Daw Suu's Letter from Burma 04/06/9

[carol@xxxxxxx]

Mainichi Daily News, Monday, April 6, 1998

JAPAN'S AID TO MILITARY JUNTA FUELS OPPRESSION:
Progress?

Letter from Burma
By Aung San Suu Kyi

	Last month I mentioned in my letter that U Thein Tin, a writer and one of
the regular comers to the first NLD reading circles, had been imprisoned
without trial since 1996 and that he was seriously ill.  U Thein Tin died on
Feb. 18 at the Rangoon General Hospital.  He was officially "released" less
than 48 hours before his death, that is to say, when it was obvious that his
last moments were fast approaching.  He had been suffering from cancer of
the liver and the physicians who examined him must have known for some
months that he did not have long to live.  Why was it not possible for the
authorities to release him earlier so that his family might have had the
solace of caring for him during his final days?  Death in custody is nothing
new to the NLD, but one does not become accustomed to gratuitous cruelty.
	In the meantime, U Kyaw Min, the architect whom also I mentioned in
connection with the reading circle, has been hospitalized (as a prisoner)
with various ailments.  The rapid deterioration in the health of prisoners
is of constant concern to their families and friends.  The International Red
Cross Association is not allowed to inspect prisons in Burma, but even
without such inspections we can confidently conclude that political and
other prisoners in Burma are not accorded basic humane care.
	Arrests and arbitrary trials, like deaths in custody, are nothing new to
us.  But recently there has been a slight variation on an old theme.  Feb.
12 was Union Day, which celebrates the coming together of the various ethnic
nationalities of Burma in the cause of independence.  We celebrate it with
appropriate statements, speeches and an entertainment program centered on
the idea of unity and mutual understanding.  We also set up stalls where
ethnic handicrafts and textiles illustrating the diversity of cultures
within our nation are sold.  One of our women members of Parliament, Nan
Khin Htwe Myint, started out for Rangoon from her home in the Karen State on
Feb. 9.  On the way, her baggage, which included goods to sell at our Union
Day celebration, was searched.  (It is quite usual for the authorities to
search the baggage of people traveling from one part of Burma to another.
The ostensible reason is to ascertain that there is no flow of contraband
goods throughout the country, but there are privileged groups whose cars
bear special number plates which guarantee immunity from any kind of
search.)  After the authorities had gone through her belongings, Nan Khin
Htwe Myint discovered that some things were missing.  She spoke about this
to the officers who had conducted the search and an argument ensued.  She
was then arrested on the grounds that she had obstructed officers in the
process of discharging their duties.  Within two days she had been tried and
sentenced to two years imprisonment.  Her family knew nothing of what had
happened until they heard that she was in prison.  Soon after her arrest,
the party signboard was forcibly removed from her home where the NLD office
was located.
	On Union Day itself, some members of the NLD in the delta town of Bassein
decided to commemorate the occasion by holding a small reading circle in the
party office.  They were prevented from doing so by the authorities, three
party members were arrested and four charges, including that of obstructing
officers in the process of discharging their duties, were moved against
them.  Within a week they were tried, without presence of counsel, and each
of the accused was sentenced to four and half years in prison.  Speedy
trials and heavy sentences for the "crime" of questioning official action
seems to have replaced the old process of charging our members under the
notorious section 5(j) and dragging out the trials for months.  In addition,
the authorities in Bassein took advantage of the vulnerable position of the
widowed and financially distressed landlady of the NLD office to pressure
her to take legal action to evict the party from the premises.  The court
case was as usual conducted in a way that had little to do with accepted
norms of justice, and of course the decision went against the NLD.
	Last month, a number of people, estimated at around 40, were arrested in
connection with what the authorities viewed as a form of samizdat
publication.  A couple of octogenarians were among those arrested.  They are
known to have been taken to Insein Jail, but of course they have not been
allowed access to their families or to counsel.  The government newspapers
have published an article to the effect that because there has been such an
international outcry on behalf of U Ohn Myint, one of the octogenarians, his
chances of release were slim.  Such are the petty considerations that thwart
the course of justice in Burma.
	Under these circumstances it is difficult to understand how it can be
thought that there has been an improvement in the human rights record of the
military regime.  I understand that there are elements within the Japanese
official worlds who maintain that there has been enough progress in Burma in
recent months to justify the resumption of limited aid.  As evidence of
progress, mention has been made of the step "toward dialogue" taken by the
authorities last November.  This is a reference to the occasion when the
deputy minister for home affairs summoned members of the Central Executive
Committee (CEC) of the NLD to a meeting with less than 24 hours notice.
	The meeting started off with the deputy minister declaring that his
government was a military government and that they ha as yet no intention of
giving democracy to the country.  He then proceeded to berate the members of
the CEC for statements issued by the NLD.  These statements, he said, were
detrimental to the government and should be stopped forthwith.  He added
that action could be taken if more statements continued to be issued.  He
went on to speak about the NLD "propaganda" which, he claimed, had resulted
in economics sanctions and a deterioration in the relations of the
government with the international community.  How is it possible to view an
occasion when our senior members were summoned like criminals and scolded
like juvenile delinquents as progress of any kind toward dialogue?
	The Japanese government has now decided to provide a substantial sum of
money toward repairs to the international airport at Rangoon.  It was
explained that this sum is a mere fraction of the original amount earmarked
for Burma before the troubles of 1988 and that the intended repairs were
essential for the maintenance of basic safety for landing aircraft.
However, I understand that ICAO is of the opinion that the safety features
for which the Japanese money will be used are not essential.  This makes the
decision of the Japanese government difficult to understand.  Aid to Burma
was stopped after 1988 on the grounds that the military regime had violated
human rights.  The resumption of aid in any form will doubtless be used by
those with vested interests to claim that there has been an improvement in
the human rights record in Burma.  In view of the recent wave of arrests,
the continuing inhumane treatment of prisoners, the unrelenting repression
of political activities and the plight of our refugees and internally
displaced persons, the decision of the Japanese government is deeply
disappointing.  It is a decision that belittles human rights in this year
that commemorates the golden anniversary of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights of the United Nations.