Information Release
Date: July 25, 2008
This week 10 young students were each sentenced to 2 years imprisonment at Kyauktada Township Court. They had participated in last September’s Saffron Revolution and were arrested in October due to their involvement. AAPP has learned that after they were sentenced, they were placed in iron shackles and sent to forced labor camps, by order of the Minister for Home Affairs. The majority of the students are Muslims.
As they were detained and sentenced under political charges, they are political prisoners. There have been very few cases of political prisoners being sent to forced labor camps like this before. Some monks who participated in the 1990 Monastic Boycott (Pattamni Kujjana) and were subsequently imprisoned for their involvement were sent to forced labor camps. 19 monks passed away in the camps due to hard labor and malnutrition.
Tate Naing, Secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, said, “The transferal of those Muslim students to forced labor camps is religious persecution. Those young students are now facing a life-threatening situation.”
The 10 students who were sent to forced labor camps are as follows:
1. Tun Myint Aung (Muslim) (Kyaikmayaw New Life (6) forced labor camp)
2. Tun Tun Naing (Kyaikmayaw New Life (6) forced labor camp)
3. Eisud (aka) Thaung Htut (Muslim) (Paan New Life (7) forced labor camp)
4. Naing Lin (Paan New Life (7) forced labor camp)
5. Nyi Nyi Zaw (Muslim) (Third Year Philosophy, Eastern Rangoon University) (Zinkyaik gravel forced labor camp)
6. Kyaw Hlaing (aka) Japangyi (Muslim) (Zinkyaik gravel forced labor camp)
7. Myo Thant (Muslim) (Yinnyein gravel forced labor camp)
8. Myo Win (Muslim) (Yinnyein gravel forced labor camp)
9. Han Thaw Min Aung (Dala) (Taungzun forced labor camp)
10.Nay Lin Oo (Muslim) (Taungzun forced labor camp)
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Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
For more information:
Tate Naing (66) 81 287 8751
Bo Kyi (66) 81 324 8935
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