Politics Becomes Zero-sum Game without Freedom of _Expression

Two Burmese journalists, Aung Zin Min and Cho Seint, released quietly during Razali's visit.

By Zin Linn

Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com) , March 8, 2004

According to reliable sources in Rangoon, the Burmese military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), released five political prisoners on 1st March, 2004. The releases coincided with the reception of United Nations Special Envoy for Burma, Razali Ismail, in Rangoon by foreign ministry officials and a dinner hosted in his honour.

Amongst the five political prisoners released on Monday were writers, Aung Zin Min and Cho Seint. Both were arrested in December 1996 and sentenced to 7 years imprisonment, accused of connections with underground anti-junta news bulletins and pamphlets supporting the 1996 students' strike.

Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontier) and the Burma Media Association (Burmese journalists in exile) have always voiced their concern about the health of detained journalists such as Aung Zin Min and Cho Seint. There are still over 1500 prisoners of conscience in 39 prisons in Burma including 33 journalists, writers and poets.

The political situation in Burma continues to stall at an impasse between the opposition movement and the military regime. The media is strictly censored and political opposition parties are denied permission to have computers or to publish their own bulletins. It is little wonder that people generally have little idea of supporting political dialogue as a way-out of this situation.
It is usual for the SPDC to ban freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, and travel. The regime also continues to systematically monitor citizens' movements and communications, search homes without warrants and opening mail they suspect may contain material opposing them.

Moreover, articles encouraging political dialogue are banned by the press scrutiny board and people dare not risk discussing oppositional politics. So it becomes a daydream for people to believe the junta's seven-step road map for change. Without freedom of press, the SPDC’s proposed National Convention or constituent assembly will be a zero-sum game.

A great number of people in Burma believe in “Dialogue” as the way forward as discussed on foreign radio programs broadcasted in Burmese language, such as Radio Free Asia and the Democratic Voice of Burma. Despite the SPDC’s attempt to control all media, media is the only apparatus that can give hope for freedom. For that reason, some self-taught journalists in Burma are taking risks to produce clandestine news-bulletins converting radio news and articles into printed matter.

For instance, when the junta tried to launch a fake national convention, self-taught journalists in Burma took the responsibility to explain the situation to people through underground news-bulletins. This contributed to people accepting the idea to boycott the fake national convention.

Burma has a good tradition of progressive writers, poets, cartoonists and magazine-editors, in some way or another, participating in producing underground pamphlets to distribute news and information to thepublic. Consequently, the junta's secret police and informers are always peeping into literary circle. Some journalists remain behind bars because of these activities. Torture is still commonplace in prisons and detention centers and journalists suffer various forms of mental torture including solitary confinement.

Amongst the worst of the prison conditions in Burma is the impossibility for prisoners to get appropriate medicine, even in Insein Prison, the ‘model’ prison in Rangoon. Medical treatments are always out dated. Worst of all, when political prisoners have a terminal illness, they are not admitted hospital unless they abandon their dissident beliefs. There are many examples political prisoners dying in jail because authorities' refusal to give permission for treatments.

At present, U Win Tin (2001 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize Winner), U Own Kying (aka Aung Wint, editor of Bo-ta-htaung Daily and a NLD MP), Sein Hla Oo (aka Maung Nwe Oo, editor of Bo-ta-htaung Daily and a NLD MP), Kyi Tin Oo (poet and editor), U Khin Maung Swe (columnist for Taw-win magazine and a NLD MP), U Htwe Myint (ex-BBC staff reporter), Aung Myint (aka Phyapon Nilon Oo, poet and editor), U Aye Kyu (aka Monywa Aung Shin, poet & editor) and Dr Khin Zaw Win (research writer) are in urgent need of medical treatment for terminal illnesses they suffer in the junta's notorious prisons. U Own Kying (aka Aung Wint, editor of Bo-ta-htaung Daily and a NLD MP) has been suffering serious illnesses, including diabetes with hypertension, and faces a potentially fatal situation.

The military regime takes advantage of releasing limited numbers of prisoners to reduce international pressure, especially from countries that move sanctions against them. This practice leads many prisoners towards the graveyard. Burmese people are disappointed with the current situation, confused as to why the international community fails to launch a concerted effort to free political prisoners.

As a result of these inhumane measures exercised by the regime, more than one hundred political prisoners, including Members of Parliament and journalists have quietly passed away in Burma’s prisons. Inhumane situations in Burma are on going and the country as a whole has been transformed into a prison-state. The military dictators’ time should be over and the international community shouldn't tolerate the generals any longer.

All political prisoners in Burma, including writers and journalists, have been arrested because of their activities to promote democracy, human rights and national reconciliation. Releasing prisoners of conscience may be considered a sign of sincerity that the military junta honestly wants to restore democracy and human rights in Burma.

As long as the generals dilly-dally on the release of the political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, this means they still have no intention to restore democracy and pursue national reconciliation. It also means the Burmese generals are still refusing to recognize press freedom as essential in building a Federal Democratic Union of Burma. Without freedom of press, any kind of National Convention will be in vain.