88 Generation Students (Exile): CONTINUTE ARRESTS IN BURMA

Thursday, June 26, 2008

CONTINUTE ARRESTS IN BURMA

A lone women demonstrator was arrested on Wednesday in Rangoon, after she called for the release of political prisoners including democracy icon Aung San Su Kyi.
A worker near Rangoon City Hall confirmed that an unidentified woman staged a solo protest in front of the building at about 2 pm on Wednesday.
Dr Win Naing, a member of the National League for Democracy information department, said that about 10 police cars came to the scene and the woman was arrested.
“We do not know who she is and or what kind of slogan she was shouting because she was already taken away when we arrived at the scene,” he said. “We are trying to find information about her, her background and if she belongs to an organization.”
Last year, the government arrested veteran political activist Ohn Than after he staged a lone protest in front of the US embassy on August 23 with a poster calling for the regime to give up power. He was sentenced in April to life in prison.
According to Amnesty International, Ohn Than is now suffering from cerebral malaria, which is said to be at an advanced stage. He has been denied access to special medical attention.Prison authorities reportedly wrote to Ohn Than’s family in his name, saying that he no longer needed visitors.
Prison authorities routinely refuse to give medication and treatment to political prisoners.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Myo Yan Naung Thein is in need of special medical attention after he was paralyzed following torture around his head and abdomen. His head injuries led to paralysis on the left side of his body, and he can no longer walk without help.
“He (Myo Yan Naung Thein) has been transferred to the prison hospital, but the authorities are still refusing to let him see a neurologist he has requested,” said Tate Naing, a leading AAPP member.
Myo Yan Naung Thein, a member of 88 Generation Students group, played a prominent role at the start of mass protests in Burma last August. He was arrested for his work with other democracy activists and because he gave interviews to exiled media.
Myo Yan Naung Thein was hospitalized for two weeks in May. However, his conditioned failed to improve. He has been punished by being placed in solitary confinement in an "ayutike" cell, which is used to hold prisoners with psychological problems—real or imagined.
After the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma issued a report early this month, the military government delivered a “rebuttal statement” in response to the criticism it leveled at the treatment of political prisoners.
The military government said prisoners all received regular medical check ups by prison doctors, and are allowed to meet with specialist medical practitioners, if prisoners are in serious condition or need special attention. According Tin Yu, a resident of Hlaing Tharyar Township who recently visited Insein Prison to see his son, most political prisoners are sick and depressed, and the authorities do not provide them with proper medical treatment.
He said a woman activist, Su Su Nywe, who was arrested last year, was reportedly sick and depressed and had banged her head against a wall in the prison because of her illness.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I am disappointed by the unwillingness of the government of Burma to deliver on its promises for democratic dialogue and the release of political prisoners."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I would like to make an appeal to President Bush: Please take pride as a President who has worked hard for Burma to achieve something before his term expires.”

-U Gambira, a leader of the All-Burma Monks’ Alliance that spearheaded nationwide protests in Burma in September---

—

U WIN TIN

Because we refuse to bow to these unjust election 'laws,' our party will be abolished by the regime soon. Still, the NLD will not disappear. We will be among the people, with the people. We will continue to fight for democracy, human rights and equality among all ethnic nationalities, by peaceful means. —

Win Tin, a member of NLD Central Executive Committee

From Stalin to Burma, a history lesson

They may wear different cloaks, but under the surface all dictators are similar. As the memory of dictators like Joseph Stalin fades, mistakes of the past repeat themselves with a vengeance in forgotten places like Burma.One writer said of Stalin: “He had found Russia working with wooden ploughs and left it equipped with atomic [stock]piles.” But perhaps the true question doesn’t regard Stalin’s undisputable impact on humanity, but whether the legacy justified all the human sacrifice. To Stalin, the millions killed as a consequence of his ambitious drive were simply stepping stones along the road to national prosperity. However, such a Machiavellian frame of mind can neither be justifiable nor ethical.Stalin utilized numerous harsh methods in attempting to meet his ‘utopian’ goals. Collective farms were prevalent, while each Five Year Plan sought to leapfrog Russia ahead of competing nations and systems. Toward this end, virtually every industry fell under the direct control of the government and its de facto and shackled workforce. And the sad truth, more often than not, was results never met by an increasingly impoverished population.Stalin’s principle instrument for maintaining control over his country was his secret police. Through this institution, fear was instilled in the hearts of the people. The final death toll from Stalin’s regime is indeed staggering, with estimates ranging from 10 to 20 million people having perished.Stalin was under the belief that all his actions, extreme or otherwise, were necessary in order to pull Russia into the industrial age. Yet, ultimately, the major flaw in Stalin’s reasoning was that he claimed all sacrifices were necessary and for the future of Russia. “Life has improved, comrades. Life has become more joyous,” he once remarked. And while he was thinking about the future of the country and the generations to come, the standard of living within Russia had plummeted.Today, forgetting that dictatorship is a self inflicted wound, some intellectuals and humanitarians reason that simply sending more aid and increasing engagement are starting points to improving the political situation in Burma. But when they begin to regard the active opposition, as symbolized by Aung San Suu Kyi, as increasingly irrelevant, the time has come to refresh their memory about Joseph Stalin and the enormous price of dictatorship. It is one thing to want to bring Burma into the international community, but it is another to coddle and nurture tyrants without speaking out against their inhumane acts.So far, newly elected U.S. President Barack Obama and Foreign Secretary Hillary Clinton have taken a cautious and slow approach toward Burma. But in a world of competing interests and ideology, it will be a great tragedy if they fail to take a firm stand against the dictators in Burma.After all, the United States and its allies helped reform the militaries in Indonesia and Turkey within democratic transitions and transformations. Now, the U.S., United Nations, ASEAN and the European Union need decisive and effective leadership to help Burma. Obama and Clinton have a great chance to seize this mantle…if they are willing to seriously take on the leadership role.Today, even as Burma’s generals tragically act more and more like Stalin, could it not be that the army as an institution in Burma was originally inspired by similar beliefs to those of countries such as Indonesia and Turkey? This should offer an important clue as to where to begin with Burma.

88 Generation Students (Exile)

Thursday, June 26, 2008

CONTINUTE ARRESTS IN BURMA

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