Junta's amnesty includes 12 political prisoners

by Nem Davies & Phanida

Saturday, 21 February 2009 20:30

New Delhi/Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Providing an inkling of hope in the Opposition camps, the Burmese military junta released 12 political prisoners from among over 6,000 prisoners meant to be granted amnesty on Saturday, family members and sources said. Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, a Member of Parliament elected in the 1990 elections from Mandalay division's Amarapura township, and Phe Sein from the Moe Nyin township of Kachin state, were released on Saturday from Myitkyina prison in Kachin state, family members said. Similarly, Thet Wai, chairman of San Chuang township NLD, was also released from Insein prison on Saturday, eyewitness said. "They were released at about 3:45 p.m. (local time). The prison authorities escorted them up to a guest house. Authorities said they are both physically fine, but Dr. Zaw Myint Maung said they will check with a doctor after they reach home to see if they are fine," a close family member of the two prisoners told Mizzima over telephone. In the first batch on Saturday Myitkyina prison authorities released 30 prisoners at about 3:45 p.m. (local time) including 11 elderly women, eyewitnesses said. Dr. Zaw Myint Maung was arrested in 1990 on charges of planning to form a parallel government and in 1991 he was sentenced to 25 years on charges of committing high-treason against the state. And in 1997, authorities handed down an extra 12 years on charges of passing on information to the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) on the situation in prisons in Burma. He was serving a total of 37 years in prison. Phe Sein, member of Burma's main opposition party – National League for Democracy – was arrested along with fellow members Kyaw Maung and Ne Win and sentenced to two years each for participating in the 2007 September protests in Myitkyina town in Kachin state. Though Phe Sein was released on Saturday, his two friends Ne Win and Kyaw Maung remain detained in Myitkyina prison.  "I asked about U Ne Win, but they said he is not in the list to be released," Ne Win's wife told Mizzima. Similarly, Thet Wai, who was arrested in 2008 for complaining about the use of child soldiers to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), was released at about 4:45 p.m. (local time) from Rangoon's notorious Insein prison. "I saw a prison vehicle move out from the prison at about 4:45 p.m. and saw U Thet Wai was on the vehicle. He peeped out and shouted that 11 had been freed. But I could not recognise the rest of them," said an eyewitness, who closely monitors political prisoners in Insein prison. Along with Thet Wai, nine other political prisoners were released from Insein prison on Saturday, according to the source. The political prisoners are four monks from Rangoon's Bakara monastery, two monks from Kaing Kone Monastery, and a monk from Sandar Thuria monastery and a student activist Tun Tun of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions and Khaing Ba Myint from the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP). < Prev   Next >