| Date : 2003-04-28 |
| by Zin Linn |
1982 March – 1984 May: M.I.S Unit 7 arrested and made lawsuit under 5(J) for the unlawfulul jjournal. Slammed into solitary confinement for 2 years in Insein Prison. Again 1991 -1997: Military Court No.2 sentenced 7 years imprisonment under National Security Act 5 (J) due to delivering the NCGUB's bulletin & statements, -
now laments that a hundred political prisoners had passed away silently and unnoticed and again another 189 are on the verge of dying. He gives at the end of his essay the names and details of 83 political prisoners who passed away silently.
"The release of political prisoners is the most important thing for all those who truly wish to bring about change in Burma" - Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
Burmese opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said on 23 April, that there was no sign in evidence to believe that the military junta is interested in the democratic reforms and it was too early for Western countries to lift crippling sanctions.
In her strongest criticism on the junta since her release from house arrest on 6 May in 2002, the Nobel Peace laureate said that she had been harassed repeatedly by officials on her recent visits to places in Arakan and Chin states.
''They don't want to change, but change is inevitable,'' Daw Aung San Suu Kyi pointed out during press conference at the headquarters of her National League for Democracy (NLD).
''If the SPDC is truly interested in the welfare of this country, they should cooperate with the NLD. I'd like to ask why the SPDC doesn't contact the NLD,'' demanded the Nobel laureate.
In the past 14 years, since the democracy uprising in 1988, little or noprogress has been made in the areas of democracy and human rights in Burma. Especially, the neighboring nations of the Association South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) made no genuine effort to address the situation and instead they tend to protect Burma from criticism based on reports of human rights abuses, for instance the use of rape as a weapon of war by the Burmese armed forces in the Shan State.
Besides '' License to Rape '' , the most inhumane atrocity was the issue of the prisoners of conscience. The prisoners are kept in inhumane and in appalling conditions in various prisons in the country. We wish to point out that the international community should not to rush into accepting the military regime's assurances of improvement of conditions, until it has released all the political prisoners and also able to provide concrete evidence of improved human rights conditions and its commitment to democratization in Burma.
As a campaign to free political prisoners in Burma, the NGOs and Burmese students held a forum in Bangkok on 8 August 2002 to mark the 14th anniversary of the Aug 8, 1988 political uprising, laying wreaths and airing a videotape in which National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi calls on the ruling junta to release all political prisoners. In her message Daw Aung San Suu Kyi says:
'' Democracy means pluralism. That means many parties, many strands of thought. That means that we have to be able to disagree. That means we have to be able to agree to disagree. Because of that, the holding of political prisoners saps peoples' confidence in the possibility of change. If people ar e going to be arrested for expressing their opinions, their political opinions, then how can we say that there is a hope for political freedom in Burma, and without political freedom, how can there be democracy? So, we repeat, again and again, we reiterate, that the release of political prisoners is the most important thing for all those who truly wish to bring about change in Burma. ''
Sriruk Pliphat, director of Amnesty International in Thailand, also called on in the forum that Thai NGOs should join NGOs worldwide to pressure the Burmese junta to unconditionally free over 1,350 political prisoners held in Burmese jails.
It's a great idea of launching a concerted effort among international NGOs to free political prisoners in Burma. The Burmese prisoners of conscience are arrested and sentenced to long-terms of imprisonment and are held in the various prison facilities in the country. It is not only intertwined with regional politics, but also connected with global humanitarianism. For that reason, the ASEAN leaders should consider to pressure the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to free all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally.
Many of these prisoners are intentionally transferred to prisons located in the very remote areas. Facing terrible torture, and ruthless harassment, they are languishing in without proper food and medication in these remote prison facilities in the country.
Numerous senior executives belonging to the National League for Democracy (NLD) members including U Win Tin (the Secretary of the Central Executive Committee of the NLD) and U Khin Maung Swe (NLD Central Executive Committee member) are said to be still held in prisons. Moreover, there are 17 MPs, 34 journalists, writers and poets and nearly hundred female politicians are held in these infamous prisons of Burma.
All political prisoners have been arrested due to their political commitments and activities involving in the promotion of democracy and human rights. Releasing prisoners of conscience may be considered a sign of sincerity, which might indicate that the generals honestly want to restore democracy and human rights in Burma. But, as long as the generals dilly-dallying the release of the political prisoners, it means the generals still have no idea for restoration of democracy and national reconciliation in Burma.
Actually, the military regime takes advantage of releasing limited number of prisoners, in order to reduce international pressure especially to move sanctions against their rule. The regime should understand the fact that building an appropriate political atmosphere is the basic need for national reconciliation. Building such an atmosphere is the unconditional and immediate release of all political prisoners detained arbitrarily and inhumanely. The release of all political prisoners can spur the country’s economic revival, which is on the verge of collapse.
After his fifth visit to Rangoon, UN Special Rapporteur Mr. Pinheiro declined the junta's claims of holding political prisoners for security reasons as an absurdity.
"You have to release all the prisoners," said Mr. Pinheiro, who reiterated long-standing U.N. demands on Myanmar's rulers to free all political prisoners. He added, "I can barely imagine that prisoners 75 years old, in terrible state of health, are a security threat. This is nonsense. This is absurd."
Harsh prison conditions are still commonplace in Burmese prisons and detention centers, and a lot of prisoners suffer from serious mental disorders resulting from long periods of solitary confinement. The worst is that you cannot get appropriate pills even in Insein prison which is the model prison in the capital. Essential medical treatments are always behind the time. Worst of the worst is that when a political prisoner faced a fatal illness, he or she was not allowed to hospitalize by the military authorities if he or she declined to abandon dissident beliefs. There were many examples of such death because of the authorities' unnecessarily negligence to give permission for treatments.
The outcome of these inhumane measures exercised by the regime, more than one hundred political prisoners including Members of Parliament (MPs) and journalists had quietly passed away in the those notorious prisons.
Unfortunately, current situations in Burma are still going on and the country as a whole has been transformed into a prison-state. Time should be over in favor of the military dictators and the international community shouldn't show tolerance to the generals. It is more than an appropriate time to overthrow the general’s grip on power at least before the end of the year 2003.
In such a moment , it is too early to soften international pressure upon Burmese junta. Instead, it deserves tougher. Last year, one diplomat commented to the Washington Post: “Releasing Suu Kyi was the easy step. The generals know she’s not going to rock the boat too much, and they’re getting a lot of good publicity for it. But what about the student leaders? The other party activists? The people who might loudly criticize the generals?” According to prison-sources, there are still nearly 1400 political prisoners remain in Burmese jails. It is sad to say hundreds are dying in various prison facilities inside Burma. For everybody's sympathy, a list of 83 unfortunate prisoners of conscience, who already had passed away under the inhumane treatments of the military dictators, was delivered as an appendix. There may be many names left out of everyone's knowledge.
:Political Prisoners died under Tortures & Lack of Medical Treatments in the SPDC's Prisons
Name - Organization - Sentence - Prison - Deceased Date
1. Nay Win Aung Student 3 years Insein Prison Dec-88
2. Harnit Student 3 years Insein Prison Dec-88
3. Kyaw Soe Student 3 years Insein Prison Feb.1989
. 4. Kyaw Myo Thant Student 5 years Ma-u-bin Prison May1990
5. Myo Win Student 5 years Pegu prison 1990
6. Khin Maung@Bo Set Yaung CPB 20 years Insein Prison Feb-90
7. Tha Tun A L D 3 years Insein Prison 19-Aug-90
8. Se Shi K I A 7 years Insein Prison Oct-90
9. Maung Ko CPB Under Investigation Insein Prison Jul-90
10. Maung Ko NLD Under Investigation MIS 6, Lock-up 9 Nov. 1990
11. Oo Tha Tun Student Under Investigation MIS 6, Lock-up 1991
12. Ba Thaw NLD 20 years 5 Insein Prison Jun-91
13. SeinWin Ex-Student Leader 20yrs.122 Insein Prison 10Jan.1991
14. Nyo Win V-Chairman of PPP 3 years 17 Insein Prison 8-May-91
15. Tin Maung Win NLD MP Detention Insein Prison 18-Jan-91
16. Soe Htay Student Detention MIS 6, Lock-up Apr-91
17. Maung Maung Aye NLD Kamaryut EC 7 years 5 Thayawaddy July 31 1991
18. Thar Htun ALD 3yrs.5 Insein Prison 19 Aug.1990
19. Chit Htaung Strike Activist 3 years Myingyan Prison 1991
20. Mohamad Ilbus NLD 20year Interrogation Center 22-Jun-92
21. Saw David KNU 7 years Insein Prison 2-Aug-92
22. Suppayar Mannee 14years Taung-oo 1992
23. Saw Kyaw Lwin Student 5years Myinggyan Aug-92
24. Mann Darwait ABKO 10years Insein Prison 12-Aug-92
25. Thanmani Sein Hla VeterenPolitician 10years Insein Prison 14-Jun-05
26. Soe Win PVO 20years Insein Prison 5-Mar-92
27. U Zawtika Monk 3years5 Insein Prison Dec-92
28. Aye Lwin Strike Activist 20years Insein Prison Dec-92
29. Khin Maung Myint Chairperson of PPP 20years Insein Prison February16,1993
30. Cho Gyi NPF 7 years Myitkyina 1993
31. Aik Ko Student 7 years Thayet 13-Oct-93
32. U DhammaTheidi Monk 7years Insein Prison Nov. 1994
33. King Sein PPP 8 years Insein Prison 1994
34. Kaut Kyay Strike Activist 7years Mandalay 1994
35. Tin Hlaing NLD 7 years Insein Prison 1994
36. Saw Phoe Htay KNU Life Insein Prison 1994
37. U Kyi worker 6 years Thayawaddy 1996
38. Htay Aung Lawyer 7 year Insein Prison Jul-95
39. Htay Aung NLD 7 years Insein Prison Nov-95
40. Saw Yin Thit KNU 20 years Myingyan Prison Jan-96
41. U Arsara Monk 7years Thayet Feb-96
42. Kyi Saung NLD 7years Myaungmya May-96
43. Leo Nichols Consular/Scandinavian 7 yrs Insein Prison 22-Jun-96
44. Hla Than NLD MP 25 years Insein Prison 2-Aug-96
45. Tun Sein Astrologer 10 years Insein Prison Sep-96
46. Zhu Pit villager 10yrs Myingyan Prison 1996
47. Hla Shwe villager 10yrs Myingyan Prison 1996
48. Myint Shwe Strike Activist 20 years Thayet 8-Jun-97
49. Tin Shwe NLD CC 18 years Insein Prison 8-Jun-97
50. Saw Hla Chit KNU 8 years Insein Prison Sep-97
51. Kyaw Din NLD 2 years Warkhema 20-Oct-97
52. Than Tun Strike Activist 10 years Taung-oo 19-Jun-05
53. Thein Tin NLD Rangoon Div.E.C Detention Insein Prison 18-Feb-98
54. Aung Kyaw Moe A.G.T.I(Electric Power) 20yrs5 Thayawaddy 13-May-98
55. Saw Ether Karen villager 20yrs Myingyan Prison Aug-98
56. Saw Win MP, NLD 11years Thayawaddy 7-Oct-98
57. Aung Min NLD Detention Mandalay 21-Oct-98
58. Bo Than Done KNU Death Insein Prison 1998
59. Bo Thar Khu KNU Death Insein Prison 1998
60. Than Win NLD 7years Insein Prison August8 1998
61. Tin Aung NLD 7 years Bassein 1998
62. Aung Naing Student 7 years Kale Prison 1998
63. MaungMaung San civilian age(59) Detention MIS Lock-up 1998
64. Ko Lay civilian age(63) Detention MIS Lock-up 1998
65. Min Thu civilian age (57) Detention MIS Lock-up 1998
66. Saw Tun New civilian age (75) Detention MIS Lock-up 1998
67. Nyunt Zaw ABSDF 10+7yrs Thayawaddy May-99
68. Ma Aye Mu(F) TavoyWomenUnion 17/1Tavoy Aug-99
69. Naw Thinn Su(F) TavoyWomenUnion 17/1 Tavoy Aug-99
70. Hla Khin NLD Detain Insein Prison May-99
71. Thar Win PhotoJournalist Under Investigation MIS 6, Lock-up Sept.1999
72. Ko Bo Under Investigation Insein Prison 1999
73. Mya Shwe NLD 7 years Thayawaddy 1999
74. Khin Maung Myint KNU 20years Myingyan Prison 2001
75. MaungMaung Aye NLD 4 years Bassein 25-Jun-0
76. Sithu Student leaderAMSFU 10yrs Thayawaddy 12-Jul-01
77. Khin Maung Myint NLD Youth leader 8 years Kale Prison 21-Jul-01
78. Tin Maung Lay 7 years Mandalay 20-Jun-01
79. Saw Tin Myint KNU Life Thayet 4-Aug-01
80. La Khong Under Investigation Mandalay ?
81. Aik Pan PSLA 7 years Maulamein July 31 2002
82. Sai Pha NLD detain 2002 83. KengTung Oct.8 2002
84. Maung Ko CPB 7 years Thayawaddy Nov.2002
Abbreviation Notes:
ABSDF: All Burma Federation of Student Unions
AMSFU: All Myanmar Federation of Student Unions
ABKO: All Burma Karen Organization
ALD: Arakan League for Democracy
KIA: Kachin Independence Army
KNU: Karen National Union
MP: Member of Parliament
NLD: National League for Democracy
NPF: National Political Front
PPP: People’s Progressive Party
PSLA: Palaung State Liberation Army
PVO: People's Volunteer Organization
sources:
+ Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
+ National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB)
+ Reporters Sans Fronti่res(RSF)
+ Burma Media Association (BMA)
+ Prison-sources-in-Rangoon
We urge the international community to flood the office of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) with thousand and thousands of appeal for the release of the 189 dying prisoners - our brothers in distress. International Campaign to Free 189 Burmese political Prisoners dying in various prisons in Myanmar
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