SPDC releases NLD officials in Yenangyaung
DVB ( July 22,2003 )
It is reported that the four NLD members from Yenangyaung
Township who were arrested on the 6th and 8th of July are
released today by the SPDC.
Ko Than Aung of Yenangyaung NLD youth and Ko Aung Thein Oo
of Natmauk NLD youth who were arrested on the 6th of July
were released yesterday. U Khin Win, the chairman of Yenangyaung
Township NLD and the secretary U Maung Maung who were arrested
on the 8th were released this morning. They were arrested
with the charge of trying to rally MPs to write a petition
letter to General Than Shwe urging him to enquire into the
Dipeyin incident. Ko Aung Thein Oo and Ko Than Aung were released
from Myothit Police Station and U Maung Maung and U Khin Win
were released from Yenangyaung detention centre.
U Maung Maung told the DVB about his experiences of being
interrogated during the two-week detention as follows:
U Maung Maung : They invited me and the chairman on the 8th
of July Tuesday at about noon to have lunch with them. They
didn’t ask any new questions. They asked if it was true
that we told Ko Than Aung to act on the matter. We told them
so and it was their duty. First, they kept us together. We
were sent to our cell at about midnight. At about one in the
morning, they woke us up and took U Khin Win to another cell
in accordance with the order from above, they told us. I was
in the cell on my own…
DVB : Did they impose restrictions on you politically?
U Maung Maung : They released us and then they told us to
go to the intelligence office. They showed us a document and
asked us to put our signatures on it. The document says that
we will not do anything that damage the ‘nation’
[government] and that we understand that if we did that we
would be prosecuted by the Interior Ministry. I said that
I am reluctant to sign it. But they insisted that it is only
to say that we understand and the like. So we had to put our
signatures on that document. The judge said that U Khin Win
and U Maung Maung are to be released…
DVB : While you were detained, who took the responsibility
for your welfares?
U Maung Maung : Yes. It was very good. I have been wanting
to tell you this. Our welfares were taken care by the NLD.
The local NLD members took the responsibility in turn. There
are women organisation, youth organisation, party members;
they send various meals and things once in the morning and
once in the evening everyday. They sent medicines and plenty
of food. A township officer and the like came to see us. He
asked us what we wanted to say to the family. I told them
that I could not have contact with my family as I am inside.
And I told them that I have a father who is 85 years old.
There are only two of us in the family. My father would be
starving as there is no one to cook for him…As for the
chairman, he had to ford the river and it was not easy for
him to make contact with his family. We will eat what they
have here, I said. Then, the officer said that we wouldn’t
be able to eat the prison food. Each prisoner is fed only
5 kyats [around 0.5 cents] worth of food a day. The prison
only provides rice and it is never sufficient. I asked him
why. The government only provides 5 kyats worth of food and
no curry, he told me. It is the worst type of rice. Each portion
is about 250 grams. You can’t eat enough with that amount.
I did ask them about it properly. You also have to buy your
own water for your shower in prison. [Giggles]
U Maung Maung also described how Ko Than Aung and Ko Aung
Thein Oo were arrested as follows:
U Maung Maung : We sent Ko Than Aung from Natmauk to Myothit
to run errand for us on the matter of letter to be signed
by the MPs. Aung Thein Oo had some matters to attend to at
Myothit and he accompanied Ko Than Aung from Natmauk and he
was also arrested. His motorbike was confiscated and fined
5000 kyats. Ko Than Aung came home yesterday at about four
in the evening. He was delivered from Myothit intelligence
to Natmauk intelligence and the police took him home.
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