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For Immediate Release:
March 7, 2006
(Thailand) The Assistance Association for
Political Prisoners (AAPP) today denounced the regime's insistence
on sending members of the Union Solidarity and Development Association
(USDA) to supervise visits to Burma's prisons by the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The subsequent suspension of
the ICRC's visits to the prisons demonstrates the USDA's increasing
control over all sectors of life in Burma.
The USDA is a mass mobilization organization
in Burma patronized by members of the SPDC. As the civilian wing
of the SPDC, its members are used in various capacities to deny
the population civil and political rights, as well as economic,
social and cultural rights. USDA propaganda infiltrates many aspects
of life in Burma currently, and several individuals are either
intimidated into joining or coerced through economic or educational
incentives. Members of the democratic opposition face harassment
for refusal to join and interference in their political activities.
Now, the USDA, and smaller mass mobilization organizations such
as the Myanmar Red Cross and the Myanmar Women's Federation, has
involved itself in the oversight of prisons in Burma.
In December 2005, the ICRC attempted to
visit political prisoners in Tharawaddy prison, but was forced
to cancel the visit after the USDA maintained they must be allowed
to supervise the trip, in contravention of ICRC policy. Since
that time, access to the country's 90 prisons and labor camps
has been suspended with no indication of when access will again
be allowed.
Notably, an activity report submitted by
the secretary of the USDA Belin Township branch, Myint Oo, to
the USDA 2005 annual meeting revealed that the USDA in Mon state,
in collaboration with NGOs, had provided “food, medicine,
sports gear and publications to prisoners in Moulmein and Thaton
prisons” in October 2005. These seemingly innocuous actions
show that the USDA is exerting control over provision of supplies
to prisoners, which is troublesome due to the USDA’s history
of oppression. Political prisoners face a risk of not receiving
proper treatment or supplies.
“The USDA is a civilian front for
the SPDC, and is being used to give the false impression that
‘independent’ organizations are monitoring Burma’s
prisons.” says Ko Tate, Secretary of the AAPP, "The
use of the USDA in overseeing prison conditions means there will
continue to be torture and ill-treatment of political prisoners."
The ICRC has monitored Burma’s prisons
from May 1999 to December 2005, conducting 453 visits during this
time. While it is better to have the ICRC visiting the prisons
than not, their presence has not improved prison conditions due
to the control the SPDC, and now the USDA, has in the country.
The authorities have taken various measures to negate any positive
effect the ICRC may have.
In a report released by the AAPP in December
2005, The Darkness We See: Torture in Burma’s Interrogation
Centers and Prisons, interviews with former political prisoners
revealed the limits of the ICRC, particularly as regards health
care. In many cases, political prisoners were hidden from visiting
ICRC staff so that they could not be interviewed, or, if allowed
to be interviewed, were threatened with torture should they speak
truthfully about prison conditions. Further, while the ICRC provided
the prison authorities with several high quality medicines, the
authorities would frequently sell these medicines on the market,
while providing prisoners with lower quality medicines. One former
political prisoner explained:
“Though the ICRC provided the prisons
with the appropriate medicine, all these medicines were kept by
the authorities and then sold. Prisoners had to pay for the medicines
they received, or rely on their families for the proper medicine.”
Thus, the ICRC must be more forceful in
their interactions with the military regime if there is to be
any improvement in the prison conditions.
“The AAPP calls on the military government
to allow the ICRC to resume its visits to Burma’s prisons,
and to refrain from interfering in any manner,” continued
Ko Tate, "Further, the ICRC must show greater resolve in
calling on the authorities to work with them to provide proper
health care and other support to political prisoners."
Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
For more information:
Ko Tate (66) 1 287 8751
Bo Kyi (1) 202 375 0022
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