2 Returning Detainees Treated As He

[TheTruth@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

-Rangoon Post-

  2 of the AU students and members of the Free Burma Coalition returning
from Burma arrived this morning at 8:42 AM at Washington,D.C.'s National
Airport.  They were flooded by press and upto 30 friends and family as
they exited the airplane.

  At their press conference across from the Burmese Embassy residence
they stated that they were treated very nicely. But their trial was
unexpected. They were brought into a very dirty building and satdown
together.  This building was noted as being at the Insein Prison,
Burma's infamous prison of political detainees and torture. They didn't
know until later that this was their trial.

  Their so-called witnesses were all frauds according to Miss Sapna.
They came in and spoke about things that never occured. And contrary to
the Burmese newspapers, the people did not turn them in.  The people
were coming up and asking {freely} for the handouts.  After the
testimonies, the judging person asked them, "How do you want to plead?".
The 18 detainees had no idea what he was talking about.  They asked them
at the end of this so-called trial and not before.  No {apparent} lawyer
was there for any of the detainees.

  Someone noted to them that it was not what they wrote on the leaflets,
but the Fighting Peacock and the 8888.

  The activists said if they hadn't released them.  Other multinational
groups would have entered Burma to push the issue farther.

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<They were met by 5 TV stations, 3 newspaper reporters and 2
international radio reporters. NBC, ABC, FOX (and 2 others), VOA, RFA,
Washington Post, Washington Times, and the Rangoon Post.>