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NEWS - ICRC has visited 18,000 pris



Subject: NEWS - ICRC has visited 18,000 prisoners in Myanmar

QUESTION: How much did they clean-up  and cover-up before the
inspections?  Myanmar/Burma doesn't have political prisoners because it
does not call them political prisoners. Only the world knows them as
political prisoners.

ICRC has visited 18,000 prisoners in Myanmar
  
GENEVA, Sept 3 (Reuters) - The International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) said on Friday it had registered 18,000 prisoners in Myanmar,
including 600 security detainees, since beginning prison visits in the
Asian country last May. 

In a statement, the humanitarian agency said its delegates had visited
nine places of detention including Insein Prison near the capital
Yangon, which is believed to be the country's largest, and three places
of administrative internment. 

Visits included a complete inspection of each facility with access to
all detainees and private interviews with security inmates who are
allowed to write messages to their families. 

The ICRC did not say how many of the security detainees were members of
the National League for Democracy, the main opposition party led by
Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. 

The NLD accuses the military government of cracking down on
pro-democracy campaigners and holding 1,000 political prisoners. The
government denies it is holding any political prisoners. 

``The ICRC and the country's authorities have agreed that delegates
would able to return on a regular basis to all of the places visited,''
the statement said. ``The programme will gradually be extended to all
detention facilities in Myanmar.'' 

The delegates met authorities at each jail and made recommendations on
the situation they had observed. Confidential written reports were given
to Myanmar authorities, the ICRC said. 

10:49 09-03-99