“Among all types of fights in prison,” he said, “HS is the last stage.”
The youth member of the National League for Democracy said that in Insein’s cell-blocks, the political prisoners had policies for every kind of strike, including HS. Their policies included: a strike shall concern issues affecting all political prisoners; it shall relate to issues of prisoners’ rights; it shall not be about political issues (such as a transfer of power to the NLD, national reconciliation or the release of political prisoners).
“In jail, no issue warrants taking one's own life,” said Moe Zaw Oo. He said that one disadvantage of staging hunger strikes in Burma’s jail is that they never get enough media attention. “Without media coverage, the HS is ineffective.”
For Thein Htoo, HS can be used in situations where it is absolutely necessary, even though it can be fatal. “It is a war with death. But we need to do it for our dignity,” he said. “Rights can only be achieved if you fight for them.”