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POLITICAL PRISONERS TRANSFERRED FRO



Media Release
Date: November 26, 1997


           POLITICAL PRISONERS TRANSFERRED FROM INSEIN PRISON


The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) (now the
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)) transferred 120
political prisoners on Friday November 14, 1997, from Insein
Attached Jail (Special Jail) in Rangoon to Thayawaddy, Thayet and
Mandalay Prisons. 
  
Among the political prisoners were U Tin Tun and U Myo Myint
Nyein, who were both sent to Thayawaddy Prison in central Burma.
  
The Special Jail at Insein previously housed about 120 political
prisoners and about 70 former government officials including
ex-army officers sentenced for various offenses. The former
government officials were not included in the transfer.
  
Those political prisoners transferred included U Tin Tun, U Han
Sein, U Lwin Oo, U Kyaw San (NLD), Ma Thida and two of Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi's former bodyguards - Bo Lay (aka) Aung Naing Oo and
Thet Oo. These prisoners were all detained under the Publishing
and Printing Act in July 1993 for possessing a copy of the Khit
Pyaing (New Era) Journal. 
  
U Tin Tun and U Han Sein bought a copy of Khit Pyaing, a banned
political publication, for the price of 3,000 Kyat, according to
a close relative of U Tin Tun. The two were sentenced to 20 years
imprisonment under two different charges of violating the
Emergency Provision Act and the Printing and Publishing Act.    
  
Three other prisoners detained in the same case - Nay Tin Myint,
U Kyee Myint (an elected NLD representative from Latha
constituency) and U Khin Maung (NLD)-have  been in Myin Gyan
Prison since 1995. Nay Tin Myint was first arrested in 1989 and
released in 1991.
  
Moe Aye, a former political prisoner who was recently released
from this Special Jail, believes that the SPDC (SLORC) is likely
to use the empty cells for Thai prisoners. Thai prisoners were
formerly housed along with Burmese prisoners in the same building
but they were moved following a brief clash in 1996 with Burmese
prisoners.
  
Meanwhile, the elected NLD representative from Wakema
constituency, U Tin Aung, who has been imprisoned for almost a
year, received emergency medical treatment in September due to a
neck tumor, according to an informed source from Myaung Mya in
Irrewaddy Division. U Tin Aung, 53, is a lawyer and was detained
on December 13, 1996 under the Emergency Provision Act. He was
sentenced to two years imprisonment and has been held in Myaung
Mya Prison.
  
All Burma Students' Democratic Front 
  
For more information please call 01-923 1687 or 01-654 4984.