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My nightmare - Mother tells of her
- Subject: My nightmare - Mother tells of her
- From: darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 11:27:00
THE JOURNAL (Newcastle, UK)
October 20, 1999, Wednesday Edition
My nightmare - Mother tells of her anguish as Burmese block prison visit
BYLINE: by Peter Mccusker
THE mother of jailed pro-democracy campaigner James Mawdsley said last
night that cruel blocking tactics of the Burmese Embassy were preventing her
from seeing her son.
And Diana Mawdsley also sharply criticised the Foreign Office for failing to
condemn the "savagery" of James's sentence, knowing he has already been
threatened with torture.
Mr Mawdsley was jailed by the Burmese for 17 years in early September for
pro-democracy activities.
Since then his family have been pressing the Burmese Embassy in Britain for
permission to see him and assurances he has not been harmed.
But those efforts have hit a brick wall thanks to the monumental intransigence
of the embassy.
"Dealing with the Burmese Embassy is a Kafkaesque nightmare," said Mrs
Mawdsley, of Brancepeth, Durham City.
"My visa expired on October 13 and every day since it was granted in
September I
rang them up to ask if I could visit him in jail.
"There was never anyone there who could give me an answer. It was either that
no-one was in, or it was the wrong time.
"They would never hang the phone up. They would just say there was no-one
there who could give me an answer.
"It has got to the stage now where they recognise my voice and won't speak
to me.
They just say there is no-one in to take my call."
James's family are still waiting for the British Government to condemn the
sentence
imposed on him.
"We have been waiting for an answer from Robin Cook for over three weeks.
We want the Government to condemn the savage sentence imposed on James.
"The Foreign Office has known for over a month that James has been threatened
with torture. What are they doing about it?"
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Mr Mawdsley has not complained to us about
being threatened with torture.
"Mr Cook will reply to the Mawdsley family and any issues relating to the
sentence
will be dealt with then."
He went on to say the Foreign Office did not want to prejudge that letter.
The Journal has also contacted the embassy in a bid to find out the truth
about
Mr Mawdsley's plight - only to meet the same stalling tactics.
Despite following instructions to fax questions to the embassy, they
refused to
answer questions and hung up the phone.
Yesterday James's father David went to the embassy with Mrs Mawdsley's
passport
in an effort to get a new visa.
"He asked if he should post it or hand it in. An official replied "Please
Yourself","
said Diana.
It was a similar story when Mrs Mawdsley wrote to ask for assurances her
son would
not be tortured. This is the one and only time she has received a written
reply to any query.
>From Kywat Kywat Khaing, the second secretary, it said: "It would be
improper for
the Ambassador to give any assurance on a judicial case 7,000 miles away in
writing.
"He asked me to remind you that the rightness and wrongness of things do
not count
in the face of codes and laws. Only the laws count."
James Mawdsley, 26, a former pupil at Hexham's Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form
College
was arrested On September 1, in the Burmese market town of Tachileck. He
was jailed
for 17 years for entering the country without a visa, and possessing
pro-democracy
literature. He is being held in Keng Tung prison.
This is the third time he has been arrested in Burma for his pro-democracy
activities. During his detainment last summer was tortured
In a communication he dictated to the British Consul in Burma and given to
his family
he spoke of how he had been threatened with torture. He said: "I point
blank refused
to answer any but the most harmless of questions and I did not sign any
papers or
statements.
"I told them I do not acknowledge the legitimacy of this regime. For taking
this stand
I was clearly and specifically threatened with torture.
"However I do not believe they will carry this out so long as there is
outside interest
in my case."
But Mrs Mawdsley added: "While the case remains high profile we do not believe
he will be tortured."
Earlier this week Mrs Mawdsley also wrote to Tony Blair asking him to condemn
the "savagery" of James's sentence.
After approaching the Burmese Embassy last week we were told to fax them the
questions we wanted to ask.
On Friday a woman who refused to give her name or position said there was
no-one
in the department that dealt with faxes.
Yesterday after getting through to someone who could deal with questions the
conversation went as follows:
The Journal: Have you received our fax with questions relating to the James
Mawdsley case?
Embassy official. We will not answer questions on that case. I am sorry
about that.
The Journal: As the person designated to answer questions from the Press,
it seems strange you cannot answer the questions from newspapers about a
matter
of interest to our readers?
Embassy official: There are many other questions about some other matters
to deal
with. We are very, very busy now.
The Journal: Is it not your job to assist newspapers? If I ring later will
you be able
to answer my questions on Mr Mawdsley?
Embassy official: No, No. We have no comment to make on that question.
Then he hung up the telephone.
GRAPHIC: No answer: James's mother Diana cannot get the Burmese authorities
to grant permission for her to visit him in jail - despite repeated attempts.
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