Interviews with U Mya Saing, a freed
National League for Democracy member
DVB ( August 6,2003)
One of the political prisoners, U Mya Saing, chairman of
the NLD (National League for Democracy) in Taungdwingyi township,
was released by the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council)
on 17 July.
DVB contacted U Mya Saing and interviewed him.
U Mya Saing was arrested on 29 April 2000 for organizing
the youth to join the NLD. About 10 other NLD members were
arrested together with him and were all sentenced to seven
years imprisonment each. U Mya Saing, who suffered a stroke
and partly paralysed, was in very poor health at the time
of his release. Despite his ill health, he answered DVB's
questions at the interview and explained his prison experience.
The following is the interview where he began with the signing
of an undertaking according to Section 401.
U Mya Saing : I had to sign 401. The MI (Military Intelligence)
came and saw me at the prison hospital. They said: Sayagyi
(honorific), you were granted permission the other day to
sign 401 and leave but you did not submit it. Because of your
health, if you sign 401 now you will be released. They said
if you sign it now we will immediately report the case to
Gen Khin Nyunt (chief of MI) and you will be released. According
to the advice of my colleagues who said don't die in prison,
just sign and get out, I agreed and told them that I will
sign. The next day, after signing the undertaking, they took
me back to my home.
I would like to shed some light about Burma's judicial system.
I was asked by the judge at the court whether I was guilty
or not. I answered that I was not guilty and he asked me why.
I said our party (the NLD) is a legal organization and I am
a responsible official at the township-level. Our organization
has no youth because the youth have all grown up. Since we
need more youth we had to organize the youth. This is one
of the party's organizational activities. I said I was not
guilty for carrying out legal party activities of an officially-registered
political party. The judge then read out the judgment to me.
Although there weren't any exhibits to prove your guilt and
although there weren't any witnesses to prove your guilt,
it is the responsibility of this court to decide your guilt.
Therefore, this court sentenced you to seven years' imprisonment.
With that, the court sentenced me and five of the Executive
Committee members to seven years' imprisonment each.
DVB : Yes. As far as we know, the other six were released
about six months ago. Did you know that they were released?
U Mya Saing : Yes, I know. I had a meeting with the warden,
the jail supervisor, and an MI official in July last year.
They said, because of your old age the state wanted you to
live freely with your family and to show their goodwill had
asked you to sign 401. Then I asked what 401 was because I
did not understand. They answered that 401 was a suspended
sentence. It meant that if I break any law once I get out
I would have to serve the remaining sentence together with
the new one. They said they just wanted me to know that. I
told them that I could not sign because I was not guilty.
Then again, in our country, if you engage in politics you
are considered guilty and sentenced. We were neither permitted
to engage a lawyer nor allowed to appeal. It was a prejudiced
trial and a one-sided verdict.
DVB : Well, you have been jailed for engaging in political
activities and you have been released after serving more than
three years of your seven-year sentence; the party leaders
are now under arrest, and the government is also suppressing
the NLD. Given this scenario, are you fed up with party activities
and frustrated with party work?
U Mya Saing : Not at all. I will contact the leadership and
intend to carry on my duties wholeheartedly to the best of
my ability. At the moment, I have not received a firm contact
with the (Taungdwingyi) township NLD group. I think we need
to continue our activities relentlessly. If we all work together
we will definitely succeed.(BBC Monitoring Service)
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