Daily News- September 21- 2002- Saturday
Suu Kyi attends funeral of jailed member of Myanmar's democracy partyBriton, Burmese seized for giving illegal phone service in ThailandU.S Lawmaker Remembers Burma's Slaughter of Democracy Advocates
Suu Kyi attends funeral of jailed member of Myanmar's democracy party
YANGON, Sept 20 (AFP) - Myanmar's democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has attended the funeral of a jailed member of her party after he died in a Yangon hospital, party sources said Friday.
The funeral of Aung May Thu, 60, was held on Tuesday after he died from peritonitis despite an eight-hour operation at Yangon's General Hospital, according to a statement released by the ruling military junta Friday.
He had been a prisoner at the Tharawaddy Correctional Facility, and was examined by a physician on September 15 after suffering from digestive problems, the statement said.He was admitted to Tharawaddy General Hospital on the same day, but the following day he was transferred to Yangon General Hospital, where he was immediately operated on, it said.
The deceased was the chairman of the Min Hla township branch of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD). Min Hla is in Bago division, which lies north of the capital, Yangon.
NLD sources said Aung May Thu was jailed in 1989 on criminal charges after he was accused of being an underground communist by the military junta.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been active in giving support to the families of NLD prisoners since her own release from house arrest by the junta in May this year.
Myanmar is frequently criticised by international rights groups over its poor treatment of prisoners, and a lack of medical assistance provided to prisoners who are sick.Hundreds of NLD members have been jailed by the junta merely for their association with the party.Although some have been freed since the beginning of 2001 in goodwill gestures linked with talks between the junta and Aung San Suu Kyi, some 1,500 are believed to be still incarcerated.
To The TopBriton, Burmese seized for giving illegal phone service in Thailand
Source : Bangkok Post
Phuket police have arrested a British and a Burmese man for allegedly providing an illegal phone service which allowed Burmese people living in Malaysia to talk to friends and relatives in Burma.
Krazer Jaba, a 35-year-old Briton, and Lux Chumun, 18, a Burmese national, were arrested in a house in tambon Vichit of Muang district at 5pm on Thursday. Police say they seized 13 mobile phones, nine amplifiers, five loudspeakers, a notebook computer and other electronic items to link up with telecommunication networks.
Police said the men used cellphones registered to other names to offer international phone services to Burmese people living in Malaysia.
They said the illegal phone service had started two years ago and cost the state about 50,000 baht a day.
Mr Krazer reportedly paid Mr Lux 3,500 baht a month to be his operator while he managed to acquire illegally-tuned phones and SIM cards.
The suspects have been charged with using communication radios without a licence, embezzlement and illegal immigration. Police said they had admitted the offences.
Muang district police chief Pol Col Paveena Pongsirin said there were many foreign gangs in Phuket offering phone services with illegally-tuned cellphones.
To The TopU.S Lawmaker Remembers Burma's Slaughter of Democracy Advocates
Source : U.S State Department
Representative Dennis Kucinich (Democrat of Ohio) criticized Burma's
military rulers in a September 18 speech to the House of
Representatives on the 14th anniversary of the slaughter of up to
10,000 Burmese who marched in the streets to call for democracy in
that country.
"To this day, the 50 million people of Burma still suffer gross human
rights abuses," said Kucinich, a member of the Congressional Human
Rights Caucus.
Burma's military regime, he added, "is so fearful of its own people
that it has established a military intelligence service to squash free
thinking and prevent even the discussion of ideas like freedom and
democracy."
The Ohio Democrat praised Nobel Peace Prize recipient Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi for leading her country's freedom movement. She was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her efforts to bring democracy to Burma.
"The United States has always supported the struggle for freedom in
Burma," Kucinich said. "Now, at this critical time, we must do all
that is in our power to increase international pressure on this
regime."
Following is the text of Representative Dennis Kucinich's remarks from
the Congressional Record:
RECOGNIZING 14 YEARS OF STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM IN BURMA
HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH
September 18, 2002
HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH OF OHIO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, September 18, 2002
Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember September 18th,
1988, a day fourteen years ago that a totalitarian military regime in
Burma brutally shot, stabbed, and tortured its way to control. The
regime killed an estimated 10,000 innocent people who marched on the
streets and called for democracy, including women, children, students,
Buddhist monks, teachers and others from all walks of life.
To this day, the 50 million people of Burma still suffer gross human
rights abuses. According to credible organizations including the
United Nations, U.S. State Department, and Amnesty International, the
Burmese regime presses millions of persons into forced labor, holds
over a thousand political prisoners, and organizes systematic, mass
rapes in the Shan state. Evidence shows that Burma's military regime
is among the world's most brutal.
In fact, the regime is so fearful of its own people that it has
established a military intelligence service to squash free thinking
and prevent even the discussion of ideas like freedom and democracy.
On August 17th and 18th of this year, 15 students from the Rangoon
University and Rangoon Institute of Technology, all under age 21, were
arrested by the regime. Thirteen were arrested simply for forming a
literary study group without permission of the authorities. Two
others, Thet Naung Soe and Khin Maung Win, were arrested in front of
Rangoon City Hall for handing out leaflets calling for the realization
of democracy. It is expected that they will be sentenced to long
prison terms where they are likely to be in serious danger of torture.
In July, two youth members of the rightfully elected National League
for Democracy were arrested for possessing a secretive pro-democracy
journal. They were beaten severely by the police and later sentenced
to seven years imprisonment in a summary trial held in the infamous
Insein prison.
At the same time the regime has abused its own people, it has
initiated an international diplomatic charm offensive to curry favor
with the United States and other countries. The regime announced to
the world on May 6, 2002, "We shall recommit ourselves to allowing all
of our citizens to participate freely in the life of our political
process."
The United States should not be fooled by false propaganda of the
regime while the people of Burma sacrifice for the freedom and
democracy I believe in. The United States has always supported the
struggle for freedom in Burma. Now, at this critical time, we must do
all that is in our power to increase international pressure on this
regime.
1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has courageously
held together her country's freedom movement for the past 14 years,
and she and the people of Burma deserve our ongoing support. Fourteen
years into the struggle for freedom and Burma, I commend the
courageous people of Burma who have never allowed their call for
freedom to be crushed. Freedom united their cause. Courage gave it
life. Tyranny tried to crush it. But to this day, hope inspires the
people of Burma to continue in their struggle for democracy..
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