As Ibrahim Gambari, the United Nations special envoy to Burma, returned to the country on Monday for his latest round of talks aimed at achieving political reconciliation, the ruling regime showed its determination to suppress dissent with a fresh round of prison sentences for its critics.
Officials of the National League for Democracy (NLD) said that five young activists from its branch in Taunggok, Arakan State received two-and-a-half-year prison sentences on August 15 for participating in a small street rally to mark the 20th anniversary of the August 8, 1988 pro-democracy uprising.
“They [the Burmese junta] have again taken an unlawful action,” said Thein Hlaing, the leader of the NLD’s Taunggok branch. “They did not even give us a chance to consult with lawyers before handing down the sentences for the five protesters.
“The authorities did not talk with witnesses, but simply took action against [the activists] under two laws which prohibit joining a protest and creating public unrest,” he added.
Thein Hlaing added that on the same day the sentences were passed down for the five activists, who were among 43 people taking part in the anniversary rally, a solo protester calling for the release of NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners was also taken into custody.
Meanwhile, the regime’s intelligence personnel and military forces have been actively hunting down members of two other dissident groups, the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) and ’88 Generation Students.
In a statement released on Monday, ABFSU announced that three of its members, Aung Kyaw, Htain Lin and Chit Tun Lwin, and two members of the ’88 Generation Students group, Mar Mar Oo and Myo Thant, were arrested on August 7 as part of a security sweep being conducted by the authorities.
The ABFSU statement expressed concern about the fate of the arrested students, who were taken to an unknown location. Their families have not yet been informed of their arrests and no information is available about the charges against them, the statement said.
The latest round of arrests sends a sobering message to Gambari, who will be in Burma for five days on his fourth visit to the country since a deadly crackdown on peaceful, large-scale protests last September.
Despite the UN’s high-profile role in humanitarian aid efforts in Burma since Cyclone Nargis struck the country’s Irrawaddy delta on May 2-3, the world body has made no discernible progress on the political front.
It is not clear if Gambari will meet detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi or senior members of the ruling junta during his stay.
On Sunday, Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since May 2003, was permitted to meet her lawyer for the second time this month and her doctor for the first time since February.
Meanwhile, officials from the NLD and the Committee Representing the People’s Parliament (CRPP), a group formed in 1998 to push for recognition of the results of the 1990 election, which the party won overwhelmingly, expressed hope that the UN envoy’s visit would help ease tensions between the NLD and the regime.
Aye Thar Aung, a CRPP official, said that he hoped to have a chance to discuss the recent arrests of two group members, Nyi Pu and Dr Tin Min Htut, as well as other activists, although it was unclear if he would be able to meet Gambari.
Nyi Pu, chairman of the NLD Taunggok branch in Arakan State, and Dr Tin Min Htut, an elected member of parliament from Panthanaw constituency in Irrawaddy Division, were arrested early last week.
Although it is not known why the pair was arrested, both had signed an open letter, along with other NLD members, to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, urging the UN to reject the junta’s constitution as illegitimate.
Officials of the National League for Democracy (NLD) said that five young activists from its branch in Taunggok, Arakan State received two-and-a-half-year prison sentences on August 15 for participating in a small street rally to mark the 20th anniversary of the August 8, 1988 pro-democracy uprising.
“They [the Burmese junta] have again taken an unlawful action,” said Thein Hlaing, the leader of the NLD’s Taunggok branch. “They did not even give us a chance to consult with lawyers before handing down the sentences for the five protesters.
“The authorities did not talk with witnesses, but simply took action against [the activists] under two laws which prohibit joining a protest and creating public unrest,” he added.
Thein Hlaing added that on the same day the sentences were passed down for the five activists, who were among 43 people taking part in the anniversary rally, a solo protester calling for the release of NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners was also taken into custody.
Meanwhile, the regime’s intelligence personnel and military forces have been actively hunting down members of two other dissident groups, the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) and ’88 Generation Students.
In a statement released on Monday, ABFSU announced that three of its members, Aung Kyaw, Htain Lin and Chit Tun Lwin, and two members of the ’88 Generation Students group, Mar Mar Oo and Myo Thant, were arrested on August 7 as part of a security sweep being conducted by the authorities.
The ABFSU statement expressed concern about the fate of the arrested students, who were taken to an unknown location. Their families have not yet been informed of their arrests and no information is available about the charges against them, the statement said.
The latest round of arrests sends a sobering message to Gambari, who will be in Burma for five days on his fourth visit to the country since a deadly crackdown on peaceful, large-scale protests last September.
Despite the UN’s high-profile role in humanitarian aid efforts in Burma since Cyclone Nargis struck the country’s Irrawaddy delta on May 2-3, the world body has made no discernible progress on the political front.
It is not clear if Gambari will meet detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi or senior members of the ruling junta during his stay.
On Sunday, Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since May 2003, was permitted to meet her lawyer for the second time this month and her doctor for the first time since February.
Meanwhile, officials from the NLD and the Committee Representing the People’s Parliament (CRPP), a group formed in 1998 to push for recognition of the results of the 1990 election, which the party won overwhelmingly, expressed hope that the UN envoy’s visit would help ease tensions between the NLD and the regime.
Aye Thar Aung, a CRPP official, said that he hoped to have a chance to discuss the recent arrests of two group members, Nyi Pu and Dr Tin Min Htut, as well as other activists, although it was unclear if he would be able to meet Gambari.
Nyi Pu, chairman of the NLD Taunggok branch in Arakan State, and Dr Tin Min Htut, an elected member of parliament from Panthanaw constituency in Irrawaddy Division, were arrested early last week.
Although it is not known why the pair was arrested, both had signed an open letter, along with other NLD members, to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, urging the UN to reject the junta’s constitution as illegitimate.
