| By KYAW ZWA MOE | Saturday, November 20, 2004 |
Burma’s most prominent student leader was freed on Friday after being detained for nearly 16 years in jail, a family member said.
Paw Oo Tun, known as Min Ko Naing, or “Conqueror of Kings,” arrived last night at his home,
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Min Ko Naing |
"I feel as if I have awoken from dreamland and I've just started to open my eyes," Min Ko Naing told Reuters news agency at his home after being freed from prison.
The 42-year-old former student leader is in good health, except that he has a low fever. He is now resting, a family source said.
Min Ko Naing and 20 other political prisoners were released from prisons across the country on Friday, after the military government announced 3,937 prisoners would be released since they had been sentenced improperly by the National Intelligence Bureau, or NIB. The powerful NIB was dissolved last month after the military junta sacked Prime Minister and intelligence chief Gen Khin Nyunt.
The charismatic student leader was arrested by the Military Intelligence in March 1989 for his leadership role in the 1988 democracy uprising. During the uprising, Min Ko Naing became chairman of the All Burma Federation of Students’ Unions, which is banned in
The student leader was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, but later reduced to 10 years. Despite having already completed his sentence in 1999, the authorities continued to detain him under Article 10 (a) of the State Protection Act until his release.
Friends of Min Ko Naing and former student activists welcomed the news. They said it is good news for Burmese activists and campaign groups who have been campaigning for the release of Min Ko Naing.
While people are happy to learn the release of political prisoners they maintained cautious optimism.
“They release him (Min Ko Naing) today and they can put him back in jail tomorrow,” said a Burmese activist in
Political observers are doubtful that the mass release of prisoners will lead to political reconciliation.
US congressman Tom Lantos who is the author of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act, signed into law by President Bush in 2003 released a statement, "I am relieved that a relative handful of political prisoners will not sleep in Burma's prisons tonight, but we who appreciate freedom of conscience must be tireless in trying to free the more than 1,000 prisoners of conscience who remain captive in Burma.”
Lantos mentioned in his statement that Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is still under house arrest, and many of the other senior leadership of the National League for Democracy (NLD) remain behind bars.
“Unless and until all political prisoners are freed, I fear that these latest releases are just another cynical ploy by
According to Amnesty International, more than 1,300 political prisoners remained in
Meanwhile, Win Tin, prominent journalist and senior member of the NLD has not been released yet until this afternoon.
News agencies reported yesterday that he was released. Win Tin has been detained for 15 years in Insein Prison. Today, Win Tin’s close friend Maung Maung Khin visited Win Tin who is being detained in Insein Prison.
“He doesn’t think he will be released now but after he heard the news of Min Ko Naing, he is hopeful,” said Maung Maung Khin.
On Friday, the military government released about 600 prisoners from prisons across the country. Among them were only 21 political prisoners, including three Members of Parliament of NLD, according to the Thai-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan hailed the release of political prisoners. He said that he expected other still detained would also be released.
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