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Reuters-INTERVIEW-Briton vows to fi



Subject: Reuters-INTERVIEW-Briton vows to fight on in Myanmar 

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INTERVIEW-Briton vows to fight on in Myanmar=20
09:30 a.m. Dec 01, 1999 Eastern=20
By David Brunnstrom=20

BANGKOK, Dec 1 (Reuters) - A Briton serving 17 years for pro-democracy =
activism in military-ruled Myanmar has not wavered in his convictions =
and has no plans to appeal for early release, his mother said on =
Wednesday.=20

Diana Mawdsley said after her first visits to her son James since his =
September arrest and jailing in remote northwestern Kengtung town that =
he was keeping his spirits up with the Bible and works of Soviet =
political prisoner Alexander Solzhenitsyn.=20

``James wants to fight on robustly. At the moment he has no plans to =
make any sort of appeal.=20

``He says there's no judicial process as we know it in Burma and whether =
he serves one month, one year, or seventeen years, it will be up to the =
junta to decide,'' she told Reuters. ``But I would say as his mother, =
I'd like to see him out of there.''=20

James Mawdsley, 26, from Lancashire, was jailed after illegally entering =
Myanmar in September to distribute pro-democracy leaflets. It was his =
third arrest there in two years and the government has said he could not =
expect mercy.=20

His mother said he was ``very, very pale and pasty'' due to solitary =
confinement for all but 30 minutes daily exercise, but otherwise =
appeared in good health.=20

``He's not lost weight and is in cracking good spirits. He will not make =
one single complaint about himself.''=20

But he had complained to prison authorities about treatment of local =
prisoners, who he said had been beaten by guards.=20

Diana Mawdsley said she believed her son must sometimes feel deep =
despair and loneliness. ``But he's determined not to worry us and we're =
determined not to worry him. There must be a point at which we all =
break, but at the moment James is nowhere near it.''=20

Her son told her he had not been tortured while serving this term. Last =
year after release from 99 days in Yangon's notorious Insein Jail, he =
reported being beaten with bamboo poles, having staves rolled down his =
shins and being deprived of water.=20

She said he also praised fellow Briton Rachel Goldwyn, who has been =
slammed by activists for refusing to criticise Myanmar's military. =
Goldwyn was released after serving less than two months of a seven-year =
jail term for an anti-government protest.=20

James was being watched round the clock in his larger than average cell =
-- by six guards in the daytime and two at night.=20

After a prison inspection by Red Cross officials, he was given a piece =
of wood as a seat for his lavatory bucket.=20

James, deeply religious, was making a determined effort to keep clean =
and intellectually alert in jail, and would dream of building a school =
for refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border. ``That keeps him going, that =
thought,'' she said.=20

Mawdsley said she was grateful the government had allowed her four =
hour-long visits to her son, but thought she could have been allowed =
longer as she had come so far. Her husband plans a visit in January, =
followed by her three other children.=20

``I told the military intelligence man that we planned to come every two =
months and he looked absolutely appalled at the thought of this wave of =
Mawdsleys coming over,'' she joked.=20





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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT =
size=3D+1><STRONG>INTERVIEW-Briton vows to=20
fight on in Myanmar</STRONG></FONT> <BR>09:30 a.m. Dec 01, 1999 Eastern=20
<P><STRONG>By David Brunnstrom</STRONG>=20
<P>BANGKOK, Dec 1 (Reuters) - A Briton serving 17 years for =
pro-democracy=20
activism in military-ruled Myanmar has not wavered in his convictions =
and has no=20
plans to appeal for early release, his mother said on Wednesday.=20
<P>Diana Mawdsley said after her first visits to her son James since his =

September arrest and jailing in remote northwestern Kengtung town that =
he was=20
keeping his spirits up with the Bible and works of Soviet political =
prisoner=20
Alexander Solzhenitsyn.=20
<P>``James wants to fight on robustly. At the moment he has no plans to =
make any=20
sort of appeal.=20
<P>``He says there's no judicial process as we know it in Burma and =
whether he=20
serves one month, one year, or seventeen years, it will be up to the =
junta to=20
decide,'' she told Reuters. ``But I would say as his mother, I'd like to =
see him=20
out of there.''=20
<P>James Mawdsley, 26, from Lancashire, was jailed after illegally =
entering=20
Myanmar in September to distribute pro-democracy leaflets. It was his =
third=20
arrest there in two years and the government has said he could not =
expect mercy.=20

<P>His mother said he was ``very, very pale and pasty'' due to solitary=20
confinement for all but 30 minutes daily exercise, but otherwise =
appeared in=20
good health.=20
<P>``He's not lost weight and is in cracking good spirits. He will not =
make one=20
single complaint about himself.''=20
<P>But he had complained to prison authorities about treatment of local=20
prisoners, who he said had been beaten by guards.=20
<P>Diana Mawdsley said she believed her son must sometimes feel deep =
despair and=20
loneliness. ``But he's determined not to worry us and we're determined =
not to=20
worry him. There must be a point at which we all break, but at the =
moment James=20
is nowhere near it.''=20
<P>Her son told her he had not been tortured while serving this term. =
Last year=20
after release from 99 days in Yangon's notorious Insein Jail, he =
reported being=20
beaten with bamboo poles, having staves rolled down his shins and being =
deprived=20
of water.=20
<P>She said he also praised fellow Briton Rachel Goldwyn, who has been =
slammed=20
by activists for refusing to criticise Myanmar's military. Goldwyn was =
released=20
after serving less than two months of a seven-year jail term for an=20
anti-government protest.=20
<P>James was being watched round the clock in his larger than average =
cell -- by=20
six guards in the daytime and two at night.=20
<P>After a prison inspection by Red Cross officials, he was given a =
piece of=20
wood as a seat for his lavatory bucket.=20
<P>James, deeply religious, was making a determined effort to keep clean =
and=20
intellectually alert in jail, and would dream of building a school for =
refugees=20
on the Thai-Myanmar border. ``That keeps him going, that thought,'' she =
said.=20
<P>Mawdsley said she was grateful the government had allowed her four =
hour-long=20
visits to her son, but thought she could have been allowed longer as she =
had=20
come so far. Her husband plans a visit in January, followed by her three =
other=20
children.=20
<P>``I told the military intelligence man that we planned to come every =
two=20
months and he looked absolutely appalled at the thought of this wave of=20
Mawdsleys coming over,'' she joked.=20
<P><BR></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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