Dipeyin victims latest

( July 5, 2003 )

Although the SPDC hasn’t issued any exact list of people who were killed and arrested on the 30th of May at the Dipeyin [Tabayin] incident, it is believed that 140 people were taken to Shwebo Prison on the day of the incident alone.

According to someone who was recently-released prisoner from Shwebo jail, among the detained, 40 people are critically wounded and their conditions are said to be life-threateningly serious.

The majority of the people received head injuries and their wounds are similar as the result of systematic trainings received by the attackers before the assaults on the NLD supporters, said an unidentified youth who has just been released from Shwebo Prison. The NLD members are still being detained in the prison and the non-members are being released in small number, said the same person as follows:

Rcently-released prisoner from Shwebo jail : I was included in those who were arrested and detained in Shwebo. I was there for 9 days. As we didn’t know much, we were not interrogated much. They are interrogating mostly members of the NLD. There are about 140 people who were detained. Among them more than 40 people were seriously wounded in Shwebo Prison alone. Their injuries are similar. All of them have head injuries. It seems that the attackers received trainings as in how to do it. The injuries are the same; broken heads and the like. Some people received seven stitches. Some received 21 stitches at most. U Hla Myint is still being treated in the hospital. They kept us in two rooms which holds 150 people.

Some of the NLD youth who were detained in Shwebo Prison were sent to Khanti and Kale Prison and there are still 50 people in Shwebo Prison. Among them are the chief organiser of Mandalay Ko Aung Soe, Amarapura Township NLD member U Hla Myint, Le-Way Township NLD youth member Ko Thet Tun Oo, Ko Ye Myint Aung of Mandalay Northeast Township, Ko Tin Htut Oo and Ko Win Khaing of Mandalay Northwest Township.

According to the same man, he heard that people were detained in Shwebo Prison but he was unable to find out who were killed and missing. Daw Tin Myint, a woman NLD member of Mandalay Southwest Township is one of the people who are still unaccounted for and her family are still unable to find out about her fate. It was rumoured that she was detained in Shwebo Prison, but when the ICRC staff went to the prison, they could not find her there. The DVB contacted her daughter and she gave her reactions as follows:

Daw Tin Myint’s daughter : We haven’t heard anything. We don’t know whether she is dead. We are very worried. We don’t know whether she is dead or alive. If she is in prison, we could see her there. If she is dead, we want to hold a memorial service for her. We are extremely worried as we haven’t heard anything about her. Our family wants to know what happened to her. We want to know exactly what her condition is, in which prison she is being detained. Some people say that she is in Shwebo Prison but I am not sure yet.

DVB : Where did you hear that she is in Shwebo Prison?

Daw Tin Myint’s daughter : Some people said that. They said that those arrested were sent to Shwebo Prison. I heard from someone that she was sent to Shwebo Prison. Women were sent to Shwebo Prison, they said. I thought that she would be with them.

DVB : The ICRC went to see these people at prisons earlier on. Did you go and ask the ICRC?

Daw Tin Myint’s daughter : Yes, I did.

DVB : What did they say?

Daw Tin Myint’s daughter : They told me to come back in another week. They told me to come back in two weeks time. I went there and they told me that there is no news and asked me to come back in a week time. As there is no news, they asked me to come again on Friday.

DVB : Did you try to go and see her at Shwebo Prison?

Daw Tin Myint’s daughter : We did try but they told us that we could not do that. This is the third time. We tried to do that when she was arrested before. It was impossible to find out about her. We only found out about her when she was released. The present situation is worse than before and we are unable to do anything.

DVB : Did you go and ask the authorities concerned?

Daw Tin Myint’s daughter : No, we haven’t done that. They came to ask us whether Daw Tin Myint is here. They came to do the same after two days. We told them that she accompanied Daw Suu to Dipeyin.

DVB : How do you feel when you mother disappears in front of your eyes? You must be waiting for her return with eagerness?

Daw Tin Myint’s daughter : Yes, I do. I do hope for her return everyday. Last time, when we heard about news on her, we could not sleep at night. We just waited for her return. There are three brothers and sisters in our family and there are five in all. It’s the same with them. My sister is married and lives with her husband. She always comes and asks about our mother every evening. We are worried. Every evening, we pray for her and wait for her return.