Burmese activists staging hunger strikes in Bangkok

DVB ( August 5,2003 )

It is reported that 12 members of the Democratic Federation of Burma (DFB) who have been detained in a Thai immigration detention centre since the 26th of July are to stage hunger strikes from today.

According to a statement issued by the detainees, the hunger strikes are staged to regain lost human rights and achieve the rights to get involved in political activities in accordance with democratic laws.

Ma Aye Mya, CEC member of DFB read out the main points of the statement as follows:

Ma Aye Mya : We have wasted our time and lost our political rights because of the detention and unfair arrest of the Thai government. It is the crucial time for our country. Therefore, we can’t waste our time for a second more in prisons or detention centres.

She also read out the demands to the Thai government:

Ma Aye Mya : If the Thai government is sincere about its role as the go between in the Burmese affairs, it should cease all its prosecutions and arrests on Burmese activists. It should treat the arrested democracy activists like proper political activists. It should avoid the arrests of political activists as demanded by the SPDC so as to stop all political activities. It should immediate grant us the rights to take part in political activities. If they can’t do that they should send us where we could freely take part in political activities…

It is said that the detainees will be staging the strikes until their demands are met.

Among the people arrested by the Thai authority are DFB’s chairman, Ko Moe Hein and its general secretary Ko Zeyar Win and they were arrested and detained after peacefully protesting in front of the Burmese embassy in Bangkok for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.