NEWS - Amnesty Says Myanmar Release

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Subject: NEWS - Amnesty Says Myanmar Releases Girl Seized in Opposition Sweep

Amnesty Says Myanmar Releases Girl Seized in Opposition Sweep

               AP
               29-JUL-99

               BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Myanmar officials freed a
               3-year-old girl described as the world's youngest
prisoner of
               conscience, Amnesty International said today. 

               The girl was one of 19 people detained earlier this month
by
               authorities to stop an anti-government protest in the
central
               city of Bago, also called Pegu, according to Amnesty and
an
               exile opposition group, the All Burma Students'
Democratic
               Front. 

               The girl, Thaint Wunna Khin, is the daughter of an
               opposition activist, Kyaw Wunna, whom police have been
               unable to catch. His wife and six other relatives were
also
               picked up in the sweep, the groups said. 

               "Amnesty welcomes the child's release but also asks that
the
               others be released, as they were not advocating violent
               behavior," said researcher Donna Guest from the
               London-based human rights group. 

               Amnesty said it had learned today that the girl was held
for
               five days, then was released July 23 and was now staying
               with relatives. Her mother and the other detainees are
still
               being held, while Kyaw Wunna remains at large, Guest
said. 

               There was no immediate comment from the government. 

               Amnesty had been demanding the girl's release, accusing
               the police of "effectively holding her hostage to force
her
               father out of hiding." The group said the arrest showed
the
               "extent of the Burmese government's ruthlessness in
trying
               to stamp out political dissent." 

               Earlier today, Myanmar's government issued a statement
               calling many of the reported details of the arrests
"untrue,"
               but it appeared to stop short of denying that the child
had
               been detained. 

               "The government categorically rejects the allegation that
a
               3-year-old child has been detained to force her father
out of

               hiding," the statement said. 

               The arrests, which began around July 17 and lasted
several
               days, were first reported Saturday by the exile
opposition
               group ABSDF. Guest said Amnesty verified the detentions
               through other sources. 

               The military government of Myanmar, also known as Burma,
               has been harshly criticized by human rights groups and
               Western countries for suppression of civil liberties and
               refusal to turn over power to an elected government. 

               The government, meanwhile, announced that two jailed
               members of the National League for Democracy, the
political
               party led by Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, have
               been freed. 

               Kyaw Sein, 81, had been sentenced to five years in
               February, and was freed out of consideration for his age,
a
               statement said. Thein Htun, 61, had been serving a
               seven-year term since 1996. 

               Both had been convicted of violating the Emergency
               Provision Act, a catchall used to curb political dissent.