August 8, 2002

In order to satisfy international pressure, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) recently released over 100 detainees from military camps and some famous political prisoners. Despite these recent evens, political prisoners have continued to die while the custody of the military junta.

We, the AAPP make the above claim based on our knowledge of the poor health care system and ill treatment (torture, etc) of political prisoners in prisons and interrogation centers.

According to our records, at least 69 political prisoners have died in custody since the military's violent suppression on the democracy movement in 1988.

Torture and ill treatment, poor prison conditions and inadequate medical care, sanitation and diet are all the causes of deaths in prison, particularly for the elderly and chronically ill. Although most political prisoners are in good health at the time of arrest, mistreatment eventually leads to death. Among them, Leo Nichols, the honorary consul of Denmark, Norway, Finland and Switzerland is the most well-known. He was very close to Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, General Secretary of the National League for democracy (NLD), which won the election in 1990 by a landslide but has never been allowed to govern. He passed away after experiencing the above-mentioned conditions in Insein prison. U Ba Thaw (writer Maung Thaw Ka) and U maung Ko, the founders of the NLD died due to the same reasons.

The prisons have become distributing centers of communicable diseases, such as AIDS, because one needle is used on many political prisoners when they feel sick or are vaccinated. Some are infected with the HIV virus and later die of AIDS. Most die because they don't have access to medical care in time, if at all. Moreover, before the prisoners receive medical treatment, the prison authorities must ask the approval of Military Intelligence personnel who arrested the activists and totally control the prison. The actual number is believed to be much higher and rising all the time.

At least 45 activists completed their prison terms in 1999 but have been kept in prison until now for unknown reasons. We are deeply concerned about them as Sithu, a university student who had political prisoners, Khin Maung Myint and Tin Maung Lay died last month. These deaths have occurred despite the fact that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been allowed to check prisons around the country since 1999.

Therefore to avoid further deaths in prisons, we strongly urge the authorities to free all political prisoners.

We want to urge the authorities in Burma, who are having workshops and seminars on Human Rights for one year sponsored by the Australian government, to take special notice of the human rights violations in prisons, which are crammed with innocent activists who simply participated in peaceful activities.

We estimate that there are 2, 000-plus political prisoners around the country without proper medical care. We would like to request the ICRC to demand from the military authorities the right to make surprise prison visits.

Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)

The following is a list of political prisoners who have died in prison since 1988:

1) Ai Ko, student, died on October 13, 1993, in Thayet Prison
2) Amay Kyi, ..., ..., Tharawaddy Prison
3) Aung kyaw Moe, Communist Party sympathizer, May 13, 1998, Tharawaddy Prison
4) Aung Min, NLD member, October 21, 1998, a military camp outside Mandalay
5) Aye Lwin, ..., December 1992, Insein Prison
6) Ba Thaw (aka) Maung Thaw Ka, NLD leader & writer, June 1991, Insein Prison
7) Bo,...,1999, Insein Prison
8) Bo Thar Khu, Karen National Union (KNU) member, 1998, Insein Prison
9) Bo Thar Khu, KNU member, 1998, Insein Prison
10) Chit Htaung,..., 1991, Myingguan
11) Cho Gyi, ...,1993, Myintkyina Prison
12) Harnit, student, December 1988, Insein Prison
13) Hla Than, NLD member & MP-elect, August 2, 1996, Insein Prison
14) Htay Aung, Lawyer, 1995, Insein Prison
15) Kaut Kyay, student, 1994, Mandalay Prison
16) Khin Maung Myint, NLD member, July 21, 2001, Kale Prison
17) Khin Maung Myint, leader of people Progressive Party(PPP), February 1993, Insein Prison
18) Khin Maung (aka) Bo Set Yaung, member of Communist Party of Burma (CPB), February 1990, Insein Prison.
19) King Sein, member of PPP, 1994, Rangoon General Hospital
20) Kyaw Din, member of NLD, October 20, 1997, Warkhalma Prison (Irrawaddy Division)
21) Kyaw Myo Thant, student, May 1990, ...
22) Kyaw soe, student, February 1989, Insein Prison
23) Kyi Saung,member of NLD, May 1996, Myauhngmya Prison
24) La Khong, ..., ..., Mandalay Prison
25) Leo Nichols, supporter to NLD, June 22, 1996, Insein Prison
26) Mann Darwait, Chairperson of All Burma Karen Organization, August 1992, Rangoon General Hospital
27) Maung Ko, leader of NLD, November 9, 1990, Ye-kyi-I Interrogation Center outside Rangoon
28) Maung Ko, member of CPB, 1990, Interrogation Center
29) Maung Maung Aye, student, 1990, Tharawaddy Prison
30) Maung Maung Aye, member of NLD, June 25, 2001, Bassein Prison
31) Mohamad Illus, member of NLD, June 22, 1992, Interrogation Center
32) Mya Shwe, member of NLD, 1999, Tharawaddy Prison
33) Myint Maung, member of NLD, November 1995, Pegu Prison
34) Myint Shwe, ..., June 8, 1997, Thayet Prison
35) Myo Win, ..., 1990, Pegu Prison
36) Nay Win Aung, student, December 1988, Insein Prison
37) Nyo Win, Vice Chairperson of ppp, January 1991, Insein Prison
38) Tha Tun, ..., 1991, ...,
39) Saw david, ..., August 2, 1992, ...
40) Saw Ether, ..., August 1998, Myinggyan Prison
41) Saw Hla Chit, ..., September 1997, Insein Prison
42) Saw kyaw Liwin, student, august 1992, Myinggyan Prison
43) Saw Pow Htay, member of KNU, 1994, Insein Prison
44) Saw Win (aka Kyaw Zaw Lin, member of NLd, October 7, 1998, Tharawaddy Prison
45) Saw Yin Thit, ..., January 1996, Myinggyan Prison
46) Se Shi, member of Kachin Independence Army, October 1990, Insein Prison
47) Sein Win, ..., January 10, 1991, Insein Prison
48) Sithu student, July 12, 2001, Tharawaddy Prison
49) Soe Htay, Student, April 16,1991, Interrogation Center
50) Soe Win, ..., 1992, Insein Prison
51) Sotpatar Manne, ..., 1992, Taungoo Prison
52) Tha Tun, member of Arakan League of Democracy, august 19, 1990, Insein Prison
53) Than Tun, ..., 1997, Taungoo Prison
54) Than Win, member of NLD, ..., Insein Prison
55) Thanmani Sein Hla, ..., 1992, Insein Prison
56) Thein Tin, member of NLD & writer, Februar4y 18, 1998, Insein Prison
57) Tin Aung, ..., 1998, Bassein Prison
58) Tin Hlaing, member of NLD, 1994, Insein Prison
59) Tin Maung Lay (aka) Tin Maung Myint, member of NLD, June 20, 2001, Mandalay Prison
60) Tin Maung Win, member of NLD and MP-elect, January 18, 1991, Insein Prison
61) Tun Shwe (Monywa), leader of NLD, June 8, 1997, Insein Prison
62) Tun Sein, ..., 1996, Insein Prison
63) U Arsara, monk, February 1996, Thayet Prison
64) U Zawtika, monk, December 1992, Insein

(Remark-all are male)