Veteran pro-democracy activist Win Tin celebrated his 80th birthday on Friday, vowing to work to “dismantle the military dictatorship until my final breath.”
Win Tin, who founded the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) along with Aung San Suu Kyi and became her senior adviser, served 19 years in prison because of his political beliefs.
He was arrested in 1989 on a series of charges, ranging from publishing anti-government propaganda to instigation of civil disobedience, and was sentenced to 21 years imprisonment. He was released in September 2008, vowing then to “keep fighting until the emergence of democracy in this country.”
Still an outspoken critic of the regime, Win Tin wrote in Washington Post article last year that the planned general election would be a sham. He also strongly rebuked US Senator James Webb, who recently visited Burma, accusing him of adopting an uncritical pro-engagement stance.
In a birthday interview by telephone with The Irrawaddy, Win Tin said: “I will try to dismantle the military dictatorship until my final breath, with all my remaining strength and power”. He also appealed for unity in the face of regime oppression.
Win Tin recalled birthdays he had celebrated in Rangoon's Insein Prison. “I celebrated silently and wrote poems on the wall and the floor with a broken bottle.”
Zin Lin, spokesman of Burma’s democratic government in exile, the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, who spent time with Win Tin in prison, said Win Tin's morale appeared to be high despite his age.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners ( AAPP) marked Win Tin's birthday by distributing 1,000 copies of his book “Bar le he lu Nga Ye” (“Human Hell? What is Human Hell?”).
AAPP Secretary Tate Naing said “Sayar Win Tin spent more than 7,000days in prison, writing about his experience in a book that contains a message against fear. We deeply honor him and appreciate and recognize his experience and spirit.”
Moe Zaw Oo, secretary of the NLD foreign affairs department in exile, who also spent time with Win Tin in prison, said, “While I was in prison, Win Tin kept our political awareness and spirit alive. He never yielded or abandoned his belief in exchange for freedom, even though he had the opportunity to do so.
“I praise and respect his spirit for forswearing everything and continuing his political stance. All of us should emulate his spirit.”
Win Tin has suffered from poor health since leaving prison and lives modestly with friends and relatives. He has few personal possessions.
Zin Lin said the veteran activist still faced a “harsh political situation.”
While in prison, Win Tin was awarded the Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize and the Golden Pen of Freedom from the World Association of Newspapers.
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