July 25, 2002

Win Tin, 73-year-old imprisoned journalist, is suffering from Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy and Bleeding Pile. In the first week of June, he was reportedly sent to the Rangoon General Hospital in a Guard Ward. The doctors reported to the military authorities that if Win Tin did not go through an operation, he might end up losing his life. However, the authorities neglected his condition and refused to give him proper treatment.

Win Tin is one of the founders of the National League for Democracy (NLD), which won the 1990 election. In June 1989, he was arrested for his believes. In October, he was sentenced to three years imprisonment. In June 1991, he was sentenced to an additional eight years imprisonment with a summery court. In addition, he was given another seven years imprisonment in 1996 because he wrote a report (with his colleagues) to United Nation about the human rights violations in the Insein Prison and published a small book which honors the 75 anniversary of the Rangoon University.

His colleagues in Burma and the international human rights groups are worried about the old-aged-political-prisoner deteriorate health. "The regime will not release him as he refuses the regime's proposal to stay away from politic," an activist in Burma said.

Mr. Paolo Sergio Pinheiro, Special Rapporteur (UN) on the Situation of Human Rights in Burma, visited Win Tin and other activists in prisons. According to his report to the United Nations on 9 November 2001, Burma has detained an estimated 1500-1600 people "for having peacefully expressed their views, verbally, through participation in peaceful demonstrations, or activities in political parties, for having written about human rights or political issues in the country, or for possessing prohibited writings."

During the two years, the regime announced that they have freed 273 NLD members when they have simultaneously denied that there are political prisoners in Burma.