Press Release
Date: January 1, 2004

There were some members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) arrested in Mandalay and Tennasserim Division last month, December 22, 2003. These members include: Tin Myint (female), Hninn Pa Pa (female), Hla Soe, Hla Oo, Myint Oo, Thaung Win, Aung Aung and Kyi Win of Mandalay Division. In addition, although several other members were recently released from prison, they were reinstated and sent back to the penitentiary. They were also the victims of the attack on May 30, 2003 in Depayin, Sagaing Division before their arrest.

Early last month, Nyi Soe of Tha Yet Chung township, Tennasserim Division and
Aung Min of Pu Law township, Tennasserim Division were arrested by the order of Captain Tin Maung Win of Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No 262. They were apprehended for participation in progressive political activities. They are currently detained in Kaw Thaung prison. Further more, they are frequently being used as guides in LIB 262's military operations.

In mid December, Than Soe (female, 35 years old) of Laung Lon township, Nyi Nyi Lay (20 years old) of Tha Yet Chaung township and Phoe Pe (19 years old) of Tha Yet Chaung township, NLD members of Tennasserim Division were arrested. The reasons of their capture are not available. These repeated arrests are accompanied by visits of human rights officers of United Nations and Amnesty International (AI), who visited Burma in recently.

On December 22, NLD members in Mandalay were also held in custody. AI issued a statement outlining a series of serious concerns substantiated during their visit to Burma, and called on the Burmese authorities to, "take urgent steps to improve the human rights situation which has deteriorated significantly since the violent May 30 attack on the National League for Democracy (NLD)."

Tate Naing, secretary of Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) stated that, "The arrests of NLD members around Burma after the violent attack on May 30 are still in progress. Because of the arrests, we denounce the military government that usually talks about rebuilding democracy in Burma." Presently, there are about 1500 political prisoners including the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma.