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World students Fast for jailed Burm
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World Students Fast for Jailed Student Leader
By Tin Maung Htoo, April 17, 2001
Burma Media Association (Canada Branch)
A global action demanding for the immediate release of imprisoned
Burmese student leader steps up today with a daylong fast in ninety
universities around the world, a move seemed to draw attention on the
occasion of Burmese New Year that comes today in Burma.
Hundreds of college and university students from the U.S, U.K, Canada,
South Africa, Malaysia, Portugal, Italy, Belgium and Austria take part
in the fast and demand for immediate and unconditional release of
student leader, Min Ko Naing, who has been detained for twelve years so
far. In the United States, some American students are to carry out
their fast in front of the Burmese Embassy in Washington D.C.
"We refuse to stand by silently while Burma's brutal regime continues to
imprison Min Ko Naing. We call on our fellow students throughout the
world to forgo food for twenty-four hours in solidarity with Min Ko
Naing", stated in the press release.
It also denounced corporations doing business in Burma saying the greedy
multinational corporations profit from the persecution of the Burmese
people and continue to prop up Burma's brutal military dictatorship.
"We ask students to boycott all goods made in Burma and to pressure your
universities to cease investing in and purchasing from corporations that
operate there."
In a similar move, some NGOs gathered in Manila sent out a letter dated
on April 5 to the Burmese military leader, Senior General Than Shwe,
urging the deliverance of Min Ko Naing and other political prisoners
during this auspicious occasion.
"We understand that the Burmese New Year falls on April 17. We also
know that it is the local tradition to release birds and fish on this
day in order to gain merit."
While various actions are taking place around the world, web petition
campaign is becoming one way to draw outside attention on his condition.
A Norway-based International Student Festival in Trondheim (ISFIT)
lunched a web petition campaign shortly after it awarded 'Student Peace
Prize' to him.
So far, over a thousand of students and student leaders including human
rights advocates and social justice activists from about seventy
countries have thrown their support for his release by signing on the
web petition.
Rights and Democracy, Montreal-based organization that also offered
'John Humphery Freedom Award' to him in Canada, conveyed the same effort
on its web site. Remarkably, ten thousands of postcards collected by
various student and lobby groups in Canada were delivered to Burmese
Embassy in Ottawa but the embassy officials are still quiet to confirm
on the matter.
With growing international attention, the People in Need Foundation
(PINF) in Czech Republic also announced that they would honor 'Homo
Homini Award' to Min Ko Naing in later this mouth "for his exceptional
courage in defense of the values of peace, democracy and human rights,"
said in its related press.
Moreover, the American Senate also passed a motion creating 'Min Ko
Naing Scholarship Fund' and that was reportedly pending for the
president's approval.
Min Ko Naing, the most prominent student leader in Burma, is supposed to
be freed in 1999 after serving the sentence inflicted to his leading
role in 1988 democracy movement but still being detained without
clarification for further detention. A year ago he was transferred to
Rangoon's Insein prison to Arakan State's Sittwe prison, an act of
isolation from outside world and systematic tactic to cut off the
incoming international attention to him.
In the related development, Lord Alton of Liverpool raised this issue to
his government whether they know the whereabouts and health of Min Ko
Naing at U.K Parliament on April 18, 2000. The government
representative, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, answered the question.
"Our Embassy in Rangoon has obtained confirmation that Min Ko Naing is
in Sittwe prison. He is said to be in reasonable health, is allowed
outside exercise and regular family visits."
However, the latter news reported on early this year edition of Mizzima
News, an India-based Burma exiled media group indicated that his health
condition was deteriorating due to the long time solitary confinement.
"He has to totally depend on iron bars of the prison to walk even a few
feet and he suffers from severe pains of his lower body. If it goes on
like that, he will soon be a handicapped person", it cited on the
account of a former political prisoner who was released in a few months
ago from the same prison.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of democracy movement, also expressed
concern for his state of well-being when she delivered a videotaped
message to awarding ceremony for him in Canada. She also pointed out
the difficulties of his family to go and see him in
prison since he was moved to hundreds miles away from Rangoon where his
family live.
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<center><b><u><font color="#3333FF"><font size=+2>World Students Fast for
Jailed Student Leader</font></font></u></b></center>
<p><font color="#FF0000"><font size=+1>By Tin Maung Htoo, April 17, 2001</font></font>
<br><font color="#FF0000"><font size=+1>Burma Media Association (Canada
Branch)</font></font>
<p><font size=+1>A global action demanding for the immediate release of
imprisoned Burmese student leader steps up today with a daylong fast in
ninety universities around the world, a move seemed to draw attention on
the occasion of Burmese New Year that comes today in Burma.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Hundreds of college and university students from the U.S,
U.K, Canada, South Africa, Malaysia, Portugal, Italy, Belgium and Austria
take part in the fast and demand for immediate and unconditional release
of student leader, Min Ko Naing, who has been detained for twelve years
so far. In the United States, some American students are to carry
out their fast in front of the Burmese Embassy in Washington D.C.</font>
<p><font size=+1>"We refuse to stand by silently while Burma's brutal regime
continues to imprison Min Ko Naing. We call on our fellow students
throughout the world to forgo food for twenty-four hours in solidarity
with Min Ko Naing", stated in the press release.</font>
<p><font size=+1>It also denounced corporations doing business in Burma
saying the greedy multinational corporations profit from the persecution
of the Burmese people and continue to prop up Burma's brutal military dictatorship.</font>
<p><font size=+1>"We ask students to boycott all goods made in Burma and
to pressure your universities to cease investing in and purchasing from
corporations that operate there."</font>
<p><font size=+1>In a similar move, some NGOs gathered in Manila sent out
a letter dated on April 5 to the Burmese military leader, Senior General
Than Shwe, urging the deliverance of Min Ko Naing and other political prisoners
during this auspicious occasion.</font>
<p><font size=+1>"We understand that the Burmese New Year falls on April
17. We also know that it is the local tradition to release birds
and fish on this day in order to gain merit."</font>
<p><font size=+1>While various actions are taking place around the world,
web petition campaign is becoming one way to draw outside attention on
his condition. A Norway-based International Student Festival in Trondheim
(ISFIT) lunched a web petition campaign shortly after it awarded 'Student
Peace Prize' to him.</font>
<p><font size=+1>So far, over a thousand of students and student leaders
including human rights advocates and social justice activists from about
seventy countries have thrown their support for his release by signing
on the web petition.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Rights and Democracy, Montreal-based organization that
also offered 'John Humphery Freedom Award' to him in Canada, conveyed the
same effort on its web site. Remarkably, ten thousands of postcards
collected by various student and lobby groups in Canada were delivered
to Burmese Embassy in Ottawa but the embassy officials are still quiet
to confirm on the matter.</font>
<p><font size=+1>With growing international attention, the People in Need
Foundation (PINF) in Czech Republic also announced that they would honor
'Homo Homini Award' to Min Ko Naing in later this mouth "for his exceptional
courage in defense of the values of peace, democracy and human rights,"
said in its related press.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Moreover, the American Senate also passed a motion creating
'Min Ko Naing Scholarship Fund' and that was reportedly pending for the
president's approval.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Min Ko Naing, the most prominent student leader in Burma,
is supposed to be freed in 1999 after serving the sentence inflicted to
his leading role in 1988 democracy movement but still being detained without
clarification for further detention. A year ago he was transferred
to Rangoon's Insein prison to Arakan State's Sittwe prison, an act of isolation
from outside world and systematic tactic to cut off the incoming international
attention to him.</font>
<p><font size=+1>In the related development, Lord Alton of Liverpool raised
this issue to his government whether they know the whereabouts and health
of Min Ko Naing at U.K Parliament on April 18, 2000. The government
representative, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, answered the question.</font>
<p><font size=+1>"Our Embassy in Rangoon has obtained confirmation that
Min Ko Naing is in Sittwe prison. He is said to be in reasonable health,
is allowed outside exercise and regular family visits."</font>
<p><font size=+1>However, the latter news reported on early this year edition
of Mizzima News, an India-based Burma exiled media group indicated that
his health condition was deteriorating due to the long time solitary confinement.</font>
<p><font size=+1>"He has to totally depend on iron bars of the prison to
walk even a few feet and he suffers from severe pains of his lower body.
If it goes on like that, he will soon be a handicapped person", it cited
on the account of a former political prisoner who was released in a few
months ago from the same prison.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of democracy movement,
also expressed concern for his state of well-being when she delivered a
videotaped message to awarding ceremony for him in Canada. She also
pointed out the difficulties of his family to go and see him in</font>
<br><font size=+1>prison since he was moved to hundreds miles away from
Rangoon where his family live.</font>
<br>
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