Prisoners' health in the Khamti Prison needs urgent attention

DVB ( August 25, 2003 )

17 NLD youths who were involved in the Dipeyin incident and detained in the Khamti Prison, Upper Sagaing Division are suffering from illness due to bad diet and mistreatment in jail.
Ko Htun Zaw Zaw and Ko Toe Lwin are said to be suffering from gastric diseases and coughs. Poor food and bad weather are the main causes. Some other youth prisoners are also suffering from poor health and depression, according to a prison staff who wanted to remain anonymous.

Those 17 NLD youths including Ko Htun Zaw Zaw and Ko Toe Lwin were arrested by the authorities during the Dipeyin incident and they were sent to Khamti Prison on the 2nd of June. They were locked up in separate prison cells by the military intelligence (MI) and prison authorities so that they could not communicate with other prisoners.

On 4 May, 11 prisoners including the student leaders Ko Thet Win Aung and Ko Khin Maung Win (aka) Ko Sonny who have been sentenced to 59 years in prison respectively staged hunger strikes for two days in the Khamti prison. Later on, Ko Thet Win Aung suffered from malaria disease and Ko Sonny suffered from high blood pressure.

More prisoners of Kahmti are suffering due to poor healthcare, bad weather and the severe interrogations and intimidations from the MI.

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 gmt 25 Aug 03