Dear friends,
Firstly, I would like to let you know our position on campaigning on individual prisoners of conscience in
Myanmar (Burma). We have heard from individuals that they believe that external campaigning has meant that
people are not treated worse, and believe that continuing to campaign on individuals is beneficial. So, for
now our policy on campaigning on individual prisoners is not changing. We have listened to Daw San San's
comments, and will consider the questions that this has raised in our future evaluation of how we can
effectively campaign for releases. Please continue to let us know your thoughts on this and any other ideas
for how we can work on Myanmar.We will be issuing a new action file in 2005, and I hope in the interim to be
able to offer groups whose prisoners have been released the opportunity to campaign on long-standing
prisoners currently being worked on by the action file network.
We will be launching a web action on prisoners in the last week of January, and will also be issuing appeal cases at that time. 2005 is a crucial year for campaigning on Myanmar, who are due to assume ASEAN presidence in 2006. We hope that this will provide some opportunity for leverage at a time when the human rights situation remains bleak.
This has been a difficult year, and there is no indication that authorities will make any concessions in the near future. At least 5 NLD activists are known to have been arrested this month alone, and authorities have extended the sentences under administrative detention laws of NLD MPs Dr. Than Nyein and Daw May Win Myint. As you may know, Dr. Than Nyein has been chronically ill and continues to have bad health problems. Sadly also this year a number of political prisoners have died, either in detention or shortly after being released on humanitarian grounds in poor states of health.
I would like to remind you though that there have been developments to the benefit of imprisoned individuals this year, , including the release of the majority of people detained at the time of Depayin and of several prominent prisoners of conscience. Of the appeal cases that groups worked on in this year's RAN action, the following have been released: 1) Imprisoned Human rights defenders sentenced to 21 years for writing a letter - one named individual, U Tun Myint, was among those recently released. 2) Dissidents behind Bars, a law that allows detention without charge or trial - two individuals, Min Ko Naing (Paw U Tun) and U Htwe Myint were also among those recently released. 3) 13 years for writing a student history: U Thar Ban, Maung Maung Kyaw, Su Su Win and Khun Sai were all released in the last six months - in this case they had reached the end of their sentences, but this is still good news 4) "Let us not call it detention" - the majority of persons arrested have been released, with the notable exception of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo, who remain under house arrest. However, it was an improvement that U Tin Oo was moved to house arrest in February of this year.
There has been no development in the situation of the other two appeal cases, namely on the two nuns imprisoned, and on an independent investigation into events at Depayin.
Thank you for everything this year. If you are having a holiday, I hope it is good. The IS is closed between Christmas and New Year, unless an emergency happens. I am away for the first two weeks of January, returning on 17th.
with many thanks and very best wishes to you all,
Katherine