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Jailed Briton's parents meet Burmes



Subject: Jailed Briton's parents meet Burmese Envoy 

Friday, September 17, 1999 Published at 15:37 GMT 16:37 UK 


UK

Jailed Briton's parents meet Burmese Envoy 

Found guilty of "endangering peace" ©Charmian Goldwyn 

The parents of a British woman jailed for seven years in Burma for singing a
pro-democracy song have had a "helpful" meeting with the Burmese Ambassador. 
Rachel Goldwyn, 28, was sentenced to seven years with labour on Thursday for
tying herself to a lamp post in central Yangon and singing pro-democracy
slogans. 


  
The BBC's Sophie Decker speaking to Rachel's parents 
The sentence shocked her family, dashing hopes that she would be deported
for the incident. 

Miss Goldwyn, from Barnes in south west London, is being held at Insein
prison, in Rangoon, Burma, now known as Myanmar. 

Her mother, Charmian Goldwyn, said she and her husband, Ed, had met Burmese
Ambassador, Dr Kyaw Win, at the Embassy, in central London on Friday. 


 
Rachel sang the protest song "We will never forget" 
"He is a very nice man. He could not tell us very much, but it was
comforting and helpful to speak to him about the situation," she said. 

"We really wanted to get advice on what to do next. We are waiting to hear
if we will get visas to go to Myanmar. 

"I really want to see my daughter so much and see how she is. I know she is
tough and she will be coping, but I want to see her." 

A Foreign Office spokesman said that the British Ambassador in Burma, John
Jenkins, had met senior officials from Burma's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

He relayed shock at the severity of the sentence and expressed concern over
the way the case had been handled. 


  
The BBC's Julia Rooke: "Human rights movements are worried" 
The Burmese Embassy in London denied that the authorities were trying to
make an example of either Goldwyn or James Mawdsley, another British
pro-democracy activist who was jailed two weeks ago. 

In a statement to the BBC, the embassy accused both Britons of having worked
in rebel camps belonging to the Karen (a people fighting a losing battle for
autonomy in Burma) on Burma's borders. 

It said that it suspected them of trying to incite unrest, rather than
merely voicing support for democracy. 

Violent suppression 

Miss Goldwyn was sentenced under Burma's Emergency Provisions Act, which has
been used by the ruling military to stifle dissent. 

She admitted staging the protest but maintained she did not intend to incite
unrest. 

Her lawyer told the court that an appeal would be lodged. 

Burma's ruling junta took power in 1988 after violently suppressing
pro-democracy demonstrations. 

It held a general election in 1990 but refused to let parliament convene
after a landslide victory by the democratic opposition. 

The junta is criticised in the West for widespread human rights violations.