Mother distraught over British acti

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Mother distraught over British activists' seven year sentence in Myanmar
With BC-Myanmar-British Activist
with comments from Goldwyn's mother and spokesman for Fair Trials Abroad 

CAROLINE BYRNE,  LONDON 
AP Worldstream, 16 Sept 1999.     The mother of British democracy activist
Rachel Goldwyn said she was ''absolutely desperate'' Thursday after being
told her daughter was sentenced to a seven year jail term with hard labor
for protesting against Myanmar's military government. 

''I just couldn't believe it,'' said Charmain Goldwyn, from her home in
Barnes in southwest London. ''We all cry, and then cry again all the time.'' 

Ms. Goldwyn, 28, was arrested in Yangon last week after chaining herself to
a lamppost and chanting pro-democracy slogans. She was charged under
Myanmar's Emergency Provisions Act. 

Charmain Goldwyn said she has had to rely on the British consul in Myanmar
for information, and feared for her daughter's health and safety. 

''We've had no chance to talk to her. We didn't even know where she was
until Monday,'' said Mrs. Goldwyn. ''She went on a hunger strike for five
days because she didn't have consular access until then.'' 

Mrs. Goldwyn and her husband Ed, a television producer, had thought their
daughter was going to Germany on holiday when she was arrested in Burma
last week. 

The family is working with the Foreign Office and planned an immediate
appeal, said Mrs. Goldwyn. 

''I hope the appeal's underway already,'' she said ''But the offices are
closed there now...We're waiting to hear from the consulate later today.'' 

During the trial, Ms. Goldwyn admitted the facts of her case, but denied
her motive was to disrupt stability. 

''My demonstration was to show the extent of control,'' she told the court.
''I did not want anybody to take any risk and I did not want anybody to be
arrested.'' 

Ms. Goldwyn's friends said they were shocked by the severity of the sentence. 

''It is extremely harsh that a regime could do this to a young girl for
singing a song,'' said Hanna Goff, 28, a friend for more than 20 years.
''We are completely and utterly amazed.'' 

Stephen Jakobi, spokesman for Fair Trials Abroad, described the sentence as
a ''big blow'' and questioned whether the trial had been fair. 

''How could the defense have adequately prepared a case with only 24 hours
notice?'' he asked. 

Two weeks ago another British activist, 26-year-old James Mawdsley, was
jailed for 17 years for passing out anti-government leaflets. 

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