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Still walking for freedom
"I appreciate Mr. Madela so much and could not stop thinking
about how he could have survived 26 years in prison. His prison
life was longer than my whole life. If someone asked me which book
I like the best, my answer would surely be Mandela's long Walk for
Freedom,'"said Thet Winn Aung, 26, a prominent young student
leader. He did not know that in the future he would be sentenced
to double the imprisonment of Mr. Mandela.
Thet Winn Aung actively participated in the 1988 popular uprising
but at that time he was only 16 years old and a high school student.
After the bloody military coup in September 1988, he successfully
founded a young student union, the All Burma Basic Education Students
Union (ABBESU). However, like the other student unions, ABBESU was
declared an illegal organization by the junta. Although all its
members were under 16 years old, it was ABBESU that could trouble
the junta the most because of their skilful hit and run demonstrations.
There are only two prominent students organizations inside Burma,
the ABBESU and its big brother-the All Burma Federation of Student
Unions (ABFSU). When almost all the ABFSU's leaders were arrested
by the junta, some young leaders from the ABBESU replaced their
brothers to continue the democracy movement. Thet Winn Aung is one
of them.
In 1994, all members elected him as General Secretary of ABFSU.
At the same time he led the ABBESU as well. When he was arrested
by Military Intelligence in September 1998, he was the General Secretary
of ABFSU. In January 1999 he was given 52 years imprisonment as
a New Years gift for his leadership of the student demonstrations
in August and September of the previous year.
Since the 1988 popular uprising, there have been three outstanding
student demonstrations in Burma-the 10 December 1991 student demonstration
(which happened when Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize), the December 1996 demonstration and the demonstration
for the tenth anniversary of 1988 and in support of the NLD's parliamentary
demand in August 1998. Although Thet made good his escape from the
junta for his participation in the December 1991 and 1996 demonstrations,
he could not don so for the last one.
Many students who were arrested in the December 1991 and 1996 demonstrations
were given from ten to 20 years' imprisonment. They are all still
in prison.
"Thet was given 52 years because of his involvement in all
the student demonstrations. Before, he appreciated Mandela so much,
but now I believe that Mandela would admire him," said Ye Taiza,
a prominent student leader and former political prisoner.
"We all were shocked by the news of his trial. He is not a
murderer or terrorist, and not a drug dealer. He is only an innocent
young student. What's his crime? Does leadership of peaceful demonstrations
deserve 52 years?" More surprisingly, the sentencing took place
before the Japanese government invited Brigadier Kyaw Win, Deputy
chief of the Military Intelligence Service, to visit Japan. "Japan
made no complaints about Thet's unfair trial," complained one
student student activist who declined to be named.
If nothing chages in Burma, he will be released from prison only
when he is 78 years old. However there is a saying in Burma's prisons
that no Burmese prisoner could survive more than 15 years in prisoners
have to live in solitary confinement. Before they are sent in, they
have to pass through Military Intelligence's hard interrogation
center, where nobody can escape many different kinds of torture.
Thet had to stay there for nearly four months. One can only wonder
how much he suffered and was tortured.
"Although I had to stay there for a few days, it seemed to
last longer than my whole life. I really do believe that only his
strong beliefs and commitment could enable him to survive there,"
Ye Taiza added.
In an attempt to be allowed the 1999 EU-Asean Ministerial Meeting
in Berlin, win Aung, the junta's new foreign minister, has claimed
that Rangoon is ready to discuss all sorts of issues, including
human right and democracy. Rangoon claims that it does really want
to host international seminars, meetings and the like because it
wants to show the international community how things are progressing
in Burma. At the same time over 100 students were sentenced to from
seven to 52 years imprisonment for their involvement in politics;
many NLD party offices were forcibly closed; many elected members
were also forced to resign and some were given long prison terms.
On the surface, the harsh punishments seem to influence the people
of Burma, who have been living with fear under the junta, not to
be involved in politics any more. The junta may think that after
thet's unbelievable trial all Burmese students will keep quiet.
In fact, such harsh punishments incense Burmese students. Now Burmese
students are waiting for the re-opening of their classes by secretly
discussing Thet Winn Aung's brave movement and leadership. So far,
the junta dares not re-open the universities and colleges, although
its spokesmen said all would be re-opened at the beginning of 1999.
Why?
The answer is clear: the junta clearly understands that there are
many students like Thet Winn Aung.
It may also be that has been given the longest prison term for
a student political prisoner in the world. If mandela is still alive
when Thet is released from prison, he will surely have a great chance
to read Thet's book-"Long walk for Freedom."
Nobody can know when he will be released from prison. There are
many students, including Min Ko Naing, the Burmese students' leader,
who have been in prison for nearly ten years. In reality, their
release depends not only on the people of Burma but also no any
outsiders who really respect human rights and democracy.
In the end, the Burmese students will be walking on their long
way to freedom whatever Tokyo, Beijing and other governments do.
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