Three Burmese Dissidents get politi

[tinkyi@xxxxxxx]

Subject: Three Burmese Dissidents get political asylum

1998Nov 14 Saturday.
Three Myanmar Dissidents get political asylum+
TOKYO, Nov.14 Voice of Burma - 
Japn's Ministry of Justice granted refugee status to three Burmese
dissidents Friday (981114). 

They are Kyaw Kyaw Soe, an editor of the Japan-based Burmese language
Voice of Burma weekly and member of the Burma Youth Volunteer
Association, Kyi Win and Pyone Cho of the National League for
Democracy (Liberated Area - Japan). The three, all males in their
thirties, have been active dissidents since the 1988 nation-wide
democracy uprising in which they took part. 

Kyaw Kyaw Soe translated 'Letter from Burma' series by Aung San
Suu Kyi as they appeared in the English-language Mainichi Daily of
Japan into Burmese and printed in the Voice of Burma for world-wide
distribution.

This is the first time Burmese dissidents have been granted
refugee status in Japan since a family trio, who flouted and returned
the rarely-granted refugee status to the ministry in August. 

Mya Mya Win, her nephew Win Naing and her son, the three who shifted
sides diametrically from dissident to junta-supporter, were expelled
from the Burmese Association in Japan on October 18.

The Japanese ministry's judgement comes at a time when the
ruling junta is arresting, jailing or forcing NLD leaders at all
levels to quit the party led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to
systematically dismantle the respected and popularly elected NLD.

The Japan Times said the ministry has granted refugee status to 11
foreigners this year as compared to one or two people a year in the
last four years.