Amnesty International (AI) issued a statement on Wednesday urging Burma's authorities to treat 88 Generation Students group leader Mya Aye who is reportedly in very poor health in Taunggyi prison.

AI said that 44-year old Mya Aye is suffering from angina, which is a serious heart condition, as well as hypertension, high blood pressure and gastric problems that have worsened in recent months. The statement said he has not received adequate medical treatment in prison.

Mya Aye.

Mya Aye was arrested on August 22, 2007, along with other 88 Generation student members after they had peacefully protested against rising prices. The demonstrations preceded massive protests, which were brutally suppressed by the military regime.

Mya Aye, Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Pyone Cho, Htay Kywe, Hla Myo Naung, Aung Thu, Nyan Lin and Aung Naing (aka Myo Aung Naing) were each sentenced at a court session in Maubin, southwest of Rangoon, to 65 years in prison for their roles in the anti-government uprising.

Mya Aye is currently serving his sentence in Taunggyi prison in Shan State after he was transferred from Loikaw prison in Karenni State. 

In the statement, AI said that Mya Aye is being held in a cell with prisoners who have been sentenced to death, and that he is only allowed to leave his cell to use the toilet. The poor conditions in the prison are exacerbating his ill health, the statement said.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Thursday, Bo Kyi, the joint secretary of Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), said, “We have heard that Mya Aye is in poor health and hasn't received enough medical care. In prison, political prisoners don't receive sufficient health care and their lives are frequently in danger. We are worried that many will die.”

Mya Aye was an activist during the democracy uprising in 1988. He was arrested in 1989 and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment. He was released in April 1996.

According to the AAPP Web site, 2,184 political prisoners are detained in prisons scattered throughout Burma.

Since the end of 2005, Burma's authorities have applied restrictions to such an extent that has made it impossible for the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit prisoners.