it was the 21st anniversary of a military coup that followed the crushing of a 1988 student-led pro-democracy uprising.
He said that the prisoners were freed so they could take part next year's polls.
"The government will hold the elections in 2010 so we have released them to take part in the elections according to the rights of the citizens," he told reporters.
AFP - Saturday, September 19
YANGON (AFP) - – A Myanmar court will rule next month on Aung San Suu Kyi's appeal against her extended house arrest, lawyers said Friday, as the junta released several activists amid growing foreign pressure.
Judges will announce on October 2 whether they will uphold the pro-democracy icon's conviction over an incident in which an American man swam to her house, earning her an extra 18 months detention.
The 64-year-old Nobel Peace laureate was denied permission to attend court on Friday as government and defence lawyers gave their final arguments in the appeal against the internationally condemned verdict.
"We are expecting her unconditional release," Suu Kyi's lawyer Nyan Win said after the hearing at Yangon divisional court, confirming that it would hand down its judgment on October 2 at 10am (0430 GMT).
Myanmar's iron-fisted generals have kept the frail Suu Kyi locked up for 14 of the past 20 years. Her National League for Democracy (NLD) won the country's last elections in 1990 but the regime refused to acknowledge the result.
Her extended house arrest now keeps her off the scene for elections promised by the regime some time in 2010, adding to widespread criticism that the polls are a sham designed to legitimise the junta's grip on power.
The trial court at Yangon's notorious Insein prison originally sentenced her to three years of hard labour but junta chief Than Shwe reduced the sentence to 18 months of house arrest.
Two female assistants living with Suu Kyi received the same sentence and have also appealed.
John Yettaw, the eccentric American who triggered the debacle by swimming to her lakeside mansion in May, was sentenced to seven years hard labour but the regime freed him last month following a visit by US Senator Jim Webb.
On Thursday the junta freed two journalists who helped victims of devastating Cyclone Nargis in 2008. Authorities also released several NLD activists as part of an amnesty for more than 7,000 prisoners.
One of the freed journalists was Eint Khaing Oo, 28, who earlier this year became the first recipient of an award set up in memory of a Japanese video reporter who was killed in monk-led protests in Myanmar in 2007.
"I am happy that I am free. I will continue working as a journalist," Eint Khaing Oo, who worked for the Myanmar-based journal Ecovision, told reporters after she was released from Insein Prison.
The other journalist was Kyaw Kyaw Thant, who was arrested at the same time as her after they took a group of survivors of the May 2008 cyclone to the United Nations head offices in Yangon.
Both were mentioned in a Human Rights Watch report published on Wednesday which said that the number of political prisoners in Myanmar had doubled to more than 2,200 in the two years since the protest crackdown.
Nargis killed around 138,000 people and left thousands more homeless after battering southwestern Myanmar. The military regime's slow response to the disaster drew international criticism.
Also freed on Friday was leading NLD member Nine Nine, who won a seat in the 1990 elections. He was serving a 21-year sentence and had been in jail since September 2000.
"I will continue to be a politician," said Nine Nine. "I will join the NLD again because I will always be an NLD member."
Another leading member of the NLD, Than Than Htay, was also freed.
Myanmar's director general of prisons, Zaw Win, said the regime had announced the amnesty as it was the 21st anniversary of a military coup that followed the crushing of a 1988 student-led pro-democracy uprising.
He said that the prisoners were freed so they could take part next year's polls.
"The government will hold the elections in 2010 so we have released them to take part in the elections according to the rights of the citizens," he told reporters.
***************************************************************
Myanmar 'frees journalists, activists in amnesty'
Fri Sep 18, 5:28 am ET
YANGON (AFP) – Myanmar's junta Friday freed two journalists who helped victims of Cyclone Nargis and released several opposition activists as part of an amnesty for more than 7,000 prisoners, witnesses said.
One of the freed journalists was Eint Khaing Oo, 28, who was arrested in 2008. This year she became the first recipient of an award set up in memory of a Japanese video reporter who was killed in monk-led protests in 2007.
"I am happy that I am free. I will continue working as a journalist," Eint Khaing Oo, who worked for the Myanmar-based journal Ecovision, told reporters after she was released from Yangon's notorious Insein Prison.
The other journalist was Kyaw Kyaw Thant, who was arrested at the same time as her after they took a group of survivors of the May 2008 cyclone to the United Nations head offices in Yangon.
Both were mentioned in a Human Rights Watch report published on Wednesday which said that the number of political prisoners in Myanmar had doubled to more than 2,200 in the two years since the protest crackdown.
Nargis killed around 138,000 people and left thousands more homeless after battering southwestern Myanmar. The military regime's slow response to the disaster drew international criticism.
Eint Khaing Oo was serving a two-year jail sentence for allegedly inciting hatred of the government while Kyaw Kyaw Thant was sentenced to seven years for the same crime.
Also freed on Friday was Nine Nine, a member of the National League for Democracy Party of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. He won a seat in elections in 1990 which were later annulled by the military.
"I will continue to be a politician," said Nine Nine, who was serving a 21-year sentence and had been in jail since September 2000.
"I will join the NLD again because I will always be an NLD member. Being released from prison is good, they have done what they should have done," he told reporters.
Another leading member of the NLD, Than Than Htay, who was sentenced to seven years' jail in 2004, was also freed.
Fri Sep 18, 5:28 am ET
YANGON (AFP) – Myanmar's junta Friday freed two journalists who helped victims of Cyclone Nargis and released several opposition activists as part of an amnesty for more than 7,000 prisoners, witnesses said.
One of the freed journalists was Eint Khaing Oo, 28, who was arrested in 2008. This year she became the first recipient of an award set up in memory of a Japanese video reporter who was killed in monk-led protests in 2007.
"I am happy that I am free. I will continue working as a journalist," Eint Khaing Oo, who worked for the Myanmar-based journal Ecovision, told reporters after she was released from Yangon's notorious Insein Prison.
The other journalist was Kyaw Kyaw Thant, who was arrested at the same time as her after they took a group of survivors of the May 2008 cyclone to the United Nations head offices in Yangon.
Both were mentioned in a Human Rights Watch report published on Wednesday which said that the number of political prisoners in Myanmar had doubled to more than 2,200 in the two years since the protest crackdown.
Nargis killed around 138,000 people and left thousands more homeless after battering southwestern Myanmar. The military regime's slow response to the disaster drew international criticism.
Eint Khaing Oo was serving a two-year jail sentence for allegedly inciting hatred of the government while Kyaw Kyaw Thant was sentenced to seven years for the same crime.
Also freed on Friday was Nine Nine, a member of the National League for Democracy Party of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. He won a seat in elections in 1990 which were later annulled by the military.
"I will continue to be a politician," said Nine Nine, who was serving a 21-year sentence and had been in jail since September 2000.
"I will join the NLD again because I will always be an NLD member. Being released from prison is good, they have done what they should have done," he told reporters.
Another leading member of the NLD, Than Than Htay, who was sentenced to seven years' jail in 2004, was also freed.
***************************************************************
EarthTimes - Myanmar releases 600 prisoners from notorious Insein Prison - Summary
Posted : Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:14:21 GMT
Yangon - Myanmar authorities on Friday released an estimated 600 inmates, including some political prisoners, from Yangon's notorious Insein Prison as part of an amnesty for 7,114 inmates nationwide. Insein authorities invited journalists to witness the release of a first batch of 359 prisoners at 1:30 pm. Another 250 were released at 5:30 pm.
The amnesty will last several days to release 7,114 prisoners nationwide, Director General of Prison Department Zaw Win said.
"About 250 prisoners detained for security reasons would be free out of 7,114 prisoners," Zaw Win told reporters while insisting that there were no political prisoners in Myanmar's prisons.
Myanmar has an estimated 2,100 political prisoners in its jails, according to Human Rights Watch and other human rights groups. Western democracies have repeatedly demanded that political prisoners be released.
The junta's most famous prisoner is opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, 64, who has spent 14 of the past 20 years under house detention.
A special court set up in Insein Prison last month found Suu Kyi guilty of breaking the terms of her last six-year term of house detention by allowing US national John William Yettaw to swim to her lakeside home-cum-prison in Yangon, albeit as an uninvited guest.
The court initially sentenced Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, to three years in prison with hard labour, which was later commuted to 18 months under house arrest.
Suu Kyi's legal team has appealed to the Yangon District Court, which heard its arguments Friday.
A decision was expected October 2, Suu Kyi lawyer Nyan Win said.
Prison amnesties have been held in the past to mark September 18, 1988, the day that General Saw Maung seized power and set up the State Law and Order Restoration Council, the military regime that thereafter cracked down on mass pro-democracy demonstrations, leaving an estimated 3,000 people dead.
Among the political prisoners released from Insein Friday was former student activist Win Myint, 56, who was arrested 21 years ago for participating in the August 8, 1988 mass anti-military demonstration.
Win Myint had four months to go on his sentence before being granted an amnesty.
Another political prisoner was Than Than Htay, 42, a member of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) from Yangon.
She was arrested in June 2004.
"I feel happy and I will continue to work in political affairs," Than Than said.
Also released Friday were two Myanmar journalists, female reporter Eine Khine Oo and male reporter Kyaw Kyaw Than, who were arrested in July 2008 in connection with their reports on Cyclone Nargis of May, that year, which left up to 140,000 dead or missing.
Myanmar has been under a military dictatorship since 1962. Although it allowed an election in 1990, it has ignored the landslide victory of the NLD led by Suu Kyi in the polls for the past 19 years. A new election is planned in 2010, which most observers fear will be neither free nor fair nor able to get the military out of politics.
Posted : Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:14:21 GMT
Yangon - Myanmar authorities on Friday released an estimated 600 inmates, including some political prisoners, from Yangon's notorious Insein Prison as part of an amnesty for 7,114 inmates nationwide. Insein authorities invited journalists to witness the release of a first batch of 359 prisoners at 1:30 pm. Another 250 were released at 5:30 pm.
The amnesty will last several days to release 7,114 prisoners nationwide, Director General of Prison Department Zaw Win said.
"About 250 prisoners detained for security reasons would be free out of 7,114 prisoners," Zaw Win told reporters while insisting that there were no political prisoners in Myanmar's prisons.
Myanmar has an estimated 2,100 political prisoners in its jails, according to Human Rights Watch and other human rights groups. Western democracies have repeatedly demanded that political prisoners be released.
The junta's most famous prisoner is opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, 64, who has spent 14 of the past 20 years under house detention.
A special court set up in Insein Prison last month found Suu Kyi guilty of breaking the terms of her last six-year term of house detention by allowing US national John William Yettaw to swim to her lakeside home-cum-prison in Yangon, albeit as an uninvited guest.
The court initially sentenced Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, to three years in prison with hard labour, which was later commuted to 18 months under house arrest.
Suu Kyi's legal team has appealed to the Yangon District Court, which heard its arguments Friday.
A decision was expected October 2, Suu Kyi lawyer Nyan Win said.
Prison amnesties have been held in the past to mark September 18, 1988, the day that General Saw Maung seized power and set up the State Law and Order Restoration Council, the military regime that thereafter cracked down on mass pro-democracy demonstrations, leaving an estimated 3,000 people dead.
Among the political prisoners released from Insein Friday was former student activist Win Myint, 56, who was arrested 21 years ago for participating in the August 8, 1988 mass anti-military demonstration.
Win Myint had four months to go on his sentence before being granted an amnesty.
Another political prisoner was Than Than Htay, 42, a member of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) from Yangon.
She was arrested in June 2004.
"I feel happy and I will continue to work in political affairs," Than Than said.
Also released Friday were two Myanmar journalists, female reporter Eine Khine Oo and male reporter Kyaw Kyaw Than, who were arrested in July 2008 in connection with their reports on Cyclone Nargis of May, that year, which left up to 140,000 dead or missing.
Myanmar has been under a military dictatorship since 1962. Although it allowed an election in 1990, it has ignored the landslide victory of the NLD led by Suu Kyi in the polls for the past 19 years. A new election is planned in 2010, which most observers fear will be neither free nor fair nor able to get the military out of politics.
***************************************************************
MYANMAR: Daw Aye Kwe, "I have been fishing since I was seven"
AYEYARWADY DELTA, 18 September 2009 (IRIN) - After spending most of her life fishing in the Andaman Sea off the Delta's southern coast, Daw Aye Kwe, 60, a fisherwoman, has been forced to hang up her nets and return to her village of Kone Tan Pauk. Cyclone Nargis destroyed her boat and killed some of her relatives, and she now lives in a temporary shelter.
"I was seven when my father first took me out into the sea on the boat to fish; I was very excited. I have been fishing since then, but I was only allowed to go out into the sea independently when I turned 21.
"We had moved from our village to the southern end of the Delta to be able to catch more fish in the sea, but as time went by it became hotter and hotter.
"We began to see more storms and cyclones. We had to go further and further into the sea, where it was colder, to catch the fish. You cannot do that in an ordinary canoe - you need a motor in the traditional boat.
"Life was still good there [in the south], but then Nargis came - it swept away my daughter's husband and her family. Never seen anything like that before.
"We [husband, daughter-in-law, son and two grandchildren] had pulled our boat into our hut as the water level rose, but the winds kept on. The hut was destroyed and so was our boat. We managed to get back on land - we hung on together.
"We had nowhere to go but back to the village where we came from. We then just walked and walked for two days till we got here. But again, we had no shelter here - we had sold our land when we had gone south.
"We have no home, no boat, and we live in this temporary shelter. When the rains came it would get really unbearable, but now some aid agency has provided us with plastic sheets, which has made it better.
"Money is hard to come by. I can't go out to sea. Now, I sometimes sell fish caught by other fishermen - some days are better than others. We can make 1,000 kyat [about US$1] to maybe 5,000 kyat [$5] a day; on some days, maybe nothing at all.
"We eat maybe once a day - some rice and maybe some fish, or just chillies. There are more than 150 families like us in this village. They say it will cost us 50,000 kyat [$5,000] to buy a new plot of land."
AYEYARWADY DELTA, 18 September 2009 (IRIN) - After spending most of her life fishing in the Andaman Sea off the Delta's southern coast, Daw Aye Kwe, 60, a fisherwoman, has been forced to hang up her nets and return to her village of Kone Tan Pauk. Cyclone Nargis destroyed her boat and killed some of her relatives, and she now lives in a temporary shelter.
"I was seven when my father first took me out into the sea on the boat to fish; I was very excited. I have been fishing since then, but I was only allowed to go out into the sea independently when I turned 21.
"We had moved from our village to the southern end of the Delta to be able to catch more fish in the sea, but as time went by it became hotter and hotter.
"We began to see more storms and cyclones. We had to go further and further into the sea, where it was colder, to catch the fish. You cannot do that in an ordinary canoe - you need a motor in the traditional boat.
"Life was still good there [in the south], but then Nargis came - it swept away my daughter's husband and her family. Never seen anything like that before.
"We [husband, daughter-in-law, son and two grandchildren] had pulled our boat into our hut as the water level rose, but the winds kept on. The hut was destroyed and so was our boat. We managed to get back on land - we hung on together.
"We had nowhere to go but back to the village where we came from. We then just walked and walked for two days till we got here. But again, we had no shelter here - we had sold our land when we had gone south.
"We have no home, no boat, and we live in this temporary shelter. When the rains came it would get really unbearable, but now some aid agency has provided us with plastic sheets, which has made it better.
"Money is hard to come by. I can't go out to sea. Now, I sometimes sell fish caught by other fishermen - some days are better than others. We can make 1,000 kyat [about US$1] to maybe 5,000 kyat [$5] a day; on some days, maybe nothing at all.
"We eat maybe once a day - some rice and maybe some fish, or just chillies. There are more than 150 families like us in this village. They say it will cost us 50,000 kyat [$5,000] to buy a new plot of land."
***************************************************************
MYANMAR: What if another Cyclone Nargis comes?
AYEYARWADY DELTA, 17 September 2009 (IRIN) - Nine-year-old Chit Lin Nwe owes her life to a tree. As Cyclone Nargis swept away her home, family and friends in Aung Chan Thar village in Myanmar's Ayeyarwady River Delta, she clung to its sturdy trunk.
"As the water came up, I had to climb higher," she said. The storm surge that accompanied Nargis was more than three metres high.
Not everyone was lucky enough to find a tree or shelter in the flat, mostly exposed terrain of the southern delta. Village headmen IRIN spoke to recited the death toll in their small communities: "500 died", or "1,000 died". Often it was almost everyone they had known, and more than a year later many people still seem traumatised.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said about 14,000 hectares of the delta's 275,000 hectares of mangrove forests had been destroyed, but Chit Lin Nwe's tree is still standing. "Should another cyclone come around, I know what to do," she grinned.
Nargis killed more than 140,000 people and ruined countless lives and livelihoods; cyclones, tropical storms and storm surges are likely to become more frequent and intense as a result of climate change in the region, yet the survivors and returnees still living in the delta seem unprepared.
"The people in those flimsy huts with hardly any tree cover, working in flat paddy fields, remain exposed and vulnerable," said an aid worker. A villager remarked, "We listen to the storm warning on the radio more closely [since Nargis], but we don't know what to do."
Preparing the 3.5 million people of the delta, where population density reaches 100 per sq km - the highest in the country - for future disasters will not be easy. It will also be difficult to evacuate those living on the banks of a complex river system comprising many streams and estuaries.
"As many villages are island villages, evacuation is quite tough," said a local disaster expert. "Moreover, the delta is flat, so storm surge due to cyclone compounds the problem."
Building cyclone shelters and scaling up early warning systems are among the most feasible solutions, and the government has announced plans to build 20 shelters in coastal areas. In the village of Oak Pho, IRIN saw a cyclone shelter under construction. The shelter will accommodate 500 people and is being constructed by the Forest Resource Environment Development and Conservation Association (FREDA), a semi-official NGO formed by retired personnel from the Ministry of Forestry, but at least 3,000 live in the village.
It is all in the communication
A local disaster expert said the bottleneck in early warning dissemination was between urban townships and villages. "What does 130 miles per hour [about 210km per hour] of wind speed mean to a villager? Also, not many people have a radio, which is the only source of warning."
Warnings should be clear, with directions on what needs to be done: that could involve enlisting one or two persons in each village with a mobile phone as part of the early warning team; monasteries often have loudspeakers, which could be used to disseminate warnings; monasteries are usually built of brick and cement or stone, and could also be used as cyclone shelters.
It would also be a good idea to restore the mangroves destroyed by Nargis. Coastal trees and forests cannot prevent storm surge flooding but a dense mangrove cover can act as a windbreak, take the brunt of the surge waves, and slow them down. Mangroves also trap soil, counteracting shoreline erosion.
AYEYARWADY DELTA, 17 September 2009 (IRIN) - Nine-year-old Chit Lin Nwe owes her life to a tree. As Cyclone Nargis swept away her home, family and friends in Aung Chan Thar village in Myanmar's Ayeyarwady River Delta, she clung to its sturdy trunk.
"As the water came up, I had to climb higher," she said. The storm surge that accompanied Nargis was more than three metres high.
Not everyone was lucky enough to find a tree or shelter in the flat, mostly exposed terrain of the southern delta. Village headmen IRIN spoke to recited the death toll in their small communities: "500 died", or "1,000 died". Often it was almost everyone they had known, and more than a year later many people still seem traumatised.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said about 14,000 hectares of the delta's 275,000 hectares of mangrove forests had been destroyed, but Chit Lin Nwe's tree is still standing. "Should another cyclone come around, I know what to do," she grinned.
Nargis killed more than 140,000 people and ruined countless lives and livelihoods; cyclones, tropical storms and storm surges are likely to become more frequent and intense as a result of climate change in the region, yet the survivors and returnees still living in the delta seem unprepared.
"The people in those flimsy huts with hardly any tree cover, working in flat paddy fields, remain exposed and vulnerable," said an aid worker. A villager remarked, "We listen to the storm warning on the radio more closely [since Nargis], but we don't know what to do."
Preparing the 3.5 million people of the delta, where population density reaches 100 per sq km - the highest in the country - for future disasters will not be easy. It will also be difficult to evacuate those living on the banks of a complex river system comprising many streams and estuaries.
"As many villages are island villages, evacuation is quite tough," said a local disaster expert. "Moreover, the delta is flat, so storm surge due to cyclone compounds the problem."
Building cyclone shelters and scaling up early warning systems are among the most feasible solutions, and the government has announced plans to build 20 shelters in coastal areas. In the village of Oak Pho, IRIN saw a cyclone shelter under construction. The shelter will accommodate 500 people and is being constructed by the Forest Resource Environment Development and Conservation Association (FREDA), a semi-official NGO formed by retired personnel from the Ministry of Forestry, but at least 3,000 live in the village.
It is all in the communication
A local disaster expert said the bottleneck in early warning dissemination was between urban townships and villages. "What does 130 miles per hour [about 210km per hour] of wind speed mean to a villager? Also, not many people have a radio, which is the only source of warning."
Warnings should be clear, with directions on what needs to be done: that could involve enlisting one or two persons in each village with a mobile phone as part of the early warning team; monasteries often have loudspeakers, which could be used to disseminate warnings; monasteries are usually built of brick and cement or stone, and could also be used as cyclone shelters.
It would also be a good idea to restore the mangroves destroyed by Nargis. Coastal trees and forests cannot prevent storm surge flooding but a dense mangrove cover can act as a windbreak, take the brunt of the surge waves, and slow them down. Mangroves also trap soil, counteracting shoreline erosion.
***************************************************************
Myanmar official media stresses existence of single armed forces in country
www.chinaview.cn 2009-09-18 11:43:14
YANGON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar official media stressed on Friday that there shall be a single Tatmadaw (armed forces) in the country to stand in accordance with the new state constitution approved in May last year.
The 2008 new state constitution prescribes that all the armed forces in the union shall be under the command of the Defense Services.
"If standing in rivalry that is against the constitution, doing illegal livelihood, poppy farming, production of narcotic drugs and illegal import and export of goods are rife, that will greatly harm the interest of the whole country and the people," said a Friday's report on the New Light of Myanmar newspaper.
"The Tatmadaw government is pursuing its strategies with the sharp determination that the nation's economy must be strong by the time when it hands over power to the civilian government to be formed under the constitution," said the report.
It said "when these strategies are all realized, the Union of Myanmar will become a land bridge country where not only local people but also a large number of people from the neighboring countries engage trade activities."
It also urged the people to do their bit in the process of building the "land bridge" to make sure that all the pillars of the bridge are strong.
Noting that Myanmar is home to over 100 ethnic minorities, the report said "it gives first priority to consolidated unity among national brethren in the national interest according to the geopolitics," adding that the government focuses on equitable improvement of the socio-economic life of all the national brethren.
The government has initiated a program for ethnic armed groups, which have cease fired and returned to the legal fold, to be formed into frontier forces under the control of the Commander-in-chief of the Defense Services.
However, the report said although many ethnic peace groups have returned to the legal fold, they have not surrendered their arms due to various reasons.
The leaders of the peace groups are urged to form political parties and stand for 2010 election.
After the present government took over the power of state on Sept. 18, 1988, 17 anti-government ethnic armed groups and over 20small ones returned to the legal fold one after another.
Of the 17 peace groups which cease fired with the government, some were allowed to retain arms, conditionally enjoying self-administration with special regions designated for them since then.
Under the government's fifth step of its seven-step roadmap announced in 2003, a multi-party democracy general election is to be held in 2010 in accordance with the 2008 new state constitution to produce parliament representatives and form a new civilian government to which the state power is to be handed over.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-09-18 11:43:14
YANGON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar official media stressed on Friday that there shall be a single Tatmadaw (armed forces) in the country to stand in accordance with the new state constitution approved in May last year.
The 2008 new state constitution prescribes that all the armed forces in the union shall be under the command of the Defense Services.
"If standing in rivalry that is against the constitution, doing illegal livelihood, poppy farming, production of narcotic drugs and illegal import and export of goods are rife, that will greatly harm the interest of the whole country and the people," said a Friday's report on the New Light of Myanmar newspaper.
"The Tatmadaw government is pursuing its strategies with the sharp determination that the nation's economy must be strong by the time when it hands over power to the civilian government to be formed under the constitution," said the report.
It said "when these strategies are all realized, the Union of Myanmar will become a land bridge country where not only local people but also a large number of people from the neighboring countries engage trade activities."
It also urged the people to do their bit in the process of building the "land bridge" to make sure that all the pillars of the bridge are strong.
Noting that Myanmar is home to over 100 ethnic minorities, the report said "it gives first priority to consolidated unity among national brethren in the national interest according to the geopolitics," adding that the government focuses on equitable improvement of the socio-economic life of all the national brethren.
The government has initiated a program for ethnic armed groups, which have cease fired and returned to the legal fold, to be formed into frontier forces under the control of the Commander-in-chief of the Defense Services.
However, the report said although many ethnic peace groups have returned to the legal fold, they have not surrendered their arms due to various reasons.
The leaders of the peace groups are urged to form political parties and stand for 2010 election.
After the present government took over the power of state on Sept. 18, 1988, 17 anti-government ethnic armed groups and over 20small ones returned to the legal fold one after another.
Of the 17 peace groups which cease fired with the government, some were allowed to retain arms, conditionally enjoying self-administration with special regions designated for them since then.
Under the government's fifth step of its seven-step roadmap announced in 2003, a multi-party democracy general election is to be held in 2010 in accordance with the 2008 new state constitution to produce parliament representatives and form a new civilian government to which the state power is to be handed over.
***************************************************************
Human Rights Watch is one of the world’s leading independent organizations.
Posted: September 18, 2009 10:42 AM
Human Rights Watch - Burma: Surge in Political Prisoners
Planned 2010 Elections Not Credible if Opposition Remains in Prison
(Washington, DC) - Burma's military government has more than doubled the number of political prisoners in the past two years, including more than a hundred imprisoned in recent months, Human Rights Watch said today in a new report. Sentenced to long prison terms for their involvement in peaceful demonstrations in 2007, and for assisting civilians in the wake of the devastating Cyclone Nargis in 2008, the political prisoner population has reached more than 2,200.
The 35-page report, "Burma's Forgotten Prisoners," showcases dozens of prominent political activists, Buddhist monks, labor activists, journalists, and artists arrested since peaceful political protests in 2007 and sentenced to draconian prison terms after unfair trials. The report was released on September 16, 2009 at a Capitol Hill news conference hosted by Senator Barbara Boxer.
Human Rights Watch said that Burma's rulers should immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners in Burma if scheduled elections in 2010 are to have any credibility."Burma's generals are planning elections next year that will be a sham if their opponents are in prison," said Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. "Despite recent conciliatory visits by UN and foreign officials, the military government is actually increasing the number of critics it is throwing into its squalid prisons."
The release of the report marks the launch of "2100 by 2010," Human Rights Watch's global campaign for the release of all political prisoners in Burma by the time of the 2010 elections.
"We named the campaign '2100 by 2010' in July - but since then, the number has grown to approximately 2250," said Malinowski. "The United States, China, India, and Burma's neighbors in Southeast Asia should make the release of all political prisoners a central goal of their engagement with Burma, and use every tool of influence and leverage they have to achieve it."
In a September 9 letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Human Rights Watch called on the United States to complete its policy review on Burma and focus on the promotion of human rights through principled diplomacy, tougher financial sanctions, and additional but properly monitored humanitarian aid.
Political opponents, activists and others with the courage to speak out against military rule or criticize government actions or policies have been routinely locked up in Burma's prisons for years. There are 43 known prisons holding political activists in Burma, while more than 50 labor camps where prisoners are forced to perform hard labor.
Repression increased after the popular uprising led in part by monks in August and September 2007 was crushed by the government. Closed courts and courts inside prisons have held unfair trials and sentenced more than 300 political figures, human rights defenders, labor activists, artists, journalists, comedians, internet bloggers, and Buddhist monks and nuns to lengthy prison terms. Some prison terms have been for more than 100 years. The activists were mainly charged under provisions of Burma's archaic penal code that criminalizes free expression, peaceful demonstration, and forming of independent organizations. More than 20 prominent activists and journalists, including Burma's most famous comedian, Zargana, were arrested for having spoken out about obstacles to humanitarian relief following Cyclone Nargis, which struck Burma in May 2008.
The world was reminded of the brutality of the military government after the arrest, protracted and unfair trial and conviction of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in August after an American intruder broke into her house. Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy party won the last Burmese elections in 1990, has been in prison or house arrest for 14 of the past 20 years.
"Gaining the release of Suu Kyi is important not just for her own well-being, but because it could facilitate a process that allowed the opposition to fully participate in elections and Burmese society," said Malinowski. "But Suu Kyi is not the only person facing persecution for her political beliefs. People like the comedian Zargana, imprisoned for criticizing the government's pathetic response to Cyclone Nargis, or Su Su Nway, a brave woman activist who led street protests, also deserve the world's attention."
"Burma's Forgotten Prisoners" spotlights the cases of political prisoners including:
Zargana: In November 2008, a Rangoon court sentenced prominent comedian and social activist Zargana to 59 years in jail - a sentence later reduced to 35 years - for disbursing relief aid and talking to the international media about his frustrations in assisting victims of Cyclone Nargis. Zargana was previously detained for a year following the 1988 pro-democracy demonstrations in Burma, and jailed for four years in 1990-94 for making political speeches. Police rearrested Zargana in September 2007 for publicly supporting the protests by monks, and detained him for 20 days. Zargana is serving his sentence in a prison in Myitkyina, Kachin State, in northern Burma, which is known for its bitterly cold winter and is difficult for relatives to reach. His mother Daw Kyi Oo died in March 2009, while Zargana was in prison.
U Gambira: On November 4, 2007, Burmese authorities arrested 28-year-old U Gambira, one of the main leaders of the All-Burma Monks Alliance, which had spearheaded the September 2007 protests. On the day of U Gambira's arrest, the Washington Post published an opinion piece in which he wrote: "The regime's use of mass arrests, murder, torture and imprisonment has failed to extinguish our desire for the freedom that was stolen from us so many years ago." On November 21, 2007, U Gambira was sentenced to a total of 68 years in prison (since reduced to 63 years), including 12 with hard labor. His brother Aung Ko Ko Lwin received 20 years in prison for hiding him, and was sent to Kyaukpyu prison in Arakan state, while his brother-in-law Moe Htet Hlyan was also jailed for helping him while he was being pursued by the authorities.
Su Su Nway: In 2005, labor rights activist Su Su Nway became the first person to successfully prosecute local officials for the imposition of forced labor, a common human rights violation in Burma. Su Su Nway, who suffers from a heart condition, was subsequently sentenced to one and a half years of imprisonment in October 2005 on charges of "using abusive language against the authorities." In 2006, she was awarded the John Humphrey Freedom Award by the Canadian human rights group Rights and Democracy. She was rearrested in November 2007, after leading peaceful protests earlier that year. In November 2008, she was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in prison after being charged with treason and "intent to cause fear or harm to the public."
Min Ko Naing: Born in 1962, Min Ko Naing is a former chairman of the All- Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) and one of the student leaders of the "8/8/88 uprising" against the Burmese junta which began on August 8, 1988. Arrested in 1989, he was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment for instigating "disturbances to the detriment of law and order, peace and tranquility." In November 2004, he was released after serving 15 years in prison. After taking part in peaceful demonstrations in August 2007, he was arrested along with other leaders of the 8/8/88 movement. On November 11, 2008, Min Ko Naing was sentenced to 65 years of imprisonment. Min Ko Naing was reportedly tortured during periods of his detention.
Human Rights Watch said that it is seriously concerned for the health of many prisoners held in remote facilities with poor medical and sanitation conditions. The Burmese government should immediately permit the resumption of International Committee of the Red Cross visits to prisons to assist those in custody, and grant access to other independent humanitarian organizations. The government should also end its disgraceful and punitive practice of transferring prisoners to remote areas, placing a huge burden on family members to visit and provide urgently needed medicine and food.
"Instead of being persecuted and imprisoned, people like Zargana, U Gambira, Su Su Nway and Min Ko Naing should be allowed to help their country," said Malinowski. "When visiting Burma, foreign officials should ask not just to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi, but with other Burmese political activists in prison to solicit their views and show support for their courageous and important work."
Human Rights Watch said that during this critical period, the Burmese government's friends such as China, India, Japan, Russia, and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), members of the UN Security Council, the UN secretary-general, and others should use their influence to press for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners.
Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director at Human Rights Watch
Posted: September 18, 2009 10:42 AM
Human Rights Watch - Burma: Surge in Political Prisoners
Planned 2010 Elections Not Credible if Opposition Remains in Prison
(Washington, DC) - Burma's military government has more than doubled the number of political prisoners in the past two years, including more than a hundred imprisoned in recent months, Human Rights Watch said today in a new report. Sentenced to long prison terms for their involvement in peaceful demonstrations in 2007, and for assisting civilians in the wake of the devastating Cyclone Nargis in 2008, the political prisoner population has reached more than 2,200.
The 35-page report, "Burma's Forgotten Prisoners," showcases dozens of prominent political activists, Buddhist monks, labor activists, journalists, and artists arrested since peaceful political protests in 2007 and sentenced to draconian prison terms after unfair trials. The report was released on September 16, 2009 at a Capitol Hill news conference hosted by Senator Barbara Boxer.
Human Rights Watch said that Burma's rulers should immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners in Burma if scheduled elections in 2010 are to have any credibility."Burma's generals are planning elections next year that will be a sham if their opponents are in prison," said Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. "Despite recent conciliatory visits by UN and foreign officials, the military government is actually increasing the number of critics it is throwing into its squalid prisons."
The release of the report marks the launch of "2100 by 2010," Human Rights Watch's global campaign for the release of all political prisoners in Burma by the time of the 2010 elections.
"We named the campaign '2100 by 2010' in July - but since then, the number has grown to approximately 2250," said Malinowski. "The United States, China, India, and Burma's neighbors in Southeast Asia should make the release of all political prisoners a central goal of their engagement with Burma, and use every tool of influence and leverage they have to achieve it."
In a September 9 letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Human Rights Watch called on the United States to complete its policy review on Burma and focus on the promotion of human rights through principled diplomacy, tougher financial sanctions, and additional but properly monitored humanitarian aid.
Political opponents, activists and others with the courage to speak out against military rule or criticize government actions or policies have been routinely locked up in Burma's prisons for years. There are 43 known prisons holding political activists in Burma, while more than 50 labor camps where prisoners are forced to perform hard labor.
Repression increased after the popular uprising led in part by monks in August and September 2007 was crushed by the government. Closed courts and courts inside prisons have held unfair trials and sentenced more than 300 political figures, human rights defenders, labor activists, artists, journalists, comedians, internet bloggers, and Buddhist monks and nuns to lengthy prison terms. Some prison terms have been for more than 100 years. The activists were mainly charged under provisions of Burma's archaic penal code that criminalizes free expression, peaceful demonstration, and forming of independent organizations. More than 20 prominent activists and journalists, including Burma's most famous comedian, Zargana, were arrested for having spoken out about obstacles to humanitarian relief following Cyclone Nargis, which struck Burma in May 2008.
The world was reminded of the brutality of the military government after the arrest, protracted and unfair trial and conviction of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in August after an American intruder broke into her house. Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy party won the last Burmese elections in 1990, has been in prison or house arrest for 14 of the past 20 years.
"Gaining the release of Suu Kyi is important not just for her own well-being, but because it could facilitate a process that allowed the opposition to fully participate in elections and Burmese society," said Malinowski. "But Suu Kyi is not the only person facing persecution for her political beliefs. People like the comedian Zargana, imprisoned for criticizing the government's pathetic response to Cyclone Nargis, or Su Su Nway, a brave woman activist who led street protests, also deserve the world's attention."
"Burma's Forgotten Prisoners" spotlights the cases of political prisoners including:
Zargana: In November 2008, a Rangoon court sentenced prominent comedian and social activist Zargana to 59 years in jail - a sentence later reduced to 35 years - for disbursing relief aid and talking to the international media about his frustrations in assisting victims of Cyclone Nargis. Zargana was previously detained for a year following the 1988 pro-democracy demonstrations in Burma, and jailed for four years in 1990-94 for making political speeches. Police rearrested Zargana in September 2007 for publicly supporting the protests by monks, and detained him for 20 days. Zargana is serving his sentence in a prison in Myitkyina, Kachin State, in northern Burma, which is known for its bitterly cold winter and is difficult for relatives to reach. His mother Daw Kyi Oo died in March 2009, while Zargana was in prison.
U Gambira: On November 4, 2007, Burmese authorities arrested 28-year-old U Gambira, one of the main leaders of the All-Burma Monks Alliance, which had spearheaded the September 2007 protests. On the day of U Gambira's arrest, the Washington Post published an opinion piece in which he wrote: "The regime's use of mass arrests, murder, torture and imprisonment has failed to extinguish our desire for the freedom that was stolen from us so many years ago." On November 21, 2007, U Gambira was sentenced to a total of 68 years in prison (since reduced to 63 years), including 12 with hard labor. His brother Aung Ko Ko Lwin received 20 years in prison for hiding him, and was sent to Kyaukpyu prison in Arakan state, while his brother-in-law Moe Htet Hlyan was also jailed for helping him while he was being pursued by the authorities.
Su Su Nway: In 2005, labor rights activist Su Su Nway became the first person to successfully prosecute local officials for the imposition of forced labor, a common human rights violation in Burma. Su Su Nway, who suffers from a heart condition, was subsequently sentenced to one and a half years of imprisonment in October 2005 on charges of "using abusive language against the authorities." In 2006, she was awarded the John Humphrey Freedom Award by the Canadian human rights group Rights and Democracy. She was rearrested in November 2007, after leading peaceful protests earlier that year. In November 2008, she was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in prison after being charged with treason and "intent to cause fear or harm to the public."
Min Ko Naing: Born in 1962, Min Ko Naing is a former chairman of the All- Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) and one of the student leaders of the "8/8/88 uprising" against the Burmese junta which began on August 8, 1988. Arrested in 1989, he was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment for instigating "disturbances to the detriment of law and order, peace and tranquility." In November 2004, he was released after serving 15 years in prison. After taking part in peaceful demonstrations in August 2007, he was arrested along with other leaders of the 8/8/88 movement. On November 11, 2008, Min Ko Naing was sentenced to 65 years of imprisonment. Min Ko Naing was reportedly tortured during periods of his detention.
Human Rights Watch said that it is seriously concerned for the health of many prisoners held in remote facilities with poor medical and sanitation conditions. The Burmese government should immediately permit the resumption of International Committee of the Red Cross visits to prisons to assist those in custody, and grant access to other independent humanitarian organizations. The government should also end its disgraceful and punitive practice of transferring prisoners to remote areas, placing a huge burden on family members to visit and provide urgently needed medicine and food.
"Instead of being persecuted and imprisoned, people like Zargana, U Gambira, Su Su Nway and Min Ko Naing should be allowed to help their country," said Malinowski. "When visiting Burma, foreign officials should ask not just to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi, but with other Burmese political activists in prison to solicit their views and show support for their courageous and important work."
Human Rights Watch said that during this critical period, the Burmese government's friends such as China, India, Japan, Russia, and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), members of the UN Security Council, the UN secretary-general, and others should use their influence to press for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners.
Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director at Human Rights Watch
***************************************************************
Human Rights Watch
Burma: Japan’s New Administration Should Review Burma Policy
Public Pressure and Targeted Sanctions needed on Rangoon
September 17, 2009
(Tokyo) - The new Japanese government should undertake a thorough review of Japan's policies designed to promote human rights in Burma, Human Rights Watch said in a letter today to the newly inaugurated foreign minister, Katsuya Okada.
"The past Japanese government promised to promote human rights, but that didn't really happen in terms of concrete and visible actions," said Kanae Doi, Tokyo director at Human Right Watch. "The new government should make human rights a central pillar of Japanese foreign policy, and Burma is a good place to start."
In the letter, Human Rights Watch said that Japan's current policy toward Burma, focusing on dialogue and aid, has done little to improve human rights and in some cases has even been counterproductive. To help bring meaningful changes in Burma, the letter says, Japan should reconsider the idea that conciliatory talk alone will somehow change the Burmese military leadership's plans, and instead make more effective use of diplomacy, sanctions and aid.
On diplomacy, Human Rights Watch recommended that Japan consider establishing a Burma Contact Group or some form of multilateral grouping in close contact with the United States, to meet and discuss regularly diplomatic engagement with the Burmese government on a range of issues. Such a group could help converge views and policies of China, India, Thailand, Indonesia, and others, gradually minimizing the ability of Burma's military government to play states off against each other.
On sanctions, Human Rights Watch urged Japan to impose targeted financial sanctions as part of a coordinated approach to put maximum pressure on Burma's leaders, in line with those imposed by the US, the European Union, Switzerland, Australia, and Canada.
Regarding humanitarian aid, Human Rights Watch called for increased humanitarian aid to meet the acute needs of the Burmese people, but also urged Japan to realize that the Burmese government should use its extensive revenues from oil, natural gas, gems, and timber to meet the needs of its own population. Donors should stress the importance of transparency and accountability in the delivery of humanitarian aid, including taking approaches that strengthen civil society rather than the existing corrupt power structures, and that respond to the views and needs of ordinary people.
"Japan has long been reluctant to exert pressure on Burma's senior leadership," Doi said. "Now is the time for Okada to consider a stronger principled approach. Coordinated, targeted pressure with other states can bring about human rights improvements in Burma."
Burma: Japan’s New Administration Should Review Burma Policy
Public Pressure and Targeted Sanctions needed on Rangoon
September 17, 2009
(Tokyo) - The new Japanese government should undertake a thorough review of Japan's policies designed to promote human rights in Burma, Human Rights Watch said in a letter today to the newly inaugurated foreign minister, Katsuya Okada.
"The past Japanese government promised to promote human rights, but that didn't really happen in terms of concrete and visible actions," said Kanae Doi, Tokyo director at Human Right Watch. "The new government should make human rights a central pillar of Japanese foreign policy, and Burma is a good place to start."
In the letter, Human Rights Watch said that Japan's current policy toward Burma, focusing on dialogue and aid, has done little to improve human rights and in some cases has even been counterproductive. To help bring meaningful changes in Burma, the letter says, Japan should reconsider the idea that conciliatory talk alone will somehow change the Burmese military leadership's plans, and instead make more effective use of diplomacy, sanctions and aid.
On diplomacy, Human Rights Watch recommended that Japan consider establishing a Burma Contact Group or some form of multilateral grouping in close contact with the United States, to meet and discuss regularly diplomatic engagement with the Burmese government on a range of issues. Such a group could help converge views and policies of China, India, Thailand, Indonesia, and others, gradually minimizing the ability of Burma's military government to play states off against each other.
On sanctions, Human Rights Watch urged Japan to impose targeted financial sanctions as part of a coordinated approach to put maximum pressure on Burma's leaders, in line with those imposed by the US, the European Union, Switzerland, Australia, and Canada.
Regarding humanitarian aid, Human Rights Watch called for increased humanitarian aid to meet the acute needs of the Burmese people, but also urged Japan to realize that the Burmese government should use its extensive revenues from oil, natural gas, gems, and timber to meet the needs of its own population. Donors should stress the importance of transparency and accountability in the delivery of humanitarian aid, including taking approaches that strengthen civil society rather than the existing corrupt power structures, and that respond to the views and needs of ordinary people.
"Japan has long been reluctant to exert pressure on Burma's senior leadership," Doi said. "Now is the time for Okada to consider a stronger principled approach. Coordinated, targeted pressure with other states can bring about human rights improvements in Burma."
***************************************************************
The Phnom Penh Post - Myanmar, Thai men detained in S'Ville
Friday, 18 September 2009 15:03
Khouth Sophakchakrya
Men say owners kept them at sea for two years
TWO Thai and one Myanmarese fishermen have been arrested in Preah Sihanouk province on suspicion of illegally entering Cambodian waters after escaping from a Thai boat on which, they said, they were mistreated.
Provincial police Chief Tak Vanntha said Thursday that the men were on Phuluvai Island when found by naval police on September 1.
The Thai fishermen were identified as Aphiwadd Khavivong, 25, from Thailand’s Ayutthaya province, and Manop Kesaro, 57, from Samutprakan province. The third man, Nai Yawaddy, 25, is a citizen of Myanmar.
The men said they were working on a Thai fishing boat but decided to abandon ship and swim to the island due to poor onboard working conditions and mistreatment.
“Our passports and identity cards were taken by the fishing boat owner, and they forced us to work from 16 to 18 hours a day. The boat did not dock for about two years,” Aphiwadd Khavivong told police last week.
The men are being detained at the provincial police station and have been supplied with food and medicine while awaiting a decision from the police regarding their return to their respective home countries.
“This is a fine act of humanitarianism done by our police,” said Ny Chakrya, head investigation officer at the local rights group Adhoc.
“We should contact their ambassadors in Cambodia so we can send them back home.”
Friday, 18 September 2009 15:03
Khouth Sophakchakrya
Men say owners kept them at sea for two years
TWO Thai and one Myanmarese fishermen have been arrested in Preah Sihanouk province on suspicion of illegally entering Cambodian waters after escaping from a Thai boat on which, they said, they were mistreated.
Provincial police Chief Tak Vanntha said Thursday that the men were on Phuluvai Island when found by naval police on September 1.
The Thai fishermen were identified as Aphiwadd Khavivong, 25, from Thailand’s Ayutthaya province, and Manop Kesaro, 57, from Samutprakan province. The third man, Nai Yawaddy, 25, is a citizen of Myanmar.
The men said they were working on a Thai fishing boat but decided to abandon ship and swim to the island due to poor onboard working conditions and mistreatment.
“Our passports and identity cards were taken by the fishing boat owner, and they forced us to work from 16 to 18 hours a day. The boat did not dock for about two years,” Aphiwadd Khavivong told police last week.
The men are being detained at the provincial police station and have been supplied with food and medicine while awaiting a decision from the police regarding their return to their respective home countries.
“This is a fine act of humanitarianism done by our police,” said Ny Chakrya, head investigation officer at the local rights group Adhoc.
“We should contact their ambassadors in Cambodia so we can send them back home.”
***************************************************************
The Washington Times - Waiting for new bloodshed
By Michael Standaert THE WASHINGTON TIMES
QINGSHUI TOWN, China
Lin Jinhua was making an excellent living selling and repairing motorcycles until a few weeks ago. Now she's a refugee. A Chinese expatriate businesswoman living across the border in Myanmar, Mrs. Lin, 58, was forced to flee late last month when troops sent by Myanmar's military junta attacked her village in its campaign to crush an ethnic Chinese militia in the Kokang region of northeastern Myanmar bordering China's Yunnan province.
Mrs. Lin, who fled with just a few possessions and the clothes on her back, returned home after the attack to survey the damage. Both her house and her motorcycle business were looted, she said, and she lost up to $73,000 in merchandise.
"The Burmese troops took everything away," said Mrs. Lin, trying to control her anger. "Who is going to compensate us for this? Will the Chinese government? Will the Burmese government?"
Mrs. Lin, along with her husband and two other couples who worked at her business, are now sharing a small apartment in the nearby county of Mengding. Interviewed earlier this month, they were trying to figure out what to do next. They said they were too afraid to return home and had nothing to go back for.
About 37,000 people initially fled the fighting in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma. While many have returned, a number have remained including ethnic Chinese such as Mrs. Lin, soldiers from the shattered ethnic militia and Burmese afraid that fighting will start again soon.
Zeng Guanyou, 38, one of Mrs. Lin's workers, expressed a common view here when he said he expects the Myanmar military to attack the United Wa State Army, a militia of between 20,000 and 30,000 soldiers whose territory begins just across the river from Qingshui.
Zhen Wei, 32, another refugee now living in a small garage in Qingshui Town with his wife and three children, said he also thinks the fight against the Wa will start very soon.
"We are worried about more fighting, but we don't really know when it will happen," Mr. Zhen said.
Members of a smaller defeated militia, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), are also predicting a new and bigger fight.
Asked what he will do next, Su Bao Bao, the former office director at the headquarters of the MNDAA, said he would likely go to the Wa region and prepare to fight again.
"There is news that the Wa State Army is preparing to fight, but whether that will happen depends on the Burmese government," said Mr. Su. "If [the Burmese military] fires first, there will be a battle."
He spoke from the city of Nansan, where a large number of refugees crossed over in late August and a few remain scattered around the region staying with relatives and friends.
Mr. Su, 58, said he crossed into China on Aug. 29 with around 1,000 other soldiers after they ditched their weapons and put on civilian clothes.
Mr. Su, an ethnic Kachin who also goes by the name of Bo Bo, said the first clashes started Aug. 8. Three days later, the militia withdrew to a place called Xi'e in the Kokang region.
On Aug. 12 Myanmar's army attacked a militia military school in town of Laogai and took over a weapons factory the government said was producing drugs, something that Mr. Su said was propaganda.
The Myanmar military put out an arrest warrant for Peng Jiasheng, the leader of the Kokang region, as well as for his three sons, and established a new government in Kokang under the leadership of a rival faction within the militia, Mr. Su said. Mr. Peng fled to the Wa-controlled areas, and is now reportedly being protected by the United Wa State Army.
Mr. Su said major fighting began Aug. 26 and lasted five days. The militia forces split, with the majority dropping their weapons and crossing the border into China at Nansan, while perhaps 800 more crossed near the Qingshui border crossing, he said.
"The Burmese government was trying to eliminate the threat posed by the ethnic militia by forcing them to come under the control of the border security guard forces, which will be controlled by the Burmese government," Mr. Su said. "But the alliance didn't agree with that. The reason why the Burmese government did this is to strengthen power before next year's election."
By Michael Standaert THE WASHINGTON TIMES
QINGSHUI TOWN, China
Lin Jinhua was making an excellent living selling and repairing motorcycles until a few weeks ago. Now she's a refugee. A Chinese expatriate businesswoman living across the border in Myanmar, Mrs. Lin, 58, was forced to flee late last month when troops sent by Myanmar's military junta attacked her village in its campaign to crush an ethnic Chinese militia in the Kokang region of northeastern Myanmar bordering China's Yunnan province.
Mrs. Lin, who fled with just a few possessions and the clothes on her back, returned home after the attack to survey the damage. Both her house and her motorcycle business were looted, she said, and she lost up to $73,000 in merchandise.
"The Burmese troops took everything away," said Mrs. Lin, trying to control her anger. "Who is going to compensate us for this? Will the Chinese government? Will the Burmese government?"
Mrs. Lin, along with her husband and two other couples who worked at her business, are now sharing a small apartment in the nearby county of Mengding. Interviewed earlier this month, they were trying to figure out what to do next. They said they were too afraid to return home and had nothing to go back for.
About 37,000 people initially fled the fighting in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma. While many have returned, a number have remained including ethnic Chinese such as Mrs. Lin, soldiers from the shattered ethnic militia and Burmese afraid that fighting will start again soon.
Zeng Guanyou, 38, one of Mrs. Lin's workers, expressed a common view here when he said he expects the Myanmar military to attack the United Wa State Army, a militia of between 20,000 and 30,000 soldiers whose territory begins just across the river from Qingshui.
Zhen Wei, 32, another refugee now living in a small garage in Qingshui Town with his wife and three children, said he also thinks the fight against the Wa will start very soon.
"We are worried about more fighting, but we don't really know when it will happen," Mr. Zhen said.
Members of a smaller defeated militia, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), are also predicting a new and bigger fight.
Asked what he will do next, Su Bao Bao, the former office director at the headquarters of the MNDAA, said he would likely go to the Wa region and prepare to fight again.
"There is news that the Wa State Army is preparing to fight, but whether that will happen depends on the Burmese government," said Mr. Su. "If [the Burmese military] fires first, there will be a battle."
He spoke from the city of Nansan, where a large number of refugees crossed over in late August and a few remain scattered around the region staying with relatives and friends.
Mr. Su, 58, said he crossed into China on Aug. 29 with around 1,000 other soldiers after they ditched their weapons and put on civilian clothes.
Mr. Su, an ethnic Kachin who also goes by the name of Bo Bo, said the first clashes started Aug. 8. Three days later, the militia withdrew to a place called Xi'e in the Kokang region.
On Aug. 12 Myanmar's army attacked a militia military school in town of Laogai and took over a weapons factory the government said was producing drugs, something that Mr. Su said was propaganda.
The Myanmar military put out an arrest warrant for Peng Jiasheng, the leader of the Kokang region, as well as for his three sons, and established a new government in Kokang under the leadership of a rival faction within the militia, Mr. Su said. Mr. Peng fled to the Wa-controlled areas, and is now reportedly being protected by the United Wa State Army.
Mr. Su said major fighting began Aug. 26 and lasted five days. The militia forces split, with the majority dropping their weapons and crossing the border into China at Nansan, while perhaps 800 more crossed near the Qingshui border crossing, he said.
"The Burmese government was trying to eliminate the threat posed by the ethnic militia by forcing them to come under the control of the border security guard forces, which will be controlled by the Burmese government," Mr. Su said. "But the alliance didn't agree with that. The reason why the Burmese government did this is to strengthen power before next year's election."
***************************************************************
Union of Catholic Asian News
MYANMAR Remote jungle regions test priests' mission spirit
September 18, 2009 | MY07934.1567 | 746 words
MYITKYINA, Myanmar (UCAN) -- Jungle, rivers and mountains thwart travel in this eastern tail of the Himalayas, making it more than a challenge for priests to keep in contact with remote parishioners, let alone visit them.
Communications and travel have not improved greatly in Kachin state since combined American and Chinese forces drove the Japanese army from Myitkyina, the capital, almost 65 years ago as the tide turned in World War II.
This northernmost area of Myanmar remains frontier, a place where motorcycles and boats can take travelers only so far before feet become the only means of transportation.
Father Paul Nbau Zau Lat, an ethnic Kachin born in Putao, is one of 34 Catholic priests working in Myitkyina diocese. He is based in Shingbwi Yang parish, about 250 kilometers northwest of Myitkyina and not far from the border with India.
It can take the 44-year-old parish priest a month to reach some of the more remote villages among the 22 in his care, many of which he visits only once a year. But even though he can administer sacraments and provide pastoral care only at long intervals, he says, these parishioners maintain a deep faith.
"Some villagers hear the Good News of Christ and get general information only when the parish priest comes," Father Zau Lat told UCA News.
Shingbwi Yang parishioners number more than 1,000 in 500 households. The majority are Naga people and the rest Kachin, except for a few Burman. They mostly live by fishing and hunting, although some work on plantations.
The Naga hills region, home to the Naga tribe, extends into India and is one of the parish's most inaccessible areas, but Father Zau Lat sees it as his duty to reach them. He also believes in "offering (his) daily priestly life" as a prayer for the success of the Church's mission.
The priest, who teaches tribal children at a Church-run boarding school, sees education as another crucial element in that mission. Accordingly, he plans to send five teachers to live and teach in places with the greatest need.
Health care also suffers from the lack of transportation and communications in remote areas, where serious diseases present a threat. Father Zau Lat responds by trying to get malaria and tuberculosis medicine from NGOs to support to his far-flung villagers.
Father John Kumbu La Seng, 29, from Myitkyina, faces similar challenges as parish priest in Putao, Father Zau Lat's home parish, more than 350 kilometers north of Myitkyina.
Also an ethnic Kachin, he can make pastoral visits to the most remote villages only in December and January, when the weather is good enough for him to travel.
Among the people he tries to reach during these coldest months of the year are the roughly 100 households of Catholics living near the ice-capped mountains close to the Chinese border. These members of the Lisu and Rawon hilltribes work on plantations there.
The priest has 47 catechists who help him serve about 3,000 parishioners in 600 households. Members of Assemblies of God and Baptist congregations also live in the 30 villages the parish covers. Most of the people are farmers and a few run small grocery stores.
Father La Seng described the people out in the villages as uneducated and shy to speak with others. But he said they try to live their faith firmly despite a tough life that for most is a cycle of debt, using one year's produce to pay off the previous year's bills. They also face food shortages annually, especially in the rainy season.
"It's tiresome to work in the hilly mission, full of hardship and trials, but it's also a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to give baptism, listen to confession and distribute Communion," Father La Seng remarked.
"Knowing the difficulties and weakness of the villagers, we need to upgrade the children's educational qualifications in order to get more vocations, because we still need more priests in our diocese," he added.
Bishop Francis Daw Tang of Myitkyina told UCA News that "with Catholics' tithes and support from the some generous donors, the Church will be able to support all the struggling villagers, and in the future the parishioners will try to work for themselves."
The bishop nonetheless acknowledges that conditions are tough, and he said he encourages his priests to go to other parishes as pilgrims in order to renew their spiritual strength. He added that the diocese plans to conduct training and a pilgrimage program for its priests.
MYANMAR Remote jungle regions test priests' mission spirit
September 18, 2009 | MY07934.1567 | 746 words
MYITKYINA, Myanmar (UCAN) -- Jungle, rivers and mountains thwart travel in this eastern tail of the Himalayas, making it more than a challenge for priests to keep in contact with remote parishioners, let alone visit them.
Communications and travel have not improved greatly in Kachin state since combined American and Chinese forces drove the Japanese army from Myitkyina, the capital, almost 65 years ago as the tide turned in World War II.
This northernmost area of Myanmar remains frontier, a place where motorcycles and boats can take travelers only so far before feet become the only means of transportation.
Father Paul Nbau Zau Lat, an ethnic Kachin born in Putao, is one of 34 Catholic priests working in Myitkyina diocese. He is based in Shingbwi Yang parish, about 250 kilometers northwest of Myitkyina and not far from the border with India.
It can take the 44-year-old parish priest a month to reach some of the more remote villages among the 22 in his care, many of which he visits only once a year. But even though he can administer sacraments and provide pastoral care only at long intervals, he says, these parishioners maintain a deep faith.
"Some villagers hear the Good News of Christ and get general information only when the parish priest comes," Father Zau Lat told UCA News.
Shingbwi Yang parishioners number more than 1,000 in 500 households. The majority are Naga people and the rest Kachin, except for a few Burman. They mostly live by fishing and hunting, although some work on plantations.
The Naga hills region, home to the Naga tribe, extends into India and is one of the parish's most inaccessible areas, but Father Zau Lat sees it as his duty to reach them. He also believes in "offering (his) daily priestly life" as a prayer for the success of the Church's mission.
The priest, who teaches tribal children at a Church-run boarding school, sees education as another crucial element in that mission. Accordingly, he plans to send five teachers to live and teach in places with the greatest need.
Health care also suffers from the lack of transportation and communications in remote areas, where serious diseases present a threat. Father Zau Lat responds by trying to get malaria and tuberculosis medicine from NGOs to support to his far-flung villagers.
Father John Kumbu La Seng, 29, from Myitkyina, faces similar challenges as parish priest in Putao, Father Zau Lat's home parish, more than 350 kilometers north of Myitkyina.
Also an ethnic Kachin, he can make pastoral visits to the most remote villages only in December and January, when the weather is good enough for him to travel.
Among the people he tries to reach during these coldest months of the year are the roughly 100 households of Catholics living near the ice-capped mountains close to the Chinese border. These members of the Lisu and Rawon hilltribes work on plantations there.
The priest has 47 catechists who help him serve about 3,000 parishioners in 600 households. Members of Assemblies of God and Baptist congregations also live in the 30 villages the parish covers. Most of the people are farmers and a few run small grocery stores.
Father La Seng described the people out in the villages as uneducated and shy to speak with others. But he said they try to live their faith firmly despite a tough life that for most is a cycle of debt, using one year's produce to pay off the previous year's bills. They also face food shortages annually, especially in the rainy season.
"It's tiresome to work in the hilly mission, full of hardship and trials, but it's also a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to give baptism, listen to confession and distribute Communion," Father La Seng remarked.
"Knowing the difficulties and weakness of the villagers, we need to upgrade the children's educational qualifications in order to get more vocations, because we still need more priests in our diocese," he added.
Bishop Francis Daw Tang of Myitkyina told UCA News that "with Catholics' tithes and support from the some generous donors, the Church will be able to support all the struggling villagers, and in the future the parishioners will try to work for themselves."
The bishop nonetheless acknowledges that conditions are tough, and he said he encourages his priests to go to other parishes as pilgrims in order to renew their spiritual strength. He added that the diocese plans to conduct training and a pilgrimage program for its priests.
***************************************************************
The Irrawaddy - 250 Political Prisoners Expected to be Freed
By SAW YAN NAING, Friday, September 18, 2009
A total of 250 are expected to be pardoned in an amnesty of 7,114 prisoners, according to official and unofficial sources.
On Friday, Burmese authority released an estimated 600 inmates and 43 political prisoners are included.
The amnesty comes three days before Burmese Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein travels to New York to attend the UN General Assembly next week.
Forty-three political prisoners were released on Friday, including two journalists, one Buddhist monk and members of the National League for Democracy, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP).
A high-ranking official at Rangoon's Insein prison said a total of 250 political prisoners will be released. No date and any detail were given.
Rangoon sources said that political prisoners released today included two journalists, identified as Ein Khaing Oo and Kyaw Kyaw Thant.
Ein Khaing Oo, 24, a journalist for the Rangoon-based weekly Ecovision, was arrested in June 2008 after writing about a protest launched by about 20 cyclone survivors in front of the UN Development Program’s office in Rangoon’s Tamwe Township. She received two years imprisonment.
Kyaw Kyaw Thant is a freelance journalist who was arrested along with Ein Khaing Oo while he documented a demonstration by 20 cyclone survivors. He received a seven-year prison term.
Prominent dissident U Nine Nine, a NLD member and an elected member of parliament in the 1990 election from Pazundaung Township in Rangoon, was also pardoned, according to the AAPP.
The monk was identified as Ashin Sandaw Batha.
The AAPP list of other freed political prisoners received by The Irrawaddy include Nyi Nyi Min, Tin Mya, Monywar Aung Shin (a) Aung Myint, Tin Tin Myint, Than Than Htay,
Than Than Sint, Thin Min Soe, Kyi Kyi Min, Zaw Htut Aung, Tin Myo Htut (a) Kyaw Oo, Win Myint, Kyaw Maung, Nay Win, Kyi Lin, Soe Wai (a) Than Zaw and Aung Gyi.
The identity of the political prisoners freed today could not be confirmed with the authorities.
“In building a new nation, the government sentenced those who violated the existing laws to prison terms in accord with the law to ensure stability and prevalence of law and order,” according to an article in the state-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar on Friday.
“However, plans are being made for those serving prison terms to turn them into citizens to be able to participate in building a new nation,” the article said.
Bo Kyi, the AAPP joint secretary, said that he believed the regime only released the prisoners with the aim to ease international pressure and sanctions, because key opposition leaders such as Aung San Suu Kyi, Min Ko Naing and ethnic Shan leader Khun Htun Oo remain in detention.
Meanwhile, as the amnesty was announced, many democracy activists and monks have been arrested this month, said Bo Kyi.
On Wednesday, eight democracy activists including one Buddhist monk were detained in Myingyan Township in Mandalay by Burmese military authorities. On Thursday, four monks in Myingyan Township were arrested.
Sources observed that the amnesty appeared to be linked to Prime Minister Thein Sein’s attendance at the UN General Assembly. Freed prisoners were mostly serving the last year of their sentence, sources said.
New York-based Human Rights Watch urged the release of Burmese political prisoners on Wednesday, accusing the regime of doubling the number of political prisoners to 2,250 since it cracked down on pro-democracy protests in September 2007.
Scot Marciel, the US administration’s top diplomat for Southeast Asia, said that a US policy review on Burma will seek new ways to free political prisoners.
A review of policy towards Burma is to be concluded “very soon” but would not alter US goals of improving human rights, winning freedom for political prisoners and seeking a transition to a democratic government, Marciel said.
In September 2008, 9,002 prisoners in Burma were pardoned.
Nine political prisoners were among those freed.
In February 2009, the regime pardoned more than 6,000 prisoners. Thirty-one were political prisoners.
By SAW YAN NAING, Friday, September 18, 2009
A total of 250 are expected to be pardoned in an amnesty of 7,114 prisoners, according to official and unofficial sources.
On Friday, Burmese authority released an estimated 600 inmates and 43 political prisoners are included.
The amnesty comes three days before Burmese Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein travels to New York to attend the UN General Assembly next week.
Forty-three political prisoners were released on Friday, including two journalists, one Buddhist monk and members of the National League for Democracy, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP).
A high-ranking official at Rangoon's Insein prison said a total of 250 political prisoners will be released. No date and any detail were given.
Rangoon sources said that political prisoners released today included two journalists, identified as Ein Khaing Oo and Kyaw Kyaw Thant.
Ein Khaing Oo, 24, a journalist for the Rangoon-based weekly Ecovision, was arrested in June 2008 after writing about a protest launched by about 20 cyclone survivors in front of the UN Development Program’s office in Rangoon’s Tamwe Township. She received two years imprisonment.
Kyaw Kyaw Thant is a freelance journalist who was arrested along with Ein Khaing Oo while he documented a demonstration by 20 cyclone survivors. He received a seven-year prison term.
Prominent dissident U Nine Nine, a NLD member and an elected member of parliament in the 1990 election from Pazundaung Township in Rangoon, was also pardoned, according to the AAPP.
The monk was identified as Ashin Sandaw Batha.
The AAPP list of other freed political prisoners received by The Irrawaddy include Nyi Nyi Min, Tin Mya, Monywar Aung Shin (a) Aung Myint, Tin Tin Myint, Than Than Htay,
Than Than Sint, Thin Min Soe, Kyi Kyi Min, Zaw Htut Aung, Tin Myo Htut (a) Kyaw Oo, Win Myint, Kyaw Maung, Nay Win, Kyi Lin, Soe Wai (a) Than Zaw and Aung Gyi.
The identity of the political prisoners freed today could not be confirmed with the authorities.
“In building a new nation, the government sentenced those who violated the existing laws to prison terms in accord with the law to ensure stability and prevalence of law and order,” according to an article in the state-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar on Friday.
“However, plans are being made for those serving prison terms to turn them into citizens to be able to participate in building a new nation,” the article said.
Bo Kyi, the AAPP joint secretary, said that he believed the regime only released the prisoners with the aim to ease international pressure and sanctions, because key opposition leaders such as Aung San Suu Kyi, Min Ko Naing and ethnic Shan leader Khun Htun Oo remain in detention.
Meanwhile, as the amnesty was announced, many democracy activists and monks have been arrested this month, said Bo Kyi.
On Wednesday, eight democracy activists including one Buddhist monk were detained in Myingyan Township in Mandalay by Burmese military authorities. On Thursday, four monks in Myingyan Township were arrested.
Sources observed that the amnesty appeared to be linked to Prime Minister Thein Sein’s attendance at the UN General Assembly. Freed prisoners were mostly serving the last year of their sentence, sources said.
New York-based Human Rights Watch urged the release of Burmese political prisoners on Wednesday, accusing the regime of doubling the number of political prisoners to 2,250 since it cracked down on pro-democracy protests in September 2007.
Scot Marciel, the US administration’s top diplomat for Southeast Asia, said that a US policy review on Burma will seek new ways to free political prisoners.
A review of policy towards Burma is to be concluded “very soon” but would not alter US goals of improving human rights, winning freedom for political prisoners and seeking a transition to a democratic government, Marciel said.
In September 2008, 9,002 prisoners in Burma were pardoned.
Nine political prisoners were among those freed.
In February 2009, the regime pardoned more than 6,000 prisoners. Thirty-one were political prisoners.
***************************************************************
The Irrawaddy - Rangoon Court Postpones Suu Kyi Appeal Hearing
By KO HTWE, Friday, September 18, 2009
A hearing by the Rangoon Northern District Court of an appeal by Aung San Suu Kyi against last month’s conviction and sentence was adjourned on Friday until October 2, after defense submissions by her lawyer, Kyi Wynn.
Another of Suu Kyi’s lawyers, Nyan Win, told The Irrawaddy that the hearing lasted from 10 a.m. until mid-afternoon, with a lunch break.
Suu Kyi’s appeal is against her conviction and sentence of 18 months house arrest for transgressing the terms of her house detention order by allowing an American intruder to stay. She was not allowed to attend Friday’s court session.
By KO HTWE, Friday, September 18, 2009
A hearing by the Rangoon Northern District Court of an appeal by Aung San Suu Kyi against last month’s conviction and sentence was adjourned on Friday until October 2, after defense submissions by her lawyer, Kyi Wynn.
Another of Suu Kyi’s lawyers, Nyan Win, told The Irrawaddy that the hearing lasted from 10 a.m. until mid-afternoon, with a lunch break.
Suu Kyi’s appeal is against her conviction and sentence of 18 months house arrest for transgressing the terms of her house detention order by allowing an American intruder to stay. She was not allowed to attend Friday’s court session.
***************************************************************
The Irrawaddy - A Country of Fallen Stars
By KHIN NYEIN THIT, Friday, September 18, 2009
Stars shine by their own light and occupy the highest position in the sky. On clear, unclouded nights, you can look up and see them sparkling as bright as diamonds.
Some of the young people in my country are like those stars. They are brilliantly gifted and elevated by their high moral standards. But one by one, these stars are falling from the skies. That is why I call Burma “the country of fallen stars.”
Whenever I recall the events of September 18, 1988—the day the army declared an end to Burma’s long democracy summer and proceeded to launch a bloody crackdown on protesters—my mind returns to a famous photograph that captures the horror of that moment in my country’s history. In it, two doctors in white coats are carrying a young girl in her school uniform—a white shirt and green longyi. But the girl’s shirt is red, soaked in blood. She is unconscious, or perhaps already dead, as the two doctors run with her in their arms, desperate to save her life.
This photograph is one of the iconic images of that time, and even now, it fills me with emotion and anger when I look at it. This is, of course, a natural reaction; but unlike most people, I see more than just the senseless murder of an innocent child, as horrible as that is. I also see the tragic loss of two of Burma’s best and brightest, whose young lives were snuffed out by the same ruthless forces that killed that girl, and continue to kill good and decent people every day in Burma.
Few people know anything about Dr. Saw Lwin and Dr. Min Thein, the two doctors in this photo. Saw Lwin, the one holding up the girl’s head, was a gifted medical student who had graduated from high school with the highest grades in Rangoon’s Thingankyun Township. He and his friend Min Thein were both top students in medical school. Saw Lwin’s sister was also a doctor, as was Min Thein’s brother. Min Thein’s father worked as a director in a government department.
After the 1988 coup, Min Thein went to the jungle to become a medic with the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), the student army that was formed to resist the newly installed military regime. He later returned to Rangoon on a mission for the ABSDF. At the time, many others also returned, abandoning their struggle. In a press conference, Brig-Gen Khin Nyunt, the junta’s secretary one, told these returnees that no action would be taken against them if they reported to the authorities. Not realizing why his son had come back, Min Thein’s father informed regional military officials about his return. The next day, military intelligence agents came to their home and took Min Thein to an interrogation center for questioning. A week later, they sent him home.
At first, he seemed fine, but soon after his release, his body became swollen and he couldn’t urinate properly. His younger brother, Win Thein, told Saw Lwin and his sister about Min Thein’s condition. Min Thein, who had earlier confided to Saw Lwin about his mission for the ABSDF, told his friend and fellow doctor that he suspected his symptoms were caused by an injection he had received while he was in custody. The intelligence agents who questioned him refused to tell him what drug they had injected him with.
Min Thein’s health rapidly deteriorated, as his bowels began to swell and he started to have difficulty breathing. While his colleagues were preparing to take him to the hospital, intelligence officers appeared at his home again and told them he could only receive treatment at a military hospital. Min Thein said he would rather die at home than go with them. And so he remained there, treated by Saw Lwin, until he died the next day.
Troubled by the unexplained nature of his friend’s death, Saw Lwin asked one of his professors to perform an autopsy. They discovered that Min Thein’s kidneys had drastically shrunken in size. When the intelligence officers learned about the autopsy, they warned the coroner not to reveal his findings.
Saw Lwin realized then that he might be in real danger himself and decided to go into hiding.
At that time, I was working at Saw Lwin’s private clinic, so I could see how his absence affected his patients, many of whom were poor people who couldn’t afford to go anywhere else. They seemed quite helpless without him. He was always reluctant to take money from patients who had very little to give, and sometimes even paid for their medicine out of his own pocket. Once, I saw him treat a seriously ill cancer patient entirely at his own expense.
Saw Lwin’s family also suffered because of his involvement in this case. His father was forced to retire early and died of a stroke in 1994. After this, Saw Lwin returned to his home, believing that the intelligence officers had probably forgotten about the incident. He applied for a government job at a hospital and was assigned to a position at a sub-township hospital in Bogalay Township, Irrawaddy Division.
For a while, he was able to go about his business quite freely, but eventually, the authorities caught up with him. Intelligence agents started summoning him for questioning, and continued harassing him in this manner for several months. In 1995, it got even worse, and he was beginning to feel deeply disturbed. He decided to go to Rangoon to speak with Aung San Suu Kyi, who had been released from house arrest in July of that year, but was unable to meet with her. When he returned to Bogalay, he was immediately summoned by the secretary of the local Township Law and Order Restoration Council and spent several hours being interrogated by three intelligence officers.
By the time he returned home, he was completely drained of energy. After this, his neighbors said that he became very withdrawn. He seemed very troubled, but hesitated to burden others with his problems. Finally, he decided to take leave from the hospital and packed his belongings as if to go on a trip. But for the next two days, no one could hear any sound from his room. When his neighbors forced the door open, they found that he had hanged himself.
His death still fills me with immense sadness. He was a very talented and kind-hearted person.
The stars are falling in our country. Who is responsible for this? How do their mothers bear the pain of losing their precious sons and daughters? How many more must we lose in vain? I have no answers to these questions. But I would like to salute these lost heroes and pray that they are never forgotten.
Khin Nyein Thit is a former political prisoner who recently fled to the Thai-Burmese border.
By KHIN NYEIN THIT, Friday, September 18, 2009
Stars shine by their own light and occupy the highest position in the sky. On clear, unclouded nights, you can look up and see them sparkling as bright as diamonds.
Some of the young people in my country are like those stars. They are brilliantly gifted and elevated by their high moral standards. But one by one, these stars are falling from the skies. That is why I call Burma “the country of fallen stars.”
Whenever I recall the events of September 18, 1988—the day the army declared an end to Burma’s long democracy summer and proceeded to launch a bloody crackdown on protesters—my mind returns to a famous photograph that captures the horror of that moment in my country’s history. In it, two doctors in white coats are carrying a young girl in her school uniform—a white shirt and green longyi. But the girl’s shirt is red, soaked in blood. She is unconscious, or perhaps already dead, as the two doctors run with her in their arms, desperate to save her life.
This photograph is one of the iconic images of that time, and even now, it fills me with emotion and anger when I look at it. This is, of course, a natural reaction; but unlike most people, I see more than just the senseless murder of an innocent child, as horrible as that is. I also see the tragic loss of two of Burma’s best and brightest, whose young lives were snuffed out by the same ruthless forces that killed that girl, and continue to kill good and decent people every day in Burma.
Few people know anything about Dr. Saw Lwin and Dr. Min Thein, the two doctors in this photo. Saw Lwin, the one holding up the girl’s head, was a gifted medical student who had graduated from high school with the highest grades in Rangoon’s Thingankyun Township. He and his friend Min Thein were both top students in medical school. Saw Lwin’s sister was also a doctor, as was Min Thein’s brother. Min Thein’s father worked as a director in a government department.
After the 1988 coup, Min Thein went to the jungle to become a medic with the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), the student army that was formed to resist the newly installed military regime. He later returned to Rangoon on a mission for the ABSDF. At the time, many others also returned, abandoning their struggle. In a press conference, Brig-Gen Khin Nyunt, the junta’s secretary one, told these returnees that no action would be taken against them if they reported to the authorities. Not realizing why his son had come back, Min Thein’s father informed regional military officials about his return. The next day, military intelligence agents came to their home and took Min Thein to an interrogation center for questioning. A week later, they sent him home.
At first, he seemed fine, but soon after his release, his body became swollen and he couldn’t urinate properly. His younger brother, Win Thein, told Saw Lwin and his sister about Min Thein’s condition. Min Thein, who had earlier confided to Saw Lwin about his mission for the ABSDF, told his friend and fellow doctor that he suspected his symptoms were caused by an injection he had received while he was in custody. The intelligence agents who questioned him refused to tell him what drug they had injected him with.
Min Thein’s health rapidly deteriorated, as his bowels began to swell and he started to have difficulty breathing. While his colleagues were preparing to take him to the hospital, intelligence officers appeared at his home again and told them he could only receive treatment at a military hospital. Min Thein said he would rather die at home than go with them. And so he remained there, treated by Saw Lwin, until he died the next day.
Troubled by the unexplained nature of his friend’s death, Saw Lwin asked one of his professors to perform an autopsy. They discovered that Min Thein’s kidneys had drastically shrunken in size. When the intelligence officers learned about the autopsy, they warned the coroner not to reveal his findings.
Saw Lwin realized then that he might be in real danger himself and decided to go into hiding.
At that time, I was working at Saw Lwin’s private clinic, so I could see how his absence affected his patients, many of whom were poor people who couldn’t afford to go anywhere else. They seemed quite helpless without him. He was always reluctant to take money from patients who had very little to give, and sometimes even paid for their medicine out of his own pocket. Once, I saw him treat a seriously ill cancer patient entirely at his own expense.
Saw Lwin’s family also suffered because of his involvement in this case. His father was forced to retire early and died of a stroke in 1994. After this, Saw Lwin returned to his home, believing that the intelligence officers had probably forgotten about the incident. He applied for a government job at a hospital and was assigned to a position at a sub-township hospital in Bogalay Township, Irrawaddy Division.
For a while, he was able to go about his business quite freely, but eventually, the authorities caught up with him. Intelligence agents started summoning him for questioning, and continued harassing him in this manner for several months. In 1995, it got even worse, and he was beginning to feel deeply disturbed. He decided to go to Rangoon to speak with Aung San Suu Kyi, who had been released from house arrest in July of that year, but was unable to meet with her. When he returned to Bogalay, he was immediately summoned by the secretary of the local Township Law and Order Restoration Council and spent several hours being interrogated by three intelligence officers.
By the time he returned home, he was completely drained of energy. After this, his neighbors said that he became very withdrawn. He seemed very troubled, but hesitated to burden others with his problems. Finally, he decided to take leave from the hospital and packed his belongings as if to go on a trip. But for the next two days, no one could hear any sound from his room. When his neighbors forced the door open, they found that he had hanged himself.
His death still fills me with immense sadness. He was a very talented and kind-hearted person.
The stars are falling in our country. Who is responsible for this? How do their mothers bear the pain of losing their precious sons and daughters? How many more must we lose in vain? I have no answers to these questions. But I would like to salute these lost heroes and pray that they are never forgotten.
Khin Nyein Thit is a former political prisoner who recently fled to the Thai-Burmese border.
***************************************************************
Mizzima News - Junta’s amnesty meaningless sans political prisoners: AI
by Mungpi
Friday, 18 September 2009 14:43
New Delhi (Mizzima) - Unless the over 2,200 political prisoners languishing in prisons across the country are included among the prisoners being freed, the amnesty announced by the military rulers on Thursday would be meaningless, Amnesty International said.
Benjamin Zawacki, Burma researcher of the AI on Friday told Mizzima, “Unless the more than the 2,200 political prisoners are released, any gesture like this would be meaningless as far as Human Rights is concerned.”
Amnesty International’s stand came following the Burmese military junta’s announcement on Thursday evening about the release of 7,114 prisoners across the country in an amnesty based on ‘humanitarian grounds’ and to enable them to serve national interest.
Zawacki said, the junta in the past 18 months has twice made similar gestures where a tiny portion of prisoners of conscience were included.
“Unless the 2,200 political prisoners are included among the more than 7,000 prisoners released, it certainly does not meet the expectation of the international community articulated by Ban Ki-moon,” Zawacki said.
The United Nations Chief, Ban Ki-moon, during his visit to Burma in July urged the government to release all political prisoners including detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as a step to begin the process of national reconciliation in the country.
Following Ban’s visit, Burma’s UN Ambassador Than Swe told the Security Council that his government is preparing to release prisoners to allow them to participate in the forthcoming 2010 elections.
Burma has been persistent in its denial of having political prisoners saying all prisoners are charged with violating the existing law.
On Friday afternoon, the initial release of about 100 prisoners from Mandalay prison does not include any political prisoners.
Meanwhile, in Rangoon’s notorious Insein prison, authorities are holding a press briefing on Friday afternoon and opposition sources said they expect a few political prisoners including some prominent student activists to be among those freed.
by Mungpi
Friday, 18 September 2009 14:43
New Delhi (Mizzima) - Unless the over 2,200 political prisoners languishing in prisons across the country are included among the prisoners being freed, the amnesty announced by the military rulers on Thursday would be meaningless, Amnesty International said.
Benjamin Zawacki, Burma researcher of the AI on Friday told Mizzima, “Unless the more than the 2,200 political prisoners are released, any gesture like this would be meaningless as far as Human Rights is concerned.”
Amnesty International’s stand came following the Burmese military junta’s announcement on Thursday evening about the release of 7,114 prisoners across the country in an amnesty based on ‘humanitarian grounds’ and to enable them to serve national interest.
Zawacki said, the junta in the past 18 months has twice made similar gestures where a tiny portion of prisoners of conscience were included.
“Unless the 2,200 political prisoners are included among the more than 7,000 prisoners released, it certainly does not meet the expectation of the international community articulated by Ban Ki-moon,” Zawacki said.
The United Nations Chief, Ban Ki-moon, during his visit to Burma in July urged the government to release all political prisoners including detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as a step to begin the process of national reconciliation in the country.
Following Ban’s visit, Burma’s UN Ambassador Than Swe told the Security Council that his government is preparing to release prisoners to allow them to participate in the forthcoming 2010 elections.
Burma has been persistent in its denial of having political prisoners saying all prisoners are charged with violating the existing law.
On Friday afternoon, the initial release of about 100 prisoners from Mandalay prison does not include any political prisoners.
Meanwhile, in Rangoon’s notorious Insein prison, authorities are holding a press briefing on Friday afternoon and opposition sources said they expect a few political prisoners including some prominent student activists to be among those freed.
***************************************************************
Mizzima News - " I was accused of being a bomber"
by Phanida
Friday, 18 September 2009 20:31
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Thingangyun Township National League for Democracy (NLD) party chairman U Tin Mya (74), who was accused of being involved in a bombing case and handed a prison term was released from Insein prison today.
He was sentenced to five years and served one and-a-half years in prison. Mizzima interviewed the NLD party member, who said that he would be involved in politics as long as the NLD exists.
Q: Why were you released from prison? Did you have to sign a bond?
A: I didn't have to sign a bond. The reason for releasing me has two parts. The first one is being a politician. The second one is my advanced age.
Q: When you were sentenced, how many years was your prison term and under which section?
A: I was given five years in prison for concealing information and bombing. I was arrested on April 1 last year at night. A youth member of our party came from Thailand and brought explosive materials. But we didn't know about it. I realized it only when they were arrested. But they arrested me on suspicion though they knew I had nothing to do with the case.
Q: When did you know about your imminent release?
A: I heard the radio announcement last night. But I knew only at 10 o'clock this morning when they took me out from my prison cell. They said more prisoners will be released tomorrow. I heard about only 18 prisoners.
Q: What are your future plans?
A: I will be in politics as long as my party exists. Everyone knows they are oppressing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi by various means. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will not yield to their pressure. And nor will I. I must continue my work. They asked before releasing me if I will be in politics again when released. I said yes.
Q: How do you feel after your release?
A: I feel happy with my family reunion. The rest is not so significant. I played a role in an ordinary play. I foresaw what would happen to me after that. Releasing me is not strange and extraordinary. I am not feeling anything out of prison. I know well what they will do during their reign. It is no different for me either in prison or outside prison. I shall do what I want to do. That's all.
by Phanida
Friday, 18 September 2009 20:31
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Thingangyun Township National League for Democracy (NLD) party chairman U Tin Mya (74), who was accused of being involved in a bombing case and handed a prison term was released from Insein prison today.
He was sentenced to five years and served one and-a-half years in prison. Mizzima interviewed the NLD party member, who said that he would be involved in politics as long as the NLD exists.
Q: Why were you released from prison? Did you have to sign a bond?
A: I didn't have to sign a bond. The reason for releasing me has two parts. The first one is being a politician. The second one is my advanced age.
Q: When you were sentenced, how many years was your prison term and under which section?
A: I was given five years in prison for concealing information and bombing. I was arrested on April 1 last year at night. A youth member of our party came from Thailand and brought explosive materials. But we didn't know about it. I realized it only when they were arrested. But they arrested me on suspicion though they knew I had nothing to do with the case.
Q: When did you know about your imminent release?
A: I heard the radio announcement last night. But I knew only at 10 o'clock this morning when they took me out from my prison cell. They said more prisoners will be released tomorrow. I heard about only 18 prisoners.
Q: What are your future plans?
A: I will be in politics as long as my party exists. Everyone knows they are oppressing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi by various means. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will not yield to their pressure. And nor will I. I must continue my work. They asked before releasing me if I will be in politics again when released. I said yes.
Q: How do you feel after your release?
A: I feel happy with my family reunion. The rest is not so significant. I played a role in an ordinary play. I foresaw what would happen to me after that. Releasing me is not strange and extraordinary. I am not feeling anything out of prison. I know well what they will do during their reign. It is no different for me either in prison or outside prison. I shall do what I want to do. That's all.
***************************************************************
No comments:
Post a Comment